DALE ANDRADE, DAVID CASTRO, RAI W.

COLE, HIROMI COTA, TRIPP J CROUSE,

ERYKAH FASSETT, ELLIOTT FREEMAN, VIOLET GREEN, CATIE GRIFFIN, JAMES MENDEZ HODES,
GEOFFREY MCVEY, M.J. MONLEÓN, ZACHERY NALDRETT, SPIDER B. PERRY, LAUREN ROY,
JOAQUIN KYLE VINCENT SAAVEDRA / MAKAPATAG, MONICA SPECA, H. ULRICH
CREDITS
Writers: Dale Andrade, David Castro, Rai W. Cole,
Hiromi Cota, Tripp J Crouse, Erykah Fassett, Elliott
Freeman, Violet Green, Catie Griffin, James Mendez
Hodes, Geoffrey McVey, M.J. Monleón, Zachery Naldrett,
Spider B. Perry, Lauren Roy, Joaquin Kyle Vincent Saavedra
/ Makapatag, Monica Speca, H. Ulrich
“For Emmanuel” by: M.J. Monleón
“Rhiannon” by: Rai W. Cole
“The Visitor Before The Dawn Of A World” by: H.
Ulrich
Developers: Hiromi Cota, Neall Raemonn Price,
Monica Speca
Scion Content Lead: Hiromi Cota
Editor: A.M. Valerie
Indexer: M.K. Andersen
Art: Sam Denmark, Shen Fei, Navela Studio, Gong
Studios, Farri Lensen
Art Director: Maria Cabardo and Mike Chaney
Graphic Designer: Travis Legge
Creative Director: Richard Thomas REQUIRES THE USE OF
SPECIAL THANKS SCION: ORIGIN, SCION: HERO
To Amalia Rubin for her help, knowledge, and passion
AND SCION: DEMIGOD
for the world’s cultures.
To every Indigenous storyteller, past and present, Land Acknowledgement: This book was written
from every culture for keeping the stories alive. Our on the homelands of the Anishinaabe, Bodéwadmi,
world is a more beautiful and wonderous place because of Coast Salish, Dene, Eansketambawg, Kiikaapoi,
your hard work. Lenape, Multnomah, Odawa, Ohlone, Piscataway,
Susquehannock, Tutelo, and Wôpanâak peoples’ lands.
To every future storyteller learning their people’s lan-
guage and stories for saving your people’s knowledge from
the erosion of time.
From David Castro
For L. Sandra Saez, Ralph Castro, and all the other
Taínos and Ricans who lead me here.

© 2024 Onyx Path Publishing. All rights reserved. References to other copyrighted material in
no way constitute a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material. “Scion” and all
characters, names, places, and text herein are copyrighted by Onyx Path Publishing.
Keep up to date with Onyx Path Publishing at theonyxpath.com.

2 SCION: GOD
THE VISITOR BEFORE CHAPTER TWO:
THE DAWN OF A WORLD 8 GAME OF IMMORTALS 52
After Apotheosis 53
INTRODUCTION 12 Godly Rivalries 53
The Politics of Pantheons 54
How To Use This Book 13
Gods and Mortals 55
The Pantheons 13
The Titanomachy 55
What’s In This Book? 14
Titans and Primordials 57
Media 14
Incarnations 58
A God Among Mortals 58
CHAPTER ONE: Incarnations andTheir Gods 59
STORYGUIDING DIVINITY 16 Life in the World 60
Incarnations in Your Game 62
Ready-Made Characters 17
Creating Incarnations 62
Eric Donner 18
Divine Rule 63
Dr. Hassan ibn Luki, MD 22
Divine Sinews: Approaches toOmnipotence 64
Rashmi 26
How Do I Do It Summary 66
Rhiannon Firesoother 30
Moving the Realms 66
Xiuhtecuhtli 34
Divine Rule Play Summary 68
Modes of Storytelling 38
Godly Strife: Direct Conflicts 69
Beginning to End 38
Divine Conflict Summary 71
Your Heart Is the Most Precious Thing 38
Divine Wounds 71
Bleed 38
Causing Problems: Titanic Acts 73
Safety Tools 39
Storyguiding Divine Rule 74
Placing the Markers 40
Divine Difficulties 74
Closing Chapters 42
Enemy Gods andDivine Bystanders 75
Apotheosis 43
Cults & Religion 76
What Now? 44
Cults of the New Gods 76
Storyguiding Incarnations 45
What Worship Feels Like 76
One Storyguide, Many Paths 45
One God, Many Cults 77
Tying it All Together 46
Temple 80
Players as Storyguides 46
Devout Lands 80
Session Zero, Redux 47
Many Cults, One Creed 81
Communication is Key 48
New Birthright: Creed 81
The Hand-Off 49
Religion 82
Types of Play 50
All Religions Are True 82
Story’s End 50
Ways to Categorize Religion 82

Table of Contents 3
 Religion is Active 83 Relics 114
Worshippers Impact the Worshipped 83 Relationships 115
How Gods Change Their Religions 83 Other Pantheons 115
How Religions Form 83 Current Priorities 115
Here, There (May)Be Dragons 84 Greatest Weakness 115
Pantheon Path of the Ilhm 115
CHAPTER THREE: THE K’UH OF THE MAYA 116
PANTHEONS 88 Principal Members 117
Awilix, Goddess of the Moon and Night 117
Scent the Divine 89
Buluc-Chabtan, God of War, Violence,
Gods Versus Titans, One More Time 89 Human Sacrifice, and Sudden Death 118
THE BALAHALA OF VISAYAS 92 Chac, God of Rain 118
Principal Members 93 Cizin, God of Death, Ruler of the Underworld 119
Amihan, The Cool Northeast Wind 93 Ek Chuaj, God of Merchants,
Habagat, The Hot Southwest Wind 94 Chocolate, and War 120
Inaginid, Deity of War 95 Hunahpu and Xbalanque,
Makanduk, God of Raiding and Plunder 96 Gods of the Sun and Moon 120
Barangaw, The Rainbow of Victory 96 Itzamna, God of Rulers,
Writing, and Medicine 121
Munsad Buralakaw,
He Who Has Power Over Men 97 Ix Chel, Goddess of Midwives, Fertility,
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Medicine 121
Layang Sukla, Goddess of Beauty 97
K’uk’ulkan, The Feathered Serpent 122
Lalahon, She Who Lives Within Kanlaon 98
Q’uq’umatz, Sovereign Plumed Serpent 122
Sidapa, The One Upon Madjaas 98
Tohil, God of Fire 122
Mawayen, Ferry of Deceased Souls 99
U K’ux Kaj, “Heart of Sky”,
Banwanun, Lord of Hunting and Forests 99
God of Wind and Storm 123
Adlaw, The Sun 100
Cosmology 123
Bulan, The Moon 100
Kan – Overworld 123
Pandaki, The Savior of Souls 100
Kab – the World 123
Cosmology 101
Xibalba – Underworld 123
Titans 101
Titans 124
Primordials 101
Vucub-Caquix 124
Religion: Anito 102
Zipacna 124
Birthrights 102
Cabrakan 125
Relationships 103
Primordials 125
Pantheon Path of the Balahala 103
Religion: Costumbre 125
THE ILHM OF PHOENICIA 104 Calendrics 125
Principal Members 105 Sacrifice 125
The Highest Tier, Divine Mothers Birthrights 126
and Wise Father 105 Creatures 126
The Second Tier, Seventy Siblings 109 Followers 126
Cosmology: The Wadi Between the Mountains 112 Guides 126
Primordials 112 Relics 126
Titans and Titanspawn 112 Relationships 126
Religion: Marzeh 113 Other Pantheons 126
Birthrights 114 Current Priorities 126
Creatures 114 Greatest Weakness 127
Followers 114 Pantheon Path of the K’uh 127
Guides 114

4 SCION: GOD
THE PĀLAS OF BUDDHISM 128 Cosmology 147
Principal Members 129 Tera Incognitae: Cacibajagua 147
Vessavaṇa, Who Hears Everything 129 Underworld: Coaybay 148
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Who Preserves the Empire 130 Overworld: Pico El Yunque 148
Tārā, Who Saves All 130 Titans 148
Vajirapāṇi, Adamant in Hand 131 Coatrisquie, the Torrential Downpour 148
Vimalakīrti, Untainted Fame 132 Guabancex, She Who will Destroy All 148
Cosmography: The Triple Realms 133 Guatauba, Herald of Thunder and Lightning 149
The Realm of Desire 133 Juracán, the Whirling Storm 149
Axis Mundi: Mount Sumeru 133 Yayael, the Son who Betrayed 149
Overworlds: The Six Heavens and Beyond 134 Primordials 149
Buddha-Fields and Pure Lands 134 Religion: Zemíism 150
Titans 134 Birthrights 150
Māra, the King of Illusion 134 Creatures 150
Ratī, Aratī, and Tṛṣṇā: Māra’s Daughters 135 Followers 150
Religion: Buddhism 135 Guides 150
Leveling Up 136 Relics 150
Vehicle Modes 137 Relationships 151
Birthrights 137 Other Pantheons 151
Creatures 137 Current Priorities 151
Followers 138 Greatest Weakness 151
Guides 138 Pantheon Path of the Zemí 151
Relics 138
Relationships 138 RHIANNON 152
Current Priorities 138
Greatest Weaknesses 138
CHAPTER FOUR:
Pantheon Path of the Pālas 139
Signature Purview: Yidam 139 BEYOND APOTHEOSIS 158
THE ZEMÍ OF THE TAÍNO 140 Time, Fate, and the Gods 159
Principal Members 140 Creating a Pantheon 160
Achinao, Coromo, Racuno, and Sobaco, Overview 160
the Star Quartet 140 Pantheon Mantles 161
Anacacuya, the First Cacique 141 The Framing Story: Questions and Answers 161
Bayamanaco, Old Man Fire 142 Legend 9: New Mysteries 162
Boinael, God of the Sun 143 Legend 10: In illo tempore 164
Boínayel, God of the Rain 143 Legend 11: First Things 165
Caguana, Goddess of Love 144 Legend 12: The Creation Myth 166
Deminán Caracaracol, of the Sacred Four 144 Expanding the Pantheon 169
Guacar, Who Lives in the Earth 145
Iguanaboína, the Rainbow Serpent 145 CHAPTER FIVE:
Itiba Cahubaba, the Great Bleeding Mother 145
PURVIEWS OF THE GODS 170
Maquetaríe Guayaba, Cacique of Coaybay 146
Márohu, God of Clear Skies 146 Legend 171
Maroya, Goddess of the Moon 146 And Ye Shall Be As Gods 171
Opiyelguabirán, the Hound of the Dead 147 Fatebinding 172
Yúcahu Bagua Maórocoti, Basics 172
He Who has No Father 147 Higher Stakes, Greater Scale 172
Fatebinding Conditions and Roles 173

Table of Contents 5
 Birthrights 174 Passion 201
The Hammer (etc.) of the Gods 174 Prosperity 202
New Birthrights 176 Sky 203
Creatures 176 Stars 204
Followers 178 Sun 204
Guides 178 War 205
Relics 179 Water 206
Knacks 180 Wild 207
Creator 180 Previous Boons 207
Guardian 180 Pantheon – Specific Purviews 209
Healer 181 Signature Ilhm Purview: Marzeh 209
Hunter 181 Signature Pālas Purview: Yidam 210
Judge 182 Signature Zemí Purview: Behique 211
Leader 182 Signature Balahala Purview: Paganito 212
Liminal 182 Signature K’uh Purview: Tzolk’in 213
Lover 183 Asha (Yazata) 214
Sage 183 Cheval/Gún (Loa and Óríshá) 214
Trickster 184 Dodaem (Manitou) 214
Warrior 184 Dvoeverie (Bogovi) 214
Titanic Calling Knacks 184 Geasa (Tuatha Dé Danann) 215
Adversary 184 Heku (Netjer) 215
Destroyer 184 Mana (Atua) 215
Monster 185 Metamorphosis (Theoi) 215
Primeval 185 Nemeton (Nemetondevos) 215
Tyrant 185 Nextlahualli (Teōtl) 216
Absolute Dominion 186 Pachakutic (Apu) 216
Purviews 186 Qut (Tengri) 216
Universal 186 Shuilá (Anunna) 216
Artistry 186 Tianming (Shén) 216
Beauty 187 Wyrd (Æsir) 217
Beasts 188 Yaoyorozu — No — Kamigami (Kami) 217
Chaos 188 Yógá (Devá) 217
Darkness 190
Death 191 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS 218
Deception 192
Godsrealms 219
Earth 192
Ásgarð 220
Epic Dexterity 193
Hanan Pacha 220
Epic Stamina 194
Kan 221
Epic Strength 194
Kahilwayan 222
Fertility 195
Olympus 222
Fire 195
Pico El Yunque 223
Forge 196
Prav 223
Fortune 197
Svargaloka 224
Frost 198
Takamagahara 225
Health 198
Teteocán 226
Journeys 199
Tian 226
Moon 200
The Wadi 227
Order 201

6 SCION: GOD
Primordial Realms 228 CHAPTER SEVEN:
Anu 229
Garö-Demánæ 229
ANTAGONISTS 234
The Body of Nut 230 Antagonists 235
Immanent Realms 230 New Antagonist Archetypes 235
Crom Cruach 230 Flairs 237
Ginen 231 Attack Flairs 237
Koke Mongke Tengri and Etugen Eke 231 Defense Flairs 237
Manitou 231 Social Flairs 237
Other Overworlds 232 Support Flairs 238
Niðvellir 232 Utility Flairs 239
Tamoanchan 232 Roster of Divine Antagonists 241
The Four Cities 233
Pantheons Without Overworlds 233 FOR EMANUEL 252

Table of Contents 7
 She hewed a sphere of brilliant green stone of Bushra, She Who Spares the Innocent, Savior
a sort unseen in the World (or above or below it), of Seven Cities, She Who Split the Skull of the
hollowing it out before setting it above a dry land Devouring Serpent, cried out “Fuck!” and pulled
beyond the sight of mighty kings or learned priests. the dome down with a great and angry effort; green
So immense it was that to stand on the dusty light smearing into invisible shades, it crashed
earth beneath it was to see only an enormous dome, down onto the dry space beneath it, me cracking
shapes on its luminescent surface slowly marching and shattering into brilliant shards amidst con-
from horizon to horizon as it commenced its state- suming darkness.
ly rotation. “Fucking Tablets of Destiny!” Bushra, Daughter
And those shapes resolved themselves into me, of Marduk yelled, as the dome ground itself to bits,
cuneiform on planetary scale detailing cosmic se- its apocalyptic impact sending shockwaves across
crets of ascent that would see human and near-hu- the empty world, all before the voice of Marduk,
man raised beyond the dusty plains and arid state King of the Gods, Lord of Lords, Mighty Leader
above, becoming greater than ever before. faded from her divinely excellent hearing.
The great roiling voice sounded from far away And then there was a soft knocking on her
and farther above, echoing in spaces between pri- corner of the universe, audible just past the contin-
mordial spheres and starry skies, stirring up the uous roar of the green sphere’s cataclysmic fall, and
dust and ashes beneath the green horizon. s Bushra, Who Can Eat an Entire Deep-Dish Pizza
By Herself, winced and sighed. “Might as well
“I am sure,” spoke Marduk, Slayer of Tiamat, come on in, Lemuel.”
as a voice from an empty room, “that whatever my
Daughter is doing, she is not attempting to upturn •••
the proper order of things, or disputing the decrees The ship’s rain slick deck drunkenly lurched
of the Gods, or seeking to elevate men and women starboard, crew desperately holding on to anything
past their stations, or doing any such things which that didn’t move as everything that did tumbled
would bring shame upon her father. I would wield towards the rapidly approaching sea.
fatal power against any who claimed she did such, “She’s listing!” an officer yelled. “Someone kill
severing them into countless pieces and decorating the engine! It’ll be murder if the propeller is still
the lonely, distant places where the Daughter of going when we hit the water—”
Marduk spends her nascent Godhood, so that she
might enjoy whatever new and useful form I gave And the engine was silent, motive parts stilled
them as she partook in useful and industrious ac- and unmoving.
tions which might make her father smile upon her. “Get the boats in the water and clear, we need
That is the high esteem with which I regard my to move—”
Daughter and her works.”

8 SCION: GOD
 And the life rafts were already deployed, fully read me the riot act from afar. Well, the implied
inflated and within easy reach of the ship. riot act, because Marduk’s Daughter wouldn’t have
“There are still refugees below deck, we need done anything that he and the Anunna wouldn’t
more time—” approve of.” She picked up a piece of the fallen
dome, looking at the cuneiform that read “with-
This is Becoming a Farce, thought the watching out limit” before its newly formed edge cut it off.
power, and so the World shifted, enormous arms “Didn’t even bother to show. Figured he could just
cradling the ship and gently depositing it on a yell in my direction, and I’d fall in line.” She hurled
shore further than it could have ever gotten in its the shard of stone at the empty sky, green rock
condition. becoming a distant and flickering light for a mo-
“I saw him! I saw him!” a midshipman yelled ment. “And he was right. Panicked and destroyed
as she staggered back to standing straight with the all my work myself. One cosmic dome, crashing to
vessel’s new orientation on dry, unmoving land. this Axis Mundi’s empty earth. Wasn’t even a good
“The Son of Dagon caught us! He carried us to apocalypse; no one else to see it.”
land!” And she began to pray, joined by many of the “Probably better no one saw it, for their sake.”
other crew. And their prayers reached Lemuel as The cormorant settled down next to Lemuel, and
he was already looking towards the towering infer- he idly pet it as it preened. “Though I wish I had
no that spread from the oil derrick an ocean away, gotten to see the dome, before you did it. And a
curdling smoke filling the sky. little surprised that you didn’t have it out with your
None still lived at the disaster’s heart; the sur- father.”
vivors had already moved well clear of the blaze as “Have it out with Marduk, Who Saved The
fiery slicks of crude reached out across the ocean Gods, His Forefathers From Danger? Does that
waves towards foundering waterfowl already sound like a good idea?”
tarred. The God did not hesitate, and the fire failed
as if it was never there. The derrick’s structures “Well, not necessarily, but that doesn’t mean
crimped and wrapped around themselves, the flow Bushra wouldn’t try it, you know? I seem to recall
of unwanted oil staunched. Thick strands of crude certain extraordinary feats completed in the shad-
wound back up onto themselves, until a burg of ow of the John Hancock—”
petroleum stuck to the burnt deck of the derrick. “Eating an entire pizza is in no way the same
And finally, almost as an afterthought, gentle hands thing!”
cleaned confused birds of crude and massaged “It was a deep-dish pizza. And it was on top of
health back into their small bodies. the corpse of an enormous, city devouring serpent.”
An emergency responder at the edge of the di- “So I was hungry since I had just slain the
saster’s radius watched, eyes wide, and pulled over stupid snake and—” Bushra was laughing, despite
a confused coworker. “I saw Him! I saw Him save herself, and broken pieces of green stone cracked
the birds!” and slipped all around her as she couldn’t control
And so it was Lemuel, the God Who Swims, He her mirth. “Making me think of that whole stupid
Who Cradled the Serpent as It Died, Son of Dagon, day is cheating.”
the God Who Saves the Seabirds, Bringer of the “Reminding you of literal Apotheosis is cheat-
Pizza who gently stepped into Bushra’s dry place ing?” Lemuel smiled back, and allowed the cormo-
beyond the World amid the still-tumbling plates of rant onto his lap as it tried to groom him. “I don’t
green stone. know, I think it might be helpful when you’re feel-
••• ing bullied by your divine father. Remember what
“You did this yourself,” Lemuel noted, dark eyes you are now, and who came with you. Maybe not so
taking in the endless distance of mint apocalypse, easy to bully.”
“Or at least this feels really Bushra.” He sat atop a “It’s not that simple. All the Anunna are like
plate of shattered stone, mindful to avoid obscuring that, caught up in eon-long certainty over dignity
the cuneiform that still gleamed on it, a hand gently and pecking order, and furious if anyone chal-
stopping the recently cleaned and rescued cormo- lenges it.” She smiled, sadly, and tossed another
rant accompanying him from hopping away. green stone shard into the sky, where it hung and
Bushra scowled down from above, enormous gleamed. “I think he was trying to be supportive, in
form blotting out a considerable percentage of the his way. He really is proud of me, and doesn’t want
sky. Her gleaming raiment swirled, its own lumi- my relationship with the rest to go sour. I get that;
nous cloth distorting and mixing the jade light from Enlil is going to be livid if he ever realizes what I’m
the fragments below. “Yeah, well, Dad called me trying to do, and I doubt even Ishtar is going to be
out. Waited until I was just about done, and then happy. But yeah; a one-way message on the wind

The Visitor Before The Dawn Of A World 9

lets me know that he knows without making him “I get that, Lem, I do. But you shouldn’t imply to
confront me over it, and I guess I appreciate that…” your bosom buddy that you’re ready to help wrestle
“Even while it still pisses you off.” her entire Pantheon into submission when you’re
neck deep in Worldly business.” Bushra crouched,
“Yeah. And the fact that he feels like he needs to picking up another jagged green shape to toss into
do that makes me even more upset — okay, Lemuel, the sky, and another shining dot blossomed up in
I have to ask what’s going on with the bird.” the darkness. “Besides, Ishtar would mess us up.”
“I’m Savior of Seabirds now,” the Savior of “Ishtar would mess us up.” Lemuel stood, care-
Seabirds admitted as the cormorant settled down fully placing the cormorant back down on a steady
in his lap again. “Pretty recent change.” piece of green stone, before hefting a moderate
“Here we go.” Bushra bent over Lemuel, blot- chunk, barely larger than a Mack truck. “Assuming
ting out a full three-fourths of the sky, and squinted she ended up on the other side.”
at him. “And while I’m risking a confrontation with “She’s great, but she still stands amongst the
my divine family, my friend of friends, He Who supreme, you know? I wouldn’t count on her sup-
Brought the Pizza Himself, is out in the World get- port if I ended up in a shouting match — or worse
ting his hands dirty with crude oil and drowning — with the older generation. Want to put that a
sailors and getting all wrapped up in the love of degree or two above where you think the ecliptic
every rescued maritime unfortunate.” should go?”
“I’m spread thin,” Lemuel admitted with a
shrug. “But there’s so much to do.”

10 SCION: GOD
 “Have you asked her? You might be surprised.” not Demigods anymore. I know we got caught up in
With a grunt, Lemuel threw the block upward, and plenty of things then—”
it grew brighter and brighter before it became a “I should’ve brought pizza.”
searing mark in the blackness. “So you’re not going
to give up here, then? Going to give it another go, “Hah ha. But yeah, you should have. Anyway!
making the ideal world?” I know we got caught up in all sorts of wild and
out of control things then, but now the way we
“Well, putting up a decent sky for anyone who change imprints on reality. Allowing ourselves to
comes to this corner outside the World is the least be changed doesn’t just affect us anymore.” Bushra
I can do after messing it up so much. But yeah. began cleaning space around herself, moving
Maybe I’ll give it another go. Maybe after talking shards of green stone to expose the dusty ground.
to Ishtar first.” Straightening, Bushra looked to the “Take a bit to help me here. Answer prayers from
sky with a stone shard in each hand. “We’re going afar; inspire some young Hero to take up great
to need to vary this up if we don’t want to end up deeds on behalf of their marzeh and keep paying it
with here being called the Place of Green Stars.” forward that way. Don’t take on too many Worldly
Still, she tossed both upwards, each splitting into burdens yourself; even Gods can get worn down.”
gleaming shards which became shining points,
scattered around what was starting to look more “Well. Maybe. This whole place is pretty dry for
and more like a night sky. me, though. What are you thinking, a lake here?”
“We? Hey, you just told me I should be careful “Who else am I going to ask to wrap a world
with the heavy divine lifting when I’ve been stomp- in oceans, filled with broken secrets and forbidden
ing around the World.” The cormorant warbled at ideas for its new inhabitants to discover?”
Lemuel disapprovingly, and he picked it up. It re- There was only a cormorant to watch, as a
sumed grooming him immediately. place beyond the edge of the World slowly filled
“And maybe this is an opportunity to stop be- with gentle oceans beneath a sky half-filled with
ing so directly enmeshed in World affairs. Look, I green stars, and a story began anew.
think the seabird thing is… it’s very you, but we’re

The Visitor Before The Dawn Of A World 11

 THIS IS THE ACCOUNT of when all is still silent and placid.
All is silent and calm. Hushed and empty is the womb of the sky.
THESE, then, are the first words, the first speech.
— The Popol Vuh, translation by Allen J. Christenson

What does it mean to be a God? Scion: Hero expanded options, casting open the
For that matter, what does it mean to be a mortal doors to the divine. At the Heroic tier, Scions gain a frac-
imagining themself as a God? The answer to the second tion of the power of the Gods, giving them the opportunity
is a little easier. After all, people from around the world to take their adventures further. This creates new choices
have been doing exactly that for longer than we have had for players, allowing their Scions to shape the World:
written records. Though plenty of cultures and religions protecting their neighborhood from Titanspawn, investi-
discourage the folly of humans trying to become Gods, gating dangers, and helping prevent catastrophes.
there are few among us who haven’t wondered what it In Scion: Demigod, Scions stride further from hu-
would be like to be one. To command the power of a God, manity, becoming too powerful to be mistaken for mortals
to have the power and freedom to change the world to any longer. While most Scions of this tier continue work-
better suit them. ing to better the World, the quest for power becomes its
Many of us see the authority of Godhood and dream own irresistible journey. Apotheosis — the process of be-
of what we could do with it — how we could right wrongs coming a God — defines Demigod Scions as much as any-
and punish the wicked. Some see Godhood as both a re- thing else. Demigods no longer wrestle with the question
moval of mortal limitations and the introduction of divine of whether or not to become a God, but rather what kind
ones, viewing the struggle to be a just God as a burden of God they wish to become, forging their own Legend.
far heavier than we can ever comprehend. Others among Now, with Scion: God, Scions are near the end of
us see Gods as something beyond mortal comprehension their journey for resources; they now have the incredi-
— divine beings whose true natures we can only guess at. ble power they’ve dreamed of and can finally fulfill the
We’re all correct. desires they had in the earlier steps of their journey, re-
gardless of what those might have been. Gods seeking to
Gods are multitudinous and vast. They have the pow- steer the World to a better place can play a geopolitical
er to enact their will upon the world and see their desires game, using their influence over their Cults and Religions
manifest. They are also problem-filled and flawed, the to nudge humanity toward a better path. They can take
human experience magnified a thousandfold. So, too, are a more direct role, although the more overt the changes
they flawless paragons who have shepherded humanity they seek, the more resistance they’ll encounter from
for thousands of years and cared for us, despite our fool- other Gods. God-tier Scions can even create Incarnations
ish notions. They are all these things and more. — pieces of themselves to do good in the World much as
What does it mean to be a God? they did when they were younger, but now with a clarity
of purpose only available to those who can take in the en-
We’re about to find out.
tire breadth of the World with divine eyes.

HOW TO USE Players can even turn their eyes inward, spending
their time in Scion: God collaboratively crafting new my-

THIS BOOK thology. Through acts and Deeds, new Gods write their
Legends, answering what it means to be good. How these

S cion: God is the final core book for the Scion, Second
Edition game line. It is not the last book in the game
line, not by a long shot. It is merely the last major piece
Gods interact with the World and their new neighbors,
peers, and foes will define history itself.

outlining the infinite setting of Scion. To better understand THE PANTHEONS

what God is, we need to be good folklorists and consider Like the Pantheons of Demigod, the five Pantheons
the steps that led us to this point. in God stand ready to leap into any Scion game, regard-
Scion: Origin introduced players to the World and less of what tier you’re playing. You might want to draw
the basic mechanics of Scion, Second Edition. Origin on the Gods of the K’uh to provide a divine parent for an
gave them the tools needed to play divinely-inspired char- Origin-tier Scion, the Titans of the Zemí for Heroic ad-
acters skirting the edges of the supernatural elements and versaries, or the Realms of the Pālas for your Demigods’
discovering the abilities and knowledge that separated multiversal journey. And, of course, you can use these
them from ordinary mortals. Pre-Visitation Scions under- Pantheons to provide new peers, allies, and rivals for your
stand a fraction of the World. God-tier Scions. This is not a feature unique to Scion:

How to Use This Book 13

God’s Pantheons; all Pantheons of Scion can be used in • Rhiannon: A tale of how the Goddess Rhiannon
these ways. intervenes on behalf of a follower.
As for the Pantheons themselves, they are: • Chapter Four: Beyond Apotheosis: The tales of
Gods and their Pantheons are simultaneously frag-
• Balahala: The Gods of the Visayan region of the
ile and powerful. A potent Deed may rewrite his-
Philippines push back against colonial influences,
tory itself. This chapter details the ways that Gods
seeking to keep their people safe.
may forge new Pantheons, Mantles, and myths.
• Ilhm: The Phoenician Gods gently steer the Gods
and people of the World towards unity, even going • Chapter Five: Purviews of the Gods: With new
so far as to permit open worship of all Gods at their knowledge of the Gods comes new abilities, forms
holy places. of Fatebinding, things to use Legend on, and plenty
of Knacks to support new Purviews and expand
• K’uh: Hailing from Central America, the Gods of existing ones.
the Maya seek to unify themselves and spread their
• Chapter Six: Overworlds: This chapter details
influence.
the basic natures of Overworlds, as well as how
• Pālas: The divine protectors of the Buddhist reli- God Realms, Immanent Realms, and Primordial
gion seek to educate and elevate humanity through Realms behave, along with details and plot seeds
wisdom and to crush or convert demons who would for 24 Realms.
lead people astray.
• Chapter Seven: Antagonists: What good would
• Zemí: The Gods of the Caribbean protect the Taíno any of this be without opposition? This chapter
people from Titans, climate change, and imbalance. provides Antagonist Archetypes to challenge all

WHAT’S IN levels of Gods, Flairs for these foes, and twenty

enemies ready to complicate the lives of the Gods.

THIS BOOK? • For Emmanuel: A story of Xiuhtecuhtli’s tribute to

the fallen Scion Emmanuel.
• The Visitor Before The Dawn Of A World: A tale
of the siblings Bushra and Lemuel exploring the
limits of their power.
MEDIA
• Introduction: You’re reading it.
• Chapter One: Storyguiding Divinity: This chap-
I n addition to reading mythology from around our world
to get a feel for the kinds of concerns, problems, and
solutions that Gods have, we recommend the following as
ter holds advice, tips, and tricks on how to make sources of inspiration for your Scion: God stories.
your version of the World sing, as well as safety
The Wicked + The Divine,
tools to ensure everyone playing has an enjoyable
by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
time. It also explains how to avoid the problems
that divinity brings. After all, story arcs in roleplay- Largely influenced by pop music, the comic series
ing games rarely take characters from the street to follows a young teenage girl, Laura, as she interacts with
the heavens. the Pantheon, a group of twelve people who discover that
• Chapter Two: The Game of Immortals: they are reincarnated deities. This discovery grants them
Simply put, Gods don’t operate on the same lev- fame and supernatural powers, with the stipulation that
el as Heroes or Demigods. It’s not a matter of they will die within two years. The interaction between
power — although that’s also wildly different; the Gods and their followers on social media, and the ev-
it’s a matter of what Gods choose to do with er-present debate about faith and religion (while people
that power. Overwhelmingly, the answer is: still go about their daily lives) is a top choice for inspira-
Cults & Religions: Rewarding your faith- tion on setting. This series spans all of Scion’s tiers.
ful and using their trust to change the World. American Gods by Neil Gaiman, novel;
Divine Rule: Fulfilling the physical respon- by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green,
sibilities of Gods through words and deeds. television series
Incarnations: Imbuing ichor into new forms to
influence the course of human events. Both the book and the television series focus on
Shadow Moon, who — upon being released from prison —
• Chapter Three: Pantheons: Five Pantheons take meets a strange man named Mr. Wednesday and becomes
their place alongside their peers — The Balahala embroiled in a large-scale conflict between the weakened
of the Visayan people, the Ilhm of the Phoenicians, Old Gods (of mythology) and the New Gods (of technolo-
the K’uh of the Mayans, the Pālas of the Buddhists, gy), who grow stronger each day. The series is one of the
and the Zemí of the Taíno people. best blends of ancient mythology and Americana you’ll

14 INTRODUCTION
ever find; more importantly, it updates the ancient to mo- and losing Mantles, as well as the consequences of doing
dernity, which fits Scion splendidly. The sequel, Anansi so, both for the divine and the mortals who revere them.
Boys, has an excellent example of the concept of mantling.
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
The show is resplendent with eye-popping visuals and
crackling dialogue. One of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, Small
The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman, Sam Gods offers a light-hearted take on Gods and their reli-
Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg gions. The Great God Om manifests in the world and is
surprised to find himself powerless, in the body of a tor-
Seven siblings watch over all of reality. The title toise, and with only one true worshipper. Though Gods in
character, Dream of the Endless, attempts to change his Scion are unlikely to have problems as severe or funny as
personality in response to mortality, despite being billions Om’s, the struggle to reclaim power and use it effective-
of years old and the anthropomorphic personification of ly is a motif that echoes in countless myths, both in our
dreams. The series also features Gods, demons, and be- world and the World.
ings of divine power interacting both with mortals and
Gods of Jade and Shadow,
with each other in relation to events far beyond any mor-
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
tal’s ken. The end of the series also features a dramatic
representation of inheriting a divine Mantle. A young woman named Casiopea discovers the bones
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N. K. Jemisin of the Mayan death God Hun-Kamé. Once the bones prick
her thumb, she becomes connected to the God, who seeks
The trilogy begins with a murder that summons Yeine to return to life and retake control of Xibalba from his
Darr to a floating city, where she learns the full extent of brother Vucub-Kamé. Their entwined path provides a
her heritage. The trilogy deals with the problems of Gods, look at the relationship between God and mortals, as well
Demigods, demons, and the mortals who interact with as the interconnectedness of the power and responsibility
them. The books also directly address the idea of gaining of Gods.

WHat's In This Book? | Media 15

 Someday they would discover that the stars were not sacred, but made from
the same material as their bodies. They would learn it was the stars that cre-
ated their worlds, that worlds created their minds, that minds created tools,
and tools could create stars.
—Jake Vander Ark

What does it mean to become a God? When a Scion

follows the path laid out before them by their divine par- READY-MADE
ent, do they become their parent in the end, or choose to
forgo this? What does it mean to reach divinity, and just
as important, how does this play out as an interesting and
CHARACTERS
compelling story which the entire table enjoys and tells
stories about for years afterward?
I f you’d like to get right to playing as Gods, we’ve upgraded
the five characters from the previous core Scion books
to Gods.

MAKING THESE YOUR CHARACTERS

These characters and their backgrounds may diverge from how events in your version of the World have
unfolded. Additionally, the character sheets themselves are slightly incomplete; while we’ve suggested
contacts, we haven’t provided Bonds. Your versions of the characters might have additional or different
Birthrights, Fatebindings, or Knacks. Players should feel empowered to make whatever modifications to
the character sheet that they deem necessary, and so we’ve given them the space to do so. This way,
the players can define how Eric feels about Hassan given their relationships with their parents and their
Pantheon, or how Xiuhtecuhtli interacts with his friends now that he’s a new entity, or to detail Rashmi’s
crush on Rhiannon. The Storyguide, likewise, is free to define the particulars of Andvaranaut in Hassan’s
hands, and how the curse affects him and the rest of the Band.
Most of all, we’ve left the Deeds the Scions achieved for their individual dots of Legend incomplete,
though there are some suggestions in the writeups and the pieces of fiction scattered throughout the books.
These aren’t meant to be a canonical straitjacket, but a framework for making the characters your own
and tying them more deeply into the World. If the game is starting at the God level, spend part of your first
session detailing the various Bonds, Deeds for previous dots of Legend, and Fatebindings each Scion has
attached to them. If you’d like some guidance, link a Bond towards a Bandmate relating to a Legendary
Deed they both participated in — perhaps Rashmi combined her heavenly fire-shot with Eric’s Giantsbane
blast to fell a mighty giant, leaving Eric awed and grateful but feeling a little insecure, or perhaps Rhiannon
helped Hassan to cure a great disease spreading through the city’s refugee population by growing unique
and rare herbs with magic, leaving Hassan not only grateful but curious as to her true potential.

Ready-Made Characters 17
 God of Manners, Protection, Repairs, and Thunder

I t would be absurd to claim that Godhood hadn’t changed Eric, but in many ways, it hasn’t. He still believes goodness
lives in the hearts of humans and that it’s his purpose to protect that spark. But when Eric began hearing the
prayers of his believers, only some of their pleas were things he knew how to defend against; the rest were for relief
from foes that no amount of punches or bullets could solve: despair, hunger, debt, lack of opportunities, and bullying.
But his grandfather had taught him how to improvise during all the afternoons they’d spent restoring Eric’s trusty
GTO — to look at what tools he had and make do. The tool library and garage he’d established as a Demigod was exactly
what he needed. A week of hard work transformed it into the Thunder Kitchen. While the new community center is still
well-equipped for auto repairs, it also offers meals, a safe space, childcare services, and educational workshops.
What Eric’s next step will be is anyone’s guess, though there’s no shortage of towns and
cities that could use a Thunder Kitchen, nor of Titans who would love to destroy Eric and his
community program. But if his foes ever forget that he’s a God of Thunder, his Relic revolver
Giantsbane will serve as a swift reminder.
Description: Still six foot five and outrageously stronger than his muscular 220
pounds indicates, Eric is handsome, with a slightly wild touch to his nature. He inherited
his father’s red hair and steel-gray eyes and has let his beard grow. Most of the time, he
dresses casually in jeans and a close-fitting plain white t-shirt to show off his frame a bit
more and let himself flex. When the occasion calls for it, he summons a crown of lightning and
armor made of moonlight. On his right middle finger, he still sports a bloodstone ring etched
with the Germanic rune algiz (“protection”); around his neck still hangs the heavy medallion
shaped like Mjolnir. His Relic weapon, Giantsbane, is ever at his side, and Eric has gotten
quite skilled at kicking thunder out of the barrel.

ERIC’S BIRTHRIGHTS
From the mighty Giantsbane to the humble Algiz Ring, Eric’s Birthrights have
grown with him.

Giantsbane (Relic) •••••

Mythic
Purview: Sky
Motif: The flash and fury of the thunderstorm.
Giantsbane began with a sacrifice; Thor sundered a piece of his hammer
Mjolnir to form — what else? — the hammer of the mighty revolver. From
there, dwarves forged the rest of the weapon in the spirit of Thor’s hammer;
Giantsbane is hefty and unwieldly, with a massive barrel and frame, paired
with a grip that is only barely adequate. It takes a powerful hand to control lightning.
Since its storied beginnings, Giantsbane’s Legend has only grown. Despite a brief stint in
the hands of Ferro, a Titanic Scion, the hand-cannon is best known as the weapon Eric
used to lay low countless giants. In his hands, the weapon has learned some of Mjolnir’s
more obscure tricks. Whether firing hot lead, thunderbolts, or blessings, Giantsbane
changes every battlefield it’s in.
Enhancement: +2 to attack actions, or +3 vs. foes of larger Size
Tags: Firearm, Lethal, Loud, Piercing, Pushing, Ranged
Knack: You may spend 1 Legend to restore up to two recently dead (no more than
one scene earlier) characters to life with full Health. If a character’s body is incomplete,
they instead awaken with all but one of their Condition boxes filled.
Knack: If you know the Boon Bolt from the Blue (Hero, p. 259), you may fire
the bolt from Giantsbane rather than calling it down from the sky, thus potentially
getting around roof cover or aiming it in a specific direction. You may substitute
Firearms + Dexterity for the Boon’s normal roll.

18 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 Knack: You can use Giantsbane to call down a tempest as reminder to duck, it now has a magical dweomer, making it
a complex action rolled with Firearms + Presence at Difficulty easier to find cover.
2, with an interval of one round and a goal of eight successes. Enhancement: +3 to defensive stunts
If successful, the weather shifts to a wild thunderstorm, a
hurricane, a tornado, or similar in an area with a one-mile Thor (Guide) •••
radius, centered on the character. It lasts for the scene and
imposes Complications appropriate to the type of storm, at the Growing up, Eric never knew his father, although spotting
Storyguide’s discretion. the large, red haired man in old photos of his mother gave him
a sense of who he was. Nothing could have prepared him to
Flaws: Giantsbane must be brandished towards the sky as learn that his father was the Thunderer himself, Thor. Since
an action before its abilities function for the rest of the scene. Eric’s Visitation, Thor has kept loose tabs on him, learning
Requirement: Wielders must have felled a giant. who Eric was and who his son was becoming. Eric was fine to
keep his dealings with Thor to a minimum. After all, Gods are
Special: Giantsbane allows Eric to ignore up to 5 points of
busy entities. But all of the excuses dropped away with Eric’s
Complications when using it to channel the Sky Purview. He
Apotheosis. Suddenly, his father was no longer a mythical figure,
may also continue to channel the Purview even after suffering
but a man who lived in the same Overworld he did. Though
a Divine Wound to the Purview.
they’re still far from peers, they’ve grown close, with near-daily
GTO (Relic) ••••• conversations and more than a few shared escapades.

Legendary Asset Skills: Close Combat, Occult

While Giantsbane might be Eric’s best-known Relic, the Guide Stunt (successes equal to opponent’s Defense):
revolver is actually Eric’s second-most prized possession, The next time your opponent attacks you in close range, you
behind his cherry-red muscle car. The 1969 GTO has been his may immediately make a reflexive Close Combat counterstrike
pride and joy since before his Visitation; he grew up idolizing the afterward.
model and was thrilled when his mechanic grandfather pulled Thunder Kitchen (Cult) ••••
the sheet off of the car, revealing a machine that would take the
pair countless hours of work to restore to peak condition. Up A natural extension of Eric’s “Midwest Nice” upbringing,
until his grandfather passed away from a stroke in his last year the Thunder Kitchen is a community outreach organization
of high school, Eric believed that the work they spent on the car focused on bringing people together through food and keeping
was to fix it up for a rich buyer. But, after Eric saw old pictures them safe. Because they’re closely aligned with social justice
of his mother and Thor with the car, he realized his grandfather movements, they’re often found within a block or two of
always intended for Eric to have the GTO. most large protests, providing hot meals and cold drinks to
protestors. This has earned them a reputation as protestors
Since then, Eric’s GTO has been around the World with
themselves, although that’s not technically true. Those within
him, taking him to every continent except Antarctica. More
the organization and the communities served by it know them
impressively, it has delivered him and his passengers safely
as compassionate folks ready to serve up food for the hungry
across Bifrost to Ásgarð in a matter of seconds, much to
and provide warmth to those living on the streets. When Eric
Heimdall’s annoyance.
turns to the Thunder Kitchen, he knows he can count on them
Enhancement: +2 to Pilot actions, which increases to +3 to roll up their sleeves to help their neighbors through some
during chases hard times. He also knows that Granny Joyce can bullseye a
Knack: You reduce the rank of driving-related fascist with a tray.
Complications by 1. Foundation: Community
Knack: The GTO does not require fuel, oil, or other Light/Shadow: 5/2
physical components of maintenance — only the ritual of
Tags: Social Club
“working on” the car.
Knack: You may drive the GTO on most flat surfaces,
Cult Skills: Close Combat, Culture, Integrity
including water and walls, but not ceilings. Passengers and Follower 2: “Granny” Joyce, community organizer (Entourage,
objects not secured by a seatbelt may fall out while driving on Heavy, Helpful)
vertical surfaces.
Thunder Kitchen’s Heart (Sanctum) •••
Requirement: Drivers must have spent at least eight
hours total performing maintenance on the GTO. The Heart of Thunder Kitchen is its safe space, where
those in need can find refuge, whether it be from bigots,
Algiz Ring (Relic) ••• marauding titanspawn, or the elements. The Heart contains
Demigod enough warm cots to support several hundred people at a time
and has an entrance at each of the Thunder Kitchens’ physical
Purview: War locations in the World.
Motif: Locking shields with your allies protects all.
Tranquil Waters (Realm) •
Eric’s ring has served him well over the years. It’s grown
from a simple piece of decoration he found in an old bookstore Sessrúmnir’s peaceful lake shares its calm with Eric and
to a full-fledged Relic. Where it once served as a simple those he blesses. For full details, see Demigod, p. 180.

Eric Donner 19
God of Fire, Health, and Refugees; Mother of Sleipnir
Hassan has proven himself both the child of Loki and the Trickster’s equal. By seeding a
rumor that someone was going to attack Loki and destroy some of the God’s Mantles, Hassan
conned his divine father into passing the Title of Sleipnir’s Mother to him. When the hour of
the supposed attack came, Hassan simply grinned at Loki, whistled for his eight-legged son,
and rode off. Though Hassan thinks of himself as having stolen Godhood, he won it fair and
square — at least as far as Loki’s concerned.
Since becoming a God (and some days, a Goddess), he’s returned to his homeland of
Iraq in search of those displaced by strife and oppression. Long ago, he’d stolen a branch
of Yggdrasil from another child of Loki, Max. As a God, that branch
became the spark of divine life needed for Hassan to create a Terra
Incognita, creating a home for refugees. He’s not sure if he’s
outgrown the need for Andvaranaut’s ability to create wealth, but
having too much money’s never a bad thing when trying to look
after the refugees of the World. One of these days, he might decide
to intertwine his efforts and his ‘brother’ Eric’s Thunder Kitchen,
although he’s well aware of the problems such a partnership might bring.
Description: Most days, Hassan appears dressed as an immaculately attired
doctor, with perfectly tailored slacks, dress shirts, and a designer white lab coat. But
the child of Loki also knows the value of disguise and has spent plenty of time honing
his skills as a cab driver in cities around the world. There’s nowhere in the World he
can’t disappear into.

HASSAN’S BIRTHRIGHTS
Like Hassan himself, his Birthrights straddle many lines.

Scalpel without Borders (Relic) ••••

Mythic
Not only is this scalpel Hassan’s favorite surgical implement, it is also every surgical
implement that he will ever need. Fabricated by dwarven crafters, the scalpel’s case
contains an extra-dimensional space, which holds an entire surgical suite worth of tools,
including complex machinery. Amazingly, the case keeps the tools so organized that it’s
impossible for Hassan to reach into the case and draw the wrong tool or to injury himself
on the sharper pieces of equipment. Equally impressive, all of the electrically-powered
tools remain at full charge regardless of how much use they see.
Enhancements: +3 to Medicine actions to treat injuries or illnesses
Knack: You create an ad hoc surgical suite. You may imbue a point of Legend to invoke your
Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale to aid with treating large numbers of patients or particularly
difficult injuries or illnesses, to include ones with supernatural causes.
Knack: Once per session, you can make a Knack Skill roll. If you do, for every three successes,
you may temporarily suspend a Divine Wound’s effects for the rest of the scene. Treated Divine
Wounds still exist and count towards a God’s potential death or Mantle usurpation; they simply
no longer disable the wounded trait.
Requirement: Wielders must have saved three lives through medical procedures they
personally administered.

22 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

Sleipnir (Creature) •••• caves, where life itself is liminal — where the dead walk and
may return to life. For complete details, see Demigod, p. 179.
Legendary
Stateless Doctors (Cult) •••
Once upon a time, Sleipnir was the son of a transformed
Loki and a stallion. But, thanks to Hassan’s cunning and daring An offshoot of a larger organization, the Stateless Doctors
nature, now Hassan is the eight-legged horse’s proud mother. is a group of medical professionals from around the world
Qualities: Sure Footed who no longer have a home to return to, largely due to war.
The Doctors live a nomadic life, traveling to warzones, slums,
Primary Pool (11): Running, Trampling and rural communities, offering medical aid where they can
Secondary Pool (9): Evasion, Finding secret entrances and a comforting hand when they meet problems too big for
mortal medicine. In those moments, they pray to Hassan,
Desperation Pool: 7 who intercedes more often than one would expect. When the
Flairs: Second Wind Stateless Doctors aren’t out in the field, they live in Hassan’s
Sanctum, an Otherworld that doesn’t feel like anyone’s idea of
Health: 4 home but feels safer than many places in the World.
Defense: 2 Foundation: Community

Initiative: 8 Light/Shadow: 4/2

Tags: Guild
Chameleon Cab (Relic) ••
Cult Skills: Empathy, Medicine, Survival
Demigod
Follower 1: Hadiya, polyglot nurse (Consultant, Helpful)
Once, Hassan depended on his trusty cab for his livelihood.
It was his place of business, his sanctuary from the rest of the Sun-Eating Lighter (Relic) •••
World, and on more than a few occasions, his bed. He never
felt more and less like a foreigner in the United States like he Legendary
did when he sat behind its wheel. To many, taxi drivers are
Purview: Death
invisible. To others, Hassan was a symbol of otherness. Now,
he adopts those tiny mantles for his cab. There is no city in Motif: Nothing is left to chance.
the World where the Chameleon Cab sticks out, unless Hassan In the desert, the sun is both life-giving and taking. Life
wants it to. could not exist without it, yet it also kills countless people and
Enhancement: +2 to actions to blend in animals every day. But when Hassan is in his element, he is
the one who decides who lives and who dies. This well-worn
Knack: You transform the cab into any other hirable
lighter allows Hassan to eat away at the sun, taming its power
vehicle, as small as a pedal-cab and as large a mini-bus.
and leaving him in charge of life and death.
Passengers inside during the transformation are unharmed,
although they may be dumped on the ground if the cab Knack: You may adjust the illumination in a Field up
becomes too small to accommodate them. to full sunlight, down to complete darkness, or anywhere in
between.
Draugar (Follower) •••
Requirement: Users must have buried a former patient
The draugar are undead who roam the World and beyond, of theirs.
guarding locations and treasures, as well as tormenting the
living. A group of these creatures do Hassan’s bidding, sharing Thread of Loki (Relic) ••
their own powers of magic and shapeshifting with their master. Demigod
Tags: Archetype: Heavy, Group, Savage Purview: Chaos
Knack: The Draugar may shapeshift into any creature, Motif: Tear it all down.
no larger than an ox and no smaller than a newborn human.
Detecting this trickery is a Difficulty 3 Subterfuge + Cunning This is a tiny piece of Loki’s Mantle, which exudes
action, with a 3 success stunt to identify their true form. complete disdain for the established order of all things. It has
a natural tendency to wrap itself around the most organized
Mists of Helgafjell (Realm) ••• thing in a place and unravel that thing, just as it was unraveled
from Loki himself.
Long has Hassan stood in the liminal spaces, between
life and death, light and dark, truth and deception. Now, he Knack: Once per scene you may reject an action’s
possesses the mists of a holy mountain and some of its rocky outcome, forcing the character who acted to reroll their dice
pool and use the new result.

Dr. Hassan ibn Luki, MD 23

Goddess of Fire, Knowledge, and Physics
The daughter of Agni has achieved what she had once thought
impossible: standing beside her father as a peer. Though she still
doesn’t think of herself as the fire God’s equal, the analytical part of
her mind knows that she’s not that far behind. Since Apotheosis,
she’s found her time split much as it had been before. Part of
her needed to be ready to shoot asuras and rakshasa with
quantum fire. Part of her needed to work on breakthroughs
for clean energy and quantum computing. Her time and focus
would always be split between the need to keep the World
safe through violence and the need elevate the World to new
heights of prosperity.
So, Rashmi did the only thing that made sense — she split
herself, creating an Incarnation to handle research
and oversight of other scientists’ endeavors.
When she becomes more powerful, she
might create a second Incarnation, or a
third! After all, there’s much to do, and
she’s only two people… for now.
Description: Both versions of Rashmi
alternate between two basic looks: a safely-attired
scientist with her hair in a sensible ponytail and a fearsome
woman in red, armed with her trusty rifle. Occasionally, she takes
a page from her father’s book and appears as both as the same time,
putting the fear of Rashmi into her foes.

RASHMI’S BIRTHRIGHTS
Rashmi’s never-ending quest to learn more while fighting the
forces of evil is ever augmented by her tools.

Quantum Rifle (Relic) ••••

Mythic
Purview: Fire
Motif: The crack of thunder and lightning’s searing light.
Like Rashmi herself, this weapon has been through a world of
changes. Though it started its service as a British Lee-Enfield rifle, the
Quantum Rifle bears only cosmetic similarities to its original incarnation.
Instead of relying on crude explosions to propel bits of lead, the Quantum
Rifle generates a pair of quantum entangled particles and magnetically
ejects one at near-light speed, virtually guaranteeing a hit. A split-second
later, the rifle superheats its particle, instantly transforming it into plasma.
The entangled particle on the target violently obeys quantum physics and
also becomes plasma, burning the target like a lightning bolt.
Enhancement: +2 to attack actions, or +3 vs. enemies of the Devá
Tags: Aggravated, Firearm, Long Range, Loud, Piercing
Knack: When you successfully strike a foe with
the Quantum Rifle, you may reroll the attack and keep
whichever result you prefer. If you do, you gain +1
Enhancement to the attack.

26 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 Requirement: Wielders must have landed the final blow particle accelerator, which would be the World’s largest
to an asura in combat. particle accelerator if it were actually in the World.
Special: The Quantum Rifle allows Rashmi to ignore up IPR Staff (Cult) ••••
to 4 points of Complications when using it to channel the Fire
Purview. She may also continue to channel the Purview even Located in Ahmedabad, India, the IPR Staff are scientists
after suffering a Divine Wound to the Purview. and other professionals dedicated to the Institute for Plasma
Research. IPR staff are dedicated to science and Rashmi in
Suryastra (Relic) •••• equal measure. Between the hundred-odd scientists in the
organization, there’s little that they can’t find out. Although
Legendary
most of cultists specialize in quantum physics, the group is
Purviews: Stars, Sun diverse and has enough other interests that they collectively
Motif: The sun illuminates all. possess a huge wealth of information, ensuring that there’s
little Rashmi can’t learn simply by reaching out to her
The brightest of all of the Devá’s astras, or divine followers. Even better, there’s no shortage of experimental
strikes, the Suryastra draws on the power of the sun himself, gadgets that she can borrow.
Surya. Before this mighty weapon, no darkness can stand, and
entire bodies of water vanish before its evaporative powers. Foundation: Company
Many Devá have used the Suryastra to defeat evil. Now, Rashmi Light/Shadow: 5/2
is the weapon’s current steward.
Tags: Reliquarians
Tags: Aggravated, Brutal, Loud, Messy, Piercing, Ranged,
Shockwave Cult Skills: Culture, Science, Technology
Enhancements: +3 vs. darkness and water-based targets Connections: Legal Research (Access, Light), Quasi-legal
Research (Access, Shadow)
Knack: You may change a Field’s lighting to full sunlight
and remove any number of Complications due to darkness or iGjallar (••)
water.
Rashmi continues to make great use of her iGjallar
Flaw: You must imbue 1 Legend to use any of the
smartphone to coordinate efforts between worlds. See Hero,
Suryastra’s powers. This Legend remains imbued for the rest
p. 214 for complete details.
of the scene.
Requirement: The owner must be a member of the Devá Rashmi 2 (Follower) •••••
pantheon. When Rashmi realized that she had more work than
Institute for Plasma Research she had hands for, she grew more hands. And when her
(Sanctum) ••••• duties loomed even higher, she grew an entirely new version
of herself. Rashmi 2 is more than just another pair of hands,
The IPR is a world-leading laboratory in quantum though; she’s a fully-formed, living, breathing copy of the
physics and has achieved numerous breakthroughs in the Goddess, albeit one with a fraction of Rashmi 1’s power.
understanding of plasma. Their research has redefined Like her creator, Rashmi 2 is equally capable of meting out
multiple fields, ranging from astrophysics to electrical violence to asuras as she is performing lab work to expand the
engineering. Equally as important, it’s a place of safety and boundaries of science. These days, Rashmi 2 spends most of
devotion for followers of Rashmi, with a dedicated prayer her time chasing rakshasas to determine if they’re willing to
room. Additionally, physics research within its halls counts as behave themselves or if they need violent convincing.
active worship of the Goddess. The IPR also contains an Axis
Tags: Archetypes (Consultant, Heavy), Access, Defensive,
Mundi to Mount Meru, although only Rashmi has the proper
Helpful, Tough
credentials to use it. Slightly less restricted is Clean Room
A, an Otherworld designed to eliminate many experimental Knack: When Rashmi 2 follows Rashmi 1’s plans, Rashmi
variables, such as gravity and air. Despite its name, the 2 gains +2 Enhancement to all actions.
Otherworld is quite large, housing a 20-mile circumference Special: Rashmi has a Strength 5 Fatebinding (Scion) to
Rashmi 2.

Rashmi 27
Goddess of Diplomacy, Firefighters, and Truces
Rhiannon never set out to be a leader, but she never shied away from taking on larger roles to keep people safe. Long before
her Visitation, she aced Army promotion boards to reach the rank of sergeant first class, allowing her to look after both patients
and fellow combat medics. As a firefighter, she rose to fire captain.
And now? She’s the Fire Chief of fire chiefs. Fire battalions
she’s never been to pray to her for protection, courage, and
strength. And she delivers. Most firefighters in
the World have heard of the Firesoother,
with many of them having tales of
fire being magically restrained
or of a mysterious red-haired
firefighter helping during a
critical moment.
Rhiannon didn’t
seek power for its own
sake; she did it to help
the World, and now it’s
time for her to make good
on her promise.

Description: As Captain
Jernigan, Rhiannon chafed behind
her desk, in her dress uniform. As the
Firesoother, she can damn well do and
wear what she pleases. These days, that
means traveling the World in her turnout
gear. While she doesn’t need the bunker
jacket and pants’ protection from fire, their familiarity does a lot to improve her
mood. Of course, her close-cropped hair is as red as ever.

RHIANNON’S BIRTHRIGHTS
Rhiannon’s days as a full-time firefighter may be behind her, but the
tools of the trade still serve her well.

Entry Saw (Relic) •••••

Mythic
Purview: Artistry
Motif: Open the way.
One part reciprocating saw, one part magic axe, and one part
poem, Rhiannon’s Entry Saw hasn’t met a lock, door, or wall that
could keep it out. Even secure Axes Mundi have proven no match
for the Entry Saw. Rhiannon is careful to keep the saw under her
watchful eye, as there’s no telling the sort of mischief someone
with fewer scruples might get into with it.
Enhancement: +3 to Athletics actions to confront
obstacles and barriers

30 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 Knack: When you confront a barrier, make a Knack Skill Euphoria (Realm) •••
roll. Each success allows one character to pass through the
barrier harmlessly. This Knack does not permanently damage The flower-filled realm of Mag Mell is suffused with joy
the barrier, although it is noisy and leaves signs of your passage. and elation, allowing Rhiannon to instill the feelings on to
others. See Demigod, p. 195 for complete details.
Requirement: The owner must have destroyed barriers
to save lives. Halligan Bar (Relic) ••
Backdraft Bunker Boots (Relic) ••• Demigod
Legendary Purview: Epic Strength
Purview: Epic Stamina Motif: The way shall be unblocked.
Motif: Standing between danger and the vulnerable. A divinely powered version of the common entry tool, the
Halligan Bar is a pickaxe, prybar, and adze in one. A potent
Crafted by the Goddess herself, Rhiannon’s bunker boots and versatile tool, there are few locks, doors, or walls that
are tougher and more fireproof than steel, with only a fraction can withstand the attention of a skilled user for more than a
of the weight. More importantly, the boots protect the rest of few moments. It is a demolition tool that partners well with
the wearer — not just their feet. This protection is more than Rhiannon’s Entry Saw; the saw gets her inside, and the bar
just from fire; it also protects against other physical injuries, reshapes the building. Miraculously, the adze can chop fire and
just the kind of thing a firefighter might need to emerge from a other environmental hazards to pieces, clearing the path for
collapsing building unscathed. It’s no coincidence that this also others to follow safely.
means that the boots provide seemingly invisible protection
during battle. While most tools of this type are too heavy to be
effectively wielded in combat, the strength the Halligan Bar
Tags: Innocuous, Resistant (Fire), Soft (1) imparts its wielder makes the tool deadly to foes. Additionally,
Knack: You reduce the damage of all fire or heat-based its enchanted silver inlays sear the flesh of the wicked — as
attacks and hazards by 1. well as anyone else unfortunate enough to be the target of the
Requirement: The wearer must be willing to risk their wielder’s wrath.
own safety to protect strangers from harm. Weapon tags: Aggravated, Brutal, Loud, Melee, Piercing,
Two-Handed
Aes Sidhe Muse (Guide) •••
Knack: When you remove dangerous terrain, difficult
The aes sidhe grant many gifts to those dedicated to the terrain, or other obstacles, imbue a point of Legend to invoke
arts, sparking the minds of the inventive, igniting the flames your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale.
of creation.
Special: The Halligan Bar allows Rhiannon to ignore
Asset Skills: Culture, Science up to 2 points of Complications when using it to channel the
Guide Stunt (1-3 successes): Gain an Enhancement Epic Strength Purview. She may also continue to channel the
equal to the success spent to the next action you take in the Purview even after suffering a Divine Wound to the Purview.
current scene using your chosen Skill specialty. If that action
International Order of Firesoothers
fails, gain an extra Momentum, in addition to the one for a
failed specialty.
(Cult) ••••
Purview: Fertility Though the IOF is primarily comprised of firefighters,
it also counts paramedics and other first responders among
Bronze Fae-Shot Revolver (Relic) • its members, as well as people who have retired or otherwise
left the professions. As a community of helpers, the IOF
Though Rhiannon prefers talking problems out, her
looks after society as well as each other. It’s no surprise then
revolver speaks volumes when words fail. For full details, see
that the IOF also functions as a labor union, with members
Fae-Shot Weaponry in Hero, p. 212.
sharing resources and praying to Rhiannon during contract
Chaíomh Solais (Relic) ••• negotiations.
While the IOF might not be as large as other fraternal
Demigod
organizations of first responders, they’re growing steadily and
Purviews: Stars, War with more zeal. After all, it’s hard for other groups to match
Motif: Reveal that which hides. the enthusiasm of a group that has been protected from flames,
explosions, and bad faith negotiators. When Rhiannon needs
This sword forged from Nuada’s light shines brightly and mortal help, the IOF stands ready.
strikes true.
Foundation: Community
Tags: Aggravated, Melee, Piercing, Unconcealable
Light/Shadow: 5/2
Knack: As an action, you may shine the sword’s light on a
foe, revealing a hidden weakness of theirs. Everyone who takes Tags: Social Club
advantage of this knowledge gains a +2 Enhancement to attack Cult Skills: Athletics, Medicine, Survival
the foe.
Followers 1: Firebird, transformed Scion (Archetype: Heavy,
Defensive, Unruly, Tough)

Rhiannon Firesoother 31
 God of Fire, the Day, Heat, Volcanos,
and Life After Death
Emanuel Montero is no more.
Emanuel Montero is everywhere.
Xiuhtecuhtli’s former Incarnation weighs heavily on his mind
these days. Emanuel’s memories are fresh and raw. Even though
Xiuhtecuhtli has made the young Scion’s death sacred, he still catches
moments where the seams between his current
and former lives chafe. This is neither new
nor unique.
Xiuhtecuhtli has lived for centuries. In
fact, through his Incarnations, he’s lived
for more centuries than he’s existed. All
of these years and all of these lives are
Xiuhtecuhtli, too. Still, Emanuel has left
the strongest impression on Xiuhtecuhtli
of any of them. Whether that’s because
his Legend reached heights the other
Incarnations did not or simply because
he’s the most recent is something the
God often ponders these days.
Of course, he also avoids dwelling
on such things. He has much to do.
As God of fire, the day, heat, volcanos, and life after
death, his work is endless. And those are just his formal Titles. Informally,
Emanuel’s partnership with his Bandmates never ended, which means that
Xiuhtecuhtli is now allied with them, as well.
Partnerships between Pantheons are challenging at best, but these
friendships were forged in fires hotter than the ones Xiuhtecuhtli uses to heat
his magma. The strength of these bonds were further bolstered by the recent
actions of Eric, Rhiannon, Hassan, and Rashmi. His former Bandmates fought
alongside Xiuhtecuhtli to protect a group of Mēxihcah people from cultists.
Though he might not say so aloud, he owes his Band a debt. And the God of Fire
honors his debts.
Description: Xiuhtecuhtli is rarely attired in anything less than formal
wear, which sometimes means an immaculately-tailored modern suit in charcoal
and other times means his ceremonial attire of a stone crown, red and black paint,
and a loincloth. Regardless of what he wears, some form of tobacco is rarely far.
Sometimes, this means No Manches — Emanuel’s favorite brand of cheap cigarettes
— but more often it’s a traditional Aztec smoking tube, similar to a modern cigarette
holder but large enough to accommodate a cigar.

XIUHTECUHTLI’S BIRTHRIGHTS
The Turquoise Lord has been through much lately, and even his belongings bear
signs of Emanuel’s passing.

Xiuhcoatl (Relic) ••••

Mythic
Xiuhcoatl is an atlatl — a short staff for propelling spears great
distances. It bears the shape of a flaming turquois serpent, specifically
Xiuhtecuhtli’s own nagual, or spirit form. As an element of the Fire God, it is

34 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

no surprise that it also carries a portion of his Legend. As is the Special: Xiuhuitzolli allows Xiuhtecuhtli to ignore up to
way of the World and its Realms, all myths are true, so there 4 points of Complications when channeling the Fire Purview.
are many xiuhcoame. One exists as Huitzilopochtli’s favorite He may also continue to channel the Purview even after
weapon. Another exists as a Dragon. Still others live in a cave suffering a Divine Wound to the Purview.
in a version of Chicomoztoc. This one is the second deadliest,
after the Dragon. Even those invulnerable to fire may burn at Ilhuicatl-Teotlatlauhco (Realm) •••
its touch. The eleventh of the Thirteen Heavens, Ilhuicatl-
Tags: Aggravated, Arcing, Messy, Piercing, Ranged, Teotlatlauhco is the Land of Red, home to fire and volcanoes. It
Unconcealable is Xiuhtecuhtli’s lair, as well as home to Chantico, Goddess of
Familial Hearth, and the Xiuhtotontli, Xiuhtecuhtli’s Mantles
Enhancements: +2 to attack actions, or +3 vs. the enemies
as the Gods of White, Red, Yellow, and Blue Fire.
of the Teōtl
Marvels: Blessings, Complication (Fire)
Knack: You may spend 1 Momentum to suppress a foe’s
resistance or immunity to fire damage for the rest of the scene. Special: You gain the Resistant (Fire) tag.
The SG may spend 1 Tension in order to reassert it. This does
not prevent you from suppressing it again.
The Torch Bearers (Cult) •••
Knack: As a reflexive action, you may change Xiuhcoatl’s A secretive Cult, the Torch Bearers are dedicated to
projectiles from fiery lances to turquois spears or vice versa. the furtherance of Xiuhtecuhtli’s goals and carry them out
in the shadows. They are not above assassination, although
Knack: Xiuhcoatl does not require spears; it creates its their missions are rarely so direct. More often, they exist as
own ammunition. a network of spies, “shining the light of the torches on the
Requirement: Wielders must have access to the Fire wicked,” according to their vows.
Purview. Foundation: Conspiracy
Obsidian Knife (Relic) ••• Light/Shadow: 1/5
Legendary Tags: Coven
Purview: Earth Cult Skills: Close Combat, Occult, Subterfuge
Motif: The welcoming ground beckons. Follower 2: Adriana Cabuto, spy (Archetype: Consultant,
A deadly tool capable of severing a foe’s connections to Helpful, Knack: Takes One to Know One (Hero, p. 234), Smooth)
life, the Obsidian Blade is one of the last surviving remnants of
Emanuel Montero. As Emanuel’s signature weapon, it holds a Xoloitzcuintle (Guide) •••
special place in Xiuhtecuhtli’s heart. This white, hairless dog used to guide shades through the
Enhancements: +3 vs. wounded foes mists of the upper level of Mictlan. Now, it gives counsel to
Xiuhtecuhtli, helping the God to find his way through life and
Knack: You can identify which Underworld a recently navigate a World where his devoted Scion Emanuel no longer
deceased character’s Shade has traveled to. exists.
Requirement: Wielders must have burned an effigy of Asset Skills: Pilot, Survival
themselves.
Guide Stunt (1-3 successes): Gain Enhancement equal to
Xiuhuitzolli (Relic) •••• success spent to the next action you make involving movement.
Legendary Purview: Beasts
Purview: Fire Xolotl’s Lowrider (Relic) ••••
Motif: Respect the flames. Demigod
A crown of stone, Xiuhuitzolli is Xiuhtecuhtli’s badge of Purview: Journeys
office. It flickers between yellow, blue, red, and white, as if the
fires within were unsettled. Though Xiuhuitzolli was once a Motif: Find the way through darkness and mists.
steady turquois, it stays topaz most of the time now, perhaps This tricked-out, cherry-red 1964 Impala is the prized
because Emanuel favored the yellow flames. Xiuhuitzolli possession of Xolotl, gold medal winner of three lowrider
enhances Xiuhtecuhtli’s mastery of flames and aids in his car shows, and Xiuhtecuhtli’s favorite form of transportation.
diplomatic efforts. Now that Xolotl spends more time in dog form than he
Enhancement: +2 to Persuasion actions does in human form, the Impala is on an indefinite loan to
Xiuhtecuhtli, with the caveat that the God give him rides on
Knack: When you negotiate with a foe, so long as neither a regular basis.
you nor anyone affiliated with you have acted violently this
scene, neither the foe nor their allies may attack you or your Enhancement: +2 to finding hidden things, including
affiliates. Foes your Tier or higher may use a Clash of Wills to shortcuts
resist this effect. Knack: You can drive Xolotl’s Lowrider to whichever
Requirement: Wearers must have innate access to the level of Mictlan you desire as an action.
Fire Purview and the Leader Calling.

Xiuhtecuhtli 35
 with the theme of being gaslit by her charac-
MODES OF ter’s divine parent — adding that she is okay
with being lied to if her character isn’t told their
STORYTELLING perceptions are wrong — and Goshé agrees;
Evie really likes the concept of Unavoidable
Destiny and writes that down too.
W hen beginning a story at Origin level, the possibility
of creating Gods from these characters might seem
ridiculously far off in the future — and at that moment, it
James takes the list of themes that everyone
has put together, whether by email, on a social
probably is! A satisfying chronicle which covers Visitation media messenger group they all share, or while
through Apotheosis likely will not play out over a weekend sitting around together face-to-face, and sends
unless you planned one hell of a weekend. So how does one them out to the group. They pick three from the
shepherd a chronicle from before your Scions even know
list of 12 must-include themes — James wrote
down their desired themes too! — and two
they rise from divine parentage (or whatever their origin
from the list of don’t-include themes, settling on
story: Chosen, Born, etc.) to the moment they all stand astride Unavoidable Destiny, Overcoming Your Past,
the World, and how do you do that in a way which makes and Honoring Found Family as the themes that
narrative sense? they want to engage. Parental Gaslighting and
Being Someone’s Scapegoat both end up on
BEGINNING TO END their ‘let’s not do this’ list.
Starting out a chronicle with intentions to follow the
same Origin characters from the moments before their Now that the group has agreed on what themes the
Visitation to when they become Gods brings with it some chronicle will focus on, they can start discussing character
interesting challenges. The first, and perhaps largest, chal- creation.
lenge at the beginning stage comes from placing the end
point the party reaches towards at the start. Knowing what YOUR HEART IS THE MOST
you’re aiming for — without marrying yourself to a certain
plan — will give you the ability to change in a way that re-
PRECIOUS THING
mains satisfying. None of the planning discussed in this section sub-
stitutes for appropriate safety tools. Any Session Zero for
Pick a few core themes for your chronicle together, ei- Scion, especially one that plans on covering characters
ther by voting or coming to a consensus on them. Write the from Origin to God, must contain discussion of safety
themes down and place them somewhere highly visible; if tools for your group. The more involved people get with
you play online, perhaps add them to the pinned items on characters, the greater the chance of bleed, and the greater
your chat program’s channel or into the header image for a the chance that someone, at some point, will come across a
wiki. If you play in person, the Storyguide might tape them theme that disrupts their enjoyment.
to both sides of her Storyguide screen. Likewise, pick three
themes you wish to fully avoid in this chronicle, and keep What do we mean by bleed, and what are safety tools?
them on hand, too. Why are they not just useful but necessary, and how do you
use them?
Yes, this is a lot more thematic discussion than nec-
essary for smaller-scope chronicles, but when you create BLEED
blueprints for a big house, putting down a firm foundation
Bleed simply means an emotional reaction which
ensures the house won’t fall over halfway through the sec-
“bleeds” from in-character to out-of-character. Bleed is not
ond story.
necessarily a bad thing. Bleed in roleplaying games is in and
of itself value-neutral. It falls into the same emotional cat-
James begins planning the next chronicle for egory as cheering when your favorite superheroes return
their playgroup, and sends emails out to their from their presumed deaths or crying at a video which re-
friends Goshé, Evie, and Emet to talk about the minds you dogs are so good and deserve everything on this
characters they might like to play and how they
planet. When we discuss bleed, and bleed management,
would like to see those characters through to
Godhood. Before the group even sits down to this does not mean bleed has an inherently negative value.
start talking about characters, however, James Bleed becomes negative when it interferes with the enjoy-
asks everyone to write down three themes they ment of any player at the table, including the Storyguide, or
would like to see in the chronicle, and at least when it follows the player home after the game and cannot
two themes they do not want to engage with. easily be shaken. If you find yourself jumping up from the
Goshé writes down that she wants to engage table and screaming when your character dies, and you
with the concept of Unavoidable Destiny cannot stop crying about it the next day, you may be experi-
for her character, while Emet jots down encing bleed. It does not need to be that dramatic, though.
Overcoming Your Past as one of their themes
that they really want to grapple with. Evie During Session Zero, Evie brings up bleed
writes down that she does not want to work while the group discusses safety tools and

38 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 explains that in the least enjoyable chronicle Storyguides) from engaging topics they’d rather
she ever played in, her friend’s character avoid.
constantly yelled at her character and belittled • The X Card permits players to disengage from
that character. It was in-character, sure, but
uncomfortable or triggering scenarios without judg-
the feeling of her friend yelling at her? Bad!
She did not like it, and after several sessions, ment or fear.
she found herself not wanting to go to sessions • The Stoplight System makes quick emotional
anymore because her friend’s character check-ins easy, without disrupting the flow of play.
treated her character badly. She expresses
that when she brought this up after session, her LINES AND VEILS
friend apologized and had not realized that As a safety and communication method, Lines and
this affected Evie so much. The two discussed Veils allow players to enumerate before play which sensi-
together a means for their characters to resolve tive issues the group wishes to engage and which they will
that tension and for her friend’s character to
exclude from their chronicle. Before the game’s Session
have enough of an in-character change so that
the behavior stopped. Zero, the Storyguide prepares two sheets of paper (or two
virtual documents, in the case of online chronicles), label-
The table agrees that this sort of discussion ing one ‘Lines’ and the other ‘Veils.’ Lines delineate those
should be encouraged at their table and
topics which the table’s cooperative storytelling will never
afterwards; they decide to touch base with
each other the day after each session to give engage in any way, whether in background, in passing, or in
everyone time to reflect on their experiences. the briefest of mentions; they are completely verboten. By
They also affirm a commitment to bringing up contrast, Veils are topics which the chronicle might engage,
positive experiences of bleed up as well: ‘the but only ‘off camera,’ always fading these instances to black.
way you portrayed your character grappling During Session Zero, the Storyguide asks players to
with the choice she had to make really touched add to the lists, enforcing with the group that those lists
me, it was amazing, I cried about it later’ is the
are not frozen in time at the end of Session Zero, but living
sort of bleed everyone wants to hear about,
after all. documents which they may update at any time. Veils and
Lines may move from one list to another — the group may
decide that they are more comfortable handling the topic
SAFETY TOOLS of disability with regards to becoming a God or taking on
a Mantle (for example, someone taking on a Mantle of
With a greater awareness and better implementation
Hephaestus) and move it from Lines to Veils, but then a
of safety tools comes a better gaming experience for ev-
week later, after a session in which that topic comes up,
eryone. Lines & Veils, the X Card, and the Stoplight system
move it back to Lines. Lines and Veils at a table should
have gained widespread recognition through the RPG com-
generally be approached on a consensus basis, but the con-
munity, and in a complicated emotional game like Scion,
cept of consensus should never be used to railroad a single
they help to foster positive games.
player into approaching a topic which makes them un-
• Lines and Veils set certain subjects either off-lim- comfortable. Lines and Veils should not be used to exclude
its or off-camera, preventing players (including antagonists or character types (e.g., “I don’t want enemies

NARRATIVE BLINDERS
Before anything else, settle in your mind that you and your table do not have to write the sort of narrative
which would hold up to a thousand viewings by obsessive fans on the streaming service of your choice.
Scion is a game, and if the plots get garbled and characters change, that is okay. This advice should never
supplant the core goal of running a fun game for your friends. If it comes down to someone at your table
needing to change an element of their character or opt out of a particular plotline versus “ruining the arc
I had planned,” there’s only one choice. Rip that story arc to shreds and find something new and fun to
do instead.
Remember at all times that RPGs don’t work like books, plotted from beginning to end, but exist in
the improv continuum of entertainment. Characters will surprise you; players (or Storyguides) may react
emotionally or experience bleed and need to make adjustments, and that’s got to be okay. The only other
alternative is putting on narrative blinders like a horse pulling a cart, leaving out all possibility of engaging
the fun and interesting things that you might find on the edge of the metaphorical road, and how boring
is that?
If you want to write a book, write a book. If you want to play a game, play a game. Be gentle and
flexible with yourself and your players.

Modes of Storytelling 39
 TOO TOUGH FOR SAFETY
The most common objections to safety tools are “we don’t need those, we trust each other,” or “my table
never used those in the past,” or even “this gets in the way of really good roleplaying.” It’s understandable
to feel confused or threatened by safety tools if you’re not used to them; it can often feel like the existence
of the tools themselves comes with an implication that the players or the table are unsafe by default. The
existence of the tools may feel like an accusation that you have been hurting people. That can engender
a defensive reaction or rejection of the tools themselves.
Recognizing that the tools themselves are not denunciations, and no one’s alleging anything about
you or your table by putting forward tools, can go a long way toward making you and your table feel
better about using safety tools. It’s possible someone got hurt at your table, but that doesn’t mean you
hurt people out of malice; you just didn’t have the tools to prevent that before. The fact that Nils Bohlin
invented the three-point seatbelt in 1958 does not mean that every driver before that date malevolently
attempted to kill all their passengers every time they went for a drive! The existence of a new tool is not
an accusation.
To extend the metaphor, when everyone at your table puts on their emotional seatbelts, the car can go
faster safely and attempt more daring stunts. Racecar drivers do not eschew seatbelts because of their
superior driving skills, after all; they wear 5-point harnesses and equip their cars with roll cages so they
can go harder and faster.

with Segments to appear at all in this chronicle, not even STOPLIGHT SYSTEM
mentioned in passing”) but could restrict their activity,
their specific appearances, or the topics they impact (e.g. “I A fluid and dynamic system, the Stoplight System
don’t want to have centipedes or any enemies that look like fosters ongoing communication, especially focused on dif-
centipedes specifically, but other Antagonists who have ficult in-character interactions. Some groups approach the
Segments are fine.”). Stoplight System by placing three cards — red, yellow, and
green — on the table. Others approach it with a thumbs-up/
Common Lines: Sexual violence, explicit depictions thumbs-down/flat-hand gesture. Some groups verbally ask,
of torture, force-feeding, starvation, mutilation, racial slurs, “Stoplight check-in?” if they feel uncertain or worry that
gender-specific slurs, spiders, centipedes or other insects, others might feel negatively about an ongoing interaction.
tropophobia-inducing imagery, needles, bestiality, explicit
depictions of bodily functions, medical abuse. Each system has its own pros and cons, so pick the
one(s) that work best for your group. Encourage your
Common Veils: Explicit depictions of consensual players to proactively check in with each other: If another
sexual or romantic activity, torture, emotional abuse, phys- player looks uncomfortable, or if you feel uncomfortable,
ical abuse, body horror, human experimentation, dream engaging the Stoplight System helps you feel more certain
or nightmare sequences, childhood memories, prophetic that you’re not misinterpreting your buddy’s facial expres-
visions. sion. Maybe he’s really in-character, or maybe he’s really
THE X CARD uncomfortable with some of the things your character just
said to that Storyguide character. By tapping the green card,
A newer technique designed by John Stavropoulos,
showing a quick thumbs-up with a questioning expression
the X Card is a simple and powerful technique for players
across the table, or asking for an out-of-character Stoplight
to opt out when the action makes them feel unpleasantly
Check-in, you reinforce that player comfort remains the
uncomfortable. A piece of paper with an X on it is placed
first and foremost consideration of everyone at the table.
in the center of the table, and if at any time players (or the
Storyguide!) require a break or stop to the action, they Any safety system merely facilitates communica-
simply tap the X. Never require a player to explain what tion. At the end of the day, the Storyguide and the group
made them uncomfortable, either in that moment or after a must work together in order to foster healthy communica-
suitable break period when everyone is reconvening at the tion at the shared table. When dealing with the themes of
table. They may do so if they choose to do so. ascending to Godhood and the power this can give char-
acters over their surroundings and Storyguide characters,
For online games, consider having a channel on your
safety tools help prevent fractures from appearing in the
Discord where no one does anything but types an X to sim-
beautiful character arcs your table builds together.
ulate the X-Card, or designate an emoji to substitute for the
X-Card so that invoking the X-Card is as easy as reaching
out and tapping a card on the table.
PLACING THE MARKERS
Once the table decides on the main themes for
the chronicle and which safety tools to use for their

40 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

agreed-upon method of play, character creation takes place items: Let’s call them Bridge, River, and Mountain for our
during Session Zero. At this point, the Storyguide should purposes. They must cross the Treacherous Bridge, take a
not just talk through immediate character links with boat down the Rushing River, and scale the Giant Mountain
players, but the whole table should also discuss how their at the end to get to their destination.
characters might link up to the themes they agreed upon in By taking that sort of three-point framework, a
their pre-Session-Zero brainstorming session. Storyguide can easily plot out a simple, very loose arc for
These discussions don’t lock down any certainties; a chronicle: The Scions must cross their version of the
they simply point the way for both Storyguide and players. Treacherous Bridge to pass from Origin to Hero, then take
Of course, if the table agrees on a particular beat or thing their version of the boat down the Rushing River to become
which they really want to see happen during the Chronicle, Demigods, and then climb a Giant Mountain to experience
everyone should cooperate to make that happen! Since apotheosis and achieve Godhood.
Scion exists within an improvisational space, and you nev- The best part of using this simple three-part construc-
er know which way characters and plots might go, locking tion is that it tessellates down through the stages of the
too much down at this stage tends to lead to tears, recrimi- chronicle, and through individual sessions. If they must
nation, and disappointment for everyone. cross the Treacherous Bridge to become Demigods, what
A few methods exist for the Storyguide to plot out their three things must happen to get them there? What three
intended path for the characters through the chronicle; all things must happen for them to successfully finish the mis-
these plotting methods are only tools, and nothing should, sion that their parent gave them?
or can, replace good communication between all parties at
the table.
THE EXPLORER METHOD AFTER ALL THIS TIME
As explained by Alyssa Visscher on Twitter, the
Explorer Method makes a handy way to break down big Nothing in this section should be construed
plots or chronicle arcs into understandable chunks for to mean that characters must abandon each
players and Storyguides. This technique is also known other during the process of Apotheosis, or even
as the “Dora the Explorer method,” as it uses the episodic
afterwards. The story ends when you say it
ends. Every book since Origin has laid out how
structure of cartoons to create discrete story beats. In such
all these Pantheons get along (or not), after all.
shows, when the characters need to get to a destination to
solve a problem, they consult their map and locate three

Modes of Storytelling 41
 The human brain easily holds three items in a to-do specific reason: Everyone knows in at least broad terms
list. This method doesn’t overload the brain with choices where they want this story to go at this point and what
and makes it easy for players and Storyguide to keep track things they will find most satisfying. If Evie knows that she
of their options. wants her character to usurp Ba’al’s Mantles and change
the ending of the story of Attar, and the rest of the table
James decides to use the Explorer Method for thinks that’s really cool, what essentially ends up happen-
plotting out their chronicle. The group decided ing is the table writing an extended love letter to the future
to make Scions of different Pantheons: Æsir, Ba’al. This does not mean terrible things don’t happen to
Ilhm, and Apu. Noting the greatest weaknesses her character along the way, but instead that it generally
of all of the Pantheons and the ways they all resolves in the way the group agreed upon ahead of time.
complement each other, James decides that the This feels an awful lot like watching a movie for which you
Band must see these overlaps and accept the have already read the book, and know how it goes, with a
weaknesses of their divine parents to become few tweaks here and there.
Heroes; attempt to escape their destinies, fail,
and then turn to embrace their destinies in order MAYBE SO
to experience their Second Visitation and be-
In the ‘maybe so’ method, the players generally know
come Demigods; and that they must embrace
the fact that their Pantheons all fall to a sort of a few ways that the story can go, but not which of the ways,
fatalism and that they will likely one day be and the Storyguide may have several surprises up their
challenged for the Mantles they wish to take sleeve for the table. In the above example, if Evie’s charac-
in order to achieve Apotheosis and become ter plans to undo the exile of Attar, and there’s a chronicle
Gods. theme of Unescapable Destiny, maybe James will come out
with a reason why Evie’s character cannot achieve her goals
without destroying the world as currently understood.
THE CHECKBOXES METHOD
In a case where the Storyguide introduces a twist like
A little looser than the Explorer Method, the
that, think of it as offering a ‘no’ in improvisation: generally
Checkboxes Method is exactly what it says on the tin: The
a bad idea unless that sentence resolves into ‘no, but.’ If the
Storyguide makes up for themself a listing of deeds, sto-
new Ba’al cannot undo Attar’s exile, what can he change
ryline markers, or other mile markers on the journey from
instead which feels satisfying to both the player and the
First Visitation to Second and beyond. Rather than having
end of the chronicle as a whole? If Attar cannot be per-
even a loose order in which those things must happen,
mitted back from exile, but his accomplices may enter the
however, the Checkboxes Method permits players and/
Phoenician afterlife and the humanity which Attar tried to
or Storyguide to place these items at any point during the
protect can finally receive their pardons and their gentle
story. Storyguides may also choose to make note of which
eternal life, what does that look like? Do these humans en-
deeds or milestones they might wish to touch upon more
ter the afterlife filled with trauma from millennia in exile,
than once, as a Scion’s reaction to given events or circum-
unable to settle, and unbalance the Phoenician underworld
stances will surely change.
so much that someone must take yet more actions to set this
CLOSING CHAPTERS all right? What happens when Attar’s best-beloved priest
enters the Underworld… or can’t they? This sort of twist
When the party’s Scions all approach their final trans- can become very unsatisfying, but if formulated correctly
formation, the table should sit down to discuss how they it may open further opportunities for play in this chronicle
want to see the final stage through. Even if you talked about or another, so consider your ‘no’ judiciously; in the best cir-
it before now, talk about it again. People’s minds change, cumstances, those twists should set up hooks and plotlines
and it’s far better to have a redundant conversation than to for your table’s next set of characters.
finish out a chronicle which has run over months or years
in an unsatisfying or upsetting way. Isn’t the worst feeling LET THE DICE FALL
walking out of a movie theater or finishing up a show after Some groups prefer to avoid any sort of strict planning
sitting through something with so much promise that ab- or pre-determined ends to a story, no matter what, and
solutely pikes the ending? If recent media landscapes have like letting the dice fall where they may. Bleed manage-
shown us anything, it’s that the worst thing you can do to ment stands paramount in a group following this method
an epic story is rush through the conclusion and end up not of finishing out a story: if the final dice roll goes sideways,
making anyone happy at all. and your Scion fails Apotheosis forever because a bunch of
There are innumerable ways to finish out a chronicle, math rocks bounced the wrong way, how will the table feel
but most of them fall under one of three methods: the love about that? While many groups will be just fine with this,
letter, maybe so, and let the dice fall. it isn’t wrong if you decide to follow this method and then
someone experiences negative bleed when the dice fall very
THE LOVE LETTER badly. This is especially true when it comes to an extended
The ‘love letter’ method of finishing out a chronicle chronicle which has seen characters from their humblest
tends to run dice-light, though it does not need to, for one beginnings right through to their most exalted highs.

42 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 Some people find uncertain endings or bittersweet early myths of the God he wants to emulate. The lesson of
endings extremely enjoyable. Some people don’t. Neither this stage is to let him reflect on his progress so far and to
of these things is objectively wrong, and none of these announce to Fate that he is ready to pursue Apotheosis. This
methods of closing out a chronicle is incorrect or less wor- is always the first step and culminates in the act of gaining
thy. Do what’s fun for your group, and if you start out with Legend 5, a Deed undertaken while the Scion is still a Hero.
something and then realize that you do not find this as fun The Parting, in which the Demigod discovers the ex-
as you thought that you might when you first talked about tra burdens that Fatebinding places on Gods and glimpses
it months ago? Change it. similar divine restrictions on behavior in the mortal realm.

APOTHEOSIS Along the way, he develops a powerful Fatebond with a

mortal or lesser mythic being, one that lasts beyond even
death. Then, inevitably, that bond will be severed. The

A t the end of the Apotheosis stage of the chronicle, a

successful Demigod achieves Apotheosis and becomes —
finally — fully and completely divine. The Scion goes through
lesson of the Parting is that all mortal connections are,
compared to the eternity of the Gods, fleeting ones.

their last metamorphosis; while becoming a Demigod caused The Threshold, in which the Demigod explores her
profound changes to their physical form, stepping through the connection to her Callings to solidify her identification
final door into Godhood does away with that shape entirely. with them. For most Scions, it’s one of the less dangerous
The body which carried them through their life to this stages, with an emphasis on playfulness, fluid identities,
point falls away, and they become a construct of pure ichor and change instead of the harsher lessons of responsibility.
containing the Scion’s spirit, bedecked with all its Mantles. For others, it’s a period of intense questioning that can lead
Most Gods take this time to form a ‘complete’ physical form to a total reinvention of the self. The lesson of this stage is
rather than simply hanging out in an immaterial spirit form. to teach the Scion who she is on an archetypal level.
The Loa form the most prominent exception to this. The Descent, in which the Demigod starts to shed
his strongest associations with the mortal World. This can
APOTHEOSIS RECAP mean a literal journey to an Underworld, but it can also be a
Before she gets there, however, she must successfully period of isolation, or the loss of a loved one through death
navigate Apotheosis. Whether she steps into the Mantle or betrayal. Whatever form it takes, its lesson is that a God
of a Demigod who failed to achieve Apotheosis before her, must make sacrifices as well as accept them.
forcibly unseats her divine parent and wrests that Mantle
The Theophany, in which the Demigod gathers all her
for herself, or walks in the footsteps of a God so flawless-
resources and talents to face one myth-defining challenge.
ly that Fate itself acknowledges her divinity, she must
If she succeeds, she achieves Apotheosis and becomes a
follow the Apotheosis roadmap in some form. To refresh
God. If she fails, she dies, and her unfinished Mantle goes
Storyguides’ memories, here are the milestones characters
free until some other Demigod takes it up to try again. This
must undertake in order to assume full godhood. The full
stage isn’t a lesson; it’s the final exam. No matter what route
rules for Apotheosis appear in Scion: Demigod (p. 15).
a character takes through the other stages, the Theophany is
The Second Call, in which the Demigod reenacts an always last. If the Scion succeeds in this last stage, they reach
early challenge of his post-Visitation life in a new (usually a Legend score of 9 and a form of immortality.
more dangerous) way or becomes drawn into one of the

THE MOLDABLE DIVINE SELF

As mentioned in Titanomachy, the current Ymir is a transgender Titan; he transformed his body to suit
himself in the process of ascending to divinity. This talent is not restricted to him, nor indeed to a particular
stage of a Scion’s ascent. From the moment of their first Visitation, all Scions may reshape their bodies
at whim to affirm their gender, including acknowledging its fluid nature if applicable. This ability may
be invoked at any time and requires one turn to enact in an action sequence. The Moldable Divine Self
requires no roll, no expenditure of Legend, and any attempts to ‘see through’ these changes automatically
fail. This isn’t a case of ‘take off your glasses and I’ll see you for who you really are, Superman!’ but a
mythological shifting, drawing upon the Scion’s fundamentally divine nature.
Also, trying to “see through” a transgender person’s affirming actions is a real jerk move, so don’t do it.
Gods of all pantheons have always mythologically changed their bodies to suit their purposes, and this
inherent ability flows to all Scions, regardless of Pantheon or parent. A gender-shifted Scion may at the
player’s discretion increase the Difficulty of attempts to recognize her by 2. Some players may wish for
their characters to not be easily recognized after their divine transition, and some may prefer for friends or
enemies to easily recognize them. Storyguides should leave this entirely up to the player’s comfort.

Apotheosis 43
 WHEN YOUR BRAIN IS FULL
As a Storyguide, you probably spend a lot of time saying yes to your players’ cool and interesting
ideas. That’s excellent! But remember to check in with yourself, too, and make sure you’re up for juggling
all those plot lines and characters. If you find yourself spending too much time preparing for the game
or feeling stressed out by the mental overhead, talk to your players about what’s reasonable for you to
handle. They might be willing to take on some of the Storyguiding duties or explore some of the additional
types of play (see below) to help you out. If everyone’s playing Incarnations, it might be time to consider
a spin-off game. It’s also fair to suggest setting those adventures aside for after you finish the Gods’ arc.
Most importantly, talk to your players and take care of yourself just as you take care of them.

AN EXAMPLE APOTHEOSIS still great,” that’s fantastic, but before you move on to new
adventures, really give yourselves the time to think about
A would-be God (or Titan, for those chronicles engag- whether those goals, those themes, the things you strove
ing with Titanic Scions) answering the Second Call must to illuminate and illustrate, really fit those characters any-
reflect upon his progress to this point and pass an earlier more. For that matter, think about how you as a person have
challenge from his post-Visitation life, navigating that with changed. Playing from Origin to God takes time; that first
his new Demigod status in mind. For the current Ymir (see Session Zero might lay years in the past at this point. Do
Titanomachy, pp. 17-18), this Second Call begins with fac- you still want to tackle those ideas? What else might you
ing the death of Jörð’s parent, his divine grandfather, when want to change?
his mother conveys the news of Ymir’s murder. She tasks
him with becoming worthy of the second heart she carries Likewise, what keeps your characters working togeth-
in her breast. er, and how does their alliance affect the way that their
Pantheons see them? If your characters come from dispa-
Ymir’s ascent to his grandfather’s place required a rate Pantheons, you might have a more difficult time with
far-ranging quest; in his Parting, he formed bonds with that up front, but having those discussions means you can
Jörð’s beloved dwarves as he sought the portions of his engage with the politicking and strain which comes with
future body scattered by Odin. He found himself forced to that situation in an enjoyable in-character fashion, rather
acknowledge their mortality as two of his assistants died than stumbling face-first into the difficulties this poses. Do
during this stage, but he returned to his mother with pieces your characters choose to create a new Pantheon together
of his grandfather’s body — cloud-brains in a jar, a handful (p. 160) or work on creating new Miracles and Mysteries
of fat buried under the earth. This leads directly into his with each other?
Threshold, as he begins to incorporate these body parts
into himself, exploring his connections to his Callings by At God level, your characters can truly change the
building a Titanic body for himself. In his Descent, he World, which can set some interesting challenges for both
journeys to Helheim to return with one of his grandfather’s players and Storyguide. Embracing that fact can lead to
(his?) thighbones, trading all his hair for the necessary another stage of your chronicle, one in which you literally
bone. In his Theophany, he returns to his mother, mourn- create a new world together, shaping the present such that
ing Ymir still, and accepts his grandfather’s heart — his Fatebinding reshapes the past of your World. If you want
heart — and assumes the dead Titan’s Mantle fully. to create a cyberpunk dystopia over which your Gods rule
with iron fists, or a fully-automated luxury queer space
WHAT NOW? communist utopia, or anything in-between, at this stage
your characters can really do that, because they’re Gods. So
Just because your characters achieve Apotheosis
both Storyguide and players should engage honestly with
doesn’t mean the chronicle ends; you can continue play-
that possibility and discuss what about that level of control
ing your newly-Divine characters as long as you’d like. It
over the World looks fun to them.
does, however, mean that your characters face different
challenges, and that creating fulfilling narratives requires Coming up with challenges for God characters can
thinking about those challenges and how you choose to pose a real challenge for Storyguides; it’s okay to say, “I
approach them. don’t feel up to this,” but if you decide to engage it, keep that
door open. No one’s having fun if the Storyguide doesn’t
Once your characters become Gods, it’s time for
feel like she can put a real challenge in front of the table,
Session Zero Part Two. Plan a time to sit down together
so the Storyguide needs to feel comfortable telling the ta-
and review the themes you decided on oh-so-many ses-
ble if she’s struggling to challenge the characters and ask
sions ago. Do those themes (and the themes you chose to
for input on making things genuinely more difficult. Yes,
exclude) still fit your world-striding deities, or should you
your characters are Gods now, capable of world-shaking
revise them? If you find yourselves saying “no, these are all

44 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

changes, but they exist in a reality where dozens if not hun- and not need more than an occasional cut-scene describing
dreds of other Gods also push and pull on the World, trying her adventures. If she’s pushing up her sleeves and trying
to enact their own desires. Likewise, the lives of billions to get to the bottom of a mystery for the Pantheon, on the
of people hang on their actions. You have the great power other hand, does the player have ideas on how she’ll go
now, and you know what comes with that. about the task?

STORYGUIDING How big of a role in the God’s current goals does she
play? How complex are her plans? Put another way, is she

INCARNATIONS making gentle ripples or a giant splash? Knowing whether

the Incarnation’s settling in for the long game or if she’s
performing a time-sensitive task helps you plot out the
A Storyguide who’s running a game not only for a group of
Gods, but also for one or several of their Incarnations,
may very quickly find herself having to keep track of several
story beats. If her maneuvering in the World will have
immediate repercussions on the God’s arc, you’ll need to
keep track of where they are in their respective timelines. If
mini-arcs’ worth of side characters and their plot threads.
she’s going to take a few months, or years, or even decades
Running one game takes a lot of time and dedication.
to establish herself, the player might only want to check in
Following is advice for how to wrangle the various threads
on her occasionally.
and keep your players engaged at the table as the spotlight
shifts around. If the Incarnation is relying on a recurring cast of
SGCs to accomplish their goals — pulling a Band togeth-
ONE STORYGUIDE, er, consulting with priests of the God’s religion, calling in
MANY PATHS favors from people related to her Paths — you might want
to ask other players to take on these roles. Not only does it
While your main game is the focus, an Incarnation’s
reduce downtime at the table, it gets everyone invested in
actions can help the God accomplish his goals and move
the story. They might even find themselves calling on those
the plot along. At the outset, ask the players whose Gods
SGCs for side-plots of their own later on.
are spinning off Incarnations some questions to help set
their expectations and give you an idea of what kind of Incarnation plots also mean you don’t have to build
preparation you’ll need to do from session to session. These everything from scratch for that character. She might be
might be questions like: drawn to familiar places, revisiting locations that were
meaningful or significant to the God during their time in
What’s the elevator pitch for this Incarnation’s story?
the World. SGCs who were once in the Hero’s or Demigod’s
The character might be simply setting off to walk the World

Storyguiding Incarnations 45
orbit return to the Incarnation’s, a little older and wiser, diagramming software lets you visually represent con-
maybe, but intensely familiar all the same. nections between characters, plot points, locations, and
Remember that Fate keeps putting Scions into situa- anything else you might need. Maintaining a wiki allows
tions eerily similar to those they’ve already experienced, Storyguides and players to update information about their
and it’s going to have the same pull on an Incarnation. game and characters; you could even break it down into
Look back at the group’s past adventures, the SGCs they’ve session and season recaps like TV show wikis do.
encountered, and the Legendary Deeds they accomplished. Running a series of smaller virtual tabletop campaigns
Can you use some of them as templates for the Incarnation’s for the Incarnations’ activities can help keep track of
stories? You don’t have to scratch out an old character’s Incarnations and their pursuits as well. Many allow you to
name and write a new one above it (though you certainly import character sheets, maps, and music to enhance the
can!), but they make an excellent jumping-off point. game.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER PLAYERS AS STORYGUIDES

If you’re spending a lot of time with Incarnations, regu- Handing over control of some Storyguide characters
larly revisiting characters’ goals can help tie several branch- can present complications for the Storyguide, especially if
ing threads together. Just because the Gods are handling po- the players’ plotlines bump up against the main story arc
tentially Overworld-shaking issues doesn’t mean they can’t or their characters’ actions would affect a key piece of the
still have Band Deeds on their to-do lists. Consider asking puzzle. Following is some advice for how to build the story
players to break the Gods’ Band Deeds down into smaller together, keep everyone engaged, and navigate challenges
parts. Are there short-term Deeds the Incarnations might be that might arise. As always, take the suggestions that work
able to accomplish? Add those to the Incarnation’s character for your table, tweak them as much as you need to, and dis-
sheet. The Incarnation’s Deeds don’t have to be restricted to card those that don’t fit your play style.
those of her patron God — if the tasks tie her to one of the Players whose Gods create Incarnations may find
other player’s characters, encourage those connections! themselves managing plot threads as part of their gaming
sessions. An Incarnation who brings a Band together or
The players decide their Gods have a Band sets off on a mythic quest is going to bring at least a hand-
Deed of “Restore the seasons.” They break it ful of supporting characters into the game. While some
up into a handful of stages and smaller Deeds. Storyguides might be perfectly content keeping track of all
One of them, “Deal with the demon holed up in the characters and branching story lines, this is also an op-
the dam,” will bring a measure of relief to local
portunity for players to take a turn behind the Storyguide’s
farms. Casey’s character Dana is closest to its
location. Casey adds “Deal with the demon” to screen.
Dana’s character sheet as a short-term Deed. For an Incarnation whose plan is to draw a Band to-
gether and send them off on field missions, the Storyguide
With additional characters and subplots to manage, might create the characters and invite the other players to
you might want to add some tools to your toolkit to help take on those roles for short vignettes during game sessions.
keep everything straight. This can be as analog as main- The scenes can take any number of forms: heist-planning,
taining separate physical folders for game information cut-scenes and montages highlighting the key beats in a
or adding color-coded tabs or a table of contents to your mission, the aftermath of a battle.
notebook. If you keep all your game notes digitally, orga- The Incarnation’s player sets the objective for these
nizing files into subfolders is an option. Some programs, vignettes, working with the Storyguide to determine how
such as Google Drive, allow you to add tags to files so they the actions might affect the overall story arc. Keep in mind
show up in multiple relevant locations. Mind-mapping or the reason the God spun off the Incarnation in the first
place and tailor the scenes to further those goals. What are
the stakes for the Incarnation? How do the Band’s actions,
FATEBINDINGS their successes and failures, affect her? How do their mis-
sions deepen her understanding of her Callings? How do
While Scion usually discourages they help — or hinder — the God’s plans?
player characters being Fatebound to
one another, it’s worth waiving this rule Beyond her Incarnation, the player might take on the
for the side characters involved. Discuss role of rivals, villains, and other antagonists the Band is up
the ramifications of this at the table, and against. Are there enemies from her Demigod days whose
make sure everyone’s comfortable with operations she’d like the Band to infiltrate? Did someone
the part their character would play in the steal a Birthright from her, and she wants to send her team
Incarnation’s story: If someone’s taking on in to retrieve it? Maybe there’s a lost love she’s not quite
the role of the Martyr, chances are good ready to face who needs help, or an old wrong she needs
there’s no get out of death free card for help righting.
them.

46 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 If the player wants the Incarnation to put a new spin out trying to change the plot or come up with a different
on an old myth, her fellow players might take on roles like big reveal.
those in the stories and legends surrounding the God. What These side adventures present an excellent opportu-
aspects of her legend does the Incarnation want to recre- nity for anyone in your group who’s new to running games
ate? What does she wish she could do differently, if only to ease into it and build confidence. They don’t have to
she can overcome Fate? commit to a long campaign, and they can get some expe-
SESSION ZERO, REDUX rience behind the Storyguide Screen with the main-plot
Storyguide there as backup. It’s also a chance for those
Just as you check in with your players to set expec- long-time Storyguides to take a break from running the
tations at the start of the game, it’s worth doing so again game to play for a while.
for player-led stories. The Storyguide and the player who
will be running the story should set aside time to plan out Casey, the player, and Sarah, their Storyguide,
how their collaboration will work. Some things to consider talk about what kind of adventure Casey would
include: like to run for their Incarnation’s plot. They
How often will the player take over? Is this a once- decide that Casey will run a few introductory
per-session interlude? Will every third or fourth session scenes at the end of regular weekly game
be solely dedicated to the player’s plot? If the Storyguide is sessions, so everyone can get a feel for their
side-characters. This is also Casey’s first time
focusing on another player’s character, can the player-SG
as a Storyguide, so the shorter vignettes will
bring other players into another room and run a scene help them build some confidence and work out
concurrently? some details of where they’d like the story to
What current Storyguide characters, if any, are up for go. After a few weeks, Casey wants to run a full
grabs? Are there any SGCs from the Band’s Demigod or session once a month.
Hero days who might be useful in play? Who would you Sarah is excited about the opportunity to play
prefer to keep off-limits? in the game, and she offers a few SGCs she
thinks might fit with Casey’s proposed story line.
Are there any plotlines you’d prefer the characters
The Gods in the main storyline are mostly in-
stay away from, whether that’s because it’s part of an on- volved in a plot in their Overworld, but they do
going story or because you have plans to revisit them at a have some ties to Chicago that Sarah would
later point? On the flip side, are there storylines you might prefer stay secret for now. Casey decides to set
not have gotten around to that you’d like to offer up? Any their story in Santa Fe to keep things separate.
threads left dangling from previous arcs you’d be delighted
for the player to pick up and tie in? Once the Storyguides have discussed how they’ll work
The player might also have stories she wants to explore together, bring the players in. What SGC roles are they inter-
from when her character was a fresh-faced Hero or ideas ested in playing? How much leeway do they have to put their
to revisit a Legendary Deed the characters accomplished own personal touches on those characters? Are there aspects of
from a different perspective. Are there choices the players the story they’re looking forward to or scenes from the God’s
made that surprised you as a Storyguide? Were there clues myths they’d like to recreate? Are there any they’d prefer to
you were hoping they’d follow, but that they didn’t pursue? stay away from?
What were some scenes that might have gone wildly dif- If the Storyguide hasn’t already created the side charac-
ferently if it weren’t for a lucky roll or an inspired Stunt? ters, let the players flesh them out. As mentioned above, these
Those might spark inspiration, too. might be based on Antagonist stats, or they can be full-fledged
Work out when it’s appropriate for you to step in if the characters, depending on the story’s needs. For games that are
characters get too close to one of those off-limits elements more narrative in nature, you might streamline character cre-
and how you’ll communicate that to the person running the ation even further, choosing their Concept, Deeds, Paths, and
story. Maybe you’ll call for a quick break to talk it through Callings, and leave the dice rolling aside. If the Storyguide does
with your co-Storyguide: Is there information they can have stats at the ready, this is the chance to let players make a
share when you resume, or clues they can drop that would few changes if they’d like.
tie into the main story line? Is it a good point to switch
back over to the main story, either because it’s the perfect Casey’s story begins with their character
time for a dramatic reveal, or in order to give them time to Dana getting a crew together to find a piece
redirect the side plot? What cool storytelling opportunities of the Tablet of Destiny that was stolen from
present themselves? the Anunna. Dana will be an SGC for these
Remember that it’s okay to reward players for figur-
sessions, occasionally issuing directions or
providing information to the characters.
ing things out, too: Players are smart, and if they sense a
connection between their side characters and their main The players look over the selection of SGCs
ones, they’re likely to chase after it. Don’t stress yourself — a combination of Scions and heroic mortals
— and choose which ones they’d like to play.

Storyguiding Incarnations 47
 One of the players, Jay, remembers that Jay’s excited about this. “Remember,” he says,
Tammuz’s sister Geshtinanna takes his place “Tammuz also takes her place for half the year,
in the Underworld for half the year and offers so maybe Rania will come back in another
to play her Scion Rania as Dana’s Fatebound story down the line.”
companion, making Rania a Martyr.
The players discuss how this will pan out. Jay
understands that his character will ultimately COMMUNICATION IS KEY
sacrifice herself for Dana in a heroic but tragic While the Storyguides don’t have to share all their
moment, exiting the story. They discuss different notes and secrets, it might be helpful to have a shared
ways that might happen, referencing the origi- document for co-runners to refer to while they’re plan-
nal myth for inspiration, and put an interesting ning for the next game night. Note important SGCs and
spin both on how the SGC’s actions affect the connections and recap where the player characters left off
Incarnation and how the SGC faces their Fate.
between sessions. If some of the characters are racing the

48 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 Even while the player is running their adventure, the
main Storyguide should still be looking for ways to tie the
secondary story into the main plot or see where threads
might trail off that another player’s character might pick
up. Some of these inspirations might work best in different
types of play (see below), especially if multiple characters
have Incarnated and are off on their own journeys.
Though you’ve already agreed on the secondary
story’s timing, make sure to check in now and then to be
sure it’s still working out. Does the Incarnation’s arc need
a little more time, or an extra couple of sessions because
the players did something unexpected? Are the main char-
acters headed into an epic chapter ending? If the A-team’s
about to go into some heavy, emotional roleplaying, and the
B-team’s trying to figure out who hacked Donnie Rhodes’
social media account to post dog pictures, it might be worth
putting the B-story on hold until the main plot is finished.
Or, if the B-story usually starts the session, maybe it’s worth
moving to the end of the night, both so the players don’t get
the giggles during a big, dramatic moment and for a little bit
of lighthearted tension-relief before everyone heads home.

THE HAND-OFF
With the pieces in place, it’s time for the God to
Incarnate. The original Storyguide might want to set up
the events that lead up to the occasion: Does it come about
at the end of a chapter, as the God learns something new
about herself? Does she uncover a betrayal brewing in the
Overworld and send an Incarnation to the World just in
case things go badly? Or does she do it completely uncon-
sciously, as part of a very strange dream or after imbibing
too much ambrosia?
The player may take up the narrative at this point, de-
scribing how the God spins off her Incarnation. She might
prefer to wait a few scenes while the original Storyguide
takes her through opening her eyes on the World for the
first time and settling into her new life.

Sarah, the original Storyguide, narrates how

Casey’s character Dana first Incarnates. She
takes Dana through her first few hours in the
World: where she lives, where she works, and
a hint of what Dana knows. “A contact tells you
their last trace on the piece of the Tablet put it
in the hands of a shipping company in Santa
clock — “Loki’s big plan launches in 10 days, and the A-plot Fe run by a Scion of Ek Chuaj. You’re going to
characters have to be there to stop him. The B-team’s need help getting in to see him — he’s not fond
meddling with The Order of the Mule can buy them some of visitors, and he keeps a tight security detail.”
time.” — consider keeping an updated timeline so you know “Well,” says Casey, “I guess it’s time to get to
where (and when) the groups are in relation to one another. work.” They open a folder and pass out a set
A who’s who, with short SGC descriptions (name, of character sheets. “Jay, tell me where Rania is
associated Pantheon, physical description, job, typical lo-
when Dana calls.”
cation, roleplaying notes, etc.), can keep things consistent
from Storyguide to Storyguide. This also solidifies con- Storyguides might want a physical reminder of who’s
nections between the stories, making it feel like the same running the game during the session, especially if there
World, even if the characters are mostly pursuing separate are multiple switches in the same night. If the Storyguide
agendas. usually sits at the head of the table, they might swap seats.
Or rather than making everyone move around, they might

Storyguiding Incarnations 49
slide the storyteller screen, the Momentum bowl, or some
other prop over in front of whoever’s in charge.
MINI-SODES
Dedicate a short amount of time during regular ses-
If you’re playing virtually, you might take a moment to sions to checking in on the Incarnations’ progress. These
append “Storyguide” to their screen name or to adjust who might be scenes that start in medias res (“You’re standing
appears in the Storyguide’s spot if you’re using software in front of the vault, tired and dusty, with the timer on your
that lets you do so. watch ticking down the seconds...”) or a chance to have
The Storyguides might also decide upon a phrase that conversations with an SGC (“Zeus asked you to go say hi
they repeat at the end of one’s segment and the beginning to his kid for him and deliver some orders. He’s not doing it
of the other’s, letting players know it’s time to take out their himself because they don’t get along.”)
other character sheets. They might use a setting cue that If you’re not already playing virtually, this might be a
heralds the switch: One describes the sun setting, and the good chance to take advantage of platforms that let you do
other picks up the story and narrates the moon coming up. so — with the added bonus that you can record the mini-
TYPES OF PLAY sode and make it available for players to watch later if
anyone missed out. Always remember to get every player’s
Following are some different methods of play you consent before recording them or uploading, even if it’s
might want to try at your table, whether that’s in your only going to be visible to the members of your group. If
main game or to change things up for Incarnations’ side someone’s not comfortable with it, don’t do it, and if they
adventures. request it be taken down after the fact, respect their wishes.
TROUPE PLAY GET CREATIVE
As introduced in Scion: Hero (p. 22), troupe struc- Encourage your players to get creative with different
ture invites players to create characters at different levels storytelling mediums: in-character social media accounts,
of power. The Incarnation’s player leads the troupe, with Deifan reports posted to your game’s dedicated chat room,
players taking on the roles of the Scions the Incarnation fanart, etc. Give players permission to make art and have
gathers into a Band, the leaders of the God’s Cult, or oth- fun.
er significant mortals she interacts with regularly. Other
players might also play one-off characters: those mortals STORY’S END
who are around for a scene to deliver a line or even die When the Incarnation’s story-related Deeds have been
dramatically. At a specific point — every act, every episode, fulfilled and their arcs come to a close, it’s worth discussing
at the end of an arc, or some other agreed-upon time — a what happens to them while they’re off-camera. Talk with
different player takes on their Incarnation’s role, giving your players about where they see their Incarnations going
each Incarnation the spotlight in rotation. from there. Do they have big, long-term aspirations, or are
they simply ready to enjoy life as a mortal? What contact,
SPIN-OFFS AND CROSSOVERS if any, do they have with active characters and story arcs?
If the Incarnations’ adventures become epic stories of What plans do their Gods have for them, and do they con-
their own, it might be time to spin them off into their own flict with the Incarnations’ ambitions?
game, just as the Gods spin off Incarnations to live their
Players should think about whether they’d like to
own lives. Depending on the amount of time your group
revisit the Incarnations (or any of the significant side-char-
has to dedicate to gaming, this might be an entirely sepa-
acters whose roles they played) in future story arcs. Would
rate game you play in addition to your regular schedule. If
they want to pick up right where they left off, or is it okay
not all the players can attend multiple sessions per week or
for the Storyguide to extrapolate what they might get up
month, they might create characters who make cameo ap-
to in the meantime? Is it okay to bring them back into the
pearances when they can be there. Keep Scion’s television
main plot as SGCs if there’s a fitting situation? Establish
structure in mind here, too — if you’ve got one night per
parameters for how they can be used as SGCs, if that’s the
week, the spin-off game might take place between seasons
case — some players might be delighted to find out the
of the main game, or as a mini-series interlude during a
mysterious villainous mastermind is none other than their
mid-season break.
former Incarnation; for others, the same scenario might be
Some characters might pop up in different spin-offs, upsetting.
conveying important information from one Incarnation’s
As with the start of the Incarnation’s tale, a formal
group to another. The arcs might dovetail at certain points:
transition from the player-Storyguide back to the main-Sto-
an enemy that requires all the Incarnations’ power to fight,
ryguide might help to bring the arc closure.
or a long-awaited wedding everyone’s invited to.

50 CHAPTER ONE: STORYGUIDING DIVINITY

 EXAMPLE SESSION
Casey’s first few sessions guided the Incarnation’s troupe to Santa Fe, where they’re trying to recover
a fragment of the Tablet of Destinies. Casey runs these during a break in their main game’s action, and
Sarah — the main Storyguide — begins the hand-off at a dramatically appropriate moment to pause the
God’s story.
Sarah says, “The sun sets over the celestial ocean as you settle onto your lapis-lazuli thrones. Tomorrow
will bring new troubles, but for tonight, you’ll rest.” She slides the Momentum Bowl in front of Casey and
takes out her character sheet.
Casey waits for the other players to switch to the secondary character sheets and says, “It’s cloudy in
Santa Fe tonight, which has worked in your favor so far. Getting past security outside of the mansion has
gone pretty smoothly. You might even be able to accomplish your Deed of getting to meet Ek Chuaj’s Scion
tonight.
“The only problem is, assassins like cloudy nights, too.”
Everyone gasps as the assassin — a Scion of Cizin they’ve had run-ins with in previous sessions —
attacks. Casey guides the players through a combat scene. During the fight, Jay botches a roll, and the
assassin catches his character, Rania.
The players quickly discuss how to handle the situation. Jay sees an opportunity to play out Rania’s
Fatebound destiny. “I bet bringing Rania to Xibalba would score him some serious points with his dad,”
says Jay. Everyone agrees that this is an excellent dramatic moment for this. Jay turns to Casey. “She makes
the offer: ‘If I go to your Underworld with you, will you let my friends go?’”
Casey grins. They could ask for an influence roll, but it’s perfect for the character’s arc, and provides a
plot hook they can come back to later. “He considers this, and loosens his grip a little. ‘Let’s go,’ he says,
‘before I change my mind.’”
Jay asks if Rania can send a quick text to Dana (“It reads, ‘you owe me one,’” Jay declares), and Casey
agrees. After it sends, the assassin throws her phone into the bushes.
The players take a moment to regroup, and Casey guides their characters the rest of the way up to the
manor. As they reach the terrace their target, the Scion of Ek Chuaj, is waiting. “You’ve accomplished your
Deed,” says Casey, “but it came at a price.” They slide a piece of paper over to Jay, who spreads his
hands wide.
“Welcome to my home,” he says, playing the part of Ek Chuaj’s Scion. “You’ve worked hard to get here.
I think that warrants a chat.”
Casey smiles. “The clouds part, and the moonlight glints off of his smile. It’s going to be a long night.”
This is Sarah’s cue to pick up the main story again. She moves the Momentum bowl in front of herself once
more and describes the sun coming up in the Overworld before declaring a quick break. The players talk
about the scene and how it went. One of them shows the group a sketch they made of Rania bargaining
with Cizin’s Scion. Casey updates the group’s wiki and takes some notes for next time. Jay sends Sarah
and Casey a message about planning a mini-sode covering what Rania gets up to in Xibalba. Everyone’s
looking forward to what comes next.

Storyguiding Incarnations 51
 “But I can go. I am the son of Lightning,” Child-of-the-Water told her.
Then White-Painted Woman said to Lightning, “This is your son.”
“I do not believe he is my son, but I will test him,” Lightning said.
— “The Birth of Child-of-the-Water” Chiricahua Apache legend

• Divine Rule provides a framework for the far-reach-

AFTER ing plans of the Gods as they jockey for position
within the Overworld. Rather than relying on their
APOTHEOSIS Skills and Attributes, Divine Rule centers the action
on a God’s Purviews, Callings, and Legendary Titles,

S cions who choose to chase down divinity do so out of

hunger, pain, ambition, compassion, hope, rage, and a
thousand other drives, all combined and intermingled. They
using them as tools to construct Realm-shaping mir-
acles. Plans enacted through Divine Rule operate
at a vast and ambiguous timescale, often tying up a
do so because they have to speak a need into the World — a God’s free Legend for days, weeks, or even longer
truth about what really matters. For the chance to speak this as they work to address large-scale change in their
truth, they fight and love and scheme and betray and suffer. divine realms.
And if everything goes right? They win the big prize. After a
• Cults and Religion help to shape a God’s mac-
lifetime spent running towards their goal, they emerge from
ro-level interactions with humanity and the World
the crucible of apotheosis as a fledgling God.
at large. From the other side of the altar, a newly
So… what comes next? risen God finds themselves cast in the role of patron
To be a God is to lay claim to a seat at the Game of to hundreds, thousands, or millions of mortals, with
Immortals. It is not a game for the timid; with each turn, a all the attendant influence and responsibility that
God may raise up favored pieces or lose them to calamity. It implies. Cults are especially valuable as sources of
is not a game for the insular; alliances are made and broken, interesting and dramatic challenges for ascended
tested by fire and ages. It is not a game for the complacent; characters, presenting them with difficult choices
a God’s fortune — and the fortunes of her Pantheon, Scions, and perilous opportunities while allowing them to
Realms, and devotees — can only be won through risk, avoid the Fatebinding that the World might readily
effort, and the courage to act. Some Gods may try to hold work upon them if they interfered in person.
themselves above the fray, or affect a façade of neutrality, That’s not to say that Gods only act through these
or openly proclaim their disgust at the Game… but none can three venues. As they enter the heights of true divinity, the
refuse to play it. players’ characters will still find occasion to bring all their
newfound power to bear against rival Gods and troublesome
Scion: God elevates Scions to true Godhood, granting
Titans, weaving scenes of subtle intrigue and raucous
them a new perspective on the World’s treasures and
combat. When the hundred-handed hecatoncheires
troubles. On the one hand, becoming a God represents a
emerge to wreck a realm, the Gods themselves mobilize
character ascending to lofty heights of cosmic power and
against it in all their majesty, armed and armored for battles
influence, able to shake the firmament with their word and
that will make the World shudder.
will. On the other hand, Gods feel the grip of Fate more
tightly, and many act in the World only subtly to prevent But the truth is that not every day is an apocalypse,
themselves from becoming bound in chains of myth. unless you ask the Teōtl. The full power of the Gods is
often in excess to their needs, and exercising the full
To that end, Scion: God offers three main venues
measure of their divine authority risks trapping them in
for Gods to interact with one another and the World
a cycle of Fatebinding. New Gods quickly learn why their
— Incarnations, Divine Rule, and Cults and religion.
predecessors chose to withdraw from overt interreference
Collectively, these three venues form the Game of
in Worldly affairs, acting instead through means that are
Immortals, giving structure and momentum to Godly
slow but subtle. After all, they’re Gods now. They’ve got all
chronicles.
the time in the World.
• Incarnation allows the Gods to send a fragment of
themselves back into the World as a mortal, working GODLY RIVALRIES
to fulfill some divine mission. These can range from Given the fact that it’s called the Game of Immortals,
short term excursions to entire lifetimes, granting it’s no real surprise that its participants often see the game
a God the opportunity to remember their mortal as a competition. The World is only so large; its population
origins and intervene in the World’s affairs without growing but finite. There are only so many hours in the
risking Fatebinding. day for mortals to worship and work and spread a God’s
influence. And of course, every God won their seat at the big

After Apotheosis 53
table by being hungry for their next great challenge. That of existence to entangle one another in messy bonds of
hunger can easily become jealousy, and stories of divine camaraderie, rivalry, intrigue, and war. Although Gods
rivalries are the cornerstone of most Pantheons, from the predate nation states by most of the length of human
quarrelsome marriage of Zeus and Hera to the dualism of history, they’re every bit as troublesome: The instant
Ioskeha and Tawiscara. someone decides that some Gods are “us,” it means
Gods fight amongst one another for any of hundreds everyone else isn’t. “We can be trusted; they cannot. We
of reasons — jealousy, fear, wealth. Sometimes they fight are the first; they are the invaders, imitators, and thieves,”
because it is the nature of their Legend to define themselves they say. Add to this the fact that many Pantheons are also
through opposition to another. Sometimes they fight for no literal, archetypically dysfunctional families, and strife is
reason at all. inevitable.

Whatever their source, these rivalries are a core Pantheons struggle with one another for all the things
feature of the Game of Immortals. A newly ascended God that individual Gods do, but at a greater scale: Struggles
seeking to carve out their place in an existing Pantheon will over followers can erupt into inter-Pantheon wars, and
always have to do so at some other God’s expense, and even some of the bloodiest battles in human history find mythic
entirely new Pantheons are predisposed to sniping when it resonance in the ichor-soaked battles of their patron
comes time to decide who gets the big chair and the choice Pantheons. While all-out conflict in the World is largely
penthouse. Gods can also jockey for divine resources, like off the table these days (especially with the possibility of
control over certain realms, and Birthrights like contested a reignited Titanomachy looming over everyone’s heads),
Relics or Cults. Pantheons still engage in both mundane and miraculous
games of one-upmanship, especially when they can deploy
Rivalries are often especially heated on the topic their Scions. The Theoi certainly lost face when it was a
of Purviews. For Heroes and Demigods, Purviews are a Scion of Ptah who saved the Parthenon rather than one of
source of miraculous power and a connection to their Athena, and the Æsir bitterly believe that the Tuatha once
divine heritage. For a God, Purviews are a precious asset, knowingly disturbed a brood of sea serpents to interrupt
often the defining element of their Godhood — at least in Nordic shipping lanes.
the estimation of mortals. After all, mortals tend to think
of Gods as being of something: Poseidon is a God of the sea; Pantheons are often a vital framework for new Gods
Set is a God of violence; Pele is a God of volcanos. to understand how to set and pursue their own divine
agenda, providing a clear example of what grand ambitions
It is little wonder then that most Gods spend a fair a God may aspire to. Godlings usually have no shortage of
portion of their time playing steward to their Purviews, Pantheon members looking to take them under their wing
especially in vying for domination over a concept both (or claw, or pseudopod, or other various appendages),
within their Pantheon and in the whole of the World. showing them the ins and outs of divine politicking. While
While Gods can use Divine Rule to become the supreme these mentorships are important and often color a God’s
deity over their Purviews (p. 170), most competitions are divine youth, it is the Pantheon at large that often serves
informal. Rather than aiming for a metaphysical crown, as their best education. Each Pantheon has its own set of
the Gods compete as a matter of brand, strengthening their goals, priorities, and methods. Newly ascended deities are
connection to a Purview. If they can eat into a rival’s market expected to contribute to these agendas, and in doing so
share while doing so? Well, that’s just gravy. they may both carve out a niche within the Pantheon and
The last and greatest prize a God may seek from begin to develop their personal ethos about what Godhood
her enemies is a divine Mantle. To claim one of a God’s means and how it should be used.
Mantles, a rival arranges circumstances to slowly drain her But a God is not limited to their Pantheon alone. The
foe of connections to their divinity. Each successful attack newly-ascended are often in a unique position to establish,
takes the form of a Divine Wound (p. 71), damage inflicted strengthen, or repair relationships between their Pantheon
directly against the God’s Titles and Callings. A weakened and others. A Scion’s life almost invariably brings them into
God is never easy prey, but a determined rival can still contact with Scions of other Pantheons, and bonds of heroic
try her hand, leveraging those Divine Wounds to pry a or Demigodly friendship can blossom into inter-Pantheon
Mantle from her foe’s very nature. What she does with it alliances after apotheosis. A newly-minted Theoi godling
then is her business — some may try to don it themselves, visiting his Devá husband’s divine family is certainly
incorporating its symbology and importance into their a tense affair, but it’s also a rare opportunity for the two
own mythology; others may keep it in reserve, or perhaps Pantheons to (somewhat ironically) humanize one another.
even grant it to a favored Demigod to smooth their road to In this way, fresh blood can also help to shake loose some
Apotheosis. Only one thing is certain: A God who deprives ancient grudges and biases, bringing everyone back to the
another of his Mantle earns an enemy for all time. table (or at least keeping them from murdering one another
THE POLITICS OF before dessert). Ascended Scions are thus often thrust into
PANTHEONS positions as envoys to other Pantheons, especially those
they had good dealings with in their mortal lives.
Divine politics are writ large in the relationships of
entire Pantheons. Each Pantheon has had the entirety

54 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 Resolve: The God may willingly abandon this
GODS AND MORTALS Fatebinding at any time, forfeiting their unique connection
Oh, the Gods love their mortal affairs. It’s been to mortality in favor of Godly perspective. Otherwise, it
said before that the Gods don’t need humans, they need naturally resolves once the character’s original family and
humanity — meaning that while the death of a favored friends have passed away, or at the end of what would have
mortal may be so tragic as to precipitate a minor apocalypse, been her natural life span, if she’d never awakened as a
it is humanity that keeps the Gods anchored to the World, Scion.
preventing them from becoming beings of instinct and
Purview like some Titans. That’s true, of course, but when THE TITANOMACHY
a God’s mortal lover dies (especially to a Titanspawn Throughout their career as Heroes and Demigods,
monster or the machinations of a rival), it’s cold comfort Scions often act as valuable soldiers and agents in the
that somewhere, somewhen, they could theoretically love never-ending war against the Titans. By the time they
again. reach apotheosis, many Scions have tangled with dozens
This is especially true of new Gods. The process of titanspawn and Titan-worshipping cults. They’ve slain
of apotheosis is a dangerous and bitter one, earning the frost giants, hoodwinked Aten’s lieutenants, and bargained
fledgling deity many enemies even as they cross the finish for concessions from the Fomorians. They bring to their
line of true Godhood. Friends and family make easy targets new divinity a vital awareness of the Titanomachy’s view
for anyone looking to settle a score, especially while a God from the ground floor, a sense of what it means to live in
is still adjusting to their newfound power and its many a World under threat. Many emerge into the grand halls
dangers. Still, their mortal connections offer them a sense of their ancestral Overworld either brimming with plans
of urgency that older Gods often lack; when your only for how to end the war tomorrow or boiling over with
mortal daughters are still alive in the World, it’s harder frustration that their patrons-turned-peers allowed it to go
for a fledgling God to take the long view and accept a loss. on at all.
Instead, she looks at her people, the ones counting on her The truth, at least as most new Gods come to know
not just because they worship her name, but because she it, is that the Titanomachy is a vast, exhausting, and
shared her lunch when theirs got stolen and gave them a perilous endeavor. What looked like simple skirmishes
ride when their car was in the shop. from the street could be only emanations of deeper and
A newly ascended God has the option of cutting ties more complex maneuvers and counter maneuvers, played
with their former life as a whole or embracing it. Those who out across the World and throughout the many realms
choose to embrace it acquire a special Fatebinding to the beyond it. If the Gods seemed ungrateful for a Scion’s help
people who mattered to them during their lives as mortals, in fighting back an incursion, it’s because there were a
called Mortal Roots. This Fatebinding is gentler than hundred other plots in play at the same time, all requiring
others, remaining only as restrictive as a Demigod’s might constant vigilance, risk, and sacrifice.
be (Demigod, p. 146). This Fatebinding generally persists The Titanomachy does not consume every moment
until either the God finally puts away the trappings of her of a God’s existence, but it is a metronome that undergirds
old life or lives out whatever mortal lifespan she might their existence, setting its tempo and punctuating its every
have been allotted if she hadn’t ascended to Godhood. refrain. Even when she takes her leisure in the luxurious
groves of her Godsrealm, some fraction of Artemis must
MORTAL ROOTS consider her next hunt. Some Gods accept this as part of the
Invoke: The God can create a fleeting Incarnation that nature of the World in total, viewing the Titanomachy as a
lasts for a single scene at no cost, sending it to benefit or natural force like gravity: There will always be Titans, and
protect a mortal family member or close friend. She may where there are Titans, there will always be a war against
do so in response to any supernatural threat to such a them. Others are buoyed up by hope, aggression, pride, or
character, intuiting that they are endangered just in time ambition — especially Gods still new to their divinity — in
to intervene. At the end of the scene, the God regains 1 seeking true victory.
Legend if the Incarnation had to make a difficult choice
At least, that’s one option. Like so much else in Scion,
or overcome a significant danger in protecting her loved
the intensity and peril of the Titanomachy is adjustable, and
ones. If she fails to protect her charges, though, or acts in a
will vary from group to group. By default, God-level games
way that reduces their Attitude towards her, she loses one
will often lean into the importance of the Titanomachy
Legend instead.
simply as a consequence of increased scope: When all
Avoidance: When a God deliberately avoids or of the World is in play at once, cosmic struggles become
disclaims the trappings of her mortal life, her family kind of inevitable. The game’s default assumption — that
and friends lower their Attitude towards her by one, to a the Titanomachy is a cold war between the Gods and the
minimum of zero — not out of spite, but simply because the Titans — still holds true, but as the players assume the
distance between them grows ever greater. If a character’s mantle of Gods, it becomes more and more likely that this
Attitude falls to zero, they no longer count as part of the cold war will finally boil over into open conflict.
God’s Mortal Roots.

After Apotheosis 55
 Alternatively, the players’ characters may finish their can’t agree on what “Titan” actually means, much less what
Apotheosis only to step into an already-heated conflict. any given color really represents.
Their first steps would be into an Otherworldly warzone,
making their newfound divinity something of a bittersweet
THE RED BANNER
reward. Doing so gives the players the ability to have their The Red Banner unites those Gods for whom victory in
characters engage with the drama of entering straight into the Titanomachy is not only possible, but imperative. While
the heart of the Titanomachy, having to learn on their feet they may be stereotyped as a dysfunctional club of battle-
even as they begin to master their Godhood. junkies, they count more than just capital-W War Gods
among their ranks. Gods of cunning, ambition, and power
Whether they enter the war hot or cold, new Gods
are just as likely to press the Red Banner’s philosophy —
will quickly find themselves courted by various factions.
deities like Aset may contribute either to further or flex
There’s no more desirable commodity in the Titanomachy
their power, while those like Brigid join as an expression of
than the firepower that new Gods can bring to bear — and
their optimism. Still, there are a lot of War Gods under the
doubly so if the God has talents, Purviews, or Callings that
Red. Some are valor-thirsty warriors like Thor, Hachiman,
a Pantheon either lacks or values.
and Prince Nezha. Others are big-picture thinkers,
FIGHTING THE IMPOSSIBLE FIGHT strategists like Ishtar and Perun who fancy themselves the
In the matter of the Titanomachy, the Gods can largely be driving minds behind the Red… and just as often end up
divided into three banners — each a very loose constellation running at cross purposes when they can’t agree on who
of divinities, strategies, philosophies, and goals that operate gets to give the orders. Others are wildcards — a few Gods
as organizing principles, rather than as literal factions. They have questions about whether Kali and Chernobog are
keep no clubhouses, maintain no membership rolls, convene Titans themselves, but as long as they’re ready to press the
no real meetings… and yet, they are undeniably a part of war, that’s a matter for the future.
inter-Pantheon politics. The Red Banner is a fiction, but its Of the three most prominent banners, the Red is the
members work and plan and dream with one another, united most active and cohesive — and yet also the most fractured.
by an ambition for victory. They might not hold RedBanCon While they share visions of victory, they often disagree
2023, but they meet in social circles of twos, threes, and fours, as to what victory entails and how much they’re willing
workshopping their divine tactics and (slowly, turbulently) to sacrifice for it. Would it be enough to see the Titans
building towards a consensus vision. bound forever, unable to escape? For millennia? For a few
Just please, don’t get them started on which banner centuries of peace wherein the Gods might subtly nudge
should really be which color again. Gods and Pantheons humanity to get its collective shit together without the fear

56 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

of Titanic meddling? For some, nothing short of complete a dim view on the idea of any clear divide between God
slaughter will do. Even if that day came, those Gods — the and Titan — including the Shén, Atua, and Bogovi. Victory
Reddest of the Red — might start looking a lot more closely is impossible or undesirable; eternal conflict is exhausting
at their one-time allies. Remind me, what’s a Titan again, and wasteful. The only realistic option is to find ways to
really? share the World with those beings called Titans. That some
Newly ascended Gods sometimes join the Red out of a of them are bent towards the destruction of humanity is a
sense of obligation: Having seen what it’s like to be a mortal challenge, but not a justification to spend eons of time and
in a world where Titanic meddling gets people killed, they billions of lives in prosecuting a useless battle.
feel a duty to bring the battle to an end. Others join in a It is the work of the Blue Banner to deescalate conflict
spirit of youthful defiance — their new peers are saying this and to seek coexistence. This is not easy, safe, or certain.
is just the way the World works? Well screw that; we’ll just While some Gods, especially those of the Red, stereotype
up and win this thing. The pull the Red has on these young the Blue as cowards and concessionists, adherents
Gods contributes to the banner’s overall reputation as rash, represent a wide range of viewpoints, including total
impetuous, and destructively brave. pacifism, pragmatism, isolationism, and a hundred other
philosophies. Unlike the Red, they share a goal, but not a
THE GREEN BANNER method… a fact which often makes the Blue Banner difficult
The Green Banner unites those Gods who see the to coordinate and mobilize in any sustainable way.
Titanomachy as inevitable, but survivable. It is a fact of the
Fresh-faced young godlings may find the Blue Banner
World: Where there are Gods, there will be Titans. Where
as attractive as the Red, offering as they do a refreshingly
the two coexist, there will be strife, and then there will be
optimistic view that the war against the Titans need not be
war. While it’s tempting to dismiss this as fatalistic, the
eternal. Faced with an escalating Titanomachy, however,
Green distinguishes itself in its belief that an unending
the Gods of the Blue will have to make hard decisions about
Titanomachy does not doom or diminish the World and its
which of their principles matter most, and how much they
wonders. They believe we must grow in spite of them, living
will sacrifice to uphold them.
wisely and well. Giants may tear down the sky; raiders may
sail in from secret places; the relic-monsters of the World’s A RIOT OF OTHER COLORS
ancient past may reemerge with vengeance in their hearts, Pantheons are diverse, and even individual Gods
but humanity can survive. It can flourish, even, if the Gods contain multitudes — a deity’s Mantles may predispose
are vigilant. them to any or even all three of the banners, because
Many who now fall under the Green Banner were to be a God is to be a beautiful tangle of possibility and
once under the Red; whether that means they matured contradiction.
or surrendered is a matter of ceaseless and exhausting Unsurprisingly, then, there are hundreds of other
discourse. Many, if not most, still retain a keen appreciation banners that the Gods use either to mark out conceptual
for strategy: They may not concern themselves with space beyond what the three core banners represent, or
winning the war, but they believe it can be fought well, and to clarify specific philosophies and approaches within
that doing so is in the best interests of Gods and humanity the banners. The Gray Banner is home to fatalists and
alike. Protector-deities such as Heimdall, Heru, and nihilists — unlike the Green, they seek only what they
Habagat are often considered to be at the forefront of the can get here and now, because the World will never get
Green. Serious, contemplative, and reflective Gods are also better. The Gold Banner is a gathering of opportunists
common, including Cheeby-aub-oozoo, Guan Yu, Tlaloc, and vultures, who focus on cannibalizing the resources of
and Shamash. those who fall in battle, although they might argue that it’s
In its worst aspects, the Green Banner champions the more about recycling. There are many shades of red under
status quo. For Gods fresh off Apotheosis, the Green Banner the Red Banner, designating cliques and alliances who
can seem like a copout, the divine military-industrial share opinions about battle tactics, endgames, and what
complex, perpetuating the Titanomachy because it gives constitutes acceptable losses.
them place and purpose. That’s probably uncharitable, but
long-standing Gods of the Green are ill-equipped to deal TITANS AND PRIMORDIALS
with a sudden boiling over of the war. Young Gods have Titan. It’s a political term, an organizing principle, an
much to learn from the banner’s tested strategies, and in accusation. It’s also a truth: A way of being for the divine,
return, they offer a vitalizing sense of purpose that is all too disentangling themselves from the anchoring and centering
easy to let wither on the vine. effect of humanity and choosing to be otherwise — whether
THE BLUE BANNER that means strange, monstrous, or dangerously pure. Many
Pantheons have at least one member who could be called
The Blue Banner joins together those Gods who a Titan. Sure, Kali is a capital-D Destroyer… but she’s also
seek to end the Titanomachy through non-violent our Destroyer, if you ask the otherwise Titan-hating Devá.
means. Surprising no one, the Òrìshà and Loa are
disproportionately represented under the Blue Banner but Sometimes, Gods blur the line, taking on Titanic
are joined there by other Pantheons and deities who take aspects. Sometimes, they turn Titan fully, and their Legend

After Apotheosis 57
echoes back so that it was ever thus. Sometimes, they even development in a company’s new lab, a general stationed
choose these paths, turning their face from humanity and in a war zone, a community organizer. Some form Bands,
its petty concerns. pulling together teams of capable Scions who’ll follow
Whatever the reason, players may be interested in directions and work well under pressure. How the
exploring what it means to be a Titan. It’s an unusual path to Incarnation relates to the rest of the Band depends on the
take, but one that’s thick with dramatic potential. While it God and their goals: Amihan likes to be in the thick of the
can begin either intentionally or accidentally in-character, action, not only issuing orders, but also forming powerful
it’s always driven by the player, not the Storyguide — only friendships along the way. Atagha prefers to remain aloof,
they can decide whether or not their character is taking the sending instructions by text or falcon while he handles
first step away from humanity. more delicate, solo operations.

There’s another path that’s theoretically available.

Sometimes a God grows tired of being a player and chooses
A GOD AMONG MORTALS
Whether they need to handle a problem with a
instead to become a gameboard in and of themselves,
titanspawn, or if all they want is to go check out those
developing into a Primordial. They might do so to spur
meaꝺball subs from Nibbleheim the kids keep raving about,
a new cycle of myth for their Pantheon, becoming the
how does a God Incarnate?
substrate of a strange new realm. Or perhaps they stumble
into it, finding themselves becoming more distant from Spinning off an Incarnation is mostly a matter of will:
their humanity as their Legend stretches back so far that it The God makes the choice, and her Incarnation appears
precedes their Pantheon as a whole, making them somehow in the World. For some Gods, it’s not even a conscious
both fundamental and forgettable. Whatever the case, the decision; she thinks, “Someone ought to do something about
road is inevitably strange, lonely, and singular, taking them that,” and in the World, her Incarnation opens their eyes
further and further into the mythic past as they join with and gets to work. Others use flashier methods, though
the raw stuff of the cosmos. whether it’s a metaphysical process or simply the need to
make it look cool is a matter of scholarly debate. A God

INCARNATIONS might peer into a mirror and draw her reflection forth or
peel her shadow from the ground. Perhaps she spills her

R arely content to spend all their time in their Overworld, a golden ichor onto the sand and shapes a new self from
God may spin off a piece of themself into an Incarnation thick mud. Incarnations have even been born from their
capable of walking the World and experiencing its wonders, Gods’ divine corpses. Even if some deities make it look
dangers, and loves as Mortals do. easy, incarnating takes effort — chipping off a piece of
one’s divine soul is exhausting at minimum and may even
A God might send his Incarnation to the World
temporarily diminish the God’s power.
to recreate a myth, his actions firing up the public’s
imagination, rekindling his popularity and drawing new Once he’s been spun off, an Incarnation begins to
practitioners to his religion. The quest may be more diverge from the God who created him. His experiences
personal, as he delves into those situations and motifs and memories are his own. This doesn’t mean a newly-
that form his Legend. What shapes his Judgments? What Incarnated person’s choices and actions differ wildly from
aspects of love, loyalty, friendship, and family form her the God’s — his Callings still guide him, and Fate pushes him
approach to Love? If your worshipers look to you for toward the types of people and situations he’s encountered
wisdom, what makes you Wise? Some Gods walk the path a thousand times before. Still, he forms new friendships
to Apotheosis once more through their Incarnations, to and attachments, and his Worldly adventures might even
understand how the World — and thus their relationship to change his relationship to his Callings.
it — has changed over the long years. No matter the circumstances of their creation, the
Some eventually surround themselves with worshipers World makes a history for new Incarnations, weaving a
or attend festivals held in their honor, though just what background for them that’s appropriate to their goals and
constitutes those things depends on the God. Incarnations providing them with whatever resources they need. Much
of Chicomecoatl and Centeotl show up at harvest like other aspects of Myth and story retroactively being
festivals to preside over the rituals and bestow blessings. true, so is an Incarnation’s life: One day they didn’t exist,
Incarnations of Aphrodite make surprise appearances at the next day they’ve held that job or rented that apartment
Deifan conventions, crashing panels, posing for selfies with for years.
cosplayers, and holding court at the autographing table. Anyone trying to look too closely at an Incarnation’s
Gods who prefer to be more hands-on when it comes history finds little of value. Their records are incomplete
to Worldly events send Incarnations to oversee particularly or ambiguous, or the originals were destroyed decades ago
sensitive missions. Even those who are the divine patrons in a mysterious fire. Accounts investigators dig up about
to dozens of Scions realize that sometimes, if you want to the Incarnation are thin on details, but what information
be sure something’s done right, you have to don mortal can be gleaned is plausible enough to pass muster with the
flesh and do it yourself. These Incarnations frequently general public. Fate intervenes when a person tries delving
claim positions of authority: the head of research and

58 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

too deep: Other events pull their attention away from the supernatural means. Birthrights such as an iGjallar (Scion:
Incarnation. Hero, p. 214) allow the Incarnation to call the God no matter
where they are in the World. They can employ the services
INCARNATIONS AND of guides like animikii or ghosts or contact messenger Gods
THEIR GODS to carry important missives back and forth. When nothing
but a face-to-face chat will do, the Incarnation may even
How much the Incarnation remembers about their
travel to the Overworld for a visit.
Godly nature depends both on the method of their
Incarnation and on what their divine maker intends for Incarnations enter the World with a series of short-
them to accomplish. Some arrive in the World with all term and long-term Deeds (or Drives, if they’re a Storyguide
their predecessor’s memories and knowledge intact, while Character) related to the God’s plans for them. A hands-on
other Gods feel like knowing too much is cheating and spin God keeps her Incarnation busy, queueing up task after task
off their Incarnation with some key information missing. or assigning responsibilities that eat up all her free time.
How can you experience life as a mortal to the fullest, if you This leaves little opportunity for the Incarnation to figure
know from the start you aren’t one? out what her own goals might be, let alone pursue them.
Those Incarnations who don’t have calendar notifications
If she chooses, a God can see through her Incarnation’s
constantly pinging have a chance to sample the World’s
eyes. She can’t control the Incarnation’s actions, nor can
wonders and develop their own agendas separate from the
she transmit orders or opinions into the Incarnation’s
God’s.
mind. In a way it’s like having a continuous video feed
ready to access; the God can receive but not transmit. For This divergence from the purpose the God intended
this reason, most Gods only peek in on rare occasions — them for isn’t always a problem, though it can cause friction
otherwise, the temptation to meddle can be overwhelming. in both directions when the God still has missions they want
However, if something strange is going on in the World, their Incarnation to complete. What does it mean to pursue
or the Incarnation’s in trouble, it’s a quick way to find out your interests on your own time if the God who made you
what’s happening and where to send priests and Scions considers you little more than an appendage or a tool? Some
who can help. Gods who are less involved in their Incarnations’ lives
display a lack of object permanence when it comes to their
Many times, the God and their Incarnation maintain
Worldly selves. They disappear from the Incarnation’s life
some level of communication, though what form that takes
for years, and when they finally remember to check in on
varies. They have no direct, psychic line to one another,
them again are surprised to find someone no longer just
and there’s no mundane phone service reliably connecting
like themselves.
the World to the Overworld. Instead, they depend on more

Incarnations 59
 Once the Incarnation’s missions end, the God may be absolute secrecy. Who can she trust to take care of these
content to let her continue living, as long as she doesn’t things, better than herself?
threaten the God’s plans, or declare her intent to kill her Incarnations embody the God’s Callings, which
creator and usurp their Mantle. In that case, the God might define their actions in the World and how they approach
attempt to unmake or reabsorb the Incarnation before the mission they’ve been sent to take care of. This doesn’t
they can cause more trouble. Sometimes, an Incarnation mean that all Incarnations are carbon copies of one another
even anticipates and willingly accepts her unmaking: She’s — Gods spin off Incarnations best suited to the task at hand,
completed her Worldly tasks and sees it as a reunion with equipping them with the tools and personality traits they’ll
her divine self. need the most. A God involving herself in a complicated,
Incarnations are mortal. Whether it’s due to old age, emotional family drama draws heavily on her skills as a
an epic battle, or a fateful encounter, eventually they die. Lover to help heal its rifts. One dealing with a bunch of
If she knows her death is imminent, an Incarnation may backstabbing cousins squabbling over their dying uncle’s
return to her Overworld to be reabsorbed by the God. fortune needs every tool in her Trickster-self’s arsenal to
Those who don’t see their end coming descend to the outwit them. Likewise, one Incarnation of Goibniu may be
Pantheon’s Underworld, if there is one. There, they can more Sage than Warrior, offering advice from behind the
either experience the afterlife as mortals do or attempt to bar at a biker establishment, while another rides at the
send a message to the God to come retrieve them. Others head of the pack when a rival gang starts trouble.
become messengers and ghostly guides. As with other Scions, an Incarnation’s actions draw
When a God reabsorbs an Incarnation, he gains her attention and grant them a measure of fame. This opens
memories. He gains a perfect recall of everything the doors for them. Who would be so foolish as to turn away
Incarnation saw and did. The God can sift through her Lord Guan’s offer of wisdom, or refuse a boon from
experiences, looking for information on their enemies or Geezhigo-Quae? However, it hinders their ability to
insights she’s gathered about life in the World today. This operate under the radar once their Legend starts to spread.
is particularly useful for those deities who use Incarnations Secret missions are hard to pull off when everyone’s ready
as spies. with a cell phone and a live stream. For this reason, many
Incarnations jealously guard the secret of who they truly
LIFE IN THE WORLD are — it’s nigh impossible to live life as a mortal would if
No matter what else they get up to, Incarnations everyone knows you’re a God in disguise.
meddle in the World’s affairs to benefit the Gods who Incarnations don’t have to go it alone. Many work their
breathed them into being. They usually begin with a way toward positions of power in an organization, gaining
specific purpose in mind: an obligation that requires access not only to its resources and physical assets, but
their personal attention and attendance, a Worldly affair also to its personnel. Why build it all from scratch when a
that’s piqued their curiosity, a chance at glory, or an epic perfectly good, pre-existing structure is right there? From
quest. Perhaps an ancient enemy tampers with the God’s there, they can guide the organization to help achieve their
plans or sets a trap for her Scions. Maybe she suspects short-term and long-term goals. Such involvement opens
that someone’s infiltrated her Cult at its highest levels. Or the group and its members up to Fate’s influence, of course,
maybe she’s decided to set a plan in motion that requires as they’re woven into the Incarnation’s Legend.
On a smaller scale, some Incarnations — especially
those with the Leader Calling — pull a Band together
MEMORY THIEVES to accomplish their aims. Depending on the God they
represent, they may seek out Scions of those deities they
The God who created an Incarnation isn’t pal around with in the Overworld, trusting their friends’
the only one who can absorb her memories. kids will play the same roles with similar results. Others
Other Gods — and even other Incarnations —
assemble teams of Scions whose strengths complement
can do this as well. It’s a well-known but little-
used practice, since it runs the risk of escalating their own, or whose Deeds they’ve heard tell of. The Band
quickly and violently. Say Tezcatlipoca sends his might be its own independent thing, with the Incarnation
Incarnation to spy on Awilix’ Incarnation, and acting as the behind-the-scenes mastermind, sending the
the former kills the latter, gaining her memories. Scions on missions and bankrolling their expenses. Other
If Awilix steps in and kills Tezcatlipoca’s times, the Incarnation becomes a full-fledged member of
Incarnation in turn, now Awilix gets her own the Band, putting themselves on the line alongside their
memories back, but also knows some things friends — one more way to experience the World.
the Lord of the North would probably rather
not share, and the Teōtl and K’uh are dragged In this guise, though the Incarnation appears much
into a whole big uproar. Most Pantheons try to like a Born, Chosen, or Created Scion, there’s still a
avoid such altercations, but there’s always that metaphysical gulf between them. Unless the God dies, or
one jerk who thinks they can get away with it some other event severs the Incarnation from their divine
anyway. self, Incarnations are not Incarnate Scions.

60 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 Though it’s not entirely unheard of, Incarnations outdoorsmanship courses, training Scions in survival skills
tend not to recruit Scions who share a divine patron with and how to track prey. Someone with the Lover Calling
themselves. Many find themselves frequently butting heads is a model of caring, encouraging the Scion to join him at
with their counterparts. Sometimes that’s because they’re various volunteer activities. Tricksters drag their charges
too much alike. Sometimes it’s because the Incarnation along into all kinds of schemes, sometimes getting into
can’t resist saying, “You know, here’s how I’d do it, if I were trouble for the sole purpose of teaching the Scion how to
you…” A few Incarnations have no such reservations — a get back out of it.
whole Band of Lokis sounds like a pretty great idea to the Incarnations may also play a role in the lead-up to
trickster, though it’d put their peers among the Æsir on Chosen Scions’ Visitations. They conceive of the trials
high alert. the candidate must complete and sometimes throw
AMONG SCIONS obstacles in his way to see how he handles them. The
decision is ultimately up to the God being petitioned, but
Acting as guides and mentors for Scions before and
the Incarnation’s observations and assessments can go
after their Visitations, Incarnations help them navigate
a long way toward deciding the candidate’s worthiness.
their newfound divinity. Incarnations have a perspective
Incarnations of Caguana watch to see how her Scions
that others often don’t when it comes to the dos and don’ts
handle not only their own relationships, but how they
of Godhood and the vagaries of Fate: They’ve been there
counsel others around them. Dagon’s Incarnations watch
before, done that a hundred times in as many lives. Even
for how well his children treat the waters and the land, and
if they’ve always been the God of the sun or the hunt or
they occasionally throw interesting new aquatic creatures
lost causes, there’s a part of the Incarnation that was also
in their paths to be sure they share their divine parent’s
once a fresh-faced newbie setting out on the road toward
curiosity.
Apotheosis and claiming their Mantle.
Though Incarnations aren’t usually at the center of a
The Scion and Incarnation don’t have to share the
Scion’s Visitation, they can play a part in her post-Visitation
same divine patron to form this relationship. Sometimes an
life. Those who were already guiding a Scion might reveal
Incarnation is drawn to a person who strongly embodies the
their divine origin at last, providing a ready resource for
same Callings, or whose early Deeds make them seem like
the new Hero as she begins to carve out her place in the
a good fit for the Incarnation’s future plans. Other times,
World. Incarnations meeting Born Scions for the first time
another member of the Pantheon asks the Incarnation to
come bearing gifts and Birthrights in addition to conveying
check in when they’re in town, to see if there’s anything
messages from her divine parent. Created Scions don’t
the Scion needs, deliver a message, or send them off on an
usually need an Incarnation to tell them what’s what —
errand.
most of them come into the World already knowing who
At first, an Incarnation approaches the Scion obliquely, and what they are. Still, Incarnations make good points of
appearing as the cool aunt who comes to visit once a year, contact for them post-Visitation, since their creator’s not
the librarian who offers refuge after school, or the Peer likely to leave their Godsrealms all that often for a cup of
Who’s Got Their Shit Together. They’re rarely a constant tea and a chat.
presence in the Scion’s life — she still has to figure things
Now, the guidance an Incarnation can offer the
out on her own. If someone’s worthy of divinity, she’s going
Scions they’ve taken under their wing ramps up. Some
to have to prove it.
Incarnations are more hands-on than others, taking the
In this role, the Incarnation both prepares the Scion Scion on a whirlwind tour of various Terra Incognitae,
for the big changes on the way and protects her from revealing the locations of local gates and Axes Mundi. They
others who’d do the Scion harm. If an enemy of the God make introductions along the way, welcoming the Scion
or their Pantheon shows up in the Scion’s hometown, the into her new role. Others stand back, mostly letting the
Incarnation positions himself where he can keep a watchful Scion figure it out for herself and only stepping in when
eye. His job is to step in if things get out of hand, while things get hairy.
neither hovering nor solving the Scion’s problems for her.
That said, most Incarnations can’t resist tipping the scales ROADS DIVERGE
at least a little — Sarasvati leaves relevant books where Though divine ichor flows through their veins,
the Scion will spot them. An Incarnation of Tāne arranges Incarnations are still mortals. Without the aid of Knacks,
an introduction between his charge and a potential ally. Boons, or magical items, they age and eventually die, just
Takemikazuchi offers a self-defense class at the local gym like any other mortal. Some go out much sooner, as Fate
and makes sure the flyer advertising it gets into the Scion’s plays its hand. For many, this is working as intended: The
hands. Sometimes it’s as simple as letting the local bullies God spun them off to experience life as a mortal, and the
know the Scion’s under the Incarnation’s protection: The whole dying thing is right there in the word. Others rail
Dagda’s great at looming in the background, making sure against that idea, setting out to either stave it off as long
they’re seen. as they can or regain the immortality their divine patron
As mentors, Incarnations impart lessons and wisdom carved from their souls.
the Scion will need along the way. Gods of the hunt teach

Incarnations 61
 Like those Heroes who never aspire to Demigodhood the process of their creation, a piece of the God’s divinity is
or beyond, some Incarnations are content to head off into shed — some consider it akin to the Mantle slipping from
the World, carrying out the duties their patron hands down their shoulders. Whatever the cause, Incarnations begin
to them and pursuing their own interests. Some become with access to Heroic Knacks, Boons, Qualities and Flairs.
parents, letting their children carry on their divine legacies. The God spends 1 Legend to create their Incarnation.
They build a place for themselves within a community, This is a sign that the Incarnation is precious in both a
helping those in need according to their Callings. They’re sentimental and literal manner. Not only is the new being a
mentors and guides for Scions who come seeking them, little piece of herself; if all goes well, someday that Legend
but they don’t go off in search of adventure unless their will return to the God. The God can continue to earn and
presence is requested. grow her own Legend while the Incarnation is active in
Others want more. They set long-term plans into the World. A God can only create an Incarnation once
motion, building their own legacies and meddling in other per Season and must have at least 9 Legend points to do
Gods’ affairs. They find a way to set off on the journey to so. If she’s dropped down to 8 or below from spending or
Apotheosis, ready to challenge their patron for the Mantle imbuing Legend, she can’t spin off another Incarnation
they feel should be their own or simply to surrender to it until she’s earned back up to 9 or her imbued effects end.
once more, rejoined with their immortal self. For Incarnations that will be played alongside other

INCARNATIONS IN player-characters or take on larger, more recurring roles

in the story, it’s worth creating them as full Hero-level

YOUR GAME characters. Use Scion: Hero’s Character Creation rules,

with the following changes and considerations:
Step One: Concept — Determine the reason the God
O nce the characters have achieved Godhood, the
players might want to create Incarnations as part of
their continuing adventures. These escapades might be as
spun off this particular Incarnation. Are there myths she’d
like to recreate, or a rival’s plans she intends to thwart? To
simple as short check-ins, with players detailing what the what extent is the Incarnation aware of her origins — are
Incarnation’s goals are and how they’re faring. They could the plans the God has for her things she knows about, or
also take the form of side-adventures for dealing with stories will discover along the way? Assign a short-term and long-
set in the World. A player whose character has reached her term Deed, and a Deed for their Band, if there is one. It’s
Apotheosis ahead of the rest of the Band might choose to possible you won’t be playing the character long enough
have her God spin off an Incarnation to continue adventuring for them to complete their long-term Deed, but having one
with her peers. Their stories may run parallel to the Gods’ helps to round out the character and gives you and your
main arc, become a game your group plays on off-nights or Storyguide something to build on if you pick them up again
when someone’s not able to make a session, or even become later.
their own spin-off game.
Character Creation Example:
If the Incarnations’ adventures and schemes
are particularly complex, players may take on some Casey’s character is a God who holds a
Storyguiding duties. See Storyguiding Incarnations on p. Mantle of Tammuz. A powerful cult has decid-
45 for more guidance on this. ed to stop the flow of the seasons — a situation
the Anunna feel is best dealt with directly. The
CREATING INCARNATIONS players and Storyguide agree that this will take
longer than a session to resolve, and since the
First, the players and Storyguide should discuss what story takes place in the World, those characters
role the Incarnations will play in their game. Characters who are Gods will spin off Incarnations so they
who will only make cameo appearances or be involved can be part of the action. Casey describes
in cutscene-like vignettes don’t need fully fleshed-out their Incarnation, who they’ve named Dana,
character sheets. Sketch out their primary and secondary stepping into the World through a shimmer of
actions, and use the Nemesis Archetype stats from Scion: summer heat.
Hero, as follows: Casey chooses two Deeds for Dana: a short-
Primary Pool: 11 term (“Find my allies”) and a long-term one
(“End the drought the cult caused”). The players
Secondary Pool: 9 decide on “Restore the seasons” as their Band’s
Deed.
Desperation Pool: 6
Health: 5 Step Two: Paths — When the Incarnation is created,
Defense: 4 the World fills in their backstory for them. Determine her
Initiative: 9 Paths. Her Origin Path is always Incarnated.
Step Five: Callings and Knacks — Incarnated apples
Incarnations don’t wield a God’s World-shaking
don’t fall far from their divine trees. The character begins
powers. Golden ichor still runs through their veins, but in

62 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

with at least two of their patron’s three Favored Callings,
as opposed to regular Scions who only need one. These
Callings represent those aspects of herself the God feels
NEW PATH:
are most relevant for the purpose she’s laid out for her INCARNATED
Incarnation. If the God didn’t consciously spin off the
Incarnation, they may instead reflect the state of mind the Your character was — and in many ways still
God was in when it happened. is — a God. Perhaps you have a specific task to
handle, or your divine self decided they wanted
to relive their finest moments in the modern era.
Character Creation Example: You appeared with everything the God you
Casey decides that Dana’s patron imbued her spun off from thought you’d need, and Fate
with the Healer and Liminal Callings to best and the World filled in the rest. You started
equip her for the mission. This Incarnation’s out with a directive ringing in your ears, but
a little bit different from the God, so Casey over time you’ve figured out some aspirations
chooses Warrior to round out the list and show of your own. What’s the point of being in the
Dana’s willingness to solve some problems with World if you can’t experience something new
her fists. while you’re here?
Connections: a group of Deifans, secret
Step Nine: Finishing Touches — The Incarnation
room and libraries, your previous Incarnation
begins with a Legend of 1. Path Skills: Culture, Leadership, Occult
All other aspects of Character Creation remain the
same.
FROM INCARNATION TO their guests’ dinner as easily as breathing, a reflexive-action
INCARNATE SCION without the need for agency or thought. A divine architect
Most Incarnations spend decades in the World, raises enormous palaces as a matter of an afternoon’s interest.
meddling in mortal affairs, building legacies, and even Mundane concerns exist utterly within control of the divine
performing some Legendary Deeds. However, not all set out unless they wish it otherwise.
on the journey toward Apotheosis. Maybe since they never Mechanically, God-tier characters may choose to
experienced a first Visitation, the Second Visitation eludes succeed at mortal trivialities unless they wish to make
them. Maybe some are content to be as their patron made sport of it. In a Realm they are native to or familiar with,
them or never realize they can be more. This doesn’t mean this includes any additional effects generated by Stunts or
it never happens; an Incarnation may attempt to draw down exceptional successes. In the World or unfamiliar realms,
the Mantle of the God who made them just as the God’s Gods always act at Scale 5 (with Legend 12 Gods acting at
Scions do. Incarnations who progress past Legend 4 and Scale 6. However, intervening in the World in such a way
start on the path toward Demigodhood are no longer their risks the serious Fatebinding and warping of divine nature
patron’s puppets. An Incarnation may intend to walk in her that full Gods are prone to, so most avoid it if at all possible,
predecessor’s footsteps, and if she attains her Theophany, resorting to Incarnating instead.
surrender to the God. Or she might go no-contact and
Similarly, a God might choose for many reasons to
prepare to usurp their place in the Pantheon.
allow a legitimate contest between their interests and that
When a God dies, or his Mantle is sundered from his of a less powerful competitor to occur. Barring opposition
physical form, his extant Incarnations become Incarnate of Godly tier, however, such contests are always at the God’s
Scions. Players who wish to turn their Incarnations sufferance. There’s always time to turn Arachne into a
into Incarnate Scions may do so, with their Storyguide’s spider, or for Sun Wukong to destroy the basketball court in
approval. This might reflect another part of the God’s a single bombastic dunk. Even when opposed by otherwise
story, as he realizes the World has changed and needs a powerful individuals such as Demigods or mighty denizens,
new and improved version of himself to be relevant. Maybe Gods enjoy Scale 5 before the use of specific Boons or other
the Incarnation disagrees with the God’s choices and
declares he’s more worthy of the Mantle. Becoming a Scion
can be as simple as a declaration on the character’s part, NEW GOD IN TOWN
or as complicated as a story arc where he comes to a new
understanding of himself and his potential. If, throughout the course of playing her
Incarnation, the player decides she wants to

DIVINE RULE change her God character in some fundamental

way, changing her Incarnation into a Scion
and leading them through Apotheosis is one
P rosaic actions within a divine realm are as effortless
or strenuous as its divine inhabitants wish them to be.
A God of the Hunt provides venison, fowl, and fixings for
possible avenue open to them. See p. 71 for
how to handle challenges to the God’s Mantles.

Incarnations In Your Game | Divine Rule 63

abilities. Even if a precocious human, denizen, or Demigod Actions at the level of Divine Rule can solve problems,
would inflict lasting harm on a God, outside of very specific create wonders, and trounce all but the greatest enemies in
circumstances (such as the conclusion of a Demigod’s short order. A God spends or Imbues Legend according to
struggle for a Mantle), a God can choose to withdraw to a the approach and action they’re taking, the total of which
familiar Otherworld and restore any passing insults to their is referred to as their Effect. Complications at this level
form by the end of the episode. demand an additional expenditure of Effect when a God
True omnipotence is rare in Scion’s World, however. undertakes a Divine Rule action unless they accept the
Should beasts of famine and omens of hunger sweep across Complication’s consequences. Stunts in Divine Rule play
the hunter’s Realm, even they might struggle to feed their require the investment or expenditure of Legend instead of
friends. No matter how fabulous the architect’s sprawling successes, imbued or spent as the action and Stunt dictate,
palace processions are, if their otherworldly home is which do not normally count towards an action’s Effect.
hostile to structures built on mortal scale, they may watch Resolution takes place in a narrative scene or procedural
their buildings swallowed up by hostile landscapes in as action as appropriate. Sometimes, Herakles’s moving
little time as they built them. And if the divine rulers of the suddenly erupting mountains accompanies a harried
Realms oppose the feeding and housing of guests, venison conversation to find out why in the World Pele is visiting
and spacious heavenly penthouses alike may go unused. and demands a scene. Other times, the Olympian might
Solving Realm-scale problems, making major and lasting move the new burning peaks between scenes if the Akua
changes, and opposing Gods or similar powers requires is no longer present to talk to. And sometimes, it involves
more than just being divine. multiple dramatic scenes as Herakles simultaneously tries
to stave off volcanic calamity, Pele’s divine wrath, and a
DIVINE SINEWS: diplomatic incident he desperately wants to avoid.
APPROACHES TO BY WILL ALONE: DIVINE FIAT
OMNIPOTENCE A God may apply brute will, driving mythical force
No matter a God’s particular interests, abilities, or
before them like a bludgeon. Their desires will be fulfilled:
eccentricities, Legend imbues them with mythic power
and allows divine intent to become world-shaking action. “how” is an unnecessary afterthought.
The Mantle of a God gives them many ways to do this, Divine fiat is the least efficient approach; the God
channeling their power through the resonant aspects of spends the Legend they put towards the task, one-for-one.
their identity. This requires attention and effort, which They cannot reclaim it and must wait to regain it normally.
even the greatest of beings eventually have in (at least
temporarily) limited supply.

64 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 This is not a subtle approach; the rulers of the divine Miraculous investment is an efficient and focused
realm the God is acting in, the masters of any Purviews they approach. The God imbues a Purview with Legend to
are affecting, and any nearby Gods will be aware of exactly command a result, such as draping an otherworldly forest
what the God has done, and even lesser beings nearby will with continual night through the Darkness Purview or
be aware that they’ve done something. A God who attempts calling upon Journeys to connect the disparate parts of
to avoid detection when using divine fiat must spend an a shifting realm. When used to create, modify, or destroy
additional point of Legend. Realm Conditions, they create an additional point of value
This is also the least focused approach. Without (so spending 3 Legend to create the Realm Condition “A
additional benefits from Callings, Purviews, or Titles, even Forest in Shadow” would create a 4-point Condition). If
a Legend 12 divine ruler gets only the Effect they put into using an inherent Purview, they create an additional free
the brute force approach and no more: Zeus spending 1 point of value (so if that were from an innate Darkness
Legend to raise a mountain might see it knocked down by Purview, it would create a 5-point Condition). Miraculous
an irate, newly minted godling spending 1 in return, despite investment has access to the following Stunt when creating
his otherwise vaunted status. Realm Conditions
Impress Upon Worlds (1s): If you spent Legend to create
I’LL DO IT MYSELF: a Realm Condition, it immediately becomes a permanent
PERSONAL INVESTMENT feature of the Realm. Those trying to remove or interfere
Gods benefit from hard work and personal effort. A with it must use similarly permanent means (such as arc-
God who works individually towards a goal may channel length imbued Legend or uses of similar Stunts) to have any
their divine power through an appropriate Calling, effect.
benefiting from the Effect as long as they’re willing to keep
Miraculous investment is not subtle. Anyone with the
the attention and effort invested.
Purview used in the same divine realm will know of the act,
The God Imbues one of their Callings with Legend as will masters of the Purview, unless the God takes steps
to obtain a result through it: A Warrior may cleave an to avoid detection — either through Realm Conditions that
infestation of demonic serpents from their Otherworld obscure them or engaging in divine opposition against
home, while a Sage may instruct them in proper ethics and those looking at them.
action to turn them into good citizens.
A God may have one miraculous investment imbued
This is a subtle approach. Taking personal action for most Purviews they have access to, while each innate
without calling on Purviews or one’s great name runs the Purview may have up to three.
risk of detection only from those in the same realm who are
able and inclined to spy on their divine neighbors, and even BY STORIED NAME:
a realm’s rulers must specifically be on the lookout for such TITLED INVESTMENT
activity in order to realize a God is on the move. Legendary Titles make up some of the most powerful
Personal investment may benefit from the following and specific elements of any God’s Mantle. Acting through
Stunt: a title resonant with the task they wish to complete offers
a God incredible might and efficacy, as long as they are
Walk In Silence (1L): Only Gods and similar beings willing to accept the branding of their identity on whatever
in your immediate presence realize what you’ve done. they achieve.
This Effect lasts until the end of the arc if you’ve spent
Legend, or for as long as you leave Legend imbued. Those Titled investments are reasonably efficient. The God
monitoring you may use divine opposition to try and figure imbues Legend when they take an action in line with the
out what you’re up to from afar, but you always have the themes, keywords, or identity inherent to their Legendary
chance to respond. Title, whether it’s the Fearless Steward of New York
turning back a tide of monsters with a grin and her fire axe
Personal investment is flexible but limited. A God may or the Purifier of Unclean Waters turning a waterfall into
Imbue any amount of their available Legend when doing an enormous healing font.
this, but they may only have as many personally invested
projects for an individual Calling as they have dots in that However, they are not subtle; using one’s storied title is
Calling. Even for Gods used to being in multiple places at an excellent way to let anyone even remotely aware of the
once, there are limits to divine attention. event know that one was involved. A God who attempts to
avoid detection when using titled investment must spend
MARVELS, MYSTERIES, AND MIRACLES: an additional point of Legend if obscuring their actions
MIRACULOUS INVESTMENT through divine opposition or through a concealing Realm
A God’s command over their Purviews provides Condition. Titled investment has access to the following
powerful and long-lasting changes to their divine realms. Stunt:
Their mastery of individual might calls upon and reinforces My Name Echoes (0): Effects from your action spill over
the power of an even wider concept. into the World as miracles and marvels. You immediately
suffer from Fatebinding but may regain an additional point

Divine Rule 65
of Legend and affect the World with up to 3 Effect of Realm the limits of the approach they choose and pay any
Conditions, problem solving, or divine opposition. relevant costs.
Acting by titled investment is powerful but limited. SUBTLE APPROACHES
When used against an opposing actor or ongoing problem
or Effect, Legendary Titles gain an additional point of • Personal Investment: You use your personal abili-
Effect over those spent. However, each Legendary Title ty through one of your Callings. Imbue Legend and
may only support a single titled investment at a time. mark the relevant Calling to gain that much Effect.
It’s not obvious and you can buy a Stunt to be even
UNITY AND EFFORT: less noticeable! However, for each Calling you can
WORKING TOGETHER only use it a number of times equal to the number of
Two or more Gods can combine their efforts, each dots you have in that Calling.
contributing Legend and Effect to the final result.
Additional Gods can use any approach they like but must
MOVING THE REALMS
You may ask yourself “What do the Gods do?”
follow that approach’s limitations and drawbacks. Similarly,
any participating character can purchase Stunts or buy off Beyond the old “anything they want” joke, Gods solve
Complications but must pay separately to fuel them. problems intractable to lesser beings, create great works
that span or exceed entire divine realms, and vie with their
HOW DO I DO IT SUMMARY peers in power.
Doing things on a divine scale requires Effect SOLVING PROBLEMS
which you generate through various approaches, usually
Disease bearing vines and strange, starlight-bleeding
spending or imbuing Legend through the approach. Effect
plants creep into Tamoanchan through a newly opened
determines how big, effective, and hard to oppose your
Axis Mundi, forcing an annoyed Xochipilli to rally the
action is.
native flora to prevent a spreading infestation. Cosmic
Your approach determines how you do something on debris from forgotten divine struggles falls onto the
a divine scale. Approaches differ in what they require to dome of jasper in the Anunna’s heaven, and Sin must sort
work, as well as what additional abilities they offer or costs through what belongs in the starry sky and what he will
they require. remove, while mortal priests watch in confused terror.
• Divine Fiat: You do it with the expenditure of raw Anacacuya guides a torrent of lost ghosts to their proper
divine power. Just spend Legend and gain that much destinations, preventing Coaybay from being overwhelmed
Effect. However, it’s obvious on a divine scale, and with confused spirits. Problems represent a wide range
expensive, since you always have to spend Legend. of concerns that can affect a realm or its inhabitants and
require divine intervention, but which another Godly actor
• Miraculous Investment: You call upon your power
isn’t actively creating or supporting.
over a Purview to act through miracles related to
that Purview. Imbue Legend, mark the applicable Problems are rated from one to five, from concerns
Purview, and gain that much Effect. It’s especially that might be solvable by an available Demigod or powerful
good at propagating Purviews: If you’re making an being, all the way to issues that require a considerable
ongoing Realm Condition, gain an extra point of investment of divine attention and resources.
Effect, and you have access to a Stunt to make per- PROBLEM VARIATIONS AND
manent realm changes. However, it’s notable both COMMON COMPLICATIONS
to local divinities and masters of the Purview. Each Simple problems can be quickly solved by Gods without
Purview can only support one investment at a time. taxing their divine energies too seriously. No matter their
You’re better with your innate Purviews, which give rating, if a God imbued Legend to solve them, they may
you another additional point for Effect or Stunts reclaim their Legend and any other committed resources
when making Realm Conditions, and which can at the end of the episode.
support up to 3 investments.
Complex problems represent pervasive or widespread
• Titled Investment: You call upon the power of an issues, such as realm-wide outbreaks of divine pests,
appropriate Title you possess. Imbue Legend and magical malcontent rapidly spreading through a realm’s
mark the title to gain that much Effect. If you’re inhabitants, or multiple fronts of apocalyptic weather.
opposing someone else or trying to solve an ongoing Divine efforts must overcome each component’s individual
problem, gain an extra point of Effect. If you want rating separately to avoid the problem continuing and
to affect the World directly, you can, at the cost of spreading.
Fatebinding. However, any use of titled investment
Persistent problems reoccur every arc. Whether
is obvious, and each Title can only support one in-
endemic to the otherworld they occur in, a continuing
vestment at a time.
consequence of the realm’s relationship to the World, or
• Working Together: Multiple Gods can contribute terrible issues inflicted by an outside force, solving them
Effort to a task or action, but each must abide by won’t stop them from reoccurring next arc. Still, if the

66 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

bureaucracy’s “loafing problem” isn’t solved, the workforce
will fall into complacency and sloth, and if enough blood
isn’t shed to keep the moon shining brightly since it started
HOW LONG DO I HAVE
to dim, the rest of the Teōtl will be extremely upset. Tending TO KEEP THIS IMBUED?
to persistent problems is one of the things that can thrust a
deity into prominence amongst the highest, especially if a
To permanently solve problems that rise to
the level of troubling a divine realm, Gods must
Pantheon’s leaders are unwilling or unable to address them.
keep Legend imbued until the end of the arc.
Dangerous problem Complications represent forces If it’s reclaimed prematurely, the problem will
dangerous enough to harm divinities attempting to solve either return, or spawn a new, similarly rated
them. Ruinous environmental Effects capable of burning problem as the aftermath goes unattended to.
away divine flesh, Fate-twisted societal-ills that can abrade
the divine Mantle even in the Otherworld, and hideous
beasts so nefarious and powerful they can scare even the oppose the Condition’s Effect, it would always find them
immortal may possess this Complication. If a God fails to benefiting from lucky breaks and happenstance.
fully buy off a dangerous problem Complication, the God Realm Conditions are as durable and expansive as the
suffers a Divine Wound (p. 71) power put into them. If Karttikeya imbues 3 Legend to
Durable Complications indicate a problem that will organize and instruct an invincible army for the defense of
return if not fully rooted out, whether due to particularly a Loka, a would-be invader must be able to exert at least
hardy constituent parts, such as a horde of demons that’ll 3 Effect at the Divine Rule level to overcome it. Realm
reform if not utterly expunged, or a potentially cyclical Conditions affect major regions or subrealms by default,
issue, such as increasingly dangerous and out of control while some abilities may allow a single Condition to affect
spring revels. If a God resolves the problem but doesn’t buy a wider area. If Dionysus surrounds himself with alcoholic
off the durable Complication, the God solves the problem vapors confusing all who approach him for 3 Legend, Zeus
for the remainder of the arc… but it will return, potentially must generate 3 Effect to have a discussion with the God
worse, after that. of wine (and perhaps ask him why he’s being so unsocial).
Developing Situations cover any events that might If they exist for long enough, Realm Conditions can
cause a problem or its Complications to change. Storyguides become permanent salient features of a Realm. At the
should follow what makes sense to the narrative; if a end of an arc, if a Realm Condition still exists, a God may
character goes out of their way to befriend and provide choose to release their direct control of it. If they do, they
leadership to bands of unruly centaurs before trying to rid regain the Legend imbued and the Condition becomes
the Otherworld they dwell in of strife, it may make sense another ongoing aspect of the divine realm. This happens
to reduce the required Effect by 1. If iniquitous human automatically for Realm Conditions created through
sorcerers and witches have been trying to sneak into spending Legend instead. If Hotei chooses to make
heaven for nefarious purposes and the Òrìshà have been “Lucky Travels” a permanent part of the lands around the
too preoccupied to stop them, it’s possible that a pesky 1 dammed great river of Heaven, it would indefinitely exist
point problem is suddenly persistent. This shouldn’t be independently of the God, unless someone else undertook
used punitively, but as a way to reflect the ongoing effect active efforts to destroy it.
of the story on the World and Otherworld, and Storyguides REALM CONDITION STUNTS
should be receptive of player suggestions for how situations
might develop and change over time. Gods pay for Realm Condition Stunts by imbuing or
spending additional Legend as required. They don’t count
WONDERS AND DISASTERS: towards a Realm Condition’s Effect, but instead offer some
REALM CONDITIONS other benefit to the Condition or God.
Realm Conditions track important features, changes, or Dire Hazard (2L): You create a Condition dangerous
projects in the divine realm. A sprawling palace complex to to even other divinities. Attempts to manipulate, degrade,
house divine servants, the multitude of servants themselves, or destroy it suffer from the “Dangerous Problem”
or an endless storm which keeps away the uninvited might Complication at a rating of 1 for each time you purchase this
all be features a God creates and maintains through Realm Stunt, which may be multiple times for a single Condition.
Conditions.
Endless Reach (3L): The Realm Condition extends
Realm Conditions create narrative realities for the to affect an entire great realm or group of lesser realms,
divine realm. If Hotei creates an ongoing Realm Condition whether you’re Sobek desiring to fill all four directions of
for “Lucky Travels,” all who cross the realm will experience Pet with crocodiles for some reason, or Sun Wukong letting
fortunate and easy journeys, unless an outside force the entirety of Heaven know how great you are (again).
powerful enough to oppose the Realm Condition works
against it. Less powerful efforts simply won’t do; a demon Personal Aura (1L): The Realm Condition travels with
might wish to bedevil travelers, but without the ability to you, affecting whatever local Otherworld you find yourself

Divine Rule 67
 Problem Example
The Donnerson, played by Danielle, and RashmiXX, played by Neall, have traced growing problems with
trolls, rakshasa, and other Titanspawn to a sprawling, unplanned camp in Vanaheim. The Storyguide,
Hiromi, tells them that this is a complex problem, consisting of a rating 4 “Sprawling Settlement of
Monsters” with the Dangerous Complication at 2, a “Spreading Ruination of the Land” at 3 with a Durable
Complication of 2, and furthermore, Vanaheim is undergoing a persistent problem of “Otherworldly
Intruders” at 1, as the wide and fertile lands just keep attracting more outsiders.
The Donnerson spends a scene approaching the trolls and rakshasa running the place. After the con-
versation, Danielle asks for the Donnerson’s insight into the situation; there are no Realm Conditions or
Complications preventing the Donnerson from simply knowing, so Hiromi tells her “They’re mostly trying to
build a larger settlement to live in. They’re wary of the Donnerson and his power but willing to fight for their
new homes, and their peoples have drawn divine blood before.”
“Huh. What about fixing up the fouled land?”
“That’d be part of solving it, so you’d need to take a divine action to start dealing with it.”
“Well, RashmiXX is pretty well up on her occult sciences,” Neall interjects, “So she could deal with that
while the Donnerson figures out what we want to do with all these monster people?” Danielle agrees, so
Neall has Rashmi imbue 5 Legend to deal with the spreading rot.
“I have the title Learned Amongst All the World; she’s going to take samples she’ll instantly analyze in
parallel with distributing instructions for the locals on how to magically contain and properly dispose of
their horrid mystical waste. So there will be all these ultramodern composting receptacles scattered around
the bucolic farmland and sprawling town. And I’m going to imbue those extra points of effort to take care
of Durable. These advances are here to stay, and I don’t want to have to deal with this again later. And yes,
I know that everyone will know Rashmi did it. As intended.”
Neall marks down the Legend as imbued and checks off the title as used. “Okay! Danielle, the next time
Donnerson sees the trolls, they’re loading up Rashmi-designed bins full of magical waste and seem less
wary to see you.”
Danielle sighs and decides not to use Warrior personal investment to route the town’s inhabitants. “I don’t
suppose that goodwill might get rid of some of that Dangerous complication?”
“Sure, we can say that’s gone.”
“Ok, I’m going to have a sit-down with these folks and break bread with them, working to convince them to
try to become part of the greater Ásgarð community, promising to keep them safe and secure like everyone
else; can we call that Guardian personal investment?”
After Danielle and Hiromi play out the scene, Danielle marks the Imbued Legend and used Calling on the
Donnerson’s sheet, and Hiromi marks the problem as resolved.
“So, either of you going to try and deal with Vanaheim’s continual uninvited visitor problem?”
Danielle and Neall exchange looks. They have a lot of Legend tied up in solving this issue already, and
there are other issues abroad to deal with. Surely it couldn’t be too dangerous to leave one minor persistent
problem unattended to?

in, and even the World if you dare travel there in full divine or Dagon stopping shipping in the Mediterranean to rescue
splendor. a wounded mermaid, it’s fairly simple to accomplish.
Sow Power (variable): Spend any amount of additional However, it’s often a bad idea: Every use of Worldly Aims
Legend, up to the Condition’s Effect. For each point spent invariable causes you to be Fatebound as you meddle
this way, you later withdraw a point of Legend to spend, directly with the World.
also reducing the Condition’s Effect by that amount. You
may withdraw any amount of Legend from Conditions
DIVINE RULE
this way at once, but must spend any in excess of their PLAY SUMMARY
permanent Legend by the end of the scene. If such a Realm Effect generated from the various approaches powers
Condition becomes a natural feature of the Realm, you lose the actions that Gods take. Each kind of action may have
direct access to the Legend as it becomes absorbed by the Stunts or Complications applied to them in addition to
Realm. their Effect requirement, paid in Legend instead of success.
Worldly Aims (1L): The Realm Condition includes • Solving Problems: Spend Effect to curtail ongoing
Effects which spill onto the World. Whether you’re issues that exist independently of another divine
Nana’b’oozoo wishing to simultaneously converse being.
personally with all of your social media followers at once,

68 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 divine method and investing further Legend to build its
HOW DO I TRACK ALL Effect back up — to which the intervening God may choose
to pick another divine method, spending more Legend
OF THIS!? to oppose it once more. A heavily divisive issue can thus
become an enormous power and attention sink for Gods
Problems, Realm Conditions, and even
particularly long-running conflicts or contests invested in it, as stakes raise with the resources invested.
will often involve tracking shifting values of The following Stunts are available to both characters
Effect put into solving or shaping them, as well involved in divine opposition:
as other effects such as the Sow Power Stunt.
For groups playing in person, index cards Enervation (2L): You attempt to exhaust your
are a simple but excellent tool for keeping opponent’s resources, forcing them to hemorrhage divine
track of the ongoing issues and interests in energy. Win or lose, they lose a non-imbued point of
the player characters’ orbits. Most virtual temporary Legend.
tabletops offer similar note-keeping tools, Slaying Force (3L): You create a Dangerous Problem
while freely available wiki pages or online
Complication (p. 67) at a rating of 1 every time this Stunt is
documents through Google Docs or similar
services can also easily handle the demands purchased for your opponent. This Stunt may be purchased
of even the most active and expansive game multiple times for a single contest.
of Scion: God.
God. Seek Advantage (variable): For a separate action
against your target or related Realm Conditions, which
explicitly cannot be the same opposition struggle, you gain
• Problems possess multiple characteristics and your imbued or spent Legend in additional Effect.
Complications which change the cost or conse-
quences of dealing with them. PRIMACY AND ITS STRUGGLES
All know that Odin rules Ásgarð, All-Father to the
• To permanently solve most problems, characters
Æsir and supreme authority to any who trod there. But
usually need to either spend Legend or keep it im-
what, a figure in shadows and quiet private spaces who
bued until the end of the arc.
surely could not be Loki muses, if tomorrow he did not? No
• Create Realm Condition: Spend Effect to create matter how friendly Surya, Huitzilopochtli, and Re grow
important features, changes, or projects in a divine across the years, there will always be a silent question of
realm, with a value equal to the Effect invested. who is first amongst equals in the light of the Sun Purview,
• Use additional Legend on Stunts to modify or inten- especially given Aten’s titanic struggles to dominate the
sify the Realm Condition. Purview himself. If a young deity fancies themselves the
God of Crocodiles before all others, Sobek will want to have
• To make a Realm Condition a permanent part of a words.
divine realm, keep it invested until the end of the
arc. Being the ruler of an Otherworld or the premier power
of a Purview grants many benefits, both in prestige and
GODLY STRIFE: practice. Being one of the chief Gods of a Pantheon carries
DIRECT CONFLICTS with it both enormous responsibility and a chance to grasp
the most profound energies of Legend. Struggles to rule
Many fights between Gods avoid direct conflicts. these things are thus far from unknown, taking the form
Action at a distance through intermediaries, proxies, and of anything from quiet maneuvering for allies and position
occasionally unknowing minions? A matter of course. to open warfare, depending on the temperaments of the
Striking at each other’s interests and projects in the World? individuals involved.
Rude, but often repaid in kind. Altering or flat out removing
each other’s otherworldly projects, suborning Realm REALM RULERSHIP
Conditions, or struggling for precedence in an Otherworld It’s good to be the king of (a) universe. The ruler of
or in the primacy of a Purview? Perhaps insulting, perhaps an Otherworld always benefits from an additional 1 Effect
enraging, perhaps accepted as simply What Gods Do,
but a form of conflict that is ultimately sustainable. Still,
sometimes Gods choose to directly come to blows with KEEPING THE
each other.
ADVANTAGE
DIVINE OPPOSITION
When directly attempting to prevent another God’s
When a God successfully opposes
another, the resources the loser invested are
action, a character may provide divine opposition. They
unavailable to them until the victorious God
pick a divine method and spend or imbue Legend, reducing reclaims any Legend they imbued to win or
the Effect of the action they oppose. If reduced to zero or until the end of the arc, whichever comes first.
below, the action fails. A God so interrupted may choose to
relent, or alternatively to power through, choosing another

Divine Rule 69
when solving problems, creating Realm Conditions, or them with the Purview they master must always spend an
engaging in divine opposition there. They also are aware additional Legend to do so. A Purview’s master is always
of any other divine actions taken in their realm unless the aware of an action undertaken within the same divine
perpetrator uses personal investment (p. 85) or another realm using their Purview or in another otherworldly place
explicitly subtle method or Effect. Most beings lesser than they’re trying to sense, unless the user has some means of
other Gods will reflexively obey a realm ruler’s stated and subtle action.
implied desires without question. Even deities from other Mastery of a Purview is a much less sure thing than
Pantheons will also give a realm’s ruler a certain extra mastery over a Realm. When a deity makes a claim to the
level of respect; after all, they run the place! Gods and position at the beginning of an arc, all other would-be
similar beings within the same Pantheon may have more claimants become aware. Demonstration of mastery comes
complicated relationships with their divine sovereigns, in the form of enormous displays of Purview ability, from
but even at her angriest Hera wouldn’t deny Zeus’s place sky-searing horizons of fire to perfectly orderly eternal
as ruler of Olympus. It’s neither politic nor practical, given societies, depending on the area contested. Claimants
the influence such rulers exert. compete in the singular area of mastery, represented by:
A claimant to realm rulership must demonstrate their
• Effect generated for Realm Conditions devoted to
influence through addressing a realm’s problems and
spreading or embodying the Purview.
influencing it for better or ill, as well as gaining the support
of their divine peers. A character choosing to do so makes • Effect of any appropriate Realm Conditions that
their desire clear at the beginning of an arc, and keeps track have become permanent salient features of a Realm.
of their deeds and supporters while the realm’s ruler does The final Effect is compared at the end of the arc;
the same. Mechanically, they count: determined or underhanded deities (depending on who
• Effect generated to address a realm’s problems. you’re asking) may attempt to swing the scales in their
favor by having allies undermine the efforts of their
• Effect generated for Realm Conditions that offer
competitors. In the case of a tie, no one can claim mastery,
power to other members of the realm.
even the previous first amongst the greats losing their
• 1 Effect per Legend 9 or 10 God that supports their station. Some Pantheons, such as the Tuatha, often see
claim, and 2 per Legend 11 or 12 God. this as a mere setback and a reason to try again. Others,
OR notably the Shén, wish to establish an order and have
everyone agree on it. Unfortunately for the Shén, no matter
• Effect generated in divine opposition to the ruler how many Definitive and Complete Enumerated Lists of
and their supporters Worthy Wielders of Earthly, Heavenly, and Divine Powers
• Effect generated for Realm Conditions indicating they publish, most other Pantheons and their own problem
forceful domination over the realm. divinities tend to give such things little currency. It’s not
unusual for despairing celestial bureaucrats heading across
• 1 Effect per Divine Wound dealt to Legend 9 or 10 the realms to try and head off disasters caused by some
God that oppose their claims, and 2 per each wound recently ascended godling deciding that it’s a good idea to
dealt to a Legend 11 or 12 God. become the ultimate master of the Sky.
The God with the greater amount of Effect is the victor, DIRECT ASSAULT
and keeps or seizes control of the realm, with the current
Sometimes, the divine go to war. Gods decide to wage
ruler winning any ties. Given the benefits that a realm’s
direct, supernaturally baneful conflict against traditional
ruler already possesses, it can be very difficult to seize a foes when the Titanomachy flares up, against newly born
realm from an active and engaged ruler without help, monstrous creatures when they threaten divine realms,
planning, and preparation, but even then, it is a dangerous or even against their fellows when all other avenues have
thing to attempt. failed. Usually the end goal isn’t slaughter, but a forceful
PURVIEW PRESTIGE rebuke to a person or entity who has been unmoved by less
forceful methods, or occasionally a heavy-handed way to
Being the foremost wielder of a Purview remains a get them to cease undesirable activity.
less-sure experience than being at the head of a Pantheon or
Targets always realize and may respond to being
realm. Many empowered by any Purview rightly consider attacked directly. Abilities, including divine Stunts, that
themselves the premier power of Earth, or Darkness, or impart subtlety only affect other entities which might
Prosperity amongst their immediate divine brethren, but notice. The attacker picks a method other than divine fiat,
how does one measure oneself against other Pantheons? Is but must spend Legend and must generate at least 3 Effect
it wise to advertise that way when some deities love laying against a Legend 9 or 10 God, or 5 against a Legend 11 or
low the proud? 12 God. The defender may defend as normal with divine
opposition.
Yet, the rewards make it worth it. An unopposed master
of a Purview benefits from 1 additional Effect when they use If the attacker succeeds, they may inflict a Divine
their Purview to solve problems, create Realm Conditions, Wound on their target.
or engage in divine opposition. Those attempting to oppose

70 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

DIVINE CONFLICT DIVINE WOUNDS
SUMMARY Certain kinds of conflicts, hazardous problems, and
In divine rule, characters oppose each other through murderous schemes allow Gods to inflict some manner of
Legend put towards Effect. lasting harm on one another. These injuries come in the
form of Divine Wounds, striking to the core of the God’s
• Divine Opposition: Spend Effect to directly oppose ability to interact with the realms through their inherent
another God’s action, comparing your Effect to nature.
theirs.
Divine wounds target one of the God’s Titles, Purviews,
• Buy Stunts to inflict damage or increase costs on the or Callings. Barring Stunts or other abilities, the affected
opposed target. God chooses which trait suffers the wound. Until the
• Resources the loser spent or imbued are unavailable wound heals, the God can’t use the relevant trait for Divine
to them until the winner stops committing their own Realm actions, and Legend imbued to maintain Effect is
resources or the end of the arc, whichever occurs immediately lost, along with the results of that Effect. The
first. divinity also loses access to related actions and powers
(such as Boons or Knacks) in the World.
• Realm Rulership: The rulers of divine realms gain
additional Effect and other benefits when acting The divine connection to Mantles is such that Failure
within their realm. It’s possible to seize control of Deeds for Callings or the destruction, corruption, or
a realm through determined action, the usurper de- subordination of Birthrights which support their Purviews
claring their intent at the beginning of an arc. will also cause Divine Wounds automatically associated
with the relevant trait to occur. Such is also true for the
• The usurper and current ruler begin tracking Effect Godly entanglement with Fate, as attempting to break or
generated to aid the realm and its inhabitants, or to avoid a Fatebinding will also cause a Divine Wound to a trait
subjugate and conquer them. of the Storyguide’s choosing; this replaces the consequences
• Pledges of support from friendly powerful charac- Demigods experience for triggering Avoidance.
ters or Divine Wounds dealt to opposing divinities While Gods may hide such wounds from lesser beings
also count towards the Effect generated. with little effort, their peers are harder to deceive, and an
• At the end of the arc, the realm recognizes the higher injured deity who doesn’t act subtly must prepare to use
total Effect as its ruler. The current ruler wins ties. divine opposition to stop an overly curious divinity from
discovering their condition.
• Purview Mastery: The master of a Purview gains
additional Effect when wielding it and attempts to Gods and Mantles are resilient, however. A God
wield it against them cost additional Legend. automatically heals one Divine Wound at the end of each
episode, and a God healing themselves or others with an
• Characters may attempt to usurp Purview mastery appropriate approach only needs to imbue Legend until the
at the beginning of an arc, usurper and current end of the episode to cure additional Divine Wounds.
master tracking Effect generated to promulgate the
Purview. INSULT UPON INJURY
• Characters vying for Purview mastery track Effect No matter how quickly they recover, wounded Gods
generated for Realm Conditions devoted to spread- are vulnerable to attempts by ambitious Demigods to steal
ing or embodying the Purview and Effect of any their Mantles, or to see elements of it carved away. When
appropriate Realm Conditions that have become a God is suffering three or more Divine Wounds, another
permanent salient features of a Realm during that deity or other actor on the Divine Rule level may attempt
arc. to steal a Title.

• In case of a tie, no one possesses the benefits of The would-be usurper must create a Usurpation
Purview Mastery for the next arc. Realm Condition with Effect equal to the Title’s related
Calling, explaining how their own actions draw the
• Direct Assault: To do harm against another divine relevant title to their Mantle through appropriate divine
being, generate at least 3 Effect with an approach deeds. If the Realm Condition survives until the end of
other than divine fiat, spending rather than imbuing the arc, even if the targeted God heals the Divine Wounds
Legend. Your target may oppose with divine opposi- that allowed such a thing to happen, the usurper gains the
tion as normal. contested Title. If they already have the maximum number
• If successful, you may inflict a Divine Wound on of titles allowed, they may replace one without suffering a
your target. Divine Wound of their own. Most Gods will attempt divine
opposition, intervention through their allies, or their own
direct assault to prevent such a thing from happening.

Divine Rule 71
 A God suffering from at least five Divine Wounds integrate them into their own Mantle, assigning a claimed
and at least one of each type (Calling, Purview, and Title) Title to an appropriate Calling or a claimed Purview to an
may be in danger of losing their whole Mantle. Another appropriate Birthright (whether one that’s preexisting, one
deity claiming a Mantle in such a way is difficult and made through Realm Conditions, or one created through
effort-intensive, but possible. The usurping deity must standard Procedural crafting). At the end of any arc that
again create and defend a Realm Condition until the end the seized Mantle has three or fewer unclaimed Purviews
of the arc, but the required value is equal to the target’s and Titles remaining, it fades into obscurity (barring some
Legend. In most cases, this requires the usurping deity future Scion from building to it again).
to have long-term preparations and stores of power
available before considering intervention from the
SUCH BEAUTIFUL GARMENTS
target’s allies, the usurper’s regular enemies, or simply Alternately, a God may choose to try and wear an
concerned third parties who oppose a deity gaining so acquired Mantle in its entirety. If they use nothing but the
much more power. stolen Mantle’s Callings and Purviews for an arc, they can
choose to wear it or their initial Mantle from that point
A God who loses their only Mantle but who has at least
onward. Wearing an assumed Mantle allows a God to use its
one Calling unwounded may choose to Incarnate as a Legend
Titles, Purviews, and even Callings freely, and additionally
1 Scion or to remerge into the World as a Legend 5 Demigod.
allows them to choose appropriate Knacks and Boons
The former requires an even longer path to Apotheosis if
when incarnating under that Mantle or acting prosaically
the former deity wishes to regain their glory, but Fate tends
through it. However, if they want to return to their original
to hide such Scions from their divine enemies, at least for
Mantle (or, theoretical, another Mantle they have seized)
a time. Divine Rule actions and other supernatural means
they must spend 1 Legend and devote a scene to switching
of tracking or detection will point would-be searchers to
between Mantles.
the current possessor of the fallen deity’s Mantle, giving
them time to potentially recover. Those who hold on to as Gods who craft multiple Mantles through Incarnating
much power as possible as Demigods benefit from no such and building Legend separately may switch between their
occlusion, making their potentially shorter return to power created Mantles in the same fashion.
that much more dangerous.
I DON’T WANT THE THRONE,
If they are successful, the usurping deity gains access JUST BLOOD
to all of the defeated one’s Titles and Purviews but must Deicide is, by and large, regarded as a bad idea. While
always spend Legend to use them in Divine Rule play for the World’s history is awash with bloodshed, such as
the next arc. Whenever they do so, they may choose to Divus Iulius’s slaughter of the Gallic Nemetondevos or

72 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 DIVINE WOUND SUMMARY
Lasting harm inflicted to your divine body or by you to other divinities is tracked through Divine Wounds.
• Divine Wounds: Divine Wounds can be inflicted by the direct assault action, certain Divine Rule
Stunts, Failure Deeds for your Callings, or attempts to break and avoid Fatebinding.
• The wounded character picks a Title, Purview, or Calling to apply the Divine Wound to. You can’t use
wounded traits or their associated supernatural powers until they’re healed.
• You automatically heal a Divine Wound at the end of every Episode. Healing effects from appropriate
Realm Conditions can heal a wound by imbuing Legend until the end of the episode.
• Title Usurpation: You may attempt to steal a Title from a character suffering three or more Divine
Wounds.
• Create a Usurpation Realm Condition with Effect at least equal to the targeted title’s calling. If it remains
imbued until the end of the arc, you may steal the title. If you already have the maximum number of titles,
suffer a Divine Wound yourself to replace one of yours.
• Mantle Usurpation: You may attempt to steal an entire Mantle from a character suffering five or more
Divine Wounds, including at least one each to a Calling, Title, and Purview.
• Create a Usurpation Realm Condition with Effect of at least the target’s Legend.
• Seized Mantles: Using any of a seized Mantle’s Callings, Purviews, or Titles in the next arc requires
Legend to be spent. After that, you may integrate some of its traits into your own, or keep the Mantle
intact.
• Switching Mantles: Spend 1 Legend and a scene to switch between Mantles you possess, regardless
of how you obtained them.
• Deicide: To murder a God, deal all of their Callings and Titles Divine Wounds, and then inflict one more.

Loki’s murder of Baldr, attempts at divine murders are YOU DARE TO APPROACH ME?
vanishingly rare, and successful deicides even more so.
Failure to succeed means certain retribution, and even To be a Titan, one must be able to impose their will
success threatens to make the attack the despised focus of on Otherworld and World alike without worrying about
a suddenly wrathful and united Pantheon. And of course, others interrupting. Many Titans do this by actively
there’s no guarantee that a reincarnation of the slain or immersing themselves in the powers of their chosen
another claimant to the Mantle won’t seek revenge in the Purview, building up powerful Realm Conditions designed
future. And yet, either due to cold, furious calculation or to get in the way of any being that would dare oppose them.
burning, unsuppressed passion, sometimes it happens. To attempt to meddle in Ao Guang’s affairs, one must
overcome his Overwhelming Deluge Realm Condition or
To murder a God outright, all their Callings and Titles be washed away, while to inconvenience Tāwhirimātea,
must suffer from Divine Wounds, and the would-be killer one must navigate his sky-spawned “Murderous Storms.”
must inflict one more. The God will perish, the appropriate Titans intent on travel often use the Personal Aura Stunt to
Underworld dealing with the divine death as best it can, bring their titanic conditions wherever they go, and those
while their Mantle becomes unmoored, awaiting a Scion to expecting divine trouble often use the Dire Hazards Stunt
rise to claim it. as well.
CAUSING PROBLEMS: Gods can create such Conditions, but few do. They’re
TITANIC ACTS intensive to make and maintain, especially when Legend
is hard to come by. They can be unpleasant for one’s
Titan is both title and intention. On some level, claims
divine neighbors and disastrous for less powerful realm-
of Titanhood verge on the purely political: The accuser
dwellers; few want to be friends with someone who lives
claims the “Titan’s” actions are counter to the good of
in a constant fumarole. They make negotiations, diplomacy,
the World, Otherworld, or entire order of existence. On
and simple socializing that much more difficult; bringing
another level, patterns and abilities common to Titans can
an endless hurricane into heavenly palaces is a good way
be determined and codified. Setting oneself against the
to cut conversation short. For many Titans, however, that’s
World, against its caretakers, and against the possibility
just an added benefit!
of being limited by it are signs that one might be acting
in a Titanic manner, and the benefits thereof sometimes Characters who maintain such defenses through the
suggest why one might accept being so. end of an arc may choose to invest more of their being into
it and the Purview that supports it. They seal off one of their
Callings, becoming unable to use it for Divine Rule actions,
but in return gain an additional 3 Effect whenever they

Divine Rule 73
create or recreate such a condition and gain an additional Storyguides at the Divine Rule level need to know what sort
use of miraculous investment when using that Purview for of stories and characters to prepare for, but also what they
Divine Rule activities. need to track, since ongoing investment and distribution of
power can be very important. If a player’s character wants
TERRORS IN THE WORLD to oppose Zeus and all his mighty works, the Storyguide
The Titanic Callings represent another way Titans needs to know Zeus’s divine particulars and that the
gird themselves against a World and Fate which naturally aforementioned mighty works will need to be tracked.
opposes Titanic efforts to upend them. Whether through
Once you’ve had those talks, how do you provide
conscious effort by Titans, generations of association
stats for the mighty heads of Pantheons, World-shaking
between Titanic efforts and archetypes, or some other
monsters that threaten existence, and bureaucracies that
means, the Titanic Callings have become like gnarled knots
demand the latter submit their forms in triplicate to the
of spiritual scar tissue against the influence of Fate. When a
former?
character would suffer a Divine Wound from a Fatebinding
or a Failure Deed, they may instead choose to imbue Legend
into a “[Calling] Rejection” Condition with a Titan Calling.
DIVINE DIFFICULTIES
As long as the Legend is imbued, the character avoids the Since Divine Rule actions use Legend, anything a
Divine Wound until they reclaim the Legend without ill character does that engages with the system represents
effect at the end of the arc. effort and opportunity that can’t be used elsewhere. Even
more so than with regular actions in Scion, Storyguides

STORYGUIDING should give wide latitude to players throwing their divine

weight around before calling for a Divine Rule action.

DIVINE RULE Many things Gods do won’t raise to the level of Divine Rule
actions, and it’s fine to let players style on fools with their
divine might through piles of Scale once in a while. Divine
As a Storyguide you may ask yourself, how by all the
Gods and Denizens and divine realms do I run this? Play Rule actions specifically come into effect when characters
at the level of Divine Rule requires serious buy-in from want to make lasting changes and affect matters of ongoing
everyone at the table. Before a campaign turns towards import at the Godly level.
Divine Rule, Storyguide and players should discuss what • Effect 1 problems and Conditions are the sort of
they’re interested in exploring with the systems. Do things that a determined Demigod might be able to
players want to hatch elaborate divine schemes and change solve on their own. Horrific, community destroying
the face of the World and the Otherworlds alike? Does the monsters that don’t dare challenge the Gods directly,
Storyguide want to present realm-shaking threats that the social curses and contagions which vex and bedevil
player characters need to exhaust the very core of their mortals but which a transcendent saint or teacher
divine abilities to defeat? Do the players want to focus on might undo, and natural disasters which only great
divine action specifically echoing and reflecting existing heroes could overcome all qualify.
myths and stories? Does the Storyguide want to see the
group forge new, cross Pantheon myths and legends? Do • Effect 2 problems are those that have increased
the players want to craft a new divine order, or get involved in intensity or spread in scope past what even a
in divine interpersonal dramas that eventually end in Demigod can normally manage. Creatures that
incarnation and the cycle starting again? would blight nations in the World or cause conster-
nation to the natives of an Otherworld, disasters
There’s a lot of potential space to cover, and checking that might end civilizations or leave lasting marks in
to make sure everyone is on the same page as the game celestial realms, and society-wide malignancies or
changes to the Divine Rule scale of play is just as important more focused but wholly-beyond-mortal supernat-
as it is at the very beginning of an Origin or Hero game. ural Effects.
• Effect 3 problems and conditions have reached
ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT a point where even the heroic efforts of multiple
Demigods or massive otherworldly populations
NOTES probably can’t rectify them. They rarely manifest in
the World unless actively created by a God or some
Storyguides, the author will address you similar force. In Otherworlds, creatures or other in-
directly. If you’re playing at the Divine Rule dependent threats at this level can become de facto
level, get a system for tracking Legend
investment, Effect levels, and tracking the rulers of great swaths of a realm unless a God steps
abilities of Storyguide characters. Whether in, supernatural dangers and Effects will totally re-
you use a pile of marked up index cards, a shape life for those affected, and social ills or trends
word processor, or an online document, these are utterly consuming for those they touch.
rules rely on values that are tracked, altered, • Effect 4 concerns threaten most of a smaller realm
and compared. or a large portion of a greater one. Unless actively

74 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 concealed, every God in the Otherworld will be in the Otherworlds regularly, and subsequently few
aware of them, and Effects of less scope but similar will have entirely unspent Legend or resources when
intensity can directly challenge the salient features encountered in Divine Rule play. Storyguides should allow
of a given realm or region. Creatures and individuals narrative sensibilities to guide them; if Obàtálá has been
at this level are often actively contained or courted intervening often in the mortal world recently, perhaps
as allies to prevent the possible havoc they might they have less available Legend available; if Nuada’s realm
wreck in a divine realm or the World. has been invaded lately, perhaps he is suffering from one or
more Divine Wounds.
• Effect 5 threats and Conditions are the greatest
powers, dangers, and Effects in the cosmos not Sometimes, a God may be encountered midway
actively being cultivated, supported, or spread by through an arc of Divine Rule play and the Storyguide will
Gods or equivalent beings. Creatures at this level have no earthly idea what they were off doing before the
would be World-ending terrors if they ran rampant, players sought them out or their presence was otherwise
supernatural Effects could rewrite the very fabric compelled. As a rule of thumb, assume that they have
of lesser beings and their surroundings, and social half their total Legend at any one time, with half of the
Effects might transform a society into a form utterly remainder imbued in ongoing endeavors that they can
alien to its older self. reclaim in an emergency. Pick one Purview, one Calling,
and one Title they expended in their endeavors.
• Effect 6 and greater threats and Conditions solely
result from the actions and powers of Gods, Titans, PREPARATIONS AND PLOTS
and similar beings, and they always represent a ma- On the other end of the spectrum, well prepared
jor investment to create and unleash. Attempts to deities, scheming entities, and beings who have a lot going
unleash such powers will alarm most Gods no mat- on benefit from Conditions stocked with Effect and Legend
ter the result, as these are forces which can reshape they can pull from or additional Mantles they can switch to
the cosmos entirely. when the occasion arises.

ENEMY GODS AND As always, narrative and story should guide the
DIVINE BYSTANDERS Storyguide to assign these. Some general guides: Most Gods
will have cultivated at least one Realm Condition at Effect
While many threats and characters may simply be 3 to work for whatever their current problem or concern is.
represented by the difficulty of a problem or by Effect in a Ares may surround himself with an “Infinitely Bloodthirsty
Realm Condition, Gods and their peers who will be regular Army” of Effect 3 when he leaves for hostile Otherworlds,
features or antagonists in a game at the Divine Rule level while Ganesha might have cultivated a “Realmwide
call for a fuller treatment. Celebration of Peace and Fortune” of similar magnitude
For most Gods, the following suffices: when encountered.

• Determine Legend. Young or inactive Gods may be Beings who are either ready for trouble or preparing to
Legend 9, while most Gods will comfortably rest commit to a major, Otherworld shaking endeavor may have
at Legend 10. Powerful and driven individuals may a Realm Condition or Conditions benefitting from the Sow
reach Legend 11, but only the greatest and foremost Power Stunt ready for use. Those preparing for enormous
Gods of a Pantheon will reach Legend 12. effort will often have one at Effect 5, while those who
are constantly preparing for trouble or famous for their
• Determine and distribute Calling dots based on ongoing schemes may have several separate Conditions
Legend. prepared in this way.
• Pick one applicable Knack with a Divine Rule Effect. While Storyguides are encouraged to use such Realm
• Assign Legendary Titles. As a rule of thumb, Gods Conditions as a way to represent the preparation and
will have at least half as many as they have points of ongoing concerns of Storyguide controlled deities, it’s
Legend, most reasonably active Gods will maintain important to remember that the more Legend and Effect
two-thirds to three-fourths that many, and partic- they have access to, the harder it will be for players to
ularly energetic or industrious Gods will have their actively oppose them. If a game is focused on attempting
maximum number (which is to say, their Legend). to oust Odin as head of the Æsir and he exists as the
primary antagonist in the story, it can make sense for the
• Determine their innate Purview(s). Storyguide to give him multiple contingencies in the form
• Record all other Purviews. For every non-innate of Sown Power Conditions, access to additional Mantles,
Purview, record a connected Birthright. and similar measures. If, on the other hand, he is “merely”
the head of the Æsir who the player characters encounter
At this point, the God is ready for Divine Rule play.
occasionally and oppose in matters of less dire importance,
ONGOING ONTOLOGICAL CONCERNS giving him an enormous bank of Conditions and Legends
Most divine beings don’t exist in a state of continual to allow him to dominate a comparatively minor argument
stasis. They are presumed to be going about their business is inappropriate.

Divine Rule 75
 and wear your logo, even if you’d never willingly associate
CULTS & with them.

RELIGION (Of course, brands aren’t known for smiting heretics

and IP thieves, at least not with anything worse than a
subpoena.)
Ascent into Godhood irrevocably shifts the way in
which a character relates to her faithful — no longer a After Apotheosis, a God’s Cults become simultaneously
beneficiary or a symbol, she becomes a true patron to her a powerful asset to exert pressure on the World
Cults, in whatever form they take. without risking Fatebinding, and yet also a tremendous
responsibility, constantly competing for her attention. The
At its core, the relationship between a God and her
specifics may vary from Cult to Cult, but one commonality
Cults is a push-and-pull of solving problems and spreading
is that most Cults believe they are fundamentally right
influence. Every Cult presents a God with a hundred tiny
about what their God wants… a belief that is usually skewed,
problems that might need her attention: A consecrated firm
imperfect, or outright wrong.
might pray for a robust fiscal quarter while a secretive coven
calls for visions to guide them against a rival Cult. No God
will solve all the problems her various worshippers leave at
CULTS OF THE NEW GODS
her feet, but she must at least acknowledge they exist, and Cults specifically devoted to the Scion before her
even inaction may be taken as a meaningful gesture: A Cult ascension tend to undergo dramatic transformations as
might take their patron’s silence as tacit endorsement for part of her Apotheosis or shortly thereafter. As the newly-
acts undertaken in her name. minted God rises in Legend, her story may echo backwards
in time, becoming a touchstone that was ever thus — but
In exchange for causing problems both directly and there, in the moment, when the World remembers her
indirectly, Cults provide a God with a way to exert influence Apotheosis as something that happened on Tuesday?
in the World with less risk of Fatebinding. In some ways, a
Cult might be seen as laundering their God’s divine will, At the very least, a Cult acquires newfound prestige
translating it from the realm of the miraculous into more and attention. Public groups are flooding with potential
mundane forms: social capital, willing agents, material members; private ones find themselves courted by greater
resources, and other assets. These kinds of influence powers looking to put up-and-comers in their place and
are not only less risky for the God, but also infinitely hangers-on looking to hitch their wagon to the next big
more deniable: It’s relatively easy for a God to disclaim a thing. Established Cults to their God’s Pantheon will seek
worshipper’s attempted sabotage of a rival. to create or strengthen ties, binding them into a wider
network of worship. For their part, the direct Cults of a
Perhaps the greatest difference between how a Scion fledgling God have tremendous leverage and social capital
relates to her Cults and how a God does the same is simply in shaping the terms of these newly-forged connections,
a question of scope. Powerful Heroes and Demigods often dragging hidebound faiths a half-step towards their
only have meaningful contact with a few of their parent’s particular dogma or invigorating minor reformations.
Cults, but a God is connected — sometimes to her frustration When you know that your God is real because you had
— with all those who pray to her. This doesn’t mean she dinner with her last month, it’s a good time to press your
has to answer every coven’s invocation or personally bless luck.
her every temple, but it does mean that others have more
leeway to act in her name. It’s not uncommon for modern
Gods to discover that becoming a God is a lot like becoming
WHAT WORSHIP FEELS LIKE
Worship is the golden cord that binds Gods to humanity
a brand: Sometimes you have to accept that you now share
— both the people of the World and the mortal spark that
a sliver of your identity with people who buy your merch
still flickers in the deep, hidden core of their divinity. It also

THE UNEXPECTED COMPLICATIONS OF WORSHIP

Though the forms of Cult worship may differ, one common thread is that as a God rewrites her mythology
to reach farther back into history, she may acquire new worshippers — both intentionally and very
unintentionally. This sometimes borrows from time travel tropes about returning to a future changed by
meddling in the past, but it’s ultimately about making her mythology matter: As she insinuates herself into
the many ages of humanity, humanity responds in kind, crystallizing around her burgeoning Legend,
including some worshippers and sects she may find undesirable or even antithetical to her values. It’s also
a great source of drama for players and Storyguides, helping to connect a new God into a wider network
of worshippers than she might otherwise have had when just starting out.
It’s the character who should be surprised, not the player. Unexpected Cults and covenants aren’t a
monkey’s paw for the Storyguide to inflict on a player character; they’re a tool for all players — including
the Storyguide — to use together to make a God’s life interesting.

76 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 THE CULT BIRTHRIGHT
Although a God’s worship extends through many individual Cults, they may still purchase and benefit from the
Cult Birthright originally printed in Mysteries of the World (p. 23). At the God God-level,
-level, this Birthright reflects an
especially deep and profound relationship with a specific Cult, granting them a place of honor among all of the
God’s worshippers. This is especially true if the Cult was a key resource for the God during their time as a Scion. A
patron’s Apotheosis can dramatically transform the fortunes of a Cult, taking them from bit players to center stage
as they acquire followers, resources, and prestige. There’s no better feeling than getting in on a good start-up at
the ground floor.
For a God, Cults gain two additional points to divide between Light and Shadow. Furthermore, the
God can use Heed the Faithful an additional time per session to seek out prayers and information from
their favored Cult. Finally, when she investigates sabotage or infiltration against that Cult, she gains
Enhancement equal to the Birthright’s rating, even to Clashes of Will against miraculous effects that would
conceal infidels and other threats.

feels amazing. It is all the glamour and allure of celebrity, but • What new story are my worshippers telling about
magnified by orders of magnitude. A Hero is the subject of me?
praise and fanfiction. A Demigod acquires their first real taste • Which prayer demands my most urgent attention?
of prayer, beginning to sense the susurrus of their followers,
especially when in need. But when they blossom into true • What does [one of the God’s Purviews] need or re-
divinity, Gods are enwrapped in a steady song of worship. quest of me?
It’s overwhelming, to hear voices the world over speak If the Storyguide doesn’t have an immediate answer,
your name as blessing and as curse, to become a talisman they should invite the God’s player to suggest one, working
against misfortune. And yet, it neither deafens nor distracts, together to create an interesting or useful hook that can be
at least not under normal circumstances. The prayers move explored in play. A God may also narrow their search to a
in the God’s mind as they develop a new and burgeoning specific Cult, so long as it has been previously introduced
sense, one that quickly becomes as natural as any other they in play.
possess. Prayer flits through them as just another piece of If the God either resolves an issue related to the
sensory input: The chair is red, the river water is cold, and prayer or capitalizes upon an opportunity presented by it,
the faithful of Paris need help. she regains 1 Legend. Gods currently attempting to claim
This isn’t omniscience, of course. A God may not supremacy within a realm (p. 69) or over a Purview (p. 70)
recognize every prayer, just as they might not register every can treat fulfilling an appropriate prayer as one additional
instrument in a song. Many enemies, including Titans, their point toward their victory, instead.
offspring, and other Gods, can act with divine subtlety.
Those shrouded under Boons, Knacks, marvels, and other
ONE GOD, MANY CULTS
miracles may dampen the ambient music of prayer around A God may be worshipped in many ways and in many
them, making it easier for a God to overlook sabotage and houses. A newly raised Shén finds his name added to a roll
infiltration. of thousands, with altars allocated in his name as a matter
of bureaucratic course. An ascended Pāla might instead
HEED THE FAITHFUL become the focal point of temple-sects with radically
A Demigod’s Ear for Prayer (Demigod, p. 130) different views on how to interpret her teachings.
becomes significantly more potent through Apotheosis. Worship comes in many forms. While many Cults
The Storyguide should continue to provide hints based form a network of worship, sharing practices and forging
on prayers directed to the God, their Pantheon, or their a collective identity, others are insular, separate, or
associated Purviews, including as part of a Procedural deliberately heterodox. Barring a God’s active intervention,
investigation. their worship will naturally trend towards fragmentation:
Once per session, a God may attend the prayers of A Zemí’s temples in the Bronx and Montreal might have
their worshippers, searching for interesting or valuable dramatically different rituals, while an Æsir’s worship may
information. The Storyguide should provide a brief differ greatly between public-facing societies and insular
overview of the condition of her worship across the World family traditions.
(and in any other realms, where appropriate). Afterwards, When considering a God’s Cults, it’s useful to return
the player can ask an additional question: to the eight key types originally presented in Scion: Origin
• Where is my worship currently most vulnerable? to consider what their relationship looks like from the
other side of the altar. Each Cult includes suggestions
• Where can my intercession have the greatest effect,
right now?

Cults & Religion 77

for common Fatebindings, but Worshippers/Unrequited guilds in Silicon Valley, but he has to share that market with
Paramour is a universally common choice. Hephaestus, Chantico, Heimdall — and a new God bucking
for a piece of the pie just means a smaller slice for everyone
COVEN involved.
Many Gods have a nasty surprise after Apotheosis,
Despite the competition that can arise from guild
discovering that covens — newly formed in her name or
patronage, guilds rarely provoke hot-blooded rivalries
reconsecrated in her honor — suddenly expect things from
among Gods. Like any market, specific guilds rise and fall
her. Constantly. What might have been refreshingly honest
with the tidal rhythm of profession and commerce; what
and transactional to a Scion ally suddenly becomes an
matters isn’t any one specific guild or even a dozen odd
incessant buzzing to a Godly patron. In exchange for their
ones — just who gets associated with a discipline overall.
devotion and rites, a coven expects their God to uphold
their end of the bargain, providing them with guidance, And of course, who gets to profit from it.
support, protection, and divine intervention. Common Fatebindings: Guilds usually become
In general, Gods interact with their covens through Apprentices to the God, who is expected to champion
binding agreements that define what the God requires of their industry in return, offering wisdom and recognition.
her coven and what the coven may require of their God Gods with personal connections to a guild’s trade (usually
in return. Given enough time and attention, these deals reflecting their vocation before Visitation) sometimes treat
almost always become a Fatebinding, drawing the God back it as a Balm instead, allowing them to connect to others
into her coven’s orbit even if she wishes to renege on her through their long-honed expertise.
original promises. To their credit, then, covens are typically
motivated and easy to mobilize in response to problems
FAMILY TRADITION
and opportunities in the World, providing a stable pool of Family traditions are particularly valuable for young
trusted agents highly motivated by the rewards of worship. Gods; they are easy to nurture and defend, but also offer a
valuable connection to the God’s own humanity. They often
A newly ascended God sometimes discovers that arise from the families touched by a God’s former life as a
upon rewriting herself into history, she has unwittingly Scion — saving a young couple from a rampaging frost-giant
bound herself into unintended agreements. These bargains is a surefire way to earn a spot on their family’s altar, a spot
emerge from her Legend, tying her into a pattern of giving that only grows in prominence after Apotheosis. Often,
and taking with her new coven, who may expect anything individual Fatebindings from the Hero and Demigod level
from rare moments of prophetic insight to powerful form the seeds for these traditions, crystallizing their role
blessings for prosperity, victory, and protection. in the God’s growing mythology. This kind of worship can
Common Fatebindings: Covens tend towards offer a God a powerful, vitalizing connection to her mortal
Boon Companions, simply because of their transactional life and the far-reaching effects of her heroism, serving as
relationship. Those Covens who develop a particularly an anchor amidst the tumultuous possibilities of newfound
contentious or difficult relationship with their patron are divinity.
Jinxes, making demands at the most inconvenient times. This type of worship flourishes particularly well as a
GUILD God rewrites her Legend into history: The young couple
she saved in her days as a Scion no longer worship her just
A fledgling God rarely begins with guilds of her own
because of her heroics on that day, but because suddenly her
but may find traction as the co-patron to a parent’s or ally’s.
Godly self has been revered by their families for generations.
Those young Gods who do patronize a guild of their own
Other family traditions may erupt spontaneously, creating
often do so in honor of distinctly modern causes, laying
long histories of veneration, but they usually trace back to
claim to professions that simply didn’t exist beforehand,
some element of the God’s mortal life: her own family and
like Nymphstagram influencers or drone photographers.
friends, communities, even acquaintances.
These guilds gain new acclaim and legitimacy in exchange
for their worship, which can range from actual, ritual Common Fatebindings: Family traditions are a
veneration to supporting charities in a God’s honor to wild card for worship, and they often bring about wildly
simply namedropping them at the start of meetings. different kinds of Fatebinding. Balms are common when
a tradition connects them to their mortal life, but long-
This changes as a God insinuates her Legend into
favored clans often become Canaries/Martyrs when rivals
history. Suddenly, she becomes entangled with existing
and titanspawn identify them as easy targets.
guilds and professions, serving as a potential patron for any
work that resonates with her temperament, experience, HISTORIANS
Purviews, and Callings. This is a contentious process, It is a small mercy to young Gods that they are (largely)
because the professional world is largely a settled matter spared the pedantic attention of historian-cults. These
for existing Gods: They’ve hammered out who’s who Cults are enamored with recreating and honoring a past
and what’s what over the course of human history with a that predates the God herself, so new Gods only draw
delicate system of compromise and competition. Djehuty their attention to the extent which they either reflect that
is the gold standard for encryption and security-minded preexisting history or offer an avenue to discovering more

78 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

about it. A historian-cult might entreat a new deity for RELIQUARIANS
insight about a Pantheon’s mythic past and lost traditions.
If she provides answers, the God might gain their loyalty, Gods usually acquire reliquarian-cults as either
but such loyalty lacks depth: Historian-worshippers are unintentional byproducts of their existence or as specific,
often demanding and exact about what they perceive as the intentional investments. The first case are more common
correct form of worship and recompense. One of the greatest by far, congealing around incidental relics of the God’s
services they can provide, however, is insight about a God’s passing, everything from the deeply symbolic (a God’s
own Pantheon — including research into secret knowledge wedding ring, left behind at the moment of Apotheosis) to
and past indiscretions that older members might want to the… accidental (several small Cults are known to venerate
keep from the prying eyes of newly-ascended Gods. what they cheerfully refer to as “gamer God bathwater”; the
Gods involved are variously amused, horrified, and utterly
As a God begins to reach back through history, baffled by the practice). These Cults are among the most
insinuating her myth into the warp and weft of Fate, this numerous for a new God, as sacred objects abound in the
changes dramatically. Gods sometimes turn to historian- World from her life as a Scion, repurposed from celebrity
cults as the authority on what they actually did — a fledgling memento to divine icon with surprising ease.
Kami might reach backwards to position herself as a subtle
patron of Heian period art without knowing the thousands When creating a reliquarian-cult, a God crystallizes
of small changes her presence might have on history. In that their worship around an intentionally chosen object. Some
moment, she may turn to her now flourishing historian- use this as a way to sanctify tokens of their former life,
cult, who are often eager to present a meticulously curated ensuring that they become key features of their burgeoning
wiki of their patron’s impact on the World, complete with mythos — the Cult of a wedding ring might be a lasting
footnotes (and competing theories about her motivations). sanctification of the God’s mortal marriage, while one that
centers on her meticulously curated vinyl collection keeps
Common Fatebindings: Historian-cults are usually her taste alive in the World. Gods can also use truly magical
bound to their Gods as Apprentices, albeit with a more objects such as capital-R Relics to galvanize worshippers
contentious air than the norm — they have high expectations or have Cults form around Relics lost or abandoned during
of Godly propriety. When those standards aren’t met, they her time as a Hero or Demigod. Over time, it’s inevitable
sometimes become Jinxes instead. that a God’s panoply swells beyond her personal, daily
MYSTERY SOCIETY need, and sometimes those divine treasures can do more
good as objects of veneration than they can collecting dust
Mystery societies are more common among old Gods
in their Godsrealm loft (or an Underworldly basement).
than younger ones, simply because the many-layered
strictures that form a good mystery tend to accrete over Common Fatebindings: When purposefully created
time, like a grain of sand slowly being lacquered into a to safeguard a God’s relics, reliquarians are usually Balms or
pearl. When these societies do form for fledgling Gods, Canaries/Martyrs, especially when their relics are in high
it is usually as the result of a charismatic leader willfully demand by other parties. Cults that arise spontaneously to
assembling a complex mythology either at the God’s behest venerate unintended relics tend towards Jinxes instead,
or out of personal devotion. In either case, a God usually skewing the God’s worship in unexpected and often
has to quicken a mystery society by providing them with an unwanted directions.
actual mystery — some secret piece of knowledge about the SOCIAL CLUB
true workings of the World. These secrets are abundant for
even newly-ascended Gods, ranging from the truth about a Social clubs are, generally speaking, easy to manage.
Pantheon’s history and intentions to actionable intelligence They’re informal. They’re undemanding. They’re largely a
about places of ritual power. hands-off affair, raising a God’s profile with relatively little
investment of time, attention, or energy. At the best of times,
Like covens, mystery societies tend to flourish more they follow their God’s lead closely, focusing on charitable
as a God rewrites her Legend into history, emerging activities that build goodwill and material support for their
unexpectedly and unpredictably. Although the exact forms God’s causes. At the worst of times, they undermine a God’s
of their worship are a closely-held secret, mystery societies image by either ignoring her cues, misinterpreting them,
are often uniquely resonant with Fate, tying a God to certain or distorting them out of either incompetence, laziness, or
esoteric practices she might not have chosen to cultivate malice. A dysfunctional social club might invite ridicule,
(or tolerate) if left to her druthers. Such bindings run deep pity, or disgust, shaming the God’s other adherents by
rather than far, establishing a foothold in the deity’s story association.
that only deepens with time.
Like family traditions, social clubs often form around
Common Fatebindings: Mystery societies are a new God’s mortal acquaintances and well-wishers,
quintessential Worshippers/Unrequited Paramours, transforming fan clubs and mailing lists into formalized
developing an intense, life-consuming connection to worship. There’s a spirit of “I knew them before they hit it
their deity. Others tend towards Apprentices, especially big” among new social clubs; this enthusiasm can be helpful
in those Cults that focus on particularly contemplative or for spreading the word, but it also risks becoming faddish,
philosophical mysteries. elitist, or simply embarrassing — social clubs founded by

Cults & Religion 79

the friends, family, and stans of a new God have all the best strip mall where she once wrestled a tzitzimime warrior
stories about their embarrassing foibles and faceplants. into submission. Temples are stable sources of prestige
As her Legend seeps through the ages, social clubs and influence, but their stationary nature makes them
tend to chill and mature. They lose some of the fire and popular targets for rival Gods and titanspawn. It should go
immediacy that once surrounded them and settle into the without saying that a God is nominally expected to protect
long rut of tradition. They’re reliable sources of worship their temples from harm; even if a foe has no intention of
and usually great for maintaining a God’s brand, but they’re actually destroying a temple, the threat can be useful as a
less central to the lives of most cultists, making them harder way to divert a God’s time, attention, and resources away
to spur towards dramatic action. from some other target.

Common Fatebindings: Social clubs are flexible As a God’s Legend blooms, her temples become older
Cults, and can find themselves Fatebound in many different and grander, the subjects of myth and history all their own.
ways, but they tend towards being either Balms or Jinxes, An ascended Kami might find herself suddenly the subject
depending on whether or not they accurately reflect their of veneration at increasingly ancient shrines, slotting neatly
God’s wishes and aesthetics. into customs that stretch back beyond record and memory.
These temples are especially valuable as visible, tangible
TEMPLE monuments to a God’s Legend; they are in many ways the
suns around which other Cults orbit, defining themselves
Many Gods find their temples to be simultaneously
by comparison with and in contrast to a God’s oldest sacred
the easiest Cults to interact with and yet also the hardest
sites.
to mobilize in any meaningful capacity. Temples grant the
God a literal foothold in the World in a space consecrated Common Fatebindings: Apprentice, Balm, Boon
to her, serving as a rallying point for worshippers to gather. Companion, Worshipper — temples can fit almost any
New Gods are often incorporated to temple practice among Fatebinding, but they’re especially common as Canaries/
other members of their Pantheon: A newly ascended Scion Martyrs. Like family traditions, a God’s temples are popular
of Baldr might end up featured on an Æsir-temple’s posters, targets for rivals and enemies… and even better, you can
while the God formerly known as Guan Yu’s daughter find just about any of them from the nearest web browser.
might earn an altar beside her father’s own.
Temples for new Gods often form around sites rooted
DEVOUT LANDS
in her time as a Scion. Foundations quickly sprout up It’s rare to find worshippers who direct their whole
to have her childhood home declared a historical site. hearts towards a single deity. Those Gods who crave that
Funds are raised to erect a temple in the rubble of the kind of attention, validation, or control often secure it

80 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

through the creation of devout lands (Scion: Hero, p. The road from individual Cults to a cohesive creed
40) — settlements in the Midrealms or Overworld where runs through an ambiguous warzone of competition and
a God cultivates a bespoke society. There are other, more uncertainty. Cults tend towards independence, holding
generous reasons a God might choose to found a devout some local, personal view of their patron deity that doesn’t
land, whether to protect an endangered Cult, create a globalize easily. Covens, guilds, societies, mystery cults —
haven for her Scions, or establish a home separate from the all are organized around drastically different relationships
affairs of her Pantheon as a whole. with their Gods and seek different things from those
Even if a devout land wasn’t founded with one of relationships.
the God’s Cults in mind, they trend inexorably towards Building isolated and fragmented Cults into a true
founding one (or many) of their own, bent solely to their coalition is a challenge even for the Gods, one that typically
patron deity. They are commonly organized as covens, requires patience, effort, and good fortune. First, the Cults
family traditions, and social clubs writ large, with variation have to build a consensus about their patron: who they are,
based on the devout land’s size and population. Gods who what they want, and how they want things done.
take a particularly firm hand in engineering the societies For older deities, this is often complicated by their
of their devout land often push them towards a mystery multiple Mantles, but even the newly ascended have a
society instead, embedding their rites into the warp and handful of Legendary Titles, each emphasizing different
weft of daily life on a level both profound and subtle. facets of their Legend. Even a God who’s brave or desperate
The actual process of forging a devout land is a Divine enough to sit down with the leaders of her disparate Cults
Rule project (p. 68), requiring the God to find a suitable and say, unambiguously, what she wants may find some
location in the Midrealms or Overworld and tease out schism or another spreading like cracks in glass over
a new, blessed space through miracle and labor. This is whether “I want you to listen to each other” means all of
usually a project that plays out over the course of an arc, her followers, or just the ones who were in the room when
with the Storyguide offering challenges and opportunities it happened.
as the God surveys her newfound domain, addressing Building a religion is as rewarding as it is frustrating.
unintended threats and bending the landscape to her needs As she consolidates her image, a God has an opportunity
even as her people begin to put down roots and acclimate to create a coherent vision of her purpose, teachings, and
themselves to their new home. Legend. Her ability to organize and deploy resources in the
Most Gods consider themselves especially protective World also greatly increases, as individual Cults begin to
of their devout lands and the people therein. The more pool their resources for media buys, grassroots marketing,
she controls and orders their society, the more she owes to social initiatives, and other ways of projecting soft power.
them, at least in the estimation of most other Gods. This Not all Gods seek to forge a creed, and even those
means that she is expected to answer God-level threats to who do may pursue it in drastically different degrees.
her devout lands with special haste and zeal: A rival who Some seek a true coalition of Cults, united by an orthodox
unleashes a plague or monster on a devout land must be mythology, but others might only want their bickering
dealt with especially severely, lest others follow their lead. Cults to accept a central tenant, whether that’s a simple

MANY CULTS, promise to offer hospitality whenever asked or a complex

flowchart describing when, exactly, it’s appropriate to mix

ONE CREED patterns and plaids. Even among those Gods who maintain
their creeds with the rigor and attention of an ornamental
garden, wayward and heterodox Cults still crop up from

I ndividual worship is good. Given enough time and a strong

brand, this kind of worship can allow even a minor deity to
build a following, a myriad of Cults offering her a kaleidoscope
time to time — humanity manages to be beautifully messy,
even in the face of divine intervention.

of veneration. For some Gods, though, this isn’t enough.

Fractured worship seems insufficient or offends their orderly
NEW BIRTHRIGHT: CREED
While the Cult Birthright reflects a deep connection
aesthetic. These Gods may choose to try and unify their many
with a single, specific group of worshippers, Creed
Cults under a single creed, organizing them all around a
represents a God’s efforts in crystallizing her worship
framework of shared beliefs and practices. Doing so is long,
into a cohesive whole. It ranges from 1 to 5 dots and offers
bitter work, but it comes with the benefit of numbers: When
the God increasing influence and control over how she is
mortals act in common cause en masse, they are capable of
worshipped and perceived. A God with no Creed is subject
wonders (and, it must be noted, horrors). What starts as a
to mortal fancy and can only shape her worship through
tiny group in the basement of the local school can evolve into
personal intervention, with all the risk of Fatebinding
a network of temples with sites on almost every continent
that usually brings. A God with a well-cultivated Creed,
and a sleek homepage optimized for mobile.
however, has established a firm grasp over the form,
It’s the in-between from those two points that causes function, and style of her veneration, creating a shared
the problem. system of symbols and expectations that undergird all of
her disparate Cults.

Many Cults One Creed 81

 Each dot in the Creed Birthright can be used to where the mythologies and folklores of various cultures are
purchase one of the following benefits, some multiple true and alive.
times: The scholars of the World are more connected to
• Tenet: Each time you purchase this option, you cre- the truths of their roots: If anything, the idea that all
ate a tenet — a statement about what you call upon religions grew out of animism has become an oft-mocked
your worshippers to do (or not do), such as “Always paradigm. There are some modern scholars in the World
repay a debt freely assumed,” “Double check your that, at one point in time, put forth that all religions grew
sources before sharing rumors and clickbait,” or out of animism, and that the final or most modern version
“Fuck TERFs.” Followers increase their Attitude of religion is that of monotheism. Needless to say, this
toward the tenet by two steps, and you can automat- assertion, born from the Western scholars obsessed with
ically mobilize up to hundreds of followers to act in looking for the “religious common ancestor,” has been
accordance with a tenet without a roll. This benefit vehemently disregarded by most of the Pantheons. No
may be taken multiple times, creating a different religion is “baser” than the other, they are all toiling equally
tenet for each. in the Overworld and the World itself.
• Rites: You gain access to a new Motif for your mar-
vels based off the rituals and practices used in your
WAYS TO
Creed’s worship. Once per session, you may reflex- CATEGORIZE RELIGION
ively invoke a marvel through this Motif at no cost, Now, about the act of worship. Worship can be thought
so long as it is meant to protect, bless, or otherwise of as the ritual act that comes with religion. Through
benefit your worshippers. If the marvel would nor- worship, the Gods are adored or properly shown reverence
mally require imbued Legend, it lasts for the rest of and obeisance so that their followers would not invoke
the scene. their ire. Each religion in the World has some form or
• Brand: Your worship has made you a preeminent other of worship which is properly attuned to what their
patron for a certain occupation or role, increasing Pantheons expect of them.
the starting Attitude of characters associated with Worship occurs in various ways, however, and thus
that occupation or role by 2. Your worshippers enjoy differs for each Pantheon. While it is not uncommon for
a similar benefit, increasing the Attitude of associat- each of the Gods in a Pantheon to have their own Cults,
ed characters by 1 instead. usually parallel to that Pantheon’s religion, each Pantheon
has a different shared style of worship.
• Image: You have solidified a clear image of yourself
in the hearts of your worshippers, strengthening one Some religions, such as Zoroastrianism and Hinduism,
of your Legendary Titles. It can absorb an additional can be considered henotheistic, which means that while
Divine Wound (p. 71) before you lose its benefits, but they worship a single, overarching supreme deity, they
you suffer Complication 3 on any actions that use do not deny the existence of other deities. This is also
it while partially damaged, reducing its effective- something one can notice in the Hebrew Bible. Henotheism
ness. You may purchase this benefit multiple times, holds one God to be supreme, but it does not hold that other
choosing a separate Legendary Title each time. Gods do not exist. In fact, it does not mean those other
Gods are not revered or given the same worship. Another

RELIGION way this manifests is that in a large Pantheon of Gods; they

only worship one and give only passing reverence to the

S ince time immemorial, religions have been arising from other Gods in the same Pantheon, like how Saivite faithful
the actions and deeds of the Gods upon the World. When put Shiva above all the others.
a mortal saw the sun, they knew that they were watching the How this belief is reconciled is approached in many
movement of Apollo, or the face of Amaterasu. When they different ways: perhaps all the Gods are simply different
saw flickering flame tamed, they saw the bellowing forge of expressions of the same supreme being? Perhaps all the Gods
Vulcan, the eyes of Agni, the gift of Prometheus. are qualitatively one with God? What if God pervades all things?

ALL RELIGIONS ARE TRUE Indeed, what if God pervades all things? Let us for a
moment define God as that which is divine, stripped of its
Let us state the multiplicity as the truth. Multiple connotations save for divinity. In that moment, then, we can
religions: all true, all myths alive in tandem with each other, ask: “what if divinity pervades all things?” What if all things
much like humans. When we speak of religion, we speak of are divine? This is the foundation of pantheism, with pan
belief, worship, and ritual acts of the various Pantheons that meaning “all” and theos meaning “God” or “divine.” Some
exist and pervade the World. This is the preface because it pantheists simply worship all religions, all divinities, without
is important to note that religion itself is mostly a Western discrimination, giving each their proper reverence. Other
scholarly concept. A single definition of religion cannot be pantheists go even further: that all things are manifestations
applied to all cultures, and this is doubly true in the World, of divinity, that all things are divine, and thus demand
worship. What we see in nature is God in action.

82 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

 When it comes to the World, polytheism might be of intelligent war rather than an archon of indiscriminate
the most common form of worship due to the existence of violence, that God of War might take upon himself a more
multiple Pantheons and the most powerful forces in the tactician demeanor. This can work in reverse, as is the case
World being these Pantheons. Polytheism is the worship with Kali, whose origins are so complicated that none can
of multiple deities, usually grouped into a Pantheon. Of accurately pinpoint it anymore, but whose present form is
course, not all Pantheons ascribe to strict polytheism. Some well known: as that of the Dark Mother, untouchable and
Pantheons might dictate strict adherence to only their own howling.
Pantheon, but more often than not, someone who is devout
to a single Pantheon would pray and give reverence to other HOW GODS CHANGE
Gods who have shown them beneficence. THEIR RELIGIONS
Other forms of worship exist, such as monolatry, Whenever there is a shift in a Pantheon — such as a
holding a single God above all others. Even rarer is passing of a Mantle, or the death of a God — such things
monotheism — the belief that there is only one God, and ripple throughout the religion. At first like ripples in the
all other Gods some other type or types of supernatural pond, and then, a tsunami. Sweeping changes happen over
beings. This is true for many Pantheons wherein a God time, and this can lead to some devoted to a certain God to
splits off from their Pantheon. branch away, creating schisms between religions or leading
After all, all things are true in the World. Remember to growth of more Cults within a religion. Other times,
the truth of multiplicity, the all-encompassing truth. significant changes might not be even felt by worshippers,
as Fate and Legend is a constantly self-justifying force that
RELIGION IS ACTIVE uplifts the collective momentum of belief. When passing a
Religion in the World is an active force for the Gods: Mantle, Fate and Legend might warp the World to say that
Through it, they make themselves known and can spread the new Mantle holder was always the holder. A Cult or
their influence even further by capturing the hearts of two might remember, however.
more people, whether it be through their own deeds or More interesting is when a God would give up their
the perseverance and faith of those that work within Mantle to another God within the Pantheon. This can lead
the religion itself. Religions in the World share family to some worshippers feeling that the former God is better
semblances, for we are all humans. This is a unifying force suited to that Mantle, thus causing even more schisms from
that makes it easier to look at the Religions of the World, within the religious community. This can lead to more
but also allows for a supreme diversity that a multimythical infighting, and the rising of more Cults.
cosmos can achieve. Of course, powers in the Godrealms have put a stop to
A brief list of the family resemblances of religion this before. the World is a world of diverse religions, each
are as follows: belief in supernatural beings, a distinction one surviving until the current day. As the religions all
between sacred and profane, ritual acts focused on sacred/ come to a head, worshippers and the faithful of a particular
profane objects, and a moral code believed to be sanctioned religion might learn things from other religions, and in so
by divine beings. This categorization is in place so that we doing help grow their religion.
do not look for qualities that are present in all religions,
but rather, find what makes all the religions similar. Some HOW RELIGIONS FORM
religions might have ritual acts focused on sacred objects, When a religion begins, it is usually an uneventful
but might not have a moral code sanctioned by divine affair. A Pantheon now has worshippers, whether they’re
beings. These are still religions through and through. an old or a new one, whether they have a large number of
Gods being worshipped also have an impact on their principal members or not. In one way or another, it will
worshippers. As the old adage goes: as above, so below. begin with one of the family resemblances manifesting:
Worshippers of a particular God in a Pantheon, like Tyr Perhaps the first ritual is performed, or the first act of
or Ares, might be more valiant, exuding the virtues of the true belief and obeisance to a certain Pantheon of Gods,
God they worship. Inversely, worshippers in a religion that or perhaps the Pantheon grants their worshipper a code
practice the entire religion would uphold the virtues of the of moral laws from atop a mountain. These faiths can then
Pantheon itself, extolling and exalting them and aiming to be expanded, which the Gods would surely encourage
treat them as either moral codes to live up to or exemplars and motivate, just so that their power could expand even
and paragons of the ideal being. This might or might not be further.
detrimental, depending on who is being worshipped. A popular vector for the formation of a religion is those
Fatebound to a particular God. Some of them might develop
WORSHIPPERS IMPACT zeal for the God in question and inadvertently begin the
THE WORSHIPPED religion for them. A God might grant a Fatebound Lover or
Sometimes, things done by the worshippers can affect Rival a promise, a ritual, a prayer, or an oath. Maybe not just
the one being worshipped itself. If ever a larger contingent one Fatebound either, but many of them, promising to carry
of the religion would begin treating a God of war as a God on the wishes of a particular God. This can make for some

Religion 83
particularly faithful or zealous followers, as Fate conspires then that Incarnations truly are the safest way for a God to
to keep you together. interface with the World, lest a Titan or enemy God take
advantage of their weakness.
A GOD LEAVING THEIR PANTHEON
For more expansionist Pantheons from across all of
Sometimes a God breaks off from their Pantheon, if
the religions, religion can also be used as a metaphysical
Fate wills it. Suddenly, that God has a Cult of their own, and
weapon. The process of erasing another’s religion to
with enough tenacity and time, the Cult might grow into
supplant it with your own is a powerful tool for subjugation
a world-expansive religion with that single God behind
and for accruing power. However, it should be noted that
it. This is rare, as Fate so loves its numbers, but it is not
actually destroying a religion in the World is extremely
impossible. Certainly not improbable either. It has for sure
difficult to do, an aberration against Fate and Legend.
happened a great number of times, although they have
Thus, a more common form of conflict is the seizure of
not been exceedingly successful, as is apparent from most
worshippers, to warp and change that religion in such a
religions in the World being polytheistic in nature.
way that their religion ends up becoming detrimental to
The odds are stacked up against a single God Pantheon, the worshipped. In this way, a religion is changed, others
after all. A major benefit of a God having other Gods to are strengthened. An obliteration without obliteration.
stand shoulder-to-shoulder with is the fact that they can
Wars between Gods are a common way for religions
cover each other’s weaknesses and strengthen one another.
to both begin and end. Calamitous strife between divinities
For a single God, this is nigh impossible, although this is
can cause rends upon the World and the Godrealms. When
when the allure of becoming a Titan can fall upon them, a
this happens, one must be ready to choose a side or risk
shadow ever lurking.
being warped by the victor.
FORMING YOUR OWN RELIGION The topic of religion is no doubt sensitive in some
Building your own religion can be tough, but an easy areas. Some places see their belief or their rituals simply as
way to do so is to start with a small group and adhere to one a way of life, and not a religion in the sense of monotheism
of the family resemblances. If it has a family resemblance, or henotheism. They are right, of course, and is why the
such as a moral code or proper rituals for the sacred and term religion cannot be applied to every belief, or, if we
profane, then it will be treated as a religion. These religions wish to do so, it must be defined properly. Despite this,
can grow wider and wider, strengthening your power and they share the family resemblances of religion, and thus
maybe even expanding your Mantle. Be careful, however, are treated as such.
for as more worshippers gain a strong sense of your identity, As a God, one might use the fickleness and infighting
Fate will bend to justify their true beliefs. of religion to gain a foothold in the cosmos. Or they might
Whenever a God seeks to begin a religion, they must be able to grow one of their own, perhaps beginning from
first decide whether they are doing it on their own or doing a Cult when they were still but a Hero or a Demigod.
it with their Pantheon or Band. Or maybe they’re reaching Whatever a God might use it for, it is something that is
for the moon and creating their own Pantheon, one that inherently worldly and will have vast consequences. Their
would score the heavens with zeal and match even the actions toward the religions — and their own religions —
greatest competitors in the celestial realm. Sometimes will echo across the World.
Fate might not allow this, but Fate is fickle, and it so loves
watching chaos unfold. HERE, THERE (MAY)
ENDING A RELIGION BE DRAGONS
The question of a religion ending is trickier. If there are Some groups may wish to include the optional rules
worshippers, a Pantheon without Gods might eventually for Dragons as part of their transition to a God-level
find new Gods that would fulfill the Mantles of the now campaign. Any Dragon Heirs in the Band who’ve ascended
dead Gods. However, without worshippers, a Pantheon to full Dragons gain access to their own form of Divine
would be able to find a way to establish another religion Rule, detailed in Dragon Companion and reprinted below:
in another region. From what has transpired in the past, BASIC RULES
the only true way to end a religion (without the possibility
Dragons use the same basic rules as Gods when
of Fate allowing it to blossom again) is by exterminating
engaging in Divine Rule play, with some differences due
both the worshippers and the Pantheon at the same time. A
to their contrasting nature. Dragons spend or commit
nigh impossible feat, but impossibility is but a hurdle in the
Draconic Power in place of Legend, generating Effect in
realm of Gods and the Games of the Immortals.
the same way. Complications or other Effects that would
This is not easy in any manner of speaking, as Gods cause Fatebinding instead cause a Dragon’s Heat Condition
are immense in power and worshippers are wont to be to increase to 5 and immediately resolve. If a God and a
absolutely voluminous in numbers. But even if one were Dragon work together, they can combine Draconic Power
able to complete this task, doing so would be catastrophic and Legend to generate Effect without issue. Dragons who
in nature and might cause a rend in the Overworld or the have become part of Pantheons and bear Divine Mantles
Terra Incognitae — or even the World itself. It is no doubt

84 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

generally use the rules for Gods, unless they’re actively unnoticeable or stealthy; even in the Otherworlds, the
trying to shed the Mantle and act outside of Godly nature. natives tend to notice Dragons throwing their weight
around!
DRACONIC MEANS
Dragons differ from Gods in Divine Rule play more in MAGICAL INVESTMENT
how they take actions than the results of the actions they While lacking the direct connection to the marvelous
take. A Dragon and a God could both fell an army of giants power of Purviews enjoyed by Gods, Dragons possess
or grow a forest that blots out the sun, but Dragons lack powerful enough magic to shape Otherworlds and Terra
direct access to Purviews while Gods lack access to specific Incognita. Magical investment is a subtle and swift process:
Draconic Birthrights and powers, so the way they do so will the Dragon imbues or spends Draconic Power to one of
often be different. their Dragon Magics (such as Decay or Weather Control)
Dragons cannot work through bullying fate or to take an action appropriate to that Magic and generate
miraculous intervention, and thus they lack access to the Effect.
divine fiat, titled investment, and miraculous investment Unlike Gods using Purviews, this is a subtle process.
approaches to Divine Rule actions. They cannot gain Only beings in near proximity to the Dragon using their
Purview Prestige or vie for leadership of a Pantheon unless powers or already watching the character from afar will be
they somehow acquire a Mantle and live as God, in which aware who created the change in the world.
case they use the rules for Gods. This is a flexible but limited approach for Dragons
PERSONAL INVESTMENT engaging in Divine Rule actions. A Dragon can spend as
much Draconic Power on an instance of magical investment
Dragons are quite good at acting through personal
as they want, but each Dragon Magic they have access to
investment; having an ancient and powerful form makes
can only support one such magical investment at a time.
shaking the heavens that much easier. Dragons imbue their
Callings with divine power similarly to how Gods do, but SHADOW INVESTMENT
Dragons may choose to act with their unfettered draconic The draconic penchant for working through proxies
might. If they take full advantage of their great forms and agents extends to their actions in Divine Rule. A
when acting through personal investment, it ceases to be Dragon may empower an agent to work change in their
a stealthy approach, but gains +1 Effect, or +2 if the Dragon name in Divine Rule, spending or imbuing Draconic Might
is willing to increase their Heat Condition by 1. A Dragon to take an action through a Pawn or other appropriate
cannot benefit from this increased Effect simultaneously character linked to them through a Birthright. While
with any Stunts or abilities that would make their actions some Pawns may be wholly inappropriate to certain

Religion 85
 MAKING DEALS WITH DRAGONS
As fledgling Gods pull back the curtain on the deeper mysteries of the World, it’s a good opportunity
to introduce an entirely new faction of movers and shakers — provided your group is interested in them.
Dragons have as many takes on the Titanomachy as the Gods themselves do: For some, it is a pleasant
way for the enemies of dragonkind to weaken one another. For others, it is an unacceptable source of
danger and upheaval. Whatever their feelings, Dragons generally share a sense that it is acceptable,
wise, and necessary to profit from the war, capitalizing on the opportunities it presents. Even Dragons
sympathetic to the Gods — for they do not wish to reclaim their domain over the World only to have it
reduced to ash and cinders — offer their aid only for a price.
And many Gods are willing to pay that price, offering up treasures and especially secrets in return
for the intelligence that only Dragons can bring. Situated as they are at the center of a network of spies,
informants, and intrigue, Dragons and their Heirs represent subtle and deniable assets capable of turning
the tide.
It’s also possible to include Dragons as a part of the journey towards Apotheosis (and the period of
adjustment that comes shortly after). Just as new Gods are taking to their rightful place in the cosmos,
Lesser Wyrms are coming into their true inheritance as full Dragons. This shared experience of ascension,
moving from useful asset to peer and contender, might form the start of an understanding among newly-
empowered Gods and Dragons who may share a desire to shake up the status quo or seize the reins of
power for themselves.
If you choose to use Dragons in a game about Gods, remember that they are enigmatic creatures. Their
minds work in many directions at once, perceiving competing histories that the Gods themselves are blind
to. They can be deployed as valuable allies and powerbrokers, but they always have ulterior motives.
Including them is always entirely optional, and probably shouldn’t be used if they’ll distract from your
chronicle’s main themes.

tasks (a mundane accountant, even empowered through Legend a full deity can devote to a conflict, as do those
a true Dragon’s draconic might, is unlikely to be able to looking to make lasting changes in otherworldly climes.
dig an ocean or wound Indra), Pawns who are heroic or
supernatural characters (such as Heirs) can be driven to
DRACONIC FLESH
perform incredible feats. Dragons do not benefit from the love of Fate or the
onion-like layers of a Mantle to protect them in case of
This is a limited approach. Dragons can’t imbue or
enormous violence. They don’t possess Purviews or Titles
spend more Draconic Power on a Pawn or other proxy than
that can take the brunt of ontological harm, and their
that character’s Tier rating. A Dragon can only support as
Callings don’t absorb punishment the way a God’s can.
many shadow investments as their Tradecraft rating.
When a Dragon takes a Divine Wound, they select one of
This is a stealthy approach. Unless another character their slotted Transformation Knacks, indicating a natural
actively investigates the proxy’s behavior with powerful ability that’s impaired by their injuries. Until that Divine
supernatural abilities, the Dragon can hide their Wound heals, the Dragon can’t benefit from that Knack’s
involvement. mechanical effects. Fortunately, the draconic form is
This is a deniable approach. The Dragon may choose robust. Dragons heal a single Divine Wound at the end of
to sacrifice their Pawn to avoid Complications or Heat each episode and may recover an additional Divine Wound
generated from this Divine Rule action. during a session if given some magical form of healing.
If all a Dragon’s Transformation Knacks are injured
OPERATIONAL FUNDING and they take one more Divine Wound, the Dragon is slain.
The Hoards of full Dragons provide wealth and A paranoid or forward-thinking Dragon may already have
wonders that might impress even the heavens… or change contingencies in place for this, their network of Pawns
them, if put to good use. Many Dragons don’t like tapping preparing an Heir as their reincarnation or successor, but
into their Hoards, but given time to access them, Dragons such individuals must still tread the path of Remembrance
can fund magical or shadow investment Divine Rule actions to embrace and reignite the flame of true Dragonhood
with their Hoard’s treasures, each two points of Hoard that’s been so cruelly smothered.
spent equaling one point of Effect. Points of Hoard can only
be spent, not imbued, though they return at the end of the DIVINE NIBBLING
current arc as the Dragon reassembles their possessions. Dragons normally can’t (and often wouldn’t want)
Dragons who contend directly with the Gods find this to assume or steal divine Mantles. Doing so would bind
occasionally necessary to contend with the enormous them more tightly into Fate’s web, alienate them from their

86 CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF IMMORTALS

Flights and fellows, and move them firmly into the realm of prevents any other God from assuming it, while Scions
Gods and Pantheons. Yet with tremendous effort, Dragons and Demigods who wish to take it up must steal it back
can manage to make the World angry at them in all sorts of from the Dragon’s Hoard. Some Dragons might covet such
exciting ways! things as powerful bargaining chips with Gods or Titans,
Presented with a wounded God and an undefended while others might simply wish to possess it as the ultimate
Mantle, a Dragon can attempt to seal away the Mantle bauble for their collection (or in the case of the Joka, eat it).
within their Hoard. This requires the same investment If a Dragon seals away a Mantle within their Hoard or inside
of a Realm Condition (p. 67) as a God trying to steal the themselves, there’s always the chance that happenstance or
Mantle with all the same risks. In addition, if the Dragon Heat will result in divinely driven heroes becoming aware
suffers from their Heat Condition resolving, it will almost of what’s been stolen and coming to reclaim it.
certainly result in interested parties learning about the Dragons who have Mantles, such as Ao Guang, can
Dragon’s attempt and attempting to intervene. have them stolen just as Gods can, but upon losing a Mantle
If the Dragon’s attempt is successful, the Mantle a Dragon… is still a Dragon. If anyone successfully stole
becomes locked away within the Dragon’s Hoard. This Jörmungandr’s Mantle, they would still have an irate, fully
capable World Serpent to contend with.

Religion 87
 Çan nomaccah in nix in noyollo inic ni nouatzaz. Anoço inic ninocueponaltiz.
It is only by my hand, by my face, my heart, my spirit
that either I will wither, or I will bloom,
I will become as green land, as tilled earth
I will germinate, I will sprout.
— M xihcah proverb

Though it is impossible to detail and catalog all the a Clash of Wills to determine whether the Scion’s sense of
Gods and Pantheons of the World, this chapter expands our smell is working. However, if it works, it identifies what
understanding of the divine. These five Pantheons carry Pantheon the other divine being belongs to, even if they’re
with them ancient knowledge and even older enemies. a Titan and not an ‘official’ member of the Pantheon.

SCENT THE DIVINE GODS VERSUS

S TITANS, ONE
cent the Divine is a common Knack among Origin and
Heroic Scions, but Scions at Demigod and God tiers no
MORE TIME
longer need to spend a Knack slot to make use of it. This
Knack provides sensory indicators that other immortals are
nearby, specifically smell and sound. Scent the Divine does
not automatically locate the other divine being nor reveal
who in a crowd they are. It does, however, give its user a
E ach of the Pantheons of Scion: God are active participants
in the Titanomachy, although the Pālas have an unusual
relationship with Titans; while the Pālas are perfectly willing
powerful tool for finding their peers. It is not fool-proof, as to physically destroy the Titans, they’re just as willing to allow
other powers can automatically confuse it or at least trigger the Titans to convert to Buddhism and switch sides. Whether

WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?

If you’re playing with the optional Scion: Dragon rules, then several of the details of the Pantheons
are slightly different. First of all, Scent the Divine may provide the scent and sound of a Dragon’s Flight
(if they’re not concealing it somehow). Scions who are unaware that Dragons make up their own secret
faction within the Titanomachy might confuse the smell of a Flight for a Pantheon, especially one associated
with the divine being the Scion’s smelling. For example, a Naga might be confused for a Devá or a Pāla.
However, members of this chapter’s Pantheons who know Dragons are their own factions have subtly
different relationships with the Flights:
• Balahala have a negative relationship with the Lóng, due to a lesser version of the deadly Bakunawa
(p. 101 and p. 243) being a member.
• Ilhm have no special relationship with any of the Flights, although they’re wary of Dragons hundreds of
miles long, such as Jörmungandr or Ndengei, due to their experience with Lotan (p. 113).
• K’uh are on generally good terms with the Serpents, as there is a K’uk’ulkan in each of the groups,
although which is the real one is a secret that the Feathered Serpents hold close to their scales.
• Pālas recognize the Naga as distinct from themselves and the Devá. In fact, they prefer it that way, as
they’d rather view the Naga as allies against Titans. Of course, it’s unlikely that any of the Naga are
true friends to the Pālas. The Pālas also believe that they’re on friendly terms with the Lóng, which might
actually be true.
• Zemí get along reasonably well with the Serpents. The Serpents are especially interested in Iguanaboína,
viewing her as an honorary member, going so far as to prepare a guest chamber for her in Xol.
Lastly, the Midrealm of Xol and the Compact of Xol become more complicated, as Xol shifts from being
a meeting spot for the K’uh to meet with the Apu, TeōtTeōtl, and Zemí to being the home of the Serpents. While
Xol can retain its role as neutral ground between the four Pantheons, the home court advantage is clearly
the Serpents’. Naturally, the Serpents Flight replaces Q’uq’umatz’s informal Serpent Court. For additional
information about Xol and how it changes with the addition of Dragons, see Realms of Magic and
Mystery,, p. 89.
Mystery

Scent the Divine | Gods vs. Titans One More Time 89

 SMELLS LIKE DIVINE SPIRITS
The following smells and sounds can serve as more interesting and organic ways to indicate which
Pantheons are nearby instead of having the Storyguide announce the Pantheons by name.
PANTHEON SCENT AND SOUND
Anunna Baking clay; a bustling and crowded market
Apu Llama wool, thin mountain air; the whistling whir of a sling
Atua The salt of the sea; different seafoods cooking at once
Æsir Burning amber, with a snap of electricity
Balahala Sweat from heat and exercise; the clack of training weapons
Bogovi Rich, loamy earth; the rustling of dried, cracked leaves in autumn
Devá Incense, with a low humming
Draq Sea water and the echoes of water in a cave
Ilhm Spices, with the sounds of creaking ropes and fluttering sails
Joka Delicious raw meat, a rumbling stomach, and deep hunger
Kami Cherry blossoms, with a roaring wave
K’uh Fresh cacao and the cacophony of a jungle at night
Lindwurms Freshly mined gold and the soft jingle of coins
Lóng Fresh fish and the stillness that heralds a storm
Manitou Fresh tobacco smoke, impossibly high- and low-pitched voices whispering
Mythos Senses overlapping, the scent/sound/feel of unseen talons uncovering primal
fears
Naga Serpentine musk and soft cracking
Nemetondevos Distant rumbling of a massive wheel, the smell of an oak forest
Netjer Dry dust and sand, with a sound of wind
Òrìshà Rum and tobacco, with a drumbeat
Pālas Incense and a ringing bell
Plant Dôn Cleansing rain and wet mud, fresh vegetables stewing in a pot.
Shén Ink and old paper, with a sound of rustling silk
Serpents Fresh earth; the sounds of rain falling through a jungle canopy
Tengri Horseflesh and sweat, incense, throat singing
Teōtl Fresh blood, accompanied by the sound of a heartbeat
Theoi Olives in hot air, with a murmuring crowd
Tuatha Dé Danann Fresh grass and clover, with a sound of creaking wood
Yazata Juniper and sandalwood smoldering in a crackling fire, a murmured prayer
Zemí Cohoba smoke; a wooden mayohuacán drum

or not any of the Pālas’ allies will be as understanding about and p. 243) and are unlikely to turn down any help they can
any of these Titans’ conversions is doubtful. get in defeating that beast.
The Balahala are enthusiastic about defending their The Ilhm have been fighting Titans for a damn long
islands from all threats, which certainly includes the time. In fact, their struggles are older than the Greek word
Titans. They’re particularly concerned by Bakunawa (p. 101 “titan.” Since their war against the Titans has gone on for

90 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

millennia, some of the Ilhm have gotten to the point that more than willing to do what’s necessary to protect the
they’re completely inured to it; for them, extinguishing World (and beyond) from their eternal foes. And, while
Molech’s Titanspawn is no more notable than tying they’re willing to accept a Titan’s surrender and conversion
shoelaces or brushing teeth. to Buddhism, they’re no fools. Any Trickster attempting to
The K’uh are all too happy to fight the Titans, however pull one over on the Pālas had better be very good or they’ll
deciding whose plan they should follow in order to bring wind up very dead.
the battle to their foes involves almost as much yelling as Like the Balahala, the Zemí are focused on protecting
the skirmish itself. This would ordinarily be fine, except their islands from threats. In fact, their Overworld of Pico
their Titanic foes are much better organized. El Yunque is more than a home to relax; it also serves as part
The Pālas consider Titans to be demons, branding watchtower and part stormbreaker, providing an excellent
them enemies of Buddhism and the World. Despite the vantage point to see dangers coming as the mountain’s
stereotypes of Buddhists as peace-loving pacifists, the physical form dissipates whatever Juracán throws at
Pālas have no qualms about brutally crushing Titans with Boriken. Though most of their threats come from Titans,
violence. They’re not a bloodthirsty Pantheon, but they’re the Zemí are always wary of newcomers to the islands.

Gods vs. titans one more time 91

 A multitude of well-kept ones!
And Dumalapdap sighed,
“O dear Humadapnon,
Look out there and see
Out come all the diya
All the Diwata appear.
I bid you go inside the biday fast
Go inside the barangay
They number millions
Hundreds of thousands
Huh! thousands
Seven rows by the tambi
Seven rows by the door
Seven files from above it
Right there by the windows,”
Said Dumalapdap.
— Hinilawod: Adventures of Humadapnon, Tarangban I,
Chanted by Hugan-an, Recorded and Translated by F. Landa Jocano.

T he Balahala of the Visayas region of the Philippines stand

apart from the Anito of the Tagalogs and the various
Pantheons of Northern Mindanao. They share a great number
Balahala’s eyes, there is no difference between Gods, Titans,
and Primordials. They are all Balahala, interpretations
and manifestations of nature; some just came first. In this
of traits with their neighbors, of course, but they are unique, way, whenever a godly being disrupts the natural order or
and through that uniqueness exemplify the Visayas. But don’t threatens natural harmony, they will immediately be there
get it twisted: The Gods of Visayas are numerous and appear to stop such a being or phenomenon, no matter if they are
in every facet of life. God, Titan, or Primordial.
The term Balahala means ‘deity’ and is used to refer to The Visayas region is very diverse, with at least three
the Gods that the ancient Visayans worshipped, whether major languages: Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Waray-Waray,
ancestral hero-Gods or inhuman spirit Gods. Of these, the although many there also have some degree of knowledge
Diwata are true, and pure manifestations of nature, having of Tagalog and English. This is reflected by the modern
never been human, while the Umalagad are ancestral Balahala: They all know at least three languages, and
guardian spirits, and their appeasement is the common usually more. This also reflects the Gods of the Pantheon:
goal of worship, as they have control over the fates of They originated from every island, from Samar to Cebu to
mortals. Together, they are known as the Balahala, which Panay. The islands of Leyte and Samar, for example, have
comes from Sanskrit bhattara, meaning noble lord. some Diwata that contribute to the overall Pantheon of
Balahala are themselves Gods, but they do not see Visayas, as do Cebu, Bohol, Buglas, and Panay.
themselves as being distinct from Titans. In fact, in the

92 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 In fact, the Balahala are countless in number and
infinite in their names. For as nature is limitless, so are the AMIHAN, THE COOL
Balahala. However, the most powerful of the Balahala are NORTHEAST WIND
revered as Gods, and constitute a genuine Pantheon. The Aliases: The Northeast Monsoon, The Trade Winds
Balahala thrive in the mountains, in the rivers, in the seas.
They have been here long before any of us have walked this When the cold wind blows and turns the night into a
earth. chilly respite, that is when the Filipinos know that Amihan
has arrived from his northeastern kingdom. A powerful

PRINCIPAL wind God and, in other cultures’ terms, a Primordial,

Amihan possesses great power and a large kingdom of

MEMBERS wind people that do his bidding.

In times now past, Amihan and his kin had to travel to

T he Balahala are powerful and proud warriors, cunning

sages, and wise spirits. While they are innumerable, some
possess such strength that their worshippers hold
the Southwest Kingdom to fish and collect resources due to
the limited resources of their land. This angered Habagat,
the Hot Southwest Wind, who waged war against Amihan.
them first among the hundreds and thousands A vast sea war engulfed the two lands. After the fight-
of others. They form the core of the Balahala ing, the ships were too huge to have sunken into the
Pantheon. The names and stories of these sea, and thus they became the islands of Samar and
Balahala have echoed for centuries in immortal Leyte.
songs by Visayan priestesses. Their influence Amihan is proactive and takes initiative.
even colors and defines aspects of modern When he needs something, he seeks it out, the
Filipino Christianity, though few Gods or fickleness of the wind at his back. He is swift:
worshipers realize it. darting and leaping. He is quick to an-
Some Balahala are Diwata. ger, but quicker still to adventure. He
Diwata are nature Gods and is jovial and quick-witted, sarcastic
holy powers; sometimes other at times, and brings a certain air
Gods would misconstrue the of levity to Godly Councils.
Diwata as Primordials, especially Amihan is a savior God,
given their connection to their having intervened on multiple
own land. They play with each occasions to pluck mortals from the
other and treat each other like long clutches of disaster or despair. It’s
lost siblings, despite hailing from said that Amihan has great rever-
separate islands and having different ence for the beginnings of things, and
origins. In fact, they find unity in if the Northeast Wind senses that
diversity, harmony in duress. Some mortals are Fated for greatness,
Balahala are also ancestor spirits, he swoops down from on high to
powerful mortals who have proven counsel or rescue, as the situation
their might and now hold power over demands. This interference only
parts of the World. Other Balahala are comes once, however. If a mortal
Umalagad, guardian spirits who guard cannot save themselves after being
a particular individual or part of the warned of their destiny, they’re un-
World and whose Legend has grown deserving of it.
enough for them to be worshipped
and deified. For them, gender is fluid like the seas Habagat was once his friend, but the
of our ancestors: They take up a gender that best suits war that created Samar and Leyte is still fresh in
the current generation but are beyond the gender norms his memory. Old wounds fester. This doesn’t faze him too
imposed by the West. To the Gods, gender is the stars. much, however, and he continues on in his day, bringing
chill to the night. Whenever problems with Titans arise,
The Gods of the Balahala Pantheon include Adlaw he will always attend meetings and councils with the other
(The Sun), Amihan (The Northeast Wind), Banwanun Gods, although he is prone to jumping in headfirst without
(God of Forests and Hunting), Barangaw (Rainbow and any backup.
Victory), Bulan (The Moon), Habagat (The Southwest
Wind), Inaginid (War), Lalahon (Volcanoes and Harvests), This attitude has transferred onto his Scions. They
Layang Sukla (Beauty), Makanduk (Raiding), Munsad are never in just one place: They always seek something
Buralakaw (Civilization), Mawayen (Carrier of Dead that might help their personal station in life or help their
Souls), Pandaki (Savior of Souls, messenger of Sidapa), and loved ones. “Di mapakali,” some would say of them, which
Sidapa (Mortality and Death). is Tagalog for “can’t keep still.”
Whenever a Scion learns of their heritage, Amihan is
always there, swift like the moon wind, granting them aid,

Principal Members 93
as he did in times of old. He then immediately gives the would never suffer too much from them. In fact, they were
Scion a task to do, saying: “We all live in the same boat, so beneficial, as Habagat’s furious winds brought rain that
we all have to do our part.” was important for farming.
Callings: Creator, Hunter, Trickster Habagat harbors a deep, burning resentment for Gods
and Titans with a focus on home, sanctuary, and earth.
Purviews: Chaos, Epic Dexterity, Epic Stamina,
On some level, the Southwest Wind acknowledges the
Journeys, Passion, Sky
necessity for these things, and enjoys his part in providing
HABAGAT, fertility to the land, but whenever mortals look downward
THE HOT SOUTHWEST WIND in thanks to the bounty of the earth instead of toward the
sky and sea, he feels a bitter jealousy that drives him to
Aliases: God of Wind and Rain, The Angry God, The
scour verdant shores into rocky bluffs and threaten humans
Monsoon
who have the hubris to build their villages and towns on
When the hot wind billows and turns the day into a rush cliff edges. On more than one occasion he’s instructed his
to death, that is when the Filipinos know that Habagat has Scions to purge a settlement harboring titanspawn, only for
arrived from his silver and gold kingdom in the southwest them to find their quest was founded on a lie, born from
sky. As the hot wind, he is the herald and manifestation Habagat’s resentment. He inevitably regrets his impulsive
of storms and monsoons. That said, the rain that Habagat nature and tries to make amends, again via the actions of
brings is a blessing for farmers among the isles. his Scions.
Habagat rules the sky kingdom of Himpapawiran, into Habagat’s Scions are much like him: prone to anger
which Amihan intruded and collected resources from. In and overreactions, but dependable and fiercely protective
his wrath, Habagat warred with Amihan, which created of their loved ones. His Scions usually appear during a
the islands of Samar and Leyte, which had formerly been storm, and it is a little known fact that most, if not all, of
their gigantic warships. Even now he reigns in his heavenly these storms are named after them. In general, he calls
realm of Himpapawiran, and although he still harbors for his Scions to travel inland, to expunge land-based
a small amount of spite for Amihan, he is not averse to monstrosities and atrocities that he cannot reach with his
working with him. burning monsoon winds. If Habagat sees a particularly
With his control of rain, winds, and storms, Habagat promising Scion, he asks them to swim across a strait to
floods the islands to rid them of titanspawn and other reach a deserted island that houses their Birthright.
anathema. However, this flooding can unfortunately Callings: Creator, Guardian, Warrior
kill many humans. To Habagat, however, this is not his
Purviews: Epic Strength, Epic Stamina, Order, Sky,
fault. Before the coming of colonial powers, man lived
War, Water
harmoniously with Habagat’s storm winds, and they

94 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 caused them to be powerful in battle. Due to this, she
INAGINID, DEITY OF WAR is very often seen as a mighty serpent, and serpents in
Aliases: Ynaguinid, War Mother, Serpent Goddess, precolonial Visayan religion are powerful representatives
One of the War Gods Three of the Gods and guardian spirits. She taught them the art of
forging weapons and other accoutrements for war, but only
The Spanish knew the Eastern Visayans of the
weapons. Furthermore, she taught the ancient warriors
precolonial Philippines as the Pintados: fierce, unbreakable
the key to guerrilla fighting and using the land to their
tattooed warriors whose raids reached all the way to the
advantage.
shores of China — and in one epic, even Heaven itself.
Inaginid is one of the War Gods that the Eastern Visayans In modern times, she teaches warriors and martial
worshiped and paid sacrifices to in times of eld. This is artists in the provinces, even showing them how to forge
alongside Makanduk, whom they sacrificed to before raids, iron, but still only iron weapons. She refuses to train the
and Barangaw, the rainbow, whom they sacrificed to for warriors who are only working in the name of a jealous,
victory. fascist God. She therefore teaches true Filipino martial
arts to eskrimadors, travelers, and farmers that live in the
Inaginid is the most mysterious of the three. She is
probinsya and the barangays that dot the countryside. In
known to be a Goddess that can grant might and bravery,
so doing, she believes that they will gain a fighting chance
and is the patron of warlords, warriors, and datu, a common
against the powerful forces of the titanspawn.
term for chiefs in the Philippines. Inaginid herself has tried
to keep quiet and unknown for most of her life, for she did Her Visitation is lowkey, just like her existence. She
not want the fame and recognition. This later became a approaches her children and offers to teach them some
boon for her, as the Castilian Gods did not seek her or wage martial arts, an offer which the Scion can hardly reject.
war with her during colonization. After the training session, the Scion is awakened to their
ability and gains a special penchant for warfare and martial
Visayans invoke Inaginid for war, but she is not a God
arts — one that cannot be repressed. Inaginid looks for
of wrath or anger. Instead, she is a God of wise warfare
folk that would value freedom and love above all, and so
and intelligent planning. Other Pantheons’ Gods might not
she very regularly finds her Scions in the provinces and
refer to her as a tactician, but that is because the tactics
mountains and the plains and the valleys, where the folk
needed in the isles are different from the tactics needed
live in reverence of their environment and in harmony with
in other countries, and so the Balahala all consider her to
nature, if not their fellow humans.
be the wisest of all tacticians. She is slow to anger, quick
witted, and even quicker of hand. She was the one that She trains her children to become freedom fighters,
taught the warriors of Eastern Visayas to bless their steel especially in today’s hegemonic society. She usually
and bronze weapons with venom from snakes, which has Incarnates as activists, mountain fighters, and leaders of

Principal Members 95
 war in the isles. Thus, Makanduk himself is not a conniving
God of thievery, but rather, a God of strength, of might over
PRONUNCIATION all. In fact, as songs are commonly sung during voyages to
GUIDE conduct raids, Makanduk is frequently associated with sea
shanties and songs that arise from the waves as well.
In general, languages in the Philippines
tend to have only three major vowels: A, E/I, He does not teach martial arts, but rather, ambushes
and O/U. Despite being a frequent target of planned well in advance. “A prepared datu is the only
mockery, the inability to distinguish between datu that will survive.” He says that his favorite modern
E/I and O/U sounds is just a feature of our superhero is the Horned Detective. Many of his Scions echo
languages, and viewing it as a ‘mistake’ this sentiment, and he chooses those people that thrive
is an imposition from English. This means firmly outside established norms to become his Scions.
that whenever you see a word that has an These outsiders are raiders, plunderers, inheritors of the
E or I, or O or U, those letters are usually Philippines’ ancient past. To take back what is rightfully
interchangeable. theirs, they must raid the stores of those that keep it from
A – pronounced like the “u” in “cut” or them.
“up” in most English dialects.
Makanduk has a playful rivalry with his counterpart
E/I – pronounced like the “i” in “machine.” war Gods, not limited to Inaginid and Barangaw, as he’s
O/U – pronounced like the “u” in “rude.” ever interested in sailing and doing battle with those
AY - pronounced like the “i” in “time.” beyond his own pantheon. Makanduk isn’t one for a
NG - pronounced like the “ng” in simple duel or pitched skirmish however, preferring to
“running.” launch unanticipated raids on the temples and followers
of war Gods from Ares to Hachiman. His enthusiasm for
such activity is a trait for which many Gods regard him as
armed forces, but never on the side of the government. an incorrigible pest, though others view his unexpected
But she never attracts too much attention. Her war is a challenges as a heroic trial to anticipate and subvert.
revolution, one that will never end. Redirecting Makanduk and his Scions to another God is
always an opportunity for great humor and celebration,
Callings: Guardian, Leader, Warrior
even as war follows.
Purviews: Chaos, Epic Dexterity, Epic Stamina, Epic
During a Visitation, Makanduk immediately gives
Strength, Forge, War
his Scions an important duty, like a superhero would to
MAKANDUK, GOD OF a sidekick. Many of his Scions prefer the lifestyle of the
RAIDING AND PLUNDER vigilante, since they understand that the law is imperfect
and actively harmful, as the rich can take advantage of it
Aliases: Macanduc, Macandoc while the poor simply suffer. To that, Makanduk gives his
The Pintados of Eastern Visayas were peerless raiders, Scions a simple mission: raid the rich, feed the poor.
whose reach extended to China. Before going about their Callings: Hunter, Leader, Warrior
raids, they would give offerings to Makanduk, their Diwata
or Balahala of war. They would cast lots and sit within their Purviews: Artistry, Chaos, Epic Dexterity, Epic
boats and ask for the Diwata to tip the boat if going was Stamina, Epic Strength, War, Water
a bad idea. Makanduk was the one that gave them the go BARANGAW,
ahead.
THE RAINBOW OF VICTORY
And it worked. The ancient Visayans were known as
Aliases: Varangao, Barangao, The Rainbow
terrors of the seas, and they would frequently war with
and raid other islands, from the far south Mindanao region Barangaw is the rainbow itself. When a warrior sees
all the way to Southern China and Taiwan. Makanduk led the rainbow, they give offerings to Barangaw, for they know
them all the way. His spirit filled their hearts, galvanized that their next battle will be victorious and fruitful. They do
their souls, and dynamized their weapons. None could stop this to give thanks to the Rainbow of Victory, the insignia of
the iron raiders. triumph, who will grant them their next true success.
Makanduk himself is a lover of war and violence. He Barangaw not only gives good omens and victory to
thrives in the thrill of the fight, in the flow of the hunt. With warriors; they also carry those who died during combat or
wit and inspiring songs, he puts other people to motion to in other such heroic ways to their Overworld, Kahilwayan,
fight for what they think is right and grab what is rightfully where they serve the Gods as guardian spirits known as
theirs. Makanduk was widely revered, but now the Filipinos Umalagad that can descend upon the world and choose
of the World see him as a simple God of Pirates, which could to invisibly protect and give aid to their own descendants.
not be further from the truth. In ancient times, raiding and These powerful spirits owe their line’s continued prosperity
plunder were the primary forms of warfare on the islands. to Barangaw. There are also stories that Barangaw arrives
What was considered piracy by the West is known simply as to bless the birth of a great Diwata.

96 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 Barangaw is pretty chill, themself. They love lounging you, and crush you, and crush you. But you choose to carry
about, and they welcome those heroes who climb up the the weight anyway, because who else will?”
rainbow with open arms and a cup of rice wine. They Munsad Buralakaw is known to be loving to humanity,
rarely mingle with mortals in the World, and when they do, but not overly protective of them. His favorite pastime is
it is because they know that there is something important watching humans devolve into conflict, which he deems
about to happen in the vicinity. People notice their rainbow interesting and quintessentially human. Sometimes, using
colored eyes and ever-shifting hair color, as well as their his powers over humans themselves, he is prone to taking
complete defiance of the West’s dichotomous gender. When control of people and enforcing conflict. He watches this
asked about what they’d like to be called or perceived as, from either Kahilwayan or among the people, where he
Barangaw shrugs and says, “back in my day, we didn’t have usually Incarnates as an old beggar pushing a wooden cart.
that concept.” And with a smile, they slip away. He watches and loves watching, and despite his power
Barangaw chooses Scions in whom they see the largest to control humanity, he chooses only to nudge them into
potential for victory. In doing so, they do not particularly action. To him, humankind must take free will by the
look for great achievers or those who win all the time: reins, and to control them is taking away what makes them
Instead, they choose those that can stand up no matter human.
how often they are knocked down. The greatest victory, Munsad Buralakaw is a frequent recipient of offerings,
in Barangaw’s eyes, is one that comes after hardship. “To though his humility prevents him from reveling in the
jump higher, one must first squat down,” Barangaw says. successes of his Scions and human followers. It’s implicit that
“For the rainbow to reach the sky, it must start from the anything captured from titanspawn or a rival God should be
ground.” presented to Munsad Buralakaw during significant events
Barangaw’s blessing of victory has an edge to it, such as community gatherings for weddings, funerals,
however. The expectations they place on their Scions and the celebration of a war’s triumphant conclusion. An
is extreme, with crushing disappointment always a offering made to Munsad Buralakaw during a prisoner’s
possibility. Barangaw sees victory as something everyone trial is said to result in the wise God’s words whispering
should strive for. Accepting less is accepting defeat, the truth of the crime to the judge’s ear, thus preventing the
and Barangaw has little time or attention for someone punishment of the innocent, and guaranteeing the correct
wallowing in loss. Scions and followers of Barangaw who penalty for the guilty.
aren’t trying to hit their next achievement or reach the next Munsad Buralakaw always takes on a humble
peak in their chosen field find the rainbow darkened and appearance and watches over his children carefully,
their God’s breath sour. There’s the ever-present feeling warning them of dangers, just like he did with his son
that to disappoint Barangaw is to disappoint life itself. Humadapnon. During Visitations, he appears as a lowly
During a Visitation, Barangaw’s Scions are given the elderly man, smiling and bringing with him dirty ice
immediate goal of triumphing in something. Sometimes cream and a Birthright. His Scions will immediately feel a
this doesn’t even involve a physical encounter, but rather, familial connection, before they see the Birthright he has
a Scion might see the rainbow and immediately be filled given them revealed to be an ancient Philippine weapon or
with the drive to succeed in something that they must do. item. When they realize their divinity, and their Fate is laid
This burst of inspiration creates optimistic and very bright before them, Munsad Buralakaw leaves with a wink and a
Scions, ones that never shy away from a fight, no matter hush.
how insurmountable it might seem. The next time Munsad Buralakaw appears to his
Callings: Leader, Lover, Liminal Scions is to personally give them an important mission.
Purviews: Artistry, Beauty, Epic Dexterity, Fortune, This is often to help maintain order among mortals, and
Sky, War thus many of his Scions go out on quests that deal with
concepts of civilization and justice, with law and order.
MUNSAD BURALAKAW, HE “We cannot trust those in power,” he always says. “So let us
WHO HAS POWER OVER MEN take the reins ourselves, and be heroes.”
Aliases: God of Politics and Civilization, Patron of Callings: Judge, Leader, Sage
Warriors and Heroes Purviews: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Journeys,
Munsad Buralakaw is a stalwart monument of the Order, Passion, War
Balahala. Hailing from the Hiligaynon people, his story
lives on in the Hinilawod, an epic transmitted by the
LAYANG SUKLA,
Sulod people of Panay. He is no stranger to siring Scions: GODDESS OF BEAUTY
After all, one of the most popular and most powerful of Aliases: Sukla, Deity of Love
Philippine folk heroes, Humadapnon, was his son with a Layang Sukla is the Goddess of Beauty among the
woman named Ginbitinan. He happily lends his power and Sulodnon of Central Panay. One of the many deities in
strength to those with the courage to lead. “Taking on the the Visayan Pantheon, she has risen in importance and
responsibility of leading a people is a weight that will crush significance in modern times, as beauty and aesthetics

Principal Members 97
become a topic more and more at the forefront of Filipino mind. Lalahon is she who lives within the volcano
thought. Layang Sukla represents Indigenous Filipino Kanlaon. Kanlaon is the highest mountain in the Visayas
beauty, one more or less untouched by the influence of region and is an active stratovolcano. To ancient Filipinos,
more than 400 years of colonialism. the mountains are the greatest of statues and altars. They
When seen on the street, Layang Sukla is truly humble, needed no temples: Nothing their hands could make could
unlike some other Goddesses of Beauty. Her beauty is not exceed the majesty of the world’s natural creations.
overpowering, nor can it cause one to cry tears of blood. Within the mountain lives Lalahon; very frequently
Instead, her beauty is the kind that lingers in your soul after considered a Goddess of volcanoes, she is actually a
the slightest glance. That face you see in the street, or on the Goddess prayed to for prosperity and a good harvest.
far side of the jeepney. She has no trace of Western beauty; However, due to her residence within Kanlaon, the power
her beauty is the beauty that ancient Visayans would of earth and fire is also under her purview. She is considered
consider beautiful: a flat broad nose, a broad forehead that Malaon, the Ancient One, and many Christian missionaries
might or might not slope back, and a round face that is compared her to their God. To that she would say, “I am far
constantly likened to the moon. more powerful than that.”
Layang Sukla’s beauty is one that poets see in the Lalahon is one of the most powerful deities among
middle of a night at the bar and can never stop thinking the Balahala. If not appeased or offered sacrifices, she
about, so they create TV shows and songs about her, could summon pestilence and locusts upon harvests, or
including a drama dominant on streaming services today. cause Kanlaon to erupt, destroying much of the area’s
This show tells a tale of a woman in a “traditional masculine crops and natural resources. Thus, she is often rightfully
role” where she holds the throne of a criminal empire while revered above all others. Her influence is the strongest on
trying to balance the struggles of mundane family life. the island of Buglas (sometimes known as Negros), where
Comparisons to The Sopranos abound, but the actor they she has millions of worshipers. Not only have her faithful
have in the Layang Sukla role is such a fierce, strong, and successfully resisted centuries of colonizing missionaries;
deeply beautiful presence, and her performance as someone they’ve converted hundreds of priests to Anito.
trying to hold together a family in a state of civil war with Her power is immense, and all know this. Those that
her forgiveness and creativity as her main weapons, has travel past Kanlaon are immediately awed and impressed
won armfuls of awards. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the lead with her majesty. She is just and patient, but she metes out
player in this show is one of her Scions. rightful punishment to those who do not give her worship.
Layang Sukla is still adjusting to her position as a This is reflected in her Incarnations in the modern day: She
principal member among the Balahala, and one that has is often a judge or the head of a businesses or institution.
become a constant source of worship. She is a beauty that Her wit and intelligence are always correct and cutting.
can be found among rebel groups in the mountains or During her Visitations to her Scions (which she
activists protesting in the streets, sheened with sweat but chooses purely out of luck or attraction to their parent),
still blooming in the sun. Her beauty carries her to court, she tells them that they must complete a pilgrimage to the
and she has more than once been an actual congresswoman mouth of Kanlaon at any cost. If they succeed, she grants
in the Senate. them their Birthright, with an innate passion and a goal:
When choosing or conceiving Scions, she chooses “The Ancient One still sings, and the rest of the islands
Scions who are beautiful in their own way. The Scions she must know this.”
conceives and chooses never end up as supermodels. “They Callings: Creator, Judge, Leader
don’t even know me,” she would say. “But that is well.
They are not mine.” During the Visitation, she manifests Purviews: Earth, Fertility, Fire, Fortune, Health,
as a humble mother or father, loving and kind, granting Order, Prosperity, Wild
the Scions a simple bronze mirror that only reflects truly
spiritual things. She then asks her Scions to look for true SIDAPA,
beauty, not one found in screens or magazines, but in THE ONE UPON MADJAAS
themselves. Aliases: Saripad, Sri Dapa, Salipada, Si Dapa
Callings: Lover, Healer, Sage Sidapa has recently returned to the minds of modern
Purviews: Artistry, Beauty, Deception, Fortune, Filipinos due to the story of his sacred tree. Upon the peak of
Passion, Prosperity Mount Madjaas, the highest mountain in Panay, is Sidapa’s
Tree. Upon Sidapa’s Tree, whenever a mortal is born, he
LALAHON, SHE WHO marks upon the tree the length of that mortal’s lifespan.
LIVES WITHIN KANLAON None other than Sidapa can understand these markings.

Aliases: Malaon, Laon, Raom, Canlaon Due to this, Sidapa is more or less very calm and
collected. When needed, he travels to the far reaches of the
Lalahon was misunderstood by the Spanish mountain to help men and women understand the secrets
missionaries who arrived on the isles, but she doesn’t of death, which has been codified in the Anito religion.

98 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 Sidapa favors watching over others. When coming to send them in a flight from Fate (which rarely succeeds)
down from his position at the peak of Mount Madjaas, or into his arms.
he usually becomes a classic tambay who lounges about When his free time is up, his work is ferrying deceased
streets and alleyways, playing chess and drinking beer and souls from the shores of the living into the land of the
whatnot. He doesn’t have a job he seeks to do, but he does dead. There, in Sulad, he makes sure that those worthy of
like talking with those alive, knowing that they are making Kahilwayan or the Sky are appropriately removed from the
the most of the lifespan given to them. others, who carry on to Si Siburanon, the slaver of poor
Sidapa is not a terrifying God of death, instead seeking souls. There, the deceased toil endlessly in the fields of the
to instill in his worshipers the acceptance of death’s dead, living similarly as they did in life.
inevitability, along with the possibilities life offers. Since Mawayen is one who has accepted Fate and all it entails.
his reemergence in Filipino consciousnesses, he hovers He is fatalistic to a fault, and unlike Sidapa and the other
above those close to their final breath or leans in a shadow Balahala, he very rarely intervenes in what happens in the
just out of sight, waiting for the moment of deliverance. He World, which has caused others to look down upon him.
associates with winter and frost, as a season humans can Never have the people of the islands needed the Balahala
dread or learn to accept. To his mind, and the minds of his more, after all. For his part, Mawayen cares little for what
Scions, even harsh climates bear the possibility of fruit. his fellow Gods think. Even they will die, eventually.
When it comes to Scions, he does not make a mark Despite this, Mawayen still looks for Scions worthy of
for them until he has Visited them. He usually manifests his deathly abilities. Whenever a Scion is chosen or is born,
either as a mother or a father and looks like a deadbeat Mawayen immediately visits them and grants them a piece
father trying to dress up for an interview. He teaches his of gold and then a weapon for fighting the hardships of war,
Scions to enjoy life just a bit, and then tells them to make and then vanishes, never to be seen again. He faithfully
a pilgrimage to the peak of Madjaas, whereupon he will goes about his job, but to many it is simply not enough.
mark their life and tell them that their life begins then. He
will give his Scions weapons that they can use to carry out Callings: Healer, Judge, Liminal
Sidapa’s singular mission: making sure every mortal with Purviews: Darkness, Death, Fortune, Prosperity,
their lifespan marked upon the tree is allowed to live out Water
their assigned time. Sometimes this can be morbid, as some
mortals live longer than their allotted time, whereupon BANWANUN, LORD OF
Sidapa calls in his Scions to rectify that mistake. “Nature
must be followed, lest unnaturality rip apart the fabrics of
HUNTING AND FORESTS
Aliases: God of the Forest, Father of Hunting
the cycle.”
When ancient Visayans would hunt in the forests, they
Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Healer
made sure to offer one of their hunts to a tree stump altar.
Purviews: Darkness, Death, Earth, Epic Stamina, They offered this to Banwanun, lord of the forests. Other
Frost, Health, Wild than being the lord of the forests, he also ruled over all that

MAWAYEN, lived within the forests, such as beasts, trees, and other
plants.
FERRY OF DECEASED SOULS Banwanun is a mostly quiet deity who lets warriors
Aliases: Maguayen, Magwayen and hunters enter upon his domain to hunt as they wish.
Mawayen is a common name across all Visayan In the past, this was never a problem: The ancient Visayans
religions. In some, she is the wife of Kaptan, who killed could never hunt the creatures in his forests to extinction,
their grandchildren. In others, he is Kaptan’s equal, and for there were simply too many things. That has changed
one that ruled the seas while Kaptan ruled the sky. More in modern times, however. With the new technology and
commonly, he is seen as the Carrier of Souls, the one that neoliberal policies of the modern government, mortals have
ferries the deceased from the living earth to the dead lands taken to absolutely annihilating the populations of beasts
of Sulad. and flora. Even worse, the common folk of the Philippines
have begun to think that the forests are actively hostile
Mawayen can be seen floating among the living as an against them thanks to the teachings of Christian priests.
ever-watching ghost. He has a penchant for watching and
admiring those that enjoy their lives to the fullest, whether Banwanun weeps even as he now houses rebels against
it be ancient Visayan raiders or the street rat playing the corrupt government, granting them enough strength,
wooden tops. He is commonly seen traveling with Sidapa, provisions, and sometimes even weapons. He never chooses
death deities living alongside each other. Where Sidapa is Scions who are rich or the children of politicians.
content to watch, or encourage lives of bounty, Mawayen During a Visitation, he will challenge his Scions to
prefers to whisper to the dying or frightened that death is travel to the forests to experience the truth. There they
close and there are no guarantees in this life or any other. need to face a gauntlet of challenges, not too difficult for
Sometimes these words encourage people to embrace their the Scion. Then, Banwanun will reward them with their
remaining days, other times Mawayen’s cajoling is enough

Principal Members 99
Birthright and direct them to the closest mountain rebel Even worse for Bulan, however, is the fact that the
group, which acts as their support group. Bakunawa, the great moon-eating serpent, chases after
Callings: Hunter, Liminal, Warrior her, going in and out of the sea to cause eclipses. She has
constantly managed to fend off the Bakunawa with the help
Purviews: Beasts, Earth, Health, Journeys, Water, of ancient Filipinos who would perform rituals and make
Wild noise whenever an eclipse would happen, but nowadays

ADLAW, THE SUN it has been much harder; no Filipino performs the sacred
rites anymore, save for those that still participate faithfully
Aliases: God of the Sun in the practice of Anito.
Adlaw is the perfect sun, unconquerable and Bulan, always one step ahead of Adlaw, always visits
unbreakable. His majesty is unknowable, but immense all her Scions and usually chooses those who are destined to
the same. As the sun always appears in the morning and work behind the scenes, but are integral to the success of
goes away at night, the sun is eternal. something, like architects, engineers, and music producers.
Adlaw has many stories about him, but a popular one is She exalts in the arts and even chooses to give the art of
of him and the moon, Bulan, having many children, which magic and sorcery to many of her Scions, as she controls
became the stars. However, he was saddened, because any witches and demons called yawa during a new moon.
time he would hug any of his children, they would burn up. When she gives her Scions her Birthrights nowadays,
Bulan, greatly angered by this, told Adlaw to not hug any of her task for them is almost always related to vanquishing
their children, which grieved Adlaw. a spawn or manifestation of Bakunawa. Sometimes, when
However, one day, when Bulan went to bathe in the Bakunawa is about to return, she calls upon her Scions to
springs, she told Adlaw not to touch any of their children. fight it away with her.
However, Adlaw did not follow this order, and this greatly Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Lover
angered Bulan, as many of their children had perished. In
Purviews: Artistry, Beasts, Beauty, Darkness, Fortune,
her anger, she picked up a banana tree to strike him, and
Frost, Moon, Stars, Water
Adlaw threw sand into Bulan’s face, which created the dark
marks that remain on the moon today. Ever since, Adlaw
has been chasing Bulan, but he can never reach her.
PANDAKI,
In the modern day, Adlaw almost never has children.
THE SAVIOR OF SOULS
He instead chooses his Scions, and he only chooses those Aliases: Pandaque, Deliverer, Si Dapa’s Spokesman
who would shine with unmatched glory and grandeur like Pandaki is said to be Sidapa’s spokesperson and
he can. Many celebrities in the modern Philippines are messenger. Among the Hiligaynon people, Pandaki is
his Chosen Scions. However, he almost never attends his believed to be the winged spirit that travels through the
Scions’ Visitations, and if he does, it is usually to give that underworld of Sulad looking for souls that deserve a better
Scion a task to help him with his goal of catching Bulan. He life in Kahilwayan, where they thrive in glory. Pandaki
is the Sun after all. He does not need to descend for them travels across the bleak sky of Sulad, which always reflects
to feel his majesty. the direct opposite of whatever is the time in the world of
Callings: Creator, Leader, Lover the living. He zooms through upon giant eagle wings, six
on each side. He looks for those buried with much gold and
Purviews: Journeys, Sky, Sun, Stars, War weapons or those who died in battle but were not picked up

BULAN, THE MOON for any reason by Barangaw. He descends then and plucks
their soul out from the lines that travel to the lands of Sulad,
Aliases: Goddess of the Moon where they are to become the slaves of the underworld God
Bulan is the gentle moon, flexible, mercurial, and Siginarugan.
indomitable. She burns the night’s darkness away with her During his off time, which doesn’t come very often,
gentle glow, which is a signifier of her love for all of the he loves traveling across the Philippines, visiting various
stars and her other children. sacred spots and places which greed and conquest have left
She holds a mighty wrath for Adlaw, who has untouched. During these travels, he usually gets frisky with
continuously killed many of her children by embracing the locals, and he is known for his charisma. His golden
them thoughtlessly, due to the nature of his unbearable smile and quick wit can beat even that of Hermes.
heat. When she found out that Adlaw killed many of her Just as quickly he appears, he unfortunately
children when she went down to bathe in the springs, she disappears, as his job as Sidapa’s deliverer never ends. He
flew into a great rage and assaulted Adlaw with a banana is very quickly brought to the underworld after any of his
tree. Adlaw fought back by spraying sand in her face, which vacations, and there are so many people there that have
is the reason why there are dark marks upon the moon died an undeserving death or deserve a better life than
to this day. Adlaw still chases Bulan, but she is quick and endless toil in the death-slaver’s gardens.
uncatchable.

100 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 When he does find the time, however, he visits all his To reach Sulad, there are various caves in the
Scions and grants them something that lets them move Philippines that descend infinitely until you arrive in the
quickly, whether it be something that lets them accelerate place of the dead. Some rivers also lead to Sulad, where
through the educational system, or just a form of physical giant crocodiles with coffins on their backs travel to gather
quickness. Before long, however, he is gone, although souls for Sulad. Commonly, Mawayen in his soul boat ferries
not without giving them a mutya, a drop of magic from the souls of the dead by the shores and brings them to the
the heart of a banana tree. He tells them that should any great otherworld of Sulad. There the souls will be accepted
of them need him, he will be there. All they need to do is into mountains of rest, Kahilwayan, if their ancestors find
swallow the mutya. them wearing much wealth. If not, then they will stay in
Callings: Hunter, Liminal, Trickster Sulad, toiling in death as they did in life.

Purviews: Deception, Death, Epic Dexterity, Epic Those who die in the water stay in the kingdoms of the
Stamina, Health, Journeys sea.

COSMOLOGY TITANS
The Cosmology of the Balahala is one of skies and seas: BAKUNAWA
The sky and the sea are the primordial essence. From the Bakunawa has eaten six of the seven moons, and this
Sky and Sea arose the first of the Gods. Kahilwayan is the is why only one remains. The people perform rituals and
realm of glory, to which those that die a glorious death or make noise whenever they rise from the sea or descend
are given proper burials go. Sulad is the realm of endless from the void to eat the moon or sun every eclipse. Through
toil, of slavery to the God of the dead, living as they did in this, they keep the world safe from all evil. Bakunawa
life. It is important, however, that if you die in the sea, you themself is a broken being. They might have been a God
become a spirit in the Sea Kingdoms. once, or perhaps they have always been a moon-eating
beast. The folklore is varied and diverse, and all the stories
THE OVERWORLD: KAHILWAYAN may be true.
All the Balahala can enter into Kahilwayan, the
fields of glory and prosperity. Here, mortals that have Callings: Destroyer, Monster, Warrior
died in violence find respite in the drinking halls of glory Purview: Darkness
and harmony. Songs here are sung forevermore, and
none need to sleep at all. It usually manifests as a never
SI SIBURANON
ending island, where there is always water at its edge Si Siburanon is the Titan of the Underworld who
and a river going through its middle. There are various enslaves souls. He has two giants underneath him who
hills here that, when traveled down, end up being the perform his bidding, who are both Titans themselves: Si
highest peaks in the Philippines. Those that die in battle Muran and Si Ginarugan, who hold the pillars of the earth
are carried by Barangao the Rainbow to the sky and are and guard the gates to the land and villages of the dead
turned into sky Gods that watch over their descendants. within the Sulad. He seeks to enslave all the dead under his
Many of the ancestors here become Gods, worshipped by command, to safeguard them all from the lightning bolts of
their descendants. Many of the Balahala are themselves the Gods.
ancestors. Callings: Liminal, Guardian, Tyrant
Mountains in the Philippines are some of the main Purview: Death
ways to enter Kahilwayan, particularly Mount Kanlaon
in Buglas, Mount Madjaas in Panay, Mount Apo (or Apo LISBUSAWEN
Sandawa) in Davao, and even Mount Pulag in Benguet, Lisbusawen is the Titan that lives upon a mythical
where the tinmongao spirits live and which is so high that grand mountain in Borneo. Here he gathers souls of the
one can touch the Milky Way. dead, usually those that weren’t captured by Mawayen or
The Balahala of Heaven, known as Tungkung Langit, is the coffin-crocodiles, and gives them a simpler life than
said to sit here in Kahilwayan, keeping the heavens up. For slaving away for Si Siburanon. Not much is known about
more on Kahilwayan, see p. 222. this mysterious Lisbusawen, although he is said to be
relatively peaceful and to respect the affairs of the Balahala.
THE UNDERWORLD: SULAD He has been known to steal away souls, however…
Sulad is a bleak Underworld, a realm of endless toil, Callings: Adversary, Liminal, Primeval
a complete mirror to the world of the living. The dead
Purview: Health
perform the same tasks they would in life: raiding, fishing,
and farming — but never bear children. They spend their
days this way for nine lifetimes, being reborn each time
smaller than the last, until their final reincarnation is
PRIMORDIALS
Kaptan is the grandfather of all the Balahala. He has
buried in a coffin the size of a rice grain.
power over the lightning bolt, and can call upon thunder
and rain from the sky. He is sky incarnate and wraps over

Primordials 101
the world. He is known under many other names, such faiths here. They developed their religions away from the
as Jamisun Kulisa and sometimes even Tungkung Langit. rest of the lowlanders, much like in real life, and have been
While some claim they are very much two different able to avoid the clutches of Christianity.
creatures, they have never seen Tungkung Langit nor
Kaptan in the same place before. Both of them are the BIRTHRIGHTS
Primordial Gods of heaven. Kaptan is known for killing Balahala birthrights burn bright and help their Scions
his first four grandchildren: Liadlaw, Libulan, Lisuga, and face the challenges of life with the strength and fervor of
Likalibutan, who became the sun, the moon, the stars, their ancestors.
and the earth respectively after he smote them with this
thunderbolt. CREATURES
Mawayen is the grandmother of all the Balahala and Kambal: While the word translates to “twin,” it is
the Goddess of the Sea and all that live within it. However, also used for a snake that is born with a Scion, who lives
she has resigned her position as the ferry of deceased souls. their entire life alongside the Scion like a twin, protecting
She has also needed Kaptan’s help in the past to gain the their sibling from magical threats. These are usually small
respect of mythical beasts, so that they would all treat her emerald snakes that can hide quickly from danger.
as being on the same level as Kaptan. FOLLOWERS
RELIGION: ANITO Warrior Servants: In the ancient Philippines, warrior
servants were given weapons and would fight alongside
their leaders. If they exhibited enough bravery and fervor,
A nito meant “worship” in ancient Visayas. Anito is
timeless, and is as old as the first man, who offered
sharks to the Gods. The religion has lived on, unobstructed
their mettle could let them ascend the rungs of society.
You are gifted with these warrior servants that have the
Balahala as their master. Usually human looking and
and unbroken, living through those in the hinterlands and in
usually made of spirits, sometimes these are actual humans
the provinces. Anito is expressly a religion not for those in the
whose ancestors have served the Gods since the beginning
higher class, but for all mortals. They can never understand
of time. Many of these warrior servants are immortal, since
it unless they understand their privilege and their inborn
if they die, they simply return to Kahilwayan. They also
Catholicism. You see, in Anito, the terms engkanto and
love drinking.
maligno, which usually have negative connotations, don’t
exist. They are all Umalagad, guardian spirits, nature Gods, GUIDES
or ninuno, ancestor spirits. Parawali: Parawali were counselors and sage advisers
When someone from the more privileged echelons in ancient Visayas. Many of them have survived until the
of Manila or another metropole goes to the provinces and present day on the fringes of society, and they have godly
witnesses Anito, no doubt they will think it to be devil wisdom that comes from the Balahala themselves. The
worship or worship of evil spirits such as engkanto and parawali can teach almost anything, and many of them have
maligno. Espiritista and other would be psychics from the gone on to become grandmasters of Filipino martial arts.
metropoles that deal with Western astrology, tarot readings,
and otherwise Western sorcery usually feel a metaphysical
RELICS
weight upon them, a metaphysical dread, when faced with Golden Ganesh: A golden idol of Ganesh, a God
the truth of the Gods and spirits of their ancestors, which that hails all the way from India. This grants the wielder
are much more powerful and much more ancient. protection from flames and strong winds whenever they
carry it. It is too large to wear as a trinket, however, as
In Anito, the ancient forms of worship and ancient
it is a full on idol. Indian religious imagery pocked the
priests, the spirit mediums (known by many names,
ancient Philippines: These images depicted versions of the
including babaylan, katalonan, and balyan) live on,
Devá adopted and indigenized by the Visayans and other
performing rituals to summon the ancestors and the Gods.
Philippine cultures, who were eventually worshipped as
It is mostly through Anito that the Balahala interface
part of the Balahala.
with humankind, lest they break human minds with
the impenetrably incomprehensible might of being a Ceremonial Kampilan: A kampilan tasseled with
manifestation of nature. Many ritual sacrifices live on, and various bells and gold pieces so that it sings a cacophony
in place of Santo Niños and statues of saints, they create every time it is swung. It is crafted so that people know
idols of their Gods and statues of ancient warriors that when the wielder arrives.
have been deified. They have strict processes for burial, Flying Axe: An axe that can be commanded to fight
although they no longer practice human sacrifice when a on its own without being wielded, powerful and wielded
man of prowess dies. by ancient Philippine heroes. It can continue fighting even
It should be noted that Anito is just one of many when the wielder falls asleep.
indigenous religions of the Philippines. Each culture has Flying Shields: Shields wielded by ancient warriors
bespoke religions and faiths of their own, even if some of in the Mindanao-Visayas region. Warriors would ride upon
them might share some Balahala with the religions and

102 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

these shields like they were platforms and fly across the being who lives within a grove unseen by human eyes.
sky, fighting against giants and ancient flying creatures. Because of this diversity, unity is hard to come by, and with
personal ambitions, they are prone to being turned against
RELATIONSHIPS each other. But the principal Balahala know this cannot
The Balahala live in differing cultures and islands, but continue. They must unite now to survive.
they have pulled together through necessity, defending
each other’s lands against the influence of the Catholic
Church. This mutual aid has made the Balahala much
PANTHEON PATH
friendlier with each other than they were in the past.
Varying war Gods now trade tactics, and the Balahala treat
OF THE BALAHALA
those in other ethnolinguistic cultures as Gods equal to Asset Skills: Empathy and Survival
them in strength and worthy of worship and respect. In Virtues: Community and Obligation. In traditional
general, however, the Balahala are like a barkada, a group of Philippine cultures, the sense of shared self in the
friends that might not see each other all the time but, when community pervades, which carries over into Obligation.
they do meet up, they almost always do it while drinking or Through these two Virtues, Filipinos survive and thrive,
participating in a similar social pastime. despite having been oppressed for many centuries. Yet the
Balahala remember a time when the people of the isles
OTHER PANTHEONS were not oppressed, but flourishing and glorious.
When it comes to other Pantheons, the Balahala exhibit
Community: Known by many names, such as
overwhelming hospitality, for the most part welcoming
pakikipagkapwa or pakigdait, Community is not simply
them. They resonate the most with the Kami of Shintо̄, who
being with other people, but in actuality, sharing the self
are similar to them in being pure manifestations of nature.
with others. The term Community sees the self as part of a
They are particularly friendly with the Devá of South Asia,
greater whole, not just a creature that can live on its own.
which they believe to be their long lost cousins or even
Thus, everyone that extols this Virtue knows that nobody
grand uncles and aunts, as much of Philippine Culture has
can do everything, and that we must depend on each other
been influenced by the Hindu culture. The Balahala find
to survive and excel in anything we need to do. By putting
brothers in raiding and war with the Æsir of Ásgarð, but
others first, they incidentally also put themselves first as
they find the Theoi to be too pompous and the Shén to be
well, because they are part of the others, as the Virtue of
too rigid and proud.
Community extolls.
CURRENT PRIORITIES Obligation: Grant someone a fish, and they will be fed
Right now, the Balahala are busy trying to guide for a day. Teach them to fish, and they will be fed for life.
their Scions to help awaken them to the social injustices For those that follow the path of Obligation, not only will
happening in the archipelago and building armies to that person be fed for life, but when you return to him, he
fight back against the encroaching tide of demons and will feed you with that very same fish. This is the Virtue
spirit warriors from the Shén, who wage war in the West of Obligation: that everyone has a debt to those that do
Philippine Sea. But war, raiding, and creating allegiances something for them. Very generous people will of course
are nothing new to the Balahala. ask others to not mind it, and those people will of course
only really be obligated to follow this Virtue when they can,
GREATEST WEAKNESS but combined with the Virtue of Community, following the
To be blunt, there are too damn many Balahala, as with Virtue of Obligation becomes an easy and joyful thing to
the Kami and the Shén. For each rock, for each village, do. If we can all help each other, then Obligation does not
there is a deity. A deified guardian spirit, a deified ancestor become a burden, but a habit.
watching over a particular martial art, a deified nature

Pantheon Path of the Balahala 103

 “And . . . when droughts occurred, they stretched out their hands to heaven
towards the sun; for Him alone (he says) they regarded as god the lord of
heaven, calling him Beelsamen, which is in the Phoenician language lord of
heaven, and in Greek Zeus.”
— Philo of Byblos, paraphrasing Sanchoniatho the Berytian

B y the time the Phoenicians became adept sea traders in

the 9th century BCE, the Ilhm already saw the writing
— both literal and metaphorical — on the walls surrounding
in the 12th century BCE (and only known via attribution
from later works), describe a cosmopolitan people intent
on contacting as many different cultures as possible. Her
them, the mountains which rose at their people’s back, folding writings describe broad-bottomed single-sail trading ships
them between other peoples. The further and more lined up at the ports of Africa’s Atlantic Coast while
frequently they stretched out their arms to protect sailors clustered into temples positioned at trading
their sea-going children, watching them posts, bringing offerings to the gathered Gods of
establish extensive trading routes across the many Pantheons, all of whom Kinahhu related to
World, the more deeply the Ilhm understood Phoenician deities.
they could never go back to the quiet, isolated Whether she simply meant to describe
life in which they shepherded farmers the other Gods in ways her audience could
generation after generation. They knew understand or the Phoenician
their children would mix and mingle Pantheon actively sought a
with other cultures, bringing home syncretic future remains a matter
new beliefs and superstitions, of great debate among Scion
and if their Gods did not look scholars to this day. Some point
forward with them, their to the mix of Ugaritic and
people would simply shed Akkadian verb forms
them like old Mantles, leave in her writing as
them behind like worn evidence of broad-
cloaks. based knowledge
The Ilhm claim pointing to a deeper
this forward-looking understanding of
mentality permitted divine plans, while
them to seed their own others gesture to
belief system through the fact that kinahhu
most of the Western simply means purple
world. They assert dye, the distinctive and
(though most members now-extinct color made
of most other Pantheons by crushing Murex mollusks
firmly dispute it, some quite native to the Levantine coast. As
loudly indeed) that they sent their the Greeks called the Phoenicians
Demigods out into the World, the better and Canaanites by the Hellenized version of
to continue their ascension to Godhood while this term, ‘Kinahhu the Younger’ may simply translate into
carrying the values and structures of Phoenician life across the equivalent of “American, Jr.”
the globe. The writings of Kinahhu the Younger, a scribe Whatever the truth of the tale passed through
traveling with spice merchants aboard Asherah’s Breath centuries and summaries in the works of other writers, the

104 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 homelands than some other Pantheons, though whether that
springs from a genuine lack of concern or simply flows forth
PRONUNCIATION from several millennia where weather, war, and time have
GUIDE had their way with the original stone temples in which they
received worship remains debatable.
The names of the Phoenician Pantheon
have as many regional variations as the The Gods of the Ilhm Pantheon include: ‘Ila (Heaven
trading outposts from which those variations and justice), Asherah (creation and change), Gad (fortune
spring, but the most common pronunciations and misfortune), Anat (war and fertility), Ba’al (lightning
of Gods and concepts used by the qadeshtu and air), Dagon (ocean and agriculture), Mot (death),
(see Religion, p. 82) in Byblos and Carthage Raḥmayyu (creation and stability) and Shachar and Shalim
are listed below. Unless otherwise noted, (twin Gods of dawn and dusk).
-ch or ḥ are pronounced like the “ch” in the
Hebrew chai and the “ḥ “ḥ” in Arabic’s ḥā — a THE HIGHEST TIER, DIVINE
voiceless pharyngeal fricative. If you are not
familiar or comfortable with dropping the
MOTHERS AND WISE FATHER
“ch” into your throat, one may acceptably The Phoenicians observe a tiered hierarchy of Gods.
replace it with “ch” as in the American ‘Ila, Asherah and Raḥmayyu alone inhabit the Highest
pronunciation of “Rachel,” but try it first! You Tier, their children and grandchildren arrayed in the lower
might surprise yourself. tiers. They spend less time with their Scions than the
‘Ila: ILL-ahh Seventy Siblings (p. 109) do. Scions born of or chosen by
the Mothers and Father receive less direction and focused
Anat: Ah-NAHT
attention than other Phoenician Scions, for good or ill.
Asherah: ASH-ear-ahh
Ba’al: BAH-l, pronounced like “bottle”
‘ILA, GOD OF HEAVEN AND WISDOM
without “t” Aliases: Creator of Creatures; Creator of Heaven and
Dagon: DAY-goon Earth; Eternal Sage; Eternal Father; Father of Man; Wise
Father; Your Patriarch
Gad: G as in “god” and -ad as in “dad”
Marzeh: MAHR-zuh At the beginning of all and everything, ‘Ila swam
in the darkness that precedes all things. He grew bored
Molech: MOH-leck and restless with eternity to himself in a nothing with no
Mot: Mooh-t or MAY-weT company, so he decided to create everything according to
Raḥ
Ra ḥmayyu: RACH-may-ooh. his will. When he stretched his arms out, darkness and
Yam: imm. Like the interjection “uhm” with light came to his left and right hands. The oceans opened
the vowel “i” as in ignore. beneath him, and he rose above them. He looked upon the
waters beneath him and loved their fluidity. He gazed upon
the earth as he caused it to rise from the waters and loved
Ilhm persist where other Pantheons faded. Their worship its stability. He opened his hands and deserts and rivers fell
and homes still center in Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre in modern from them. He sighed and winds brushed across the waters
Lebanon. then and eternally, the remnants of his breath.

PRINCIPAL When they ate together, the women named him ‘Ila,
the God of Heaven, because he appeared above them in

MEMBERS the heavens. So it became given to women and those who

T he longer a family stays together, the more complicated

their history: Older than most other Pantheons, the Ilhm
have built up more tangled stories for themselves accordingly.
SIGNS OF CONTINUITY
As with all Scion Pantheons, worship of the
(Of course, Gods being Gods, every other Pantheon disputes
Ilhm exists in the World as an unbroken line
this in some fashion — who could admit to not being quite of adherents and Scions from pre-history to
as fabulous in every way as one’s neighbors?) The stories the present day. Differences between current
presented here represent the most common and mainstream reconstructed worship in the real world
versions held by modern Phoenician qadeshtu throughout and the World undoubtedly exist because
the World. Other interpretations exist, and Phoenician Scions of Scion
Scion’s ’s marriage of archaeological
often fiercely debate amongst themselves the veracity of the research to the World’s greater continuous
various myths their parents tell them. They focus on the cosmology. This deliberate syncretism
lineages of their people, and at the behest of their deities, attempts to bridge the gap between the
Ilhm Scions maintain some of the most fantastic genealogical ancient and real past and our fictional game
records of any individuals in the World (or outside of it). They
world, designed with an eye toward balance
and harmony.
care less for the maintenance of their ancestral temples and

Principal Members 105

give birth to name all things, as they name each child at A Visitation from ‘Ila is a significant event, given how
its birth. As they chose ‘Ila as husband, he lay with them he tends to wander. It’s not unknown for him to send a
both, and all manner of beings came from their divine triple servant or command another God to do his bidding and
union; he claims as children all the Gods which spring from put his divine offspring through their paces, not for lack of
Asherah or Raḥmayyu, called the Divine Mothers. He grew care or compassion, but due to his attentions often being
restless, however, and could not stand still: ‘Ila went into elsewhere on myriad things and people at any given time.
the desert and beyond the desert. To this day, he wanders. He rarely has the attention to dedicate to a single, frail
His followers proclaim this as part of his divinity, that he Scion. Yet, on rare occasions, when Fate conspires to have
does not remain in one place but moves through his people, a Scion and ‘Ila cross paths, he abides by the laws of the
and his qadeshtu refuse today, as thousands of years ago, heavens and confers his own, unique blessing.
to create a permanent marzeh to ‘Ila. Instead, the worship Blessings from ‘Ila typically come with expectations,
of ‘Ila takes place only in temporary and liminal locations; whether he’s present or not. The Visitation takes place,
traditional ornate and heavily decorated tents made to he (or his follower) stands back as the Scion realized the
established specifications remain central to his Scions and possibilities ahead of them, and then they hear in a booming
religion, but contemporary worship also takes place in voice “To stand amid the heavens, one must become as a
subways, at the sides of highways, and in the hallways of God.” The Scion is filled with the desire to topple someone
hotels and hospitals. Any place not truly a place is holy to from their pedestal and supplant them, whether that
‘Ila in the eyes of his followers. person is a corrupt city official, heretical religious leader,
‘Ila rarely Chooses in modern days, but when he does, the capo of a gang, or, indeed, a God. The questing desire to
he selects strong leaders, the restless, and those focused achieve this never goes away, always moving on to another
on wisdom and patient justice for his children. The distant target after the last one falls..
elder bull-God emerges rarely from the desert and selects Callings: Liminal, Judge, Sage
those hungry for power and knowledge. Among those
Scions descended from him, ‘Ila exalts those qualities most Purviews: Beasts (Bulls), Epic Stamina, Fertility, Fire,
highly. One might just as easily find one of his children Journeys, Prosperity, Sky, Wild (Desert)
riding with a caravan of ancient, rattletrap VW buses ASHERAH, GODDESS OF
following a psychedelic band across the Midwest as in the CREATION AND CHANGE
halls of quiet judicial contemplation. A Scion of ‘Ila finds it
Aliases: Aserdu; Ašratu; Ašratum; Dione; Divine
hard to rest, and if she manages spiritual quiet and peace
Mother of Transition and Transformation; ‘Ilat; Our Lady
for even a minute, she undoubtedly receives a swift gluteal
of Change and Growth; Most Exalted Goddess of the Day;
goad from her divine father. Whatever else ‘Ila wants from
She Who Treads on the Sea Dragon; She Who Walks On
his children, he always wants more.
Waves

106 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 When ‘Ila moved over the waters alone as both own Sons and Daughters, and it served the Divine Mothers
darkness and light, he saw two women swimming in the to humor him. Asherah’s qadeshtu keep the secret of this
ocean, and ‘Ila knew his desire for them. He lifted them generation of divinity as their highest mystery, whispered
from the water onto the land and appeared before them as only within the central chamber of the most sacred marzeh
the first of the men, the first of the bull-Gods, wearing the in Byblos. Asherah values that change which creates and
same horns which signify power and fertility that his son advances, rather than that change which destroys or strikes
Ba’al would wear thereafter. His right hand created a bird, down, and shines the bright light of day on all her children.
and his left hand produced a stave which he threw at the Asherah values fluidity as a form of strength, and so
bird with great accuracy, striking it to the earth. He gave does she value all forms of flexibility in her children; her
the bird to the women to cook and bade them to decide by Scions and followers maintain that Asherah’s ability to
the time the meat dripped grease down his chin with his move lithely through the World permitted her to preserve
first bite whether they chose to look upon him as husband the Phoenicians when other civilizations failed. History
or as father eternally. One woman opened her left hand credits her Scions with establishing the first of the well-
and created death; the bird died in her grip. She opened known Phoenician trade routes; her qadeshtu originated
her right hand and created fire. The other woman opened the deep-seated Ilhm belief that most of the Western
her left hand and created stones, then opened her right and world’s Pantheons spring from the children of Asherah and
created trees. Together they made a cookfire and cooked Raḥmayyu, Scions who became Gods themselves.
the first meal.
Her Chosen Scions come from all countries,
The women discussed together at the first cookfire and socioeconomic classes, and genders. She cherishes most
decided between them to take him as husband — though it those who transgress boundaries and create truth in that
isn’t as though their online dating profiles had an awful lot transgression. Civil rights organizers, writers, poets, and
of selections at that point — and each other as wives and artists all gain her favor; one of her daughters travels the
sacred companions. United States, teaching parents how to run for school and
When they ate together, she named herself Asherah library boards to preserve Asherah’s values of diplomacy,
(which she deemed to mean most exalted Goddess of the a cosmopolitan understanding of the world and its people,
day) and took all manner of change into herself. When ‘Ila and savviness in trade. She adores weavers and those who
wandered off on his next quest for meaning, she stayed create textiles and clothing, and those who combine two
behind with their wife Raḥmayyu, and between the two of or more of her favored categories — a weaver who works
them they created all living things. The wives decided to transgressive identity into their art, for example — delight
flow between all roles and took turns as father and mother, her best of all.
seed and earth, deciding between themselves who fertilized
and who gestated. ‘Ila claimed the first seventy Gods as his

Principal Members 107

 to cultivate, encourage, and send into glory, no matter the
form this glory takes. She cares as much for the lowliest,
GOD OF THE least obvious Scion as she does the overachiever. All her
PHOENICIANS, GOD children are Chosen, in her mind, and she gives them equal
attention, sometimes to her detriment.
OF THE ISRAELITES
The Visitation from Asherah typically comes when her
The heavy overlap between the Phoenician Scion has made great efforts to connect people who have
Pantheon and the central deity of Judaism, long been parted. She has a special fondness for when this
Christianity, and Islam raises many questions connection is made between people separated by both time
in the World: Who is He, really, and does and space, such as someone in their nineties and living
He share a common root or Mantle with in Istanbul finally meeting their great-grandchild who
the Phoenician ‘Ila? The question intrigues,
traveled all the way from Sydney to see her. She also enjoys
plagues, and mystifies the World’s scholars
by turns, and since no one at the highest levels diplomatic connections, such as when her Scions are
has made any sort of definitive statement in responsible for connecting temples across vast distances,
either direction, it remains an open question. or working for nations to create lasting peace between
Storyguides may wish to decide definitively disparate cultures. Such actions remind her of how her
one way or the other before a chronicle children established the Phoenician trade routes millennia
begins, or they may wish to leave that open ago.
question to their players to explore, discuss,
and decide. In either case, games featuring Callings: Guardian, Healer, Lover
the Phoenician Pantheon and Scions thereof Purviews: Artistry (Dance), Beauty, Fire, Health,
should include a Session Zero discussion of Passion (Love), Prosperity, Sun
this issue to avoid distress or conflict during
the game itself. RA MAYYU, GODDESS OF
CREATION AND STABILITY
To avoid confusion, while historical
evidence of the Phoenician religion and Aliases: ʾAṯiratu of the Sea; Divine Mother of Byblos;
Pantheon may refer to ‘Ila with names Most Exalted Goddess of the Night; Our Lady of Creation
overlapping the God worshipped by both and Home; Rahmay; Rahmaya; She Who Stands on Earth;
ancient Hebrews and modern Lutherans, Womb of all Wombs
Scion materials utilize only non-overlapping When ‘Ila left, Raḥmayyu remained behind with
names. Your group may choose to add those
Asherah; she longed not for her husband but for her wife,
names back in if this suits your chronicle.
and gladly took most gestation upon herself. So from
As with all complicated questions of divine Raḥmayyu sprung all manner of animals: Her womb bore
identity and overlap between the game into the world all of its fish and birds, all of its animals
table and real-life worship, whatever your
which run or swim or fly. From a whisper meant for her
table decides becomes the right answer
for your table; no one’s going to come wife’s ears leapt every insect which pollinates, and from
to your table from Onyx Path and tell you her weeping when parted even briefly from Asherah come
that you’ve made the wrong call for your all plants which bear pleasant flowers. Spoken of far less
chronicle. If you decide that ‘Ila and Elohim often than her wife or husband, Raḥmayyu nevertheless
share a common root and a Scion of one commanded her children to found the first marzeh in the
went through Apotheosis and became His city of Byblos, from which every other marzeh took its
own Godhead, or that they remain the same model. Where Asherah faced outward to the sea and ‘Ila
individual, or that they just share similar brought back the distant mysteries of the desert and the
names, any of those answers becomes the stars, Raḥmayyu planted her feet upon the earth, bidding
definitive answer for you.
you. her children to found the triple cities from which the
For further discussion of how to handle Phoenician culture sprung: Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre.
the overlap between Gods of different
Pantheons, or differing personalities with Raḥmayyu loves most in her children their ability
similar names, see Titanomachy pp. 80- to build and to create a truly inclusive world. Where ‘Ila
82, “Nomenclature at the Table” through focuses on wisdom as the ultimate harbinger of justice,
“Who Are You, Really?” and Mysteries of Raḥmayyu loves those who bring others in from the cold,
the World pp 12-15, “Theocentrism.” either metaphorically or literally. Her role as Most Exalted
Goddess of Night centers around the building of strong
homes in which her children may rest easily, yes, but in
Unlike ‘Ila, a Visitation from Asherah is a wondrous addition, those centers of safety, the strong buildings of
experience and not as prone to the vagaries of a God’s stone which she showed her first Scions how to build, allow
scattered attention. Asherah is mercurial and with it her children to dive into the deeper mysteries. Those who
curious about a thousand things, but she concentrates this mistake the gestational mother Goddess as solely a figure
curiosity into interest about her Scions, who she wishes of gentle motherhood misunderstand Raḥmayyu entirely.

108 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

She both studies the mysteries of death (which Asherah historical perspective: Even the orthodox understandings
brought into the world) as well as having given birth to of her among the qadeshtu of Byblos requires accepting
the Seventy Siblings with her wife. Her cults delve into that divinity refuses to follow traditional trails of cause,
forbidding Underworlds and travel to distant Overworlds, effect, and linear time. The Sumerians understand her as
seeking deep knowledge where the children of ‘Ila seek the offspring of Inanna rather than the eldest daughter of
broad knowledge. the Divine Mothers; the Egyptians pair her with Ashtart
Raḥmayyu’s Scions therefore tend to specialize as a daughter of Re. Ugaritic texts contemporary to the
where ‘Ila’s generalize: She loves those who dive deeply construction of the first marzeh of Anat refer to her as
into a single topic and learn as much as possible about it, a bloody-handed war Goddess, running counter to the
especially when they not only learn about that subject but general Phoenician comprehension of their Gods. They
bring that knowledge to the marzeh to share it with others. began as a people backed into the mountains on three
She adores those who create niche websites on obscure sides: small, militarily vulnerable, and deeply aware of
subjects and write their theses on a subtopic of a subtopic those facts. Modern Phoenician understandings cast her as
of a subtopic. Most treasured of all her children, she exalts a protective figure rather than an aggressor, and devoted to
those who open their doors to others and bring in the her primary partner, Ba’al, whose body she brought back
hungry, weary, and wounded without regard to their own and reconstructed on the sacred mountain of Zaphon after
safety or the nature of those they help. The outer doors to Mot slew Ba’al over a perceived slight.
Raḥmayyu’s marzeh in Byblos never close; the inner doors Devoid even of the multiple histories attributed to
open only to those devoted to the deep mysteries. her — born of the Divine Mothers, wading out of the
Visitations from Raḥmayyu are typically accompanied blood of the first battle of men, descending from the hand
with the expectation that her Scion must build something of her father ‘Ila when he rested in the heavens — Anat
that lasts. Raḥmayyu is less interested in ephemeral pieces contains multitudes. She defies the common Western
of artwork and temporary lives of human leaders than dichotomy of purity and ruin commonly forced upon
‘Ila. Instead, she wants monuments, bridges, temples, and women: both a virgin and a mother, openly sexual and
roads built to support entire communities, and hopefully perfectly chaste, she sees no contradiction between these
sustain them in an area where they’re lacking. Raḥmayyu is states. Sensual and ascetic, she takes special interest in
a complicated deity with more than simple dualism at her gestational parents, in the exultation of sexuality, and in the
core. She understands the flow of life and death, its cyclical deliberate eschewing of the pleasures of the World. Every
heart, and all that springs forth from it. Her Scions are marzeh hosts programming supporting the full diversity
expected to find an aspect of that cycle and support it until of human sensual and sexual experience: For example,
they become a foundational keystone in their community’s the Minneapolis marzeh of Anat hosts a monthly BDSM
infrastructure, culturally, materially, or spiritually. Bodily, Safety Forum focused on the needs and welfare of asexual
if they have no other use than to act as building materials. kinksters, hosted by Valerie Llytt, Chosen Scion of Anat.

Callings: Creator, Lover, Sage Since the withdrawal of her parental trio from actively
ruling the Pantheon, Anat and her brother/husband
Purviews: Artistry (Pottery, Weaving), Beauty, Death, Ba’al maintain control over the Ilhm. Those who draw
Earth, Epic Stamina, Fertility, Health, Moon closest to her know that despite the rest of the Pantheon’s
THE SECOND TIER, protestations, the Goddess still leaves bloody footprints

SEVENTY SIBLINGS wherever she walks, and the bone details on her belt do not
just look like tiny human skulls. She chooses Scions who
Asherah and Raḥmayyu’s first generation of divine embrace the complexity of self, and among the multitudes
offspring, claimed by ‘Ila as his own children, make up the of bloodlines descended from her ancient (and modern!)
Second Tier of Phoenician Godhood. The below figures liaisons with mortal beings, she delights most especially in
constitute only a sampling of the siblings: Other figures those who understand that no coin has only one side. Life
number in their dozens, with Scions and adherents scattered is messy, humans are disasters, and Anat loves that. She
across the World. In addition to the individuals discussed calls her children her “beautiful messes” and cannot abide
below, the Seventy Siblings include Arsay (Goddess of binary thinking. The revolutionaries her brother-husband
the Underworld), Eshmun (Goddess of healing), Ishara gathers delight her just as much as her own children.
(Goddess of oaths), Nikkal-wa-Ib (Goddess of orchards and
A Visitation from Anat is commonly a rip-roaring,
music), Tallai (Goddess of winter and snow), and Yarhibol
loud, bombastic affair. She wants her Scions to understand
(God of spring).
the rush of divinity via an assault on the senses, but not in
ANAT, GODDESS OF WAR some violating way. Her Scions are carried off on a wave
AND FERTILITY of audio psychedelia, or visual overload to give them a
Aliases: Anat Athena, Anat-Yahu, Antu, ‘Atah, Our glimpse of what it is to be a God, before returning them to
Lady of the Heavens, She Who Walked to Zephon their original states and imparting, in kind words, that all of
this is possible if you put the work in and think you’re going
Of all the members of the Phoenician Pantheon, Anat
to enjoy it. “Enthusiastic consent” is more than just a fun
is the most thorny and difficult to understand from a

Principal Members 109

term for Anat, as she wants her offspring to want divinity. and anarchist social formations and advocating the
If they’re shy but curious, she’ll support them. If they’re overthrow of oppressive systems by any means necessary.
scared and want nothing to do with her, she’ll support them To many outside observers, this implies the impetuous
as they part ways, and reach out to another God better storm God finally found a way to embody his Pantheon’s
suited to make that Scion their Chosen. focus on community while satisfying the sacrifice-in-
Anat has witnessed and heard tell of far too many tales extremis abandoned on ancient mountaintops.
of Scions abused and manipulated by their parents to allow His favorite Scions embody his desire both for
herself to become a similarly awful God. It’s true that she’s wholeness of society and fiery action. Phoenicians elected
only benevolent from a certain point of view and is just as their kings, but while the next generation of leaders often
prone to caprice and cruelty as any divinity, but breaching inherited their throne via their mother’s line, incompetent
trust is a way of making a scar that can never be healed. She rulers quickly found themselves recalled, sometimes
has no desire for such things. violently. Ba’al’s children know little peace in their lives,
Callings: Guardian, Lover, Warrior and almost never seek it: While ‘Ila’s children wander in
search of wisdom, the Lord of the Two Horns drives his
Purviews: Beauty, Death, Epic Stamina, Passion offspring in search of justice, by any means necessary.
(Love), War
Where ‘Ila encourages the toppling of corrupt leaders
BA’AL, HE OF A HUNDRED FACES and their replacement by worthy Scions (his, ideally),
Aliases: Adad; Ba’al Aliyan; Ba’al Haddu/Hadad; Ba’al Ba’al is a little more destructive in nature. As far as He of
Ba’al Karnaim; Bloody-Handed King; Eternal Judge of a Hundred Faces is concerned, his Scions shouldn’t just
Flame; Lord of the Two Horns knock the fascist dictator off his pedestal; they should
reduce the pedestal to rubble, hurl the rocks at all the
Born of the Divine Mothers, Ba’al rose to prominence
dictator’s supporters, and drive them into the well-placed
when his divine parents retreated from actively ruling the
fire pits Ba’al’s been digging behind them. As they burn, his
Pantheon they founded. Understandings from patrilineal
Scions may ask Ba’al “what next, father?” Ba’al just snorts
cultures commonly cast him as the primary figure; Ugaritic
and continues his rampage elsewhere. He doesn’t care for
texts depict him as the supreme ruler and focus on his
mortal institutions of governance and council, and it's not
battles with Yam. The Phoenician texts preserved in his
his business to replace corruption with decency. Leave that
primary marzeh in Tyre, however, tell a different story.
to the Scions, if they care, or they can follow him to the next
Mot, the last child of Asherah and Raḥmayyu’s first corrupt regime.
generation of children, took death from the left hand of
Scions of Ba’al typically experience their Visitation
his mother Asherah and fashioned it into his shield and
with their God in this setting, having worked on or actively
lash. He challenged his sister Anat and brother Ba’al for
removed someone undeserving of their title. Ba’al will
the leadership of the Pantheon held by the pair as lover-
appear to encourage them to go further. “Rip them out
siblings and swore to bring about the death of all things,
down to the root!” is a common refrain. This is a fine way to
all art, all beauty, so all might better serve him in the home
earn one’s Birthright from the bull God.
he planned to create. Anat spat at his feet, replying that
humanity would create more than he could destroy. Ba’al Callings: Leader, Lover, Judge
leapt out to take this fight onto himself, but Mot choked the Purviews: Artistry (Sports), Beasts (Bulls), Beauty,
life from his brother with the lash made of death itself. Had Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Sky
he remembered what Anat’s first Purview was, he might
have survived. In her fury, the Goddess of war tore his flesh DAGON, GOD OF THE OCEAN AND
to ribbons and ground his bones to ash in her fiery hands, AGRICULTURE
which she scattered to the winds. She carried Ba’al’s body Aliases: Dagan; He Beneath the Waves; Oannes; Zeus
to Mount Zaphon and danced in ecstatic prayer and wild Arotrios
weeping until she collapsed. Anat’s tears, sweat, and blood
Many inscriptions speak of Dagon as if he and Ba’al
scattered upon his skin and from her, Ba’al was born again.
carried the same breath in their lungs, and many older
Ba’al’s place as the younger bull-God, taking after his writings declare Dagon and Ba’al the same individual: this
father ‘Ila, gives him control of wind, lightning, and thunder, holds truth, but not all truth. If you believe Ba’al, he tore
of the flow of blood within the body and the crackle of part of Yam’s power of the seas from his foe and bestowed
electricity through the brain. The historical record bears the role of an ocean God to his younger brother. Dagon
out the truth of long-standing rumors of his Carthaginian claims it was not a gift. It was a trade; he surrendered his
Mantle Ba’al Hammon’s cult practicing child sacrifice mastery of the weather in exchange. Regardless, both of
on mountains in wild places during moments of cultural them agree that Dagon’s aquatic nature is relatively new.
extremis; modern qadeshtu maintain they abandoned this After Dagon gained control of the sea, he spent long stints
practice thousands of years ago. These days, Ba’al’s Scions creating new life beneath the waves and teaching the sea-
throw themselves into modern revolutionary movements, loving Phoenicians to fortify their fields with fish guts and
especially those promoting radical socialist, communist, bone meal.

110 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 Dagon holds dominion over all water fallen to the earth. Shapeless as the thing over which they claim
Rain answers to his brother Ba’al until the instant it lands; dominion, Gad enjoys little more than utilizing his control
rivers, lakes, lagoons, seas, and streams obey Dagon. He over fortune and misfortune to interfere with her siblings’
takes special joy in the moments when humanity discovers work. If Ba’al causes rain to fall, Gad causes those clouds
his delightful creatures. From giant squid to tardigrades, if to drift and sprinkle their water on empty land rather
it lives in water, he claims he put his fingerprints on it. He is than the intended fields. If Anat picks a fight, Gad places a
fondest of mermaids, who he made in his image; the ocean rock before his violent sister’s toe, causing her to trip. The
God spends most of his time with his favorites, curled up mischievous deity doesn’t do these things just for shock
under the waves with the hungriest and loveliest of his value, or solely to cause difficulty for their siblings: Gad’s
children. interferences always serve some purpose, even if only Gad
The God of the ocean chooses and exalts those of understands it.
his children who love the ocean as much as he does. Perhaps not surprisingly, Gad loves best those who
He treasures those who value fluidity, and he also love transgress for a purpose, and those with a mind for
those who look after farmers and seek interesting new planning: Merry pranksters are all well and good, but those
advancements in dealing with the global climate crisis and who break social norms specifically to bring about better
food supply. A year ago, he Chose graduate student Ari conditions for all gain the deity’s best favor. They love the
Swift after they spent a summer perfecting a valve which genderfluid, the anarchists, and the sacred fools. A cat
increased a crucial dew-collection system’s efficiency by may look at a king, but the children of Gad laugh at tech
23%; their achievement averted a water crisis in Lebanon billionaires to keep their attention while raiding their bank
last year. accounts and distributing the largesse to trans sex workers
A Visitation from Dagon often falls on the unsuspecting of color.
Scion when they’re swimming. Tendrils, claws, or other, less Gad is particularly fond of Visiting his Scions for the
identifiable limbs drag the Scion beneath the waves, where first time by bankrupting them, delivering a “rent overdue”
they’ll meet their divine parent or creator for the first time. notice, and watching them squirm and try and find ways to
Naturally, such an experience can terrify the oxygen from pay the God before he breaks down and reveals the temporal
a Scion’s lungs, but Dagon isn’t interested in drowning his nature of mortal wealth. It’s funny to him, anyway.
offspring. After returning them to the surface, he’ll often Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Trickster
expect them to swim a long distance back to shore. If the
Scion can’t make it due to exhaustion… Well, sometimes Purviews: Artistry (Poetry), Chaos, Deception, Epic
Dagon shows mercy and pushes the new Hero the rest of Dexterity, Fortune
the way, but his impression of the Scion will be a dim one. MOT, GOD OF DEATH
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Healer Aliases: The Once-Favorite; Who Devours the Lamb;
Purviews: Artistry (Sports), Beasts (Ocean Life, Farm Who Walks Between Life and Death
Animals Except Bulls), Epic Stamina, Fertility, Health, At first, Asherah loved Mot best. When ‘Ila left to
Prosperity, Water, Wild wander the desert, her congress with Raḥmayyu birthed
GAD, DEITY OF many children, but she closed her hand around the death
FORTUNE AND MISFORTUNE she created to kill the first bird. She held tight to death so
that all the children her wife brought forth would enjoy
Aliases: They Who Cut and Divide; King of the Right immortality. (This is why Gods cannot truly die.) But when
and Left Hands; Queen of Yes, No, and Maybe the Divine Mothers returned to each other’s company after
To speak the name of Gad is to invoke them; the the first generation stood upon the world, a great desire
Phoenicians do not speak her name unless they truly mean burned through her, and when Raḥmayyu conceived Mot,
to do so. His adherents refer to the deity of Fortune and Asherah opened her hand. Death broke upon the earth,
Misfortune the same way that the Irish refer to the fae, scattering through the world. A little fraction of death flew
using a million euphemisms and avoidance names, giving into Raḥmayyu’s throat in this moment. This became Mot,
her a hundred nicknames. A truly fluid being, they take who Asherah loved best until the day he killed Ba’al. She
after their mother Asherah: Gad changes his own face and knew his nature: He was death and death was him from
body to fit whatever the moment requires. Gad acts as a before his birth, but she could not forgive him, not even
goad for the other Phoenician deities, making Anat look when Anat resurrected Ba’al. Raḥmayyu understood her
foolish and spurring ‘Ila into action and out of the desert. son, however, and while Asherah has shunned Mot for
She especially loves picking on Ba’al, who she finds to be millennia, Raḥmayyu’s love for him, her only secret from
terribly pompous and full of himself. The Phoenicians her wife, never fades.
made no images of their Gods before a hundred years Mot retreated from the World. With his wife Arsay,
ago, but every reference to Gad, from ancient texts to the he built the Wadi (p. 112 and p. 227), the realm of the Gods
present day, either carefully alternates gendered terms or where the dead also live. When the Phoenicians began
avoids them entirely. expanding past the boundaries of their home, he followed

Principal Members 111

them, watching carefully. In conjunction with Dagon and
Arsay, he gathered the souls not only of the Canaanite
sailors who perished beneath the waves but their traveling
PRIMORDIALS
companions also. The Wadi, like the cities the Phoenicians SHAMAYIM, THE SKY
established, has thus long contained a truly cosmopolitan Predating the rest of the Pantheon, Shamayim does
gathering of souls. Freyja delights in the company she finds not just represent the sky, especially the night sky, but
there and makes occasional visits, likewise inviting Arsay truth itself. A people walking the night desert under an
and Mot to Fólkvangr’s feasts. endless sky understand the impossibility of hiding from
The God of Death chooses those who exist on the truth herself when beneath the desert night’s fathomless
fringes of society in any fashion, not just the deeply morbid darkness. This genderless being walks endlessly between
among his offspring (though he does love goths especially the mountains of the Wadi and delights in playing riddle
well). Punks and anarchists, anyone who challenges the games with Scions as they walk along the banks of the
status quo delights Mot. He almost took Ba’al’s place once, multitudinous rivers which run through it. Presenting
and someday, he might just manage it with the help of Shamayim with a riddle or puzzle which they have not
capable and hungry children at his side. yet heard brings their especial favor, and Scions who do
so might convince the Primordial to help them puzzle out
No one openly gives offerings or worship directly
difficulties in their lives.
to Arsay, and the qadeshtu (see Religion, p. 82) at Mot’s
marzeh posit that perhaps she, and not her husband, ERETZ, THE EARTH, THE
controls who enters the Wadi. Those making journeys into MANY-BREASTED ONE
unfamiliar Underworlds beseech her — via her husband
Quiet and steady, Eretz spends most of her time
— for her blessing, and rumors of morbid cults to Arsay
asleep in the Wadi; on the rare occasions when she wakes,
persist despite the prohibition on directly offering worship
however, the Wadi breaks open with celebration. Fruit trees
to her, or indeed speaking her name aloud.
flower and bear fruit in a rush, the rivers leap their banks
Callings: Liminal, Judge, Sage and dance, and blessings pour forth on everyone present
Purviews: Death, Epic Stamina, Order, Passion (Lust) in the Wadi at that moment. She loves travelers, and she
really, really loves food; the Primordial finds the process
COSMOLOGY: THE WADI of cooking food fascinating — this thing that only humans
BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS do — and will happily talk for an eternity about preparation
methods, flavorings, and recipes. Early Phoenician traders
The Phoenicians view everything truly important to counseled each other to leave offerings of rare herbs, fruits
them which exists outside the World as laying between the from far-flung orchards, and spices from distant ports on
Mountains which encircle their ancestral homelands. For the broad stone altars in wild places sacred to this mother of
further information on the Wadi, see p. 227. ‘Ila. (He never acknowledges her, or calls, or writes, which
The Wadi comprises the whole of the Phoenician makes her so terribly sad). The mountains surrounding the
Overworld and Underworld rolled into one. It spreads Wadi, El Shaddai, are Eretz’s breasts, from which all rivers
out, a fertile river valley filled with greenery, ringed by a flow.
mountain range, El Shaddai, which juts up into the sky, YAM, THE SEA, HE OF TEHOM
separating the home of the Gods from the hostile desert
beyond. El Shaddai, the breasts of Eretz, provide the bounty Sometimes called a Titan, sometimes a Primordial,
of the Wadi; all rivers flow from her. The depths of Tehom nomenclature matters not at all to Yam: He spends almost
— the closest thing to hell the Phoenicians understand — all his time sulking in the deep ocean Tehom, plotting to
ring about the Wadi outside of El Shaddai, protecting the overthrow Ba’al. He hasn’t had an original idea about this
Ilhm’s home from attack. endeavor in at least a thousand years, but that doesn’t stop
him from trying to come up with something new. This time,
Upon the top of Mount Sappan, the tallest mountain for certain, he’ll create the biggest Titanspawn and come up
in El Shaddai, live all the Gods of the Ilhm, save ‘Ila, Mot, with the very best idea, and then he’ll be back in charge for
and Arsay. Here, too, they keep homes to which they invite sure and can smash as many ships as he wants.
the most exalted and beloved of their Scions. Ascending
Mount Sappan only grants access to the marzeh of the Ilhm
on specific dates or when specific weather events come to
TITANS AND TITANSPAWN
pass; the Ilhm gift this sacred knowledge to those children ATTAR, THE MORNING STAR
who merit special gifts. During the first age of man, Ba’al withheld rain to
punish humanity for perceived slights; the entire world
became a barren desert of sand and salt water. A qadeshtu
named Ashima — one of the aylonit devotees sacred to the
genderfluid disruptor Attar — went deep into the desert,
screaming their prayers for assistance toward the morning
star.

112 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 The oldest child of Ba’al and Anat and always fonder — not just forest fires, but especially those — and anything
of humanity than her siblings, Attar reached into their own which destroys what the Ilhm’s children build.
heart, withdrawing a flaming spear. He taught humanity Calling: Destroyer, Primeval, Tyrant
how to gird their loins, then struck the star-spear against
the earth. Endless humans flocked to her side, and she Purviews: Death, Fire
tipped out the silver nectar of the dew onto their tongues YAM, THE RIVER-SEA
before leading them against his father. Ba’al summoned
Yam stands astride the line between Primordial and
every living ram and bull, sending them to trample Attar
Titan. He represents not the comforting, familiar ocean of
and her followers. Ba’al’s rage cracked the sky. Rain flooded
Dagon, understood and bargained with by the sea-trading
the plains, washing away all of humanity save a family of
Phoenicians, but the black abyss beneath the ocean’s
qadeshtu on a mountaintop making sacrifices to him, and
surface. He fathers the raging storms which snap masts and
Ashima, who Attar held in their arms and lifted into the
flipped the maritime craft carved by the early followers of
sky. Ba’al banished Attar and every human drowned during
the Ilhm out of a single massive cedar trunk. He created
the rebellion, forbidding them from entering the restful
Lotan and the Leviathan, which may or may not represent
Wadi. Attar placed any accomplices he could save in the
a single mythological figure but whom Ba’al hates. Having
sky as stars and, taking Ashima as her lover, placed them
existed since before ‘Ila and his wives — or so he claims —
where she could look upon them always, a fixed point in
the Gods threw him off the sacred Mt. Sappan because he
the northern sky. Attar’s accomplices will only return
would not promise that he would not wreck their followers’
to the rest of humanity at the end of time and must until
ships. Ba’al fomented this exile, and Yam hates him more
then know the cold of stellar isolation, but that does not
than any of the Gods. On multiple occasions, Yam has sent
stop labor activists from pointing to her as the first union
Titanspawn to destroy Sappan, Ba’al, and all his siblings,
organizer and secretly giving worship to her during strikes
children, and followers. The mighty crash of wild storms at
and direct action.
sea that washed up over the shores of what would become
Calling: Adversary, Leader, Tyrant modern-day Lebanon did not destroy the Phoenicians,
Purviews: Passion (Justice), Stars and indeed, drove them to diversify their holdings. Ba’al
promised he would never flood the entire world again after
LOTAN, THE COILED ONE that incident with Attar, and thus if they promulgate their
This Titanspawn, birthed by Yam, aided its father trading posts across the world, Yam cannot drown them all.
in his attempts to overthrow Ba’al — everyone wants Calling: Creator, Destroyer, Primeval
to be the boss except for Ba’al’s parents, it seems. It
manifests as either a massive, world-spanning serpent Purviews: Sky, Water

RELIGION:
like Jörmungandr or Typhon or a deep-sea creature like
the Leviathan, though some writings ascribe the latter

MARZEH
manifestation to Yam himself. Ba’al claims to have slain
the serpent himself, though the qadeshtu of Anat decry
this as falsehood and puffery. They point out that during
this point of the cycle, his body lay in a thousand scattered
clumps of ash across the face of the earth, and only Anat I n the modern Phoenician language, marzeh means many
things. It refers, depending on context, to temples sacred
to the Ilhm, to the religious feasts held in the temple on a
at that point was both alive and powerful enough to defeat
the massive monster. They explain that Anat stood over the weekly basis at the beginning of their day of rest and on high
broken bones and burned flesh of Ba’al, drew a sliver of his holidays, to the religion itself, to the culture which comes from
rib from the detritus which had been a God a few moments a local community, and to the greater community supported
before, clutching it in her hand. Her warlike nature rose by a local temple. The meaning of marzeh, with all its relative
from her like fire, sharpening the rib-sliver, and she sliced definitions, summarizes the Phoenician faith beautifully.
open Lotan from throat to tail; his body fell upon the earth The heart of marzeh is community, and without community,
and formed the Litani River. a follower of the Ilhm cannot participate meaningfully
in worship. Most communal events and prayers require a
So you see, the qadeshtu explain, technically, perhaps,
minimum ten adults of any gender for proper observation,
Ba’al slew Lotan, but only because of Anat.
and almost everything is communal for the Phoenicians.
Calling: Monster, Warrior, Tyrant The children of the Ilhm commonly say “only to the mayim
Purviews: Beasts (Sea Creatures), Water [ritual baths, literally “water”] do we go alone.”
The proper term for priests of the Ilhm of any gender is
MOLECH, THE ANGRY FLAME qadeshtu, or “holy ones.” Lay leadership figures heavily in
The genesis of this Titan remains shrouded in time; he, a marzeh’s daily life as well. Qadeshtu do not hold greater
like so many other Ilhm figures, strives to overthrow Ba’al. status within the marzeh per se; the appellation “holy ones”
He devours carelessly, forever hungry, and his titanspawn refers to the fact that they eschew outside employment,
manifest as massive, sapient flames, burning everything devoting their entire lives to the marzeh. Qadeshtu oversee
they get their fiery hands on. He glories in natural disasters the marzeh’s finances and are responsible for making

Primordials | Religion 113

sure that no one within the marzeh goes hungry, cold, or
unclothed. This includes making certain that everyone FOLLOWERS
finds acceptance and a home within the marzeh’s social Qadeshtu: Gaining the favor of the highly educated
life as well, since the Phoenician concept of hell centers priests of a particular marzeh — or several — allows a Scion
on loneliness and exclusion from society. A marzeh where access to incredibly old books and the extended resources
not everyone is included is not a functioning marzeh; it is of that marzeh.
incumbent on the qadeshtu to bring back into harmony
Seventy by Seventy: This American non-profit,
with the rest of the marzeh those who damage the fabric
currently run by Esi Nkansa, Scion of Raḥmayyu, has been
of the community, leading to a restorative sense of justice.
run by the same Ashanti family since Reconstruction. Prior
Local marzehs also focus on bettering the community to that, they ran a shelter for refugees in Canada; the family
around themselves. Perhaps not surprisingly, considering escaped the plantation owner holding them hostage for
their shared historical roots, one commonly finds labor and then worked tirelessly to free others. Seventy by
synagogues, mosques, and marzehs partnering for Seventy (a reference to the first generation of Ilhm and the
community-betterment efforts. They commonly partner first generation of their Scions) works diligently to track
on endeavors such as feeding the hungry, providing shelter Ilhm Scions and relatives lost to the Middle Passage and
for the unhoused, assisting refugees, supporting labor enslavement, but their mission extends far past that.
movements, and lobbying local government to amend
The Nkansa family passes along Relics and knowledge
discriminatory or unjust laws.
of many Underworlds through generations of their Scions,
Social justice, mending the World, and inclusion form and their ability to descend into Underworlds in search
the backbone of every Phoenician society, so it should not of missing ancestors permits them to complete family
surprise anyone to find that qadeshtu come in all genders, trees broken by kidnapping and enslavement. Esi takes
sexualities, and from everywhere across the World. When great pride in the fact that her family’s relationship with
the Gods routinely change genders, and everyone counts Raḥmayyu kept them from losing their heritage and link
on everyone else for prosperity and happiness, how can to marzeh — she can trace her family line back to the
anyone be less holy to the Ilhm on any of these bases? first Phoenician trading post in what’s now Ghana — and
Marzeh contain no symbols of Gods brought there by delights in passing on the gift of family knowledge to others.
Phoenicians; the gilded interiors of their holy places never
depict faces for any deity. At the front of every sanctuary sits GUIDES
an empty throne into which worshippers may temporarily Ancestors: Phoenicians bury their dead with grave
place such symbols as they bring with them. The Ilhm have goods today as they did thousands of years ago and keep
always welcomed worship of all Gods into their halls, giving symbols of their deceased relatives on household shrines
services a very Unitarian Universalist sort of feeling. Once alongside symbols of the Gods. Revered ancestors often
a survival tactic for a small civilization traveling very long come to assist, when requested; they manifest as shining
distances for trade, the welcoming of children of all Gods is ghosts, though rumors exist of those ancestors given
now a deeply ingrained feature of Phoenician culture. embodiment via quests undertaken by their descendants.

BIRTHRIGHTS
Fire By Day: And smoke by night. ‘Ila sends columns
of flame, burning bushes, and wafts of smoke to guide his
children.
Ilhm Birthrights distribute relatively evenly across the
four categories, with a slight preference for Followers and Sacred Rams: The children of Ba’al often receive
Relics. Not surprising, considering how much of history guidance from his sacred animal, sometimes giving rise to
and pre-history the Ilhm have spent accumulating gifts for jokes about “sheep following sheep.”
their children.
RELICS
CREATURES Anat’s Rib: Technically, a sliver of Ba’al’s bone, and not
Asherah’s Snake: Sometimes Asherah’s snake travels always a portion of his rib, Scions encase these fragments of
with her, crawling into her clothing, and sometimes it bone in the handles of their weapons or wear the slivers in
wanders off on its own in search of adventures. The curious their jewelry. From Anat’s Rib, Scions receive the strength
serpent causes trouble wherever it goes and takes tales of Anat when she fought Lotan.
home to its mother. Dagon’s Compass: Granted to the captain of the first
Swallows: Sacred to Raḥmayyu and her beloved seven ship to navigate across the Mediterranean and into the Nile
daughters the Kotharat, divine midwives who attend Delta, Dagon’s Compass never fails to point the way home,
their mother’s every birth, these animals accompany her no matter where in the World (or outside of it) the owner
children into dark places and bring them out again safely. finds herself.

114 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 people and Pantheons they work with have even the smallest
RELATIONSHIPS respect for them and their hospitality. When, however,
the Ilhm encounter cultures which do not respect and
The Ilhm generally get along with one another, at celebrate diversity, their children often end up integrating
least on the surface and when everyone’s looking. Like fully into those cultures, losing their own philosophies in
any family with a long and sordid history, everything isn’t the process, and sometimes quite accidentally so. The flip
always peachy, and someone’s always plotting to overthrow side of inclusivity, for a non-dominant nation (and the Ilhm
Ba’al, but except for the morning star who can’t ever get have never been a dominant culture), can be a loss of one’s
back to the sacred mountain, they at least tolerate each own distinctiveness. For the Phoenicians, who traveled the
other. Without that support, after all, they don’t stand a world and brought their community-minded, welcoming
chance against larger, more impressive Pantheons. natures with them, this sometimes ends in assimilation,
and not always by their own consent.
OTHER PANTHEONS
The Ilhm have few enemies: Their arms-open
acceptance of the worship of other Gods in every marzeh
PANTHEON PATH
ever built makes it hard for other Pantheons to stay mad at
them. At worst, more warlike Gods look down on them as
OF THE ILHM
spineless, since war has never featured heavily in the Ilhm Path Skills: Culture, Persuasion
way of life. They’ve had contact with an incredibly far-flung Virtues: Kinship and Inclusiveness. While it might
group of people for millennia and claim to have contacted seem at first like Kinship and Inclusiveness simply restate
North American civilizations centuries before anyone else. the same idea, these twin pillars of Phoenician society
Phoenician sailors have set ships on every ocean in the form quite different ideas which complement each other.
World or outside of it, after all. The Ilhm rise from the Levant, where many other cultures

CURRENT PRIORITIES began; one can see mythological similarities and linguistic
overlaps between the Ilhm and other religions born in the
Keeping up with modern times and preventing ancient land of Canaan, including Judaism, Christianity, and
themselves from losing their distinctiveness in a world Islam. In some cases, the Ilhm show up in the mythology
more connected than even they could have predicted form of other cultures, as when Asherah assisted Isis after the
the core of the Ilhm’s priorities. The fact that they always death of Osiris. Kinship recognizes these ur-mythological
leaned into the interconnected nature of human society roots, and more broadly, the similarities shared by all
makes them an awful lot stronger than some of the more humanity since the first cave drawings and bodies buried
war-like Gods might think; the Ilhm were literally made for with care and flowers. Sometimes that falls into believing
this. that all cultures are the same, rather than acknowledging
each society’s distinctiveness. By contrast, Inclusiveness
GREATEST WEAKNESS recognizes the humanity in others from the ways in which
The greatest weakness of the Ilhm and their children they differ from the Phoenicians and understands that one
comes from their inclusivity; they allow the worship of does not need to understand another person to respect their
other Gods in every marzeh, welcoming in everyone and culture and identity, at least inasmuch as their identity does
everything. This works wonderfully for them when the not derive from causing harm, deprivation, or isolation to
others.

Relationships | Pantheon Path of the Ilhm 115

 Eat, eat, thou hast bread;
Drink, drink, thou hast water;
On that day, dust possesses the earth;
On that day, a blight is on the face of the earth,
On that day, a cloud arises,
On that day, a mountain arises,
On that day, a strong man seizes the land,
On that day, things fall to ruin,
On that day, the tender leaf is destroyed,
On that day, the dying eyes are closed,
On that day, three signs are on the tree,
On that day, three generations hang there,
On that day, the battle flag is raised,
And they are scattered afar in the forests.
— Books of Chilam Balam

W e are the K’uh. A Pantheon of a thousand faces with

hands that reach for the sun. We know our destiny
because we are its authors. We know our enemies because they
and howled in reply. Frustrated, the Gods consigned the
animals to consumption by others and returned to their
work.
are our pawns. The World is our playground, our gameboard, Next, they sculpted people out of mud. These creatures
our petty amusement. We are always watching, always were malformed and spoke senselessly, dissolving easily
waiting, and always plotting with a calculated precision in water. Q’uq’umatz and U Kʼux Kaj cast the people of
that escapes the painted books and knots of our Teōtl and mud aside and invoked their ancient grandfather and
Apu cousins. The board is set. The stones are placed. The grandmother, Xpiacoc and Xmucane, for assistance.
move is yours.
Q’uq’umatz and U Kʼux Kaj explained their problem
In the earliest days there was no land, just placid to their grandparents and populated the World with people
water under an endless sky. Q’uq’umatz lay suspended in carved of wood. These people were numerous and could
these waters, contemplated the vacant World, and reached speak, but they failed to offer their creators praise. Those
skyward to consult U Kʼux Kaj. Q’uq’umatz and U Kʼux who did turned their wooden eyes skyward to the Titan
Kaj discussed the emptiness and decided to create a land Vucub-Caquix, the false sun. Humiliated by this failure, U
occupied by humans who could offer them praise and Kʼux Kaj vented his fury on Vucub-Caquix and the people
worship. They said “earth,” and the World emerged from of wood. He started by sending a flood to drown the people
the sea. of wood. Those that survived learned that U Kʼux Kaj’s
Q’uq’umatz and U Kʼux Kaj blanketed the World with rage possessed their household implements and domestic
plants and summoned forth animals, but the animals did not animals, which attacked them at every turn. They were
comprehend their names and merely squawked, chattered, beaten and crushed to death by water jars, cooking pots,

116 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

and grinding stones. Their houses collapsed, and they were
harried by dogs and turkeys until the scant survivors fled AWILIX, GODDESS OF THE
into the forest to hide or become monkeys. MOON AND NIGHT
U Kʼux Kaj turned his attention to Vucub-Caquix, who Aliases: Auilix, Avilix
vainly declared himself both sun and moon. U Kʼux Kaj Awilix emerged from darkness with her brother-Gods
tasked Xpiacoc and Xmucane’s grandchildren, Hunahpu Tohil and Jacawitz, but she never truly abandoned it. She
and Xbalanque, with the destruction of Vucub-Caquix. is night incarnate, the ever-watchful eyes of the Highland
They quickly succeeded in their task. K’uh who ensnares her foes with inescapable nets of
These failures stung, but Q’uq’umatz and U Kʼux Kaj subterfuge. She and her brothers formed an inseparable
persisted, enlisting the aid of Xpiacoc and Xmucane yet trinity that dominated the Highland K’uh from their court
again. They contemplated what to try next and learned in Q’umarkaj. Tohil became their leader, Jacawitz their
of white and yellow corn. Xmucane ground the corn nine strength, and Awilix their shadow, always watching from
times and used the water rinsed from her hands for blood. the darkness above. This endured for millennia, until
Q’uq’umatz shaped the dough into forms and humanity Cabrakan announced his return by obliterating Jacawitz’s
was born, offering the praise Q’uq’umatz and U Kʼux Kaj very essence with the might of an elder Titan. This sent
so deeply sought. shockwaves throughout the K’uh, but was felt
most profoundly by Awilix and Tohil,
Humanity huddled in darkness,
who bend their prodigious efforts
but Hunahpu and Xbalanque were
toward destroying Cabrakan and his
not idle. They travelled to Xibalba
spawn.
to avenge their murdered father by
humbling that dark realm. When Awilix is a beauty, but few
triumphant, they ascended recall her true appearance. She
skyward to become the sun is a master of disguise with
and moon, the ability to take
lighting the the form
World for of women,
h u m a n i t y. men, or
Other Gods even eagles
emerged, and jaguars
multiplying with ease.
in form and As Tohil’s
number until s p y m a s t e r,
they became the K’uh, the Awilix has a vast array
Pantheon of 1,000 Mantles, of contacts tasked with
players of games. ferreting out the secrets of her
enemies. These agents include

PRINCIPAL many of her Scions and extend all

the way to Xibalba, where she receives

MEMBERS intelligence from the bat-winged

emissaries of its deposed lords in return for

T he K’uh are many in number, but singular in purpose,

driven to dominate their neighbors in the great game
of K’uh politics. The hundreds of Gods and Mantles that
assistance against Cizin. She has been locked in a war of
deception with Tezcatlipoca for centuries, battling him to
a tie, but never truly defeating him. Of late, she senses new
comprise the K’uh watch the stars with practiced ease as they shadows closing around her as Cabrakan’s attacks become
navigate the tortuous chessboard of obligation and destiny more effective and her agents go missing. To this end she
that comprises K’uh society. They are always watching, enlists outside assistance, suspecting the possible return of
always waiting, and always convinced of the righteousness Cabrakan’s brother Zipacna.
of their quest to become unifiers of a people who scorn the Scions of Awilix are quiet, subtle, and quick-witted.
very concept. Many are members of the Nija’ib’ lineage of the K’iche’
The Gods of the K’uh Pantheon include: Awilix (Moon who attend Awilix in her temple at Q’umarkaj, but they
and Night), Buluc-Chabtan (War), Chac (Rain), Cizin can be found anywhere. They currently focus on defeating
(Death), Ek Chuaj (Merchants, Chocolate, War), Hunahpu Cabrakan and preventing other K’uh from taking advantage
and Xbalanque, (Sun and Moon), Itzamna (Rulers, Writing of Jacawitz’s loss. Awilix Scions are spies, private detectives,
Medicine), Ix Chel (Midwives, Fertility, Pregnancy, assassins, astronomers, morticians, con artists, masters of
Childbirth, Medicine), Kʼukʼulkan, (Feathered Serpent), disguise, leaders, and priests.
Q’uq’umatz, (Sovereign Plumed Serpent), Tohil (Fire), and Awilix often makes her Visitation in the form of a
U Kʼux Kaj (Storm). mystery that ultimately leads to her. Her Scion will discover

Principal Members 117

a coded message, a paper trail, a dead body, perhaps even The black half-circle surrounding his left eye is often the
two, and they’ll need to follow the breadcrumbs to discover last thing his foes see before a thrust of his spear or a flash
the cause behind this alluring enigma. She denies her of his torch strikes them down. In modern times, Buluc-
Scions their Visitation if they’re incapable of solving the Chabtan affects the appearance of any willing proponent of
task before them, imposing a harsh judgment on those who violence, be they general, revolutionary, or cartel enforcer.
disappoint her. In contrast, she embraces those who master Human sacrifice grants him great strength, and Buluc-
the mystery with all the warmth of a long lost relative. Chabtan revels in destruction, razing buildings, shattering
stone, and spitting his unfortunate foes with wild abandon.
Callings: Guardian, Leader, Trickster
Scions of Buluc-Chabtan are selected for martial
Purviews: Beasts (Eagles, Jaguars), Darkness, skill, aggression, and ambition. They constantly jockey
Deception, Death, Moon for advancement in Buluc-Chabtan’s army, with the
BULUC-CHABTAN, ultimate goal of promotion to the rank of nacom. Nacoms
are Buluc-Chabtan’s elite generals, bound by sacred oaths
GOD OF WAR, VIOLENCE, of abstinence and celibacy to better focus on war. Buluc-
HUMAN SACRIFICE, Chabtan’s Scions are soldiers, warriors, revolutionaries,
AND SUDDEN DEATH pirates, and assassins.
Buluc-Chabtan is belligerence personified, reveling A Visitation from Buluc-Chabtan is typically direct and
in war, destruction, and human sacrifice. His traditional bloody. Buluc-Chabtan will challenge — or have one of his
theater of operation is southern Mexico, where his battles servitors challenge — the young Scion in a trial of combat to
against the Teōtl are legendary. Buluc-Chabtan has no the first blood. Such a battle could be over easily (after all,
intention of ceding an inch of K’uh territory to the Teōtl, it’s easy to scratch a human’s thin skin), except the victor
and even Huitzilopochtli hasn’t been able to dislodge him. has to taste their enemy’s blood to end the fight. Such
The outbreak of peace under the Compact of Xol renders clashes tend to be swift but brutal, with teeth (or fangs)
this conflict moot (for now), so Buluc-Chabtan assuages presented as soon as the bell tolls and battle commences.
his boredom by assailing fellow members of the K’uh. He Callings: Judge, Leader, Warrior
stood in the vanguard of Cizin’s army when he conquered
Xibalba, launches piratical raids against Ek Chuaj, and Purviews: Death, Epic Strength, Fire, War
plans to test his mettle against K’uk’ulkan’s Ah Canul allies
(p. 126). At this juncture, Buluc-Chabtan’s principal aim
CHAC, GOD OF RAIN
is finding a way to unravel the Compact of Xol, perhaps Aliases: Chaac, Chaahk
dragging the Apu into the conflict as well. The sky crackles with Chac’s power as he strides across
Buluc-Chabtan is a well-muscled Yucatec warrior clad the heavens, striking clouds with his lightning ax to bring
in a vibrant panoply of feathers, leopard skin, and rage. rain and thunder to the World below. He is ancient beyond

118 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

belief and served by a quartet of lesser rain Gods perched wardrobe, discover a treasure haul in a flooded cave, or
at the four corners of the World. As God of rain, Chac is a better, discover something of themselves such as their
creature of the sky, but far from remote. He is well-loved parentage, that they possess a rare blood type, or that they
by farmers, with temples and shrines dotting every major can memorize the entirety of the Mayan Xtoles after one
city and field from southern Mexico to Honduras. Prayers rendition. Chac appears soon after and blesses his offspring
by the hundred drift skyward from rainmakers, priests, and with the refreshing rainfall of rebirth.
farmers, with cenotes and places of running water offering Callings: Guardian, Leader, Warrior
particularly auspicious places of worship.
Purviews: Fertility (Agriculture), Epic Strength,
Chac is largely benevolent, but his lightning ax is Fertility, Sky, War, Water
always close at hand. He occasionally exhibits warlike
tendencies that are harnessed by mortals and Scions CIZIN, GOD OF DEATH,
seeking victory in war. RULER OF THE
Once distinguishable by his scales, reptilian snout,
fangs, and decorative shell earpieces, Chac’s serpentine
UNDERWORLD
side has all but vanished; he usually affects a more human Aliases: Kisin, Ah-Puch
appearance when visiting the World. He is well-respected Cizin lives in the underworld, but his star is ascendant.
by K’uh and mortal alike, with no better example than The Hero Twins left Xibalba in disarray after the deaths
Chac’s close friendship with Tlaloc of the Teōtl. They of Hun- and Vucub-Came. Death is patient, and Cizin
formed a lasting bond prior to the Compact of Xol, and watched Xibalba weaken as its remaining Lords squabbled
Chac’s Scions are treated as honored guests in Tlalocan, over Hun-Came’s throne. Opportunity struck when the
extending similar offers of friendship and protection Compact of Xol left Buluc-Chabtan’s army restless and
within the domain of the K’uh. Buluc-Chabtan takes a dim hungry for war. A week later, Cizin and Buluc-Chabtan
view of this alliance and tries to break it at every turn. marched their combined host down the black road to
Scions of Chac are strong, passionate, and flow like Xibalba and swept aside its defenders to proclaim Cizin
water to adapt to any situation. They are loyal to friends and Lord of the Underworld.
unyielding to enemies, protecting Chac’s mortal worshipers
Cizin is a nightmare given form, a living skeleton with
with great vigor. Chac’s Scions are meteorologists, storm
a necklace of human eyes, whose passage is marked by the
chasers, farmers, soldiers, pilots, rainmakers, high priests,
unearthly jingle of copper and gold bells strung throughout
government leaders, and cave divers.
his greasy hair. Ornate wrist and ankle bracelets add to
A Visitation from Chac often comes in the form of the cacophony as he madly capers about the obsidian
unexpected discovery. A Scion might open a long forgotten thoroughfares of Xibalba, searching for evildoers to
lockbox that was accumulating dust at the bottom of their torment with unholy fire. Unlucky souls are sentenced to

Principal Members 119

Cizin’s menagerie, where they are warped into skeletons merchants. His ability to frustrate these attacks purchased
or demented human/animal hybrids for use as guards, the unique ire of Buluc-Chabtan, who routinely
oddities, or hunting fodder. orchestrates violent raids, piracy, and general brigandage
Outside Xibalba, Cizin prowls the World as a black- against Ek Chuaj. In response, Ek Chuaj sponsors private
suited man with an unhealthy pallor whose ebony-banded security, bodyguards, and secure transportation services
gaze is always alert for the sick and injured. Owls often for Scion and mortal alike.
precede his passage, and a single hoot or jingle of bells Ek Chuaj’s traditional guise is an elderly merchant
inspires terror in most mortals. with a heavily-laden pack, protruding lip, and black and
Cizin is easily the least-popular member of the K’uh white body paint. His modern incarnation exchanges body
and is often petulant when thwarted, kicking the pillars of paint for chiaroscuro-themed Armani suits, Rolex watches,
the Underworld to cause earthquakes. His only true friend and next year’s smart phone. He is kind, fair, and well-
is Buluc-Chabtan, who shares his passion for decapitation liked, but he drives a hard bargain and is never afraid to
and human sacrifice. defend himself. Ek Chuaj’s principal venture is the Black
Star Financial Group, a holding company headquartered
Scions of Cizin embrace darkness and the quiet of in Guatemala City, where he holds court from his palatial
death. They spy on Cizin’s enemies, search for evildoers home in Zone 10. Black Star has offices around the World,
to stock his menagerie, and seek to expand the power of including famous subsidiaries like Scorpion Security
Xibalba at the Teōtl’s expense. They are morticians, grave Solutions, North Star Shipping, and Celestial Confections.
diggers, death cultists, professional “interrogators,” spies,
hunters, assassins, zookeepers, virologists, and murderers Scions of Ek Chuaj are well-travelled, cosmopolitan,
of all stripes. and extremely competent. They defend their clients and
goods against the depredations of Buluc-Chabtan and seek
A Visitation from Cizin is never an enjoyable profitable trade opportunities and alliances with foreign
experience. It typically involves being entombed with Pantheons. Ek Chuaj Scions are merchants, bankers,
a host of beasts (such as the ones under his Purview) cacao growers, confectioners, private military contractors,
and having to endure the feeling of being eaten alive by security guards, cargo pilots, sailors, and delivery drivers.
a host of miniature predators until they break free or
Cizin intervenes to rescue them. In particularly morbid Visitations from Ek Chuaj are incredibly sacred to this
situations, this entombment is a ritualized affair involving God, but often strike those outside his culture as unusual,
being buried near a temple and having worshipers of largely because few value the cacao bean as sacredly as he.
Cizin watching from afar. On other occasions, it may be His Scions find themselves in possession of a pocketful of
something as simple as a Scion’s car doors and windows these beans and are expected to nurture them, not giving
refuse to open as the vehicle starts filling up with spiders in to the temptation to make chocolate or pass them to
and scorpions. Neither proposition is good. someone who might. After a fair duration in the Scion’s
care, Ek Chuaj comes to claim what has been grown (or
Callings: Hunter, Judge, Leader maintained) and blesses his Scion with their Birthright.
Purviews: Beasts (Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes, Callings: Guardian, Leader, Warrior
Vultures, Owls, Bats, Dogs), Darkness, Death, Earth
(Earthquakes), Fire Purviews: Fertility (Chocolate), Epic Stamina,
Journey, Prosperity, War
EK CHUAJ, HUNAHPU AND XBALANQUE,
GOD OF MERCHANTS, GODS OF THE SUN
CHOCOLATE, AND WAR AND MOON
Aliases: Ek Chuaj, Ekchuah
Aliases: The Hero Twins
Ek Chuaj travels the World in search of profit, buying
low and selling high. His cosmopolitan nature allows him Hunahpu and Xbalanque are champions, Hero Twins
to remain aloof from K’uh politics and cultivate contacts in word and deed. They were born of the death Goddess
among the Teōtl, Apu, and Zemí. To this end, he arranged Xquic who escaped Xibalba after impregnation by the
with Ix Chel to have Cozumel declared a free trade zone blood of the twins’ father Hun Hunahpu’s severed head.
where merchants of all Pantheons can safely gather and They were raised by their harsh grandmother Xmucane
negotiate in comfort. and spent their youth evading the lethal schemes of their
half-brothers. The skills of trickery and survival learned in
Cacao beans were once currency, granting Ek Chuaj their youth served them well in the years to come, for their
plenary dominion over chocolate. These sacred beans opponents were formidable. When the Titans aggrandized
hold great value for Ek Chuaj, who awards divine versions themselves at the expense of the K’uh, it was the twins who
of them as marks of favor that grant the bearer access to defeated them. Then came their journey to Xibalba, where
information, goods, transportation, or even protection. they slew Hun-Came and Vucub-Came, humbling the
Ek Chuaj’s martial aspect was born defending caravans Underworld to ascend skyward as sun and moon.
against bandits lying in wait to ambush unsuspecting

120 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 The twins are athletic youths with disarming smiles or king makers, they serve as mentors to rulers, healers,
who seldom venture far from their blowguns. They affect and oracles that walk the World to promote education,
the guise of soccer fans when they aren’t lighting the sky medicine, and proper statecraft. Itzamna’s Scions also
and have the uncanny ability to blend into a crowd. For all maintain an extensive network of temples and temple-
their heroism, they are not elite fighters, relying on their schools to educate the clergy, work with Ix Chel’s Scions in
wits, trickery, and formidable blowgun skills to defeat their their hospitals, and operate painting, writing, and calendar
foes. They learned of the Titans’ return when a number divination academies. They are leaders, doctors, nurses,
of their Scions were found slain in a surprise attack with fortunetellers, calligraphers, oracles, powers behind the
precious jewels left as calling cards. The Titans call, and throne, writers, painters, and wizened sages.
the twins have answered, sharpening their wits for a final The Visitation from Itzamna is a formal affair and
confrontation. one of the few things that make the God descend from his
Scions of the Hero Twins are noble, quick-witted, Overworld perch. He has one of his servitors dispatch an
and incredibly resilient. They get along with everyone invitation, or the servitor acts as the messenger, with the
but can vanish into a crowd at a moment’s notice. Recent Scion invited to an outdoor dinner where Itzamna will take
losses inspire them to band together with fellow Scions for the measure of his offspring. He isn’t immune to tributes,
protection as they weave elaborate plots to ensnare their gifts, and praise, but he attempts to coolly discern the
Titanic foes. The Twins’ Scions are hunters, professional Scion’s worth while watching them eat.
athletes, magicians, escape artists, travelers, sharp shooters, Callings: Creator, Healer, Sage
and doctors.
Purviews: Artistry (Painted Codices), Earth, Fortune,
Visitations from the Twins usually emerge when Health, Order, Sky
Scions get involved with titanspawn. Hunahpu and
Xbalanque love a show where Titans and their offspring IX CHEL, GODDESS OF
end up tricked, trapped, and embarrassed, and emerge to MIDWIVES, FERTILITY,
congratulate their Scion when they achieve such a feat.
PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH,
Callings: Hunter, Liminal, Trickster AND MEDICINE
Purviews: Beasts, Deception, Epic Dexterity, Health, Aliases: Ixchel, Chak Chel, Lady Rainbow
Journey, Moon (Xbalanque), Sun (Hunahpu).
Ix Chel recalls the earliest days of creation with her
ITZAMNA, GOD OF RULERS, husband Itzamna and has near plenary power over health,
WRITING, AND MEDICINE fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth. She is patron of weaving
and often grants her petitioners oracles about their marital
Itzamna is ancient beyond measure, lord of heavens, and fertility prospects.
day, and night, a creature of dizzying power who looks
down upon creation from his celestial throne. He is easily Ix Chel is an elderly woman with serpents in her hair,
one of the eldest members of the K’uh and serves as both jaguar ears, and crossed bones woven into her skirt. She is
their high priest and titular leader of the Yucatec faction. seldom far from her birthing vase and weaving implements,
It was Itzamna who invented books and writing, literally and her modern incarnation alternates between a simple
defining the rituals and calendrics that govern the K’uh’s village midwife wearing a red shawl and a powerful health
destiny. It was also Itzamna who divided the Yucatan and official in a crimson power suit.
named its features. He is the first K’uh priest and oracle, Cozumel is Ix Chel’s seat of power and second-most
patron of rulers, clergy, and the medical arts. prestigious site of pilgrimage after Chichen Itza. Women
Itzamna is a venerable man with toothless jaws and arrive daily to receive Ix Chel’s blessings while her chief
sunken cheeks who affects the garb of a high priest in priest dispenses oracles from a vast temple near the island’s
the rare instances he ventures abroad. He tired of K’uh heart. Recent years have seen Cozumel increasingly
intrigues ages ago and stands aloof from their games, battered by the hurricanes and spawn of the Zemí Titan
seldom descending from the Overworld to interfere in their Juracán. In response, Ix Chel forged an alliance with
affairs. When he does intervene, he prefers to act through Ek Chuaj, awarding him the ability to use Cozumel as
intermediaries like his wife Ix Chel, the solar God Kinich a free trade zone in return for protection by members of
Ahau, or his Scions and mortal agents. While he generally Scorpion Security Solutions and substantial investments
refrains from direct action, he is not afraid to occasionally in her medical and textile endeavors. This alliance offers
place his thumb on the scales of destiny to elicit a particular Cozumel temporary protection while Ix Chel seeks a more
outcome. permanent solution with the assistance of U K’ux Kaj.

Scions of Itzamna are enigmatic patrons of destiny Beyond Cozumel, Ix Chel and her Scions wield great
well-versed in the arts of divination and leadership. Their power over the Central American healthcare system,
objectives are seldom recognizable until well after the fact, running a network of hospitals, chapels, and village clinics
and they have a habit of making themselves indispensable identifiable by their distinctive red vase symbol. They also
advisors to their fellow Scions. When not acting as kings have extensive holdings in the textile industry, marketing a

Principal Members 121

successful line of maternity and children’s clothing. By and
large, Ix Chel’s Scions are wise, compassionate, and deeply Q’UQ’UMATZ,
invested in their charges’ care, often taking positions as SOVEREIGN PLUMED SERPENT
midwives, doctors, nurses, weavers, matchmakers, oracles, Q’uq’umatz is an immense feathered serpent cloaked
and fertility specialists. in blue-green quetzal feathers whose contemplative
Ix Chel may make her Visitation in the form of the elderly demeanor conceals astonishing power. He is easily the
body she occupies, but she prefers to appear as a talking eldest member of the Highland K’uh beside U K’ux Kaj, but
mouth in a freshly woven tapestry. She has a particular love of he allows Tohil, Awilix, and (formerly) Jacawitz to govern
animating woven materials into dramatic tableaus portraying in his stead.
birth, the growth of life, and the flow of rivers. While Q’uq’umatz remains aloof from Highland
Callings: Guardian, Healer, Sage governance, he is far from idle. He sees the pain the K’uh’s
destructive infighting brings to their mortal worshipers. It
Purviews: Artistry (Weaving), Fertility, Fortune,
was this disunity that led to the conquest of their mortal
Health, Passion, Water
followers, and this same disunity hinders their battle
K’UK’ULKAN, against the Titans. To this end, Q’uq’umatz formed the
THE FEATHERED SERPENT “Serpent Court,” a faction composed of himself, the War
Serpent Chan-na K’awil, and the Water Lily Serpent Yax-
Aliases: Kukulkan, Waxaklahun Ubah Kan chit-ti. Together, they work to mediate disputes between
K’uk’ulkan is enigmatic in origin but plain of purpose, the K’uh and shore up the power of Tohil against the Titans.
hoping to unify the Lowland K’uh under his banner. His They are also negotiating with K’uk’ulkan for possible
power among the Lowland K’uh is immense, with Scions membership in the Serpent Court to expand their power
spreading his worship, mercantile endeavors, and alliances among the Lowland K’uh.
in an ever-expanding sphere from his seat of power in The Serpent Court’s diplomacy is not limited to the
Chichen Itza. He promotes worship of Chac and Ix Chel, K’uh. Q’uq’umatz personally created the Midrealm Xol
earning their favor, and has a solid working relationship as a neutral meeting ground for the Teōtl, Apu, Zemí, and
with Ek Chuaj. His main political rival is Kinich Ahau, a other Pantheons, where he works tirelessly to maintain the
solar God with rumored connections to Itzamna. Neither peace.
side is willing to budge, and they are locked in bitter
stalemate. Scions of Q’uq’umatz are patient and contemplative.
They are dreamers dedicated to building a better World
K’uk’ulkan has long-standing relationships with for the K’uh and their mortal worshipers, harnessing
the Teōtl, finding a kindred spirit in Quetzalcoatl and the power of creation itself in pursuit of their objectives.
granting safe passage to Teōtl within his domain. This close Many are priests in Q’uq’umatz’s temple at Q’umarkaj,
association earns K’uk’ulkan the abject hatred of Buluc- while others negotiate with K’uk’ulkan at Chichen Itza to
Chabtan, inspiring him to employ a private army of Teōtl secure an alliance or maintain Xol. Q’uq’umatz Scions are
mercenaries to check Buluc-Chabtan’s power. mediators, sculptors, artists, philosophers, scuba divers,
K’uk’ulkan’s divine form is a vast serpent covered oceanographers, and occasionally serve as bodyguards and
in brilliant feathers, but he also adopts a wide array of soldiers trained by the War Serpent to enforce Q’uq’umatz’s
humanoid forms, from warriors to priests to merchants. He peace.
tasks his Scions with promoting his worship and forging A Visitation from Q’uq’umatz likely comes after
alliances with other K’uh and foreign Scions. the Scion achieves a peaceful resolution to a burning
Scions of K’uk’ulkan are intelligent, diplomatic, and feud. Q’uq’umatz is a high-minded God, but places equal
cosmopolitan. They are masters of the great game of K’uh importance on resolving disputes between a couple fighting
politics, specializing in building bridges between bitter over child custody as he does settling a gang war.
enemies. They maintain Chichen Itza as the number one Callings: Creator, Judge, Liminal
site of K’uh pilgrimage and have begun to extend olive
branches to their Highland rivals to strengthen their Purviews: Artistry, Beasts, Earth, Fertility, Order, Sky,
powerbase. Scions are leaders, diplomats, merchants, Water
herpetologists, and seismologists.
TOHIL, GOD OF FIRE
K’uk’ulkan’s Visitations typically come when a Scion Tohil rose in Tulan, the place of seven caves and seven
pays tribute to a Mayan temple, with Chichen Itza as the canyons where humanity received its Gods and language.
premier of all options. They will feel called to do so, and He emerged in smoke and flame with his fellow Gods Awilix
when the offering is made, K’uk’ulkan appears in person or and Jacawitz, taking the collective name Tohil to reflect
in the flames of a sacred hearth to speak with his offspring. their inseparable bond. Tohil’s flames warmed his people,
Callings: Guardian, Leader, Sage but many shivered in darkness and asked Tohil to share
Purviews: Beasts (Serpents), Earth (Earthquakes), his fire. He was pleased to comply, in return for the blood
Order, Prosperity, Sky and sacrifice required to fuel his power. He later led the

122 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

K’iche’ people to become the dominant force in the Maya hard-eyed man with windblown hair that conceals the
Highlands and cemented his position as unchallenged storm winds and thunder of his divine form. U K’ux Kaj
leader of the Highland K’uh. grows in strength as the World warms, reminding coastal
Tohil is a fierce warrior shrouded in smoke and flame communities of their duty to praise him with worrying
and favors dark suits to conceal the blood of sacrifice. He is regularity. He is furious at the resurgent Titan menace,
a cunning warrior that employs trickery and misdirection tasking his Scions with destroying Vucub-Caquix’s gem-
in battle, but he is seldom afraid to immolate his foes when clad spawn, while enlisting Hunahpu and Xbalanque to
the need arises. deal with their master. He sees the Zemí Titan Juracán’s
assaults on Cozumel as a personal affront and regularly
The loss of Jacawitz weighs heavily on Tohil, who tests his strength against him, offering Ix Chel protection
vents his grief and fury on Cabrakan and his spawn at every in trade for construction of temples in his honor.
opportunity. He fought Cabrakan to a standstill with the
aid of Awilix on two occasions, but has yet to slay the elder Scions of U K’ux Kaj are demanding, short-tempered,
Titan. and fearsome to behold. They demand respect and are
happy to take it when not given freely. They battle spawn
As leader of the Highland K’uh, Tohil is worshiped of Vucub-Caquix and Juracán, and rumors of surviving
across Guatemala, ruling from his great temple in the mud and wooden people draw them into the jungles of the
ancient city of Q’umarkaj, where priests lay offerings Yucatan. They also “remind” humanity to offer prayers
of blood and quetzal feathers at his feet. He obeys the skyward in thanks for their existence. U K’ux Kaj Scions
Compact of Xol, but still retains his ancient rivalry with are meteorologists, storm chasers, skydivers, and pilots.
Tezcatlipoca, weaving webs and counter-webs of intrigue
as they wait for the K’uh/Teōtl cold war to grow hot. A Visitation from U K’ux Kaj is more an elemental
encounter than one with a benevolent or caring parent
Scions of Tohil are intense, fire-hearted, and cunning figure. U K’ux Kaj bombards his Scions with storms,
with a reputation for being natural planners who are always conflagrations, and flooding, sometimes in a localized area,
two-steps ahead of their foes. Tohil draws many Scions sometimes not, and finally ushers their divine spark forth
from the Kaweq K’iche’ bloodline and offers safe haven to when they pull themselves from the morass he’s created.
refugees from Jacawitz’s Ajaw lineage, testing Jacawitz’s He then typically abandons them to clean up his mess.
Scions to see if one is worthy to assume his Mantle. Scions
of Tohil are warriors, phlebotomists, fire eaters, smoke Callings: Creator, Judge, Leader
jumpers, hunters, leaders, and priests. Purviews: Beasts (Dogs, Turkeys), Earth, Fire, Sky,
A Scion of Tohil likely receives their first Visitation Water
upon meddling with or disrupting the plotting of one of
Tezcatlipoca’s Scions, whether intentionally or not. Tohil
appears to angrily warn his offspring of the Compact of Xol,
COSMOLOGY
but invariably provides a smirk or wink of subtle approval.
Callings: Leader, Trickster, Warrior
T he universe of the K’uh is divided between 13 Upper
Worlds and 9 Lower Worlds, with the World in between.

Purviews: Beasts (Deer), Deception, Fire, Sky, War KAN – OVERWORLD

U K’UX KAJ, The Upper World is composed of 13 layers, each
governed by a separate God collectively known as the
“HEART OF SKY”, Oxlahuntiku. Kan is home to a paradisical realm reserved
GOD OF WIND AND STORM for warriors who die in battle, women who die in childbirth,
Aliases: Huracán, Hunraqan (one legged), priests, nobles, and those who are victims of sacrifice or
Thunderbolt Hurricane suicide. The honored dead lounge under the shade of the
ceiba tree, enjoying lavish banquets free from the pains and
U K’ux Kaj was once alone in the sky with Newborn
labors of their former lives. .
Thunderbolt and Sudden Thunderbolt as his only
companions. His name (among others) was Thunderbolt
Hurricane, and together they formed U K’ux Kaj, “Heart
KAB – THE WORLD
of Sky.” U K’ux Kaj consulted Q’uq’umatz and created the The World is a vast plain with four corners, each
World, peopling it with humans to offer them praise. represented by a color, red for east, white for north, black
for west, yellow for south, and green for center. The sky
U K’ux Kaj is the driven storm, fiery, tempestuous, and is held aloft by the might of the four Bacabs, a quartet of
prone to outbursts of rage. He is a harsh taskmaster who massive Gods perched at each corner.
demands proper obeisance and is not afraid to punish those
who defy him with hurricane winds, floods, or worse. He XIBALBA – UNDERWORLD
also imbues household items with murderous life to slay
The nine layers of the Lower World are collectively
mortals who challenge his will.
known as Xibalba, also known as Mitnal, or the “Place of
One of U K’ux Kaj’s legs is a serpent cunningly Fright.” Nine Gods known as the Bolontiki collectively
concealed as a prosthetic. He otherwise appears to be a

Cosmology 123
govern each layer, but Xibalba’s true masters inhabit the out of wood and immediately declared himself their master.
city of the same name on its lowest level. His teeth glittered with turquoise and gemstones while his
There are many entrances to Xibalba; its great gates eyes and body formed a riotous panoply of precious metals,
are open to all. One simply needs to find a cave, still water, jade, and jewels, shining so brightly he became a false sun
a ballcourt, a temple, or a black western road to begin their and moon to his subjects below. U K’ux Kaj quickly tired of
journey. After a time, they pass deep within the earth, this hubris and sent Hunahpu and Xbalanque, then Xpiacoc
moving through the Rustling and Gurgling Canyons before and Xmucane, to slay Vucub-Caquix and his family.
crossing rivers of scorpions, blood, and pus. They then Vucub-Caquix was consigned to darkness for an age,
follow the Black Road to the council chamber of the Lords but agonizingly clawed his way back into existence before
of Xibalba. In days of old, the Lords welcomed guests to summoning his wife back from the void. Together, they
their city with a room festooned with mannequins and reunited with their sons and bound them to solemn pacts
humiliation. Today, they are greeted by the agents of Cizin of vengeance against the K’uh.
hungry to capture evildoers for his amusement. Vucub-Caquix’s lust for revenge knows no bounds, and
Xibalba today is much like it once was, a place of great he has many tools at his disposal. Chimalmat is his beloved
peril and darkling splendor reserved for those denied wife, birthing new and deadly titanspawn with quiet
a violent death. It is an ever-expanding city of broad malevolence; Zipacna weaves clever traps; and Cabrakan
thoroughfares, gardens, and buildings clustered around an rages.
immense ballcourt surrounded by the palaces of Xibalban The greatest threat to the K’uh, however, is Vucub-
Lords. Cizin claimed Hun-Came’s palace for his own and Caquix himself. His age and power rival that of Q’uq’umatz,
reserves Vucub-Came’s for Buluc-Chabtan when he visits. allowing him to blind foes with the light of a star while
They redound with the wails of Cizin’s victims, and one of severing limbs with his fearsome beak. But this power is
Hun-Came’s gardens was recently converted into Cizin’s a last resort, because the lessons of the past have taught
personal menagerie. Vucub-Caquix the merit of subterfuge. He sits perched in
Prior to its occupation, Xibalba was defended by the a nest of precious metals and gems high in the sky, using
entourages of its 12 lords, who often employed owl servants its bottomless wealth to tempt the enemies of the K’uh to
as assassins. Today’s streets are patrolled by Cizin’s skeletal action. He whispers into the ears of rival Gods and employs
soldiers and hybrids, retaining a unit of Buluc-Chabtan’s titanspawn in schemes to set them at odds. But while the
red-clad warriors as his royal bodyguard in Vucub-Came’s destruction of the K’uh is foremost in Vucub-Caquix’s
palace. mind, his greater goals are to humiliate Xpiacoc and
Cizin is not one to stand on tradition, but he believes Xmucane and reclaim his throne as lord of the second age.
certain Xibalban customs have merit. He retains the To this end, Vucub-Caquix slowly gathers the
deceptions of the old lords’ council house and frequently surviving people of wood with promises of revenge and a
employs their six deadly houses for his amusement, return to glory. As he assembles his forces, Vucub-Caquix
ushering victims through the Dark, Rattling, Jaguar, Bat, agents scour the World in search of the deadly household
Razor, and Hot houses in turn. Any survivors are pitted objects of the second age. A pestle here, a cookpot there,
against Cizin’s champions in Xibalba’s great ball court. each object retains its lethal hunger for the people of
wood. Vucub-Caquix collects them safely in his nest and
XOL attempts to discern the secret behind their creation. When
Xol is a Midrealm composed of seemingly endless he masters this secret, he will infuse every convenience
caves filled with biomes from across the World and 13 in the World with their lethal magic, sealing the fate of
Heavens. Its position on the border of the K’uh and Teōtl humanity and reveling in the looks of horror on Xpiacoc
cosmos is not accidental. It was created by Q’uq’umatz as a and Xmucane’s faces as their most precious creations are
neutral meeting place for the K’uh and Teōtl to peacefully slain. Then he will turn his attention to the Hero Twins,
resolve their differences. Their efforts were successful, plucking them from the sky and assuming their place as the
and the “Compact of Xol” was born, a peace treaty dividing only sun of a devastated World populated solely by adoring
the Upper and Lower worlds evenly between the two people of wood.
Pantheons. Xol serves as a valuable middle ground for
Callings: Monster, Trickster, Tyrant
negotiation to this day. For additional information, see
Realms of Magic and Mystery, p. 89. Purview: Sky
ZIPACNA
TITANS Zipacna is the elder son of Vucub-Caquix and self-
proclaimed Maker of Mountains. He is a massive caiman
The K’uh are a house divided, but their Titans are not.
whose strength is matched only by his arrogance, employing
VUCUB-CAQUIX his colossal might and sinister intellect to people the stars
Vucub-Caquix, or “7-Macaw,” is the undisputed lord of with the broken bodies of fallen foes. Zipacna was once
the K’uh Titans. He was there when the K’uh crafted people entombed under the great mountain Meauan by Hunahpu

124 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

and Xbalanque, but the Hero Twins sorely underestimated a host of sub-specialties, including exorcism and sacrifice.
Zipacna’s penchant for escaping subterranean captivity. This hierarchy is supplemented by village shamans known
Upon his return, Zipacna swore vengeance against as daykeepers, who are tasked with counting the sacred
Hunahpu and Xbalanque, U K’ux Kaj, and the K’uh as days of the K’uh calendar to help guide their divinations.
a whole. He constantly probes the boundaries of the The clergy are well provisioned with painted codices to
Otherworlds, Xol in particular, as he patiently awaits the guide their rituals, but modern tablets are not uncommon.
ideal moment to strike, and when that moment arrives, the Below the priesthood are the Maya faithful who adhere
night sky will burn just that much brighter. to a dizzying assortment of rituals. Prayers are offered as
Callings: Destroyer, Monster, Warrior hypnotic litanies, altars are incensed with burning copal,
Purview: Epic Strength great dances and performances are held, and feasting and
celebration are common.
CABRAKAN Almost all important rituals are preceded by a period
Cabrakan, also known as Earthquake, is the younger of purification involving abstinence, fasting, and cleansing
son of Vucub-Caquix and self-proclaimed Breaker of with water. When these preparations are complete, the
Mountains. He is a true giant, dwarfing the sun in scale and petitioner is free to offer their prayers and sacrifices to the
felling mountains with a simple tapping of his foot. Like his K’uh in return for healing, divination, success in battle, or
father and brother before him, he was sentenced to death for whatever else they seek. Neglecting to engage in the proper
his hubris, poisoned, bound, and buried alive by Hunahpu rites of purification is intensely offensive to the K’uh, who
and Xbalanque. Like his brother, Cabrakan recovered are more than happy to punish the defiant for their hubris.
and returned to the World with a lust for vengeance and
newly-found hunger for flesh. Unlike his brother, Cabrakan CALENDRICS
is far less patient and not particularly intelligent. He and The sacred calendar cycle is integral to K’uh religious
his spawn immediately set about attacking K’uh, slaying practice, with almost every day, month, year, or group of
Jacawitz and savaging Guatemala with earthquakes. The years represented by a different member of the K’uh. K’uh
concerted efforts of the K’uh thwarted Cabrakan for a time, priests are trained to interpret these calendars, celebrating
but it won’t be long before he strikes again. auspicious days and leading their congregations in
Callings: Destroyer, Monster, Primeval ceremonies of propitiation to ward off the negative effects
Purview: Epic Strength of inauspicious ones.

PRIMORDIALS Each K’uh calendar fits together like a series of cog

wheels that intersect to form a Calendar round of 52-year
intervals. The 260-day Tzolk’in calendar measures time in
Xpiacoc and Xmucane are ancient in the extreme,
pre-dating the creation of Q’uq’umatz and Huracan. They 20 cycles of 13 days that are employed for divination and
appear to be an elderly couple of great age, but wield the ceremony. The 365-day Haab calendar measures 18 months
power of creation itself, participating in many of the key of 20 days, with one set of five days to round out the year.
events of K’uh history. It was Xmucane who ground The Tzolk’in and Haab measure days and are augmented by
the corn used in the creation of the people of wood and the Long Count, which captures years for longer measures
humanity, who sheltered the mother of the Hero Twins, of time. Priests of Itzamna have many ingenious ways
and who eventually raised them as her own. Xpiacoc and of capturing their calendars in painted books and stone
Xmucane are seldom spurred to action, but when they are, temples, but many employ complex algorithms or even
their power is astonishing. arcane mechanical relics to inform their divinations.
SACRIFICE
RELIGION: Sacrifice is important to the K’uh, with offerings of

COSTUMBRE food, copal incense, gifts, and animal blood being most
common. Gifts include maize, honey liquor, cacao, and
flowers, in exactingly calculated proportions. Priests
T he defining feature of K’uh religion is ritual. Priests
are predominately drawn from upper class members of
society and trained in temple schools in the arts of ceremony,
provide sacrifices of their blood, pricking their earlobes
and tongues with stingray spines and allowing the blood to
fall on pieces of paper that are burned as offerings to the
mathematics, calendrics, and astronomy. These skills are used
K’uh.
to guide their flocks from city to village in the elaborate rites
of K’uh veneration. Human sacrifice is not as common among the K’uh
as their Teōtl counterparts. In days of old, captives in war
K’uh priests are organized into a rigid hierarchy, with
and other select individuals were sacrificed for important
Itzamna representing the theoretical high priest of the
rituals, but the practice was discontinued in favor of
Yucatec Maya and Tohil, Awilix, and Jacawitz occupying
deer and turkey blood. The exceptions to this rule are
similar roles for their Highland cousins. These priests guide
Buluc-Chabtan and Tohil. Buluc-Chabtan uses gang and
their flock through mastery of calendar divination and have

Primordials | Religion 125

 White Dagger: White daggers are personally forged
by the Lords of Xibalba and said to be lethal enough to kill
THAT OLD BLACK a God.
MAGIC Lightning Weapons: Chac and his Scions wield
Awilix’s suspicions about an unseen hand weapons forged of, or wreathed in, lightning.
are not unfounded, she has just been looking
in the wrong place. Tezcatlipoca has been
locked in a bitter stalemate with Tohil for
RELATIONSHIPS
ages and took advantage of Cabrakan’s
reemergence to weave a web of darkness R elationships between the K’uh are forged, mature, and
disintegrate with disturbing frequency. Comprehending
this web of relationships is like trying to grasp smoke, and
around Jacawitz that ultimately led to
Cabrakan’s triumph. He actively supports while the K’uh value friendships and coalitions, they always
the enemies of Tohil and Awilix in hopes negotiate from a position of dominance.
they will be defeated once and for all. Tohil
will stop at nothing to destroy Tezcatlipoca OTHER PANTHEONS
if his role in Jacawitz’s death is discovered, The K’uh are intimately bound to their Teōtl, Apu, and
potentially violating the Compact of Xol and Zemí neighbors by a mutual history of conquest, but their
plunging the K’uh and Teōtl into all-out war. shared experience doesn’t render them immune to conflict.
The Teōtl have long been the K’uh’s closest neighbors
and most aggressive rivals, battling them for possession
cartel conflicts to mask the disappearance of individuals of southern Mexico until the Compact of Xol brought
sacrificed in his honor. Tohil prefers the use of modern peace. This uneasy armistice opens new opportunities
blood banks to satiate his lust for blood, but may return to for commerce, healing, and intrigue as they maneuver for
the old ways if it offers him an advantage against Cabrakan. influence. The Apu play the role of neutral intermediaries,

BIRTHRIGHTS but the K’uh suspect these offers of “assistance” may

conceal the threat of occupation. Zemí disdain for outsiders
has not endeared them to the K’uh, but K’uh/Zemí relations
T he Birthrights of the K’uh are as varied and dangerous
as the Gods themselves. remain largely peaceful.
The K’uh are generally indifferent to other Pantheons,
CREATURES relying on Ek Chuaj and his well-travelled Scions to act as
Laughing Falcon: A Laughing Falcon is able to deliver their ambassadors to the outside world.
a message anywhere in the World or Overworld. A louse
is given a message. It is then swallowed by a toad, a snake,
CURRENT PRIORITIES
and then a falcon. The process is reversed and the louse The priorities of the K’uh are as numerous as its
delivers the message. membership, but most center around forging alliances,
expanding their powerbases, or checking their enemies.
Xan: These intelligent mosquitos speak, follow
instructions, and act as discreet spies for their masters. The K’uh are broadly divided into Highland, Lowland,
and neutral factions. These distinctions shift weekly, but
FOLLOWERS the categories have endured almost as long as the K’uh
themselves. The Highland K’uh are led by Tohil, Awilix, and
Ah Canul: Mexico has supplied fearsome mercenaries
(formerly) Jacawitz from their court in Guatemala. They
known as Ah Canul to the Maya since the days of Mayapan’s
claim the nominal support of the Hero Twins and Gods
ascendance and sees no reason to change this equation.
associated with the Highland Maya. They are arguably the
Modern Ah Canul are trained by the Teōtl, but are loyal to
most organized faction, but are bogged down in their war
K’uh employers in return for glory and plunder.
against the Titans.
Shamans: Shamans and lesser clergy provide physical
The Lowland K’uh are fractious at the best of times,
and mental healing services and advice, ensuring the
occupying the former Maya Lowlands with the solar God
appropriate days are kept and rituals are conducted.
Kinich Ahau and K’uk’ulkan vying to be their great unifier.
GUIDES The Lowland K’uh claim nominal support from Chac,
Priests: K’uh priests are highly trained in astronomy, Ix Chel, and other Lowland Maya deities, with Itzamna
astrology, mathematics, and divination. Their interpretation remaining aloof as their spiritual leader (although many
of the divinatory calendar greatly assists the K’uh as they whisper he exerts much greater influence than commonly
determine their course of action. believed).

RELICS The neutral faction comprises the ancient Gods:

Q’uq’umatz, U Kʼux Kaj, Ek Chuaj, Buluc-Chabtan, and the
Brocade Wasps: Elaborate images of wasps are woven denizens of Xibalba. Q’uq’umatz formed the Serpent Court
into cloaks and other clothing, then magically animated to and seeks to unite the Highland and Lowland K’uh. U
fly forth and attack foes upon command.

126 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

Kʼux Kaj and Buluc-Chabtan are erratic, seeking to avenge
perceived slights or wage war as it pleases them, while Ek
Chuaj transcends all concept of faction in search of profit.
PANTHEON PATH
Deep under the World, the lords of Xibalba plot to oust
Cizin from power and reinstate the council. They scour the
OF THE K’UH
Asset Skills: Persuasion, Science
World for weapons to use against him, including methods
to resurrect Hun-Came and Vucub-Came, Xibalba’s former Virtues: Patience v. Dominion
masters. Xquic plays a similar game, rallying support for The K’uh have Patience. Always watching the skies.
revolution and petitioning her sons to deal with Cizin after Always observing their foes. Always listening to the clicking
they defeat the Titans. gears of the divine calendar as they calculate the correct
GREATEST WEAKNESS moment to strike. Their mastery of divination allows them
to observe the handoff of fortune and destruction from day-
When the Spanish invaded the lands of the Maya, to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year. While the Teōtl rage
they found a patchwork of competing kingdoms vying and Apu march, the K’uh plot, employing elaborate webs
for power, some of which immediately allied with them of negotiation, deception, trickery, and divine observation
against their neighbors. This situation is illustrative of the to great advantage. The drawback to K’uh Patience lies in
K’uh’s greatest weakness: disunity. their dogmatic reliance on calendrics. While a powerful
The K’uh have a halting relationship with unity at tool more often than not, there are times when the K’uh’s
best. Each member looks to the evening sky and sees their divine calculations spur them to believe immediate action
Fate written in the stars as the one destined to unite their is required when prudence dictates a more patient course.
people. Some use politics, others commerce, and still others This often makes the K’uh unpredictable, but it occasionally
outright conquest. The pattern repeats itself over and over forces them to act more quickly than would be advisable.
again, with an individual or group of Gods carving out the The K’uh’s main weakness is the lust for Dominion
promising beginnings of an empire, only to be brought low etched into their every action. They do not think they
by a jealous ally or coalition of enemies. should dominate all they survey; they know they should.
Nowhere is this disunity showcased more than in their This makes them formidable, but alienates potential allies
handling of Vucub-Caquix. Half the K’uh believe Vucub- and leaves them open to attack, exploitation, and disunity.
Caquix’s return is a myth. The other half are divided This makes long-term alliances brittle as competing
between those that want to fight him, ally with him, or wait members of the K’uh wrestle for position. The K’uh firmly
until he defeats their enemies before engaging. believe there is an order to things, with them at its apex and
everyone else beneath them. There are nobles and there are
commoners, and the K’uh are far from common. In days of
old, only the elite were trained in astronomy, calendrics,
and the divinatory secrets they revealed, a tradition the
K’uh uphold today. This attitude creates an atomic society
where alliances are cynical at best and even coalitions
of like-minded K’uh begin to fray when one decides to
become first among equals. This attitude extends to their
Scions and mortals, ranking them in a descending hierarchy
that alienates otherwise erstwhile allies and prevents the
creation of alliances needed to defeat external foes.

Pantheon Path of the K’uh 127

 THE P LAS OF
BUDDHISM
Ambaṭṭha remained silent, and the Lord [Gotama Buddha] said,
“Answer me now, Ambaṭṭha, this is not the time for silence. Whoever,
Ambaṭṭha, does not answer a fundamental question put to him by a
Tathāgata by the third asking has his head split into seven pieces.”
And at that moment Vajirapāṇi the Yakkha, holding up a huge iron club,
flaming, ablaze and glowing, up in the sky just above Ambaṭṭha was thinking,
“If this young man does not answer a proper question put to him by the
Blessed Lord by the third time of asking, I’ll split his head into seven pieces!”
The Lord saw Vajirapāṇi, and so did Ambaṭṭha. And at the sight, Ambaṭṭha
was terrified and unnerved, his hairs stood on end, and he sought protection,
shelter, and safety from the Lord. Crouching down close to the Lord, he said,
“What did the Reverend Gotama say? May the Reverend Gotama repeat what
he said!”
— Ambaṭṭha Discourse

Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha, the Awakened of the deities was attended by fully a hundred thousand
One, the Nepali prince turned ascetic who came into believers or worshippers, all with impeccable merit, who
understanding of the lesser and greater vehicles by which pursued their Pantheons’ virtues faithfully.
all beings may escape suffering and rebirth and With Gods, Demigods, and mortals in attendance,
thereupon entered into the state where there is no the Buddha taught the early discourses, the Lotus
wind, was staying in the city of Rājagaha, Discourse and the Diamond Discourse.
on the mountain called Vulture Upon hearing the Buddha’s words, the
Peak. With him were a great listeners were filled with joy and
assembly of twelve thousand understanding, and flowers fell
enlightened monks, as well as like rain from the sky for fully
eighty thousand beings of the a hundred years. At that point
highest achievement who the Buddha emitted a ray of
had postponed their own light from the tuft of white
final awakening in order hair between his eyebrows.
that every other mind might It illuminated every realm,
achieve the same end. from the Overworlds to
Also in attendance were the Axes Mundi, the Terra
the monarchs of the fae beings Incognitae to the Underworlds.
and animal-people denizens Then Metteya, the bodhisatta,
such as the serpents, fox-spirits, became confused as to the
centaurs, pucas, one tortoise-man, reason for the Buddha’s enlightened
and the Dragons in their Flights, if laser display. He turned to Mañjuśrī
you’re using that book. Also present were and asked, “O Prince of the Dhamma,
the Devás of South Asia, the Shén of China, the what is the reason why the Buddha has manifested
Kami of Japan, and the Tengri of Mongolia, not to mention this awesome laser?”
several hundred other Pantheons which are known and Thereupon Mañjuśrī announced that the Buddha
which are yet to be revealed in this edition of Scion. Each would now teach a discourse whose meaning and merit

128 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

exceeded all previous teachings. This teaching would
bring enlightenment to the thousand realms. This greatest
of teachings would allow the listener who practiced its P LILALIA
meritorious recommendations with faith to free themself
Most of the names and religious terms
from the wheel of suffering, abandoning all false and lesser
herein are romanized from Pāli, old-school
vehicles toward understanding. Buddhism’s scriptural language. In the lists
Metteya asked, “When the Buddha teaches this of principals and their aliases, we’ll try to
immeasurable teaching, what will happen to the deities provide equivalents in Sanskrit (S), Tibetan
whose worshippers have turned away from them toward (T), Mandarin Chinese (M), Korean (K),
the Buddha?” and Japanese (J). If Pāli names were not
available, such as in the case of later
Mañjuśrī replied, “The recipient of this teaching will history’s Buddhist figures and concepts, we
neither turn away from their deity, nor not turn away from use either Sanskrit or the figure or concept’s
their deity. This teaching is not one of denial and rejection, original language.
and this teaching is neither solely for the mortal, nor solely
for the deity. A mortal who practices the teaching diligently who spews jewels from its mouth. In this form he reigned
may become an arahant, a bodhisatta, or even a Buddha. over the island kingdom of Laṅka until his brother Rāvaṇa
A deity who practices this teaching diligently may also usurped him. Kubera then fled to the Himalayas.
become an enlightened being, something more than what
Perhaps awakened to the fleeting nature of power
they have already become, but neither contradicting nor
and wealth by his brother’s betrayal, Kubera underwent a
affirming what they were before. A deity who practices
transformation then — a rebirth, either literal or internal
this meritorious and profound teaching of the Buddha will
— during which time he became better known by his
become a protector of the Buddhist Way.”
patronymic of Vaiśravaṇa. He learned about Buddhism,
In Pāli and Sanskrit, the term for such a protector is started working out, and became better known as a great
“pāla.” warrior-king who guards the Buddhist Saṃgha. In this
form, he wears armor and carries a great spear or banner
PRINCIPAL in one hand. In his other hand he carries a pagoda,
symbolizing his boundless strength with which he supports
MEMBERS the Buddhist community (and also referencing his glorious
flying castle, which he lost at some point).

N ow pay homage to the innumerable hundreds of

thousands of myriads of Pālas. Why are there so many
Pālas? Know that, with few exceptions, individuals join this
Vaiśravaṇa might not be the most accessible of the
Four Heavenly Kings, focused as he is on Uttarakuru, but
he’s one of the most popular. He’s still technically a God
Pantheon not by birth, creation, or incarnation, but instead of wealth, but he tries to strike a useful balance between
by acknowledging the Buddhist Law and the Four Noble worldly concerns and supernatural ones. You may call upon
Truths. Their number attests to the sublime wisdom of the Vaiśravaṇa to guard the walls of your city, to protect you
Tathagata’s teachings. Of these numberless ones who have from evil, or to grant you munificence in times when your
achieved merit, those which will be revealed to you are the fragile earthly shell needs protection from earthly threats.
following: Vessavaṇa, ruler of the north; Dhṛtarāṣṭra, protector
of the East; Tārā, of 21 Mantles; Vajirapāṇi, wrath embodied; Vaiśravaṇa was historically a prolific producer of
and Vimalakīrti, the inescapable. divine children, with five healthy daughters in the forms of
Latā, Sajjā, Pavarā, Acchimatī, and Sutā, though since those
VESSAVA A, times his siring of offspring has grown rarer. Incarnates
WHO HEARS EVERYTHING are as common as any other form of Scion in the modern
era, with Vaiśravaṇa preferring to flex his will via elements
Aliases: Vaiśravaṇa (S), Rnam sras, Rnam thos and environmental factors as much as through individual
kyi bu (T), Duōwén Tiānwáng (M), Bishamonten (J), beings. He sometimes takes occasion to ride an enormous
Bisamuncheon (K), Kubera (S), Jambhala (S) chariot or snow lion through masses of people or urban
In attendance among the Pālas is Vaiśravaṇa, ruler of environments, just to remind people of his opulence.
the northern direction. Long ago, in the years before the When Vaiśravaṇa chooses to perform a Visitation,
Tathagata became manifest upon the earth, Vaiśravaṇa he always does so cloaked in ostentation and enjoys
began his existence as Kubera, a king of yakṣas who was celebrations of his appearance. To a degree, it’s arrogance,
the God of wealth. Kubera was the God of early adopters, but he is a God, so he feels a modicum of hurrahs, kneeling,
of the most conspicuous and elaborate forms of wealth, and the offering of tribute is owed. In terms of his own
which found no better representation than the Flowery Scions, he expects them to follow the tenets of Buddhism,
Vimana, his flying megayacht-castle. He appears as a stout but to truly earn their Birthright, he enjoys it when his
dwarf carrying a pomegranate or a sack of cash, riding on offspring have sacrificed something of their own to
the back of a human man and accompanied by a mongoose

Principal Members 129

protect new life, sacred wealth, or something natural and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s most relatable feature is his resentment
uncorrupted, such as a tree or citron fruit. toward another figure that shares his name. This Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Callings: Guardian, Leader, Monster is a Nāga King, and while not particularly corrupt or
deserving of the God’s enmity, Dhṛtarāṣṭra expresses a
Purviews: Beasts, Darkness, Prosperity, War persistent loathing when it comes to his namesake. It’s

DH TAR RA, unclear which of them came first, but the Nāga King
Dhṛtarāṣṭra is the father of Gautama Buddha, implying an
WHO PRESERVES THE EMPIRE origin at least 2500 years old. The God Dhṛtarāṣṭra has
Aliases: Dhataraṭṭha (P), [Yul ‘khor srung] (T), Chíguó no desire to destroy the Nāga King, but in the modern
Tiān (M), Jikokuten (J), Jigukcheon (K) era wages a subtle war to be the one and only divinity to
claim the name, perhaps out of a sense of glory not being
Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the eastern direction and the color
something for sharing.
green. He carries a sword, trident, or Chinese lute, and
is often depicted wearing armor and crushing a demon The Scions of Dhṛtarāṣṭra have an uphill struggle
underfoot. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was originally a warrior king from earning Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s blessing. His arbitrary, inhuman
the knight caste of Central Asian rulers, but like his fellow nature makes Visitations a chaotic roll of the dice, and the
Heavenly Kings, he converted to Buddhism and dedicated earning of Birthrights is very much down to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s
himself to protecting the Law and its followers. He rules whim, which is difficult to anticipate. Shows of great
over the faerie musicians called gandharvas as well as the courage, creativity, and a willingness to shed blood (their
demons of putrefaction, the pūtanas. own or that of others) is likely to earn Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s
recognition if not affection, but he’s as likely to manifest and
Interacting with Dhṛtarāṣṭra is often a little unsettling,
request something wholly different (but typically within
unless you are used to the personalities (or lack thereof )
his Purviews) as he is to engage in disjointed conversation
of powerful Pālas. He enjoys music and the practice of
about crushing demons.
the military arts, but compared to deities like his fellow
Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa, he doesn’t really have desires Callings: Guardian, Leader, Warrior
or a personality. He’ll carry on a conversation with you, Purviews: Artistry (Music), Epic Stamina, Epic
make small talk about music or warfare, or throw himself Strength, Order, War
into a fight against a horrible demon… but it’s not entirely
clear whether Dhṛtarāṣṭra is a person. The self, after all, is T R , WHO SAVES ALL
an illusion created by the five aggregates (see Ain’t No Self Aliases: Jetsun Dolma (T), Duōluó Púsà (M), Tara
When She’s Gone, p. 135). Dhṛtarāṣṭra may be beyond such Bosatsu (J), Dara Bosal (K), Bhṛkutī (S)
concerns, residing as he does in the Kāmadhātu heaven.

130 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 Sing praises to Tārā, most popular of the Pālas, the one or prisons. She is a champion of those who would smash
with the most Mantles and the most followers among deities, gender barriers, for she is an embodiment of what can be
spirits, monsters, faeries, and the undead. She originated achieved when one overcomes such petty thought as one
in a ray of blue light which shone from Amitābha’s eye, or gender being dominant over all others.
perhaps from a lotus floating upon a lake which sprang Tārā often appears as a beautiful sixteen-year-old
from a tear shed by Avalokiteśvara as he looked upon the maiden. She also often appears as an ogress with claws,
universe of suffering. She swore that she would achieve fangs, and flaming skin. Sometimes she doesn’t like to
buddhahood to free every being from saṃsāra, but that — in decide and appears as a beautiful sixteen-year-old ogress,
contrast to most other Buddhist figures — each incarnation much to the confusion and delight of some. Such people
or appearance would take a female form. She is hailed as would be wise to not be weird to her.
the mother of all buddhas.
Callings: Guardian, Monster, Warrior
Tārā has twenty-one primary Mantles. As White Tārā,
she has seven eyes: three upon her face, and one each on Purviews: Epic Strength, Health, Order, Passion,
her palms and the soles of her feet. This peaceful form is Prosperity
invoked to guard health and longevity and was incarnated as
Princess Wénchéng, a Chinese princess who became queen VAJIRAP I,
of Tibet. As Green Tārā, a fearsome ogress, she listens to the ADAMANT IN HAND
Twenty-One Praises and aids those who build temples and Aliases: Vajrapāṇi (S), Chakna Dorje (T), Jīngāngshǒu
monasteries, and she was incarnated as Princess Bhṛkutī. Púsà (M), Kongōshu Bosatsu (J), Geumgangsu Bosal (K)
Tārā protects against the Eight Great Fears: lions and pride,
Fun Buddhism fact: Buddhism forbids killing, unless
elephants, fire, snakes, thieves, water, prison, and demons.
you ignore the Buddha twice in a row when he asks you a
Tārā is often revered for her role as a rescuer. When reasonable question. If you do, Vajirapāṇi appears to you,
people are in dire need, it’s believed Tārā might intervene and if you snub the Buddha a third time, Vajirapāṇi hits
to drive away any encroaching dangers or carry the your head with a cudgel until it explodes. Seriously. Look
imperiled people away from harm. Depending on the form it up.
she takes, she may even pluck the danger from the earth
If Tārā is the most beloved of the Pālas, Vajirapāṇi is the
and carry it away, dropping it somewhere distant, but
most iconic and recognizable. He is the Buddha’s warrior
safe. Tārā is concerned with safety before retribution, and
attendant, a fearsome blue yakṣa with a terrifying visage
health and life above suffering and death. For this reason,
and a physique that indicates he never, ever skips Entire
many of Tārā's Scions find themselves drawn to the fields
Self Day. In his several arms he holds a massive cudgel or
of healthcare and counseling, or work to improve corrupt
quarterstaff and the adamant which gives him his name.
systems, such as often found in the police force, politics,

Principal Members 131

 YOU SAID THERE WERE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS!
There is indeed a staggering number of Pālas! Dozens of them have already graced the pages of
Scion books, each with varying levels of acceptance by the different Buddhist traditions. Notably,
every Devá is included in the Pālas by at least one significant tradition.
Kami: Benzaiten, Bishamon (see also Vessavaṇ
Vessavaṇa, p. 129), Hachiman, Hotei, Inari, Kisshōten, and
Ōkuninushi
Shén: Confucius, Erlang, Guan Yu, Guanshiyin Pusa, and Sun Wukong
Aṣṭasenā
Beyond those examples, the Eight Legions, or Aṣṭ asenā (S), count the asuras, devás ( and Devás!),
garuḷas, kimnaras, mahoraga, nāga, and yakṣ
gandharvas, garuḷ yakṣas among the Dharmapālas (even if
some members of those legions don’t always get along! Looking at you, asuras and Devá!).
Any of those Gods who aren’t openly members of multiple Pantheons are likely different entities with
similar Mantles or the same God switching between different Mantles as needed (p. 73).

While Vajirapāṇi has both peaceful and wrathful just a humble layperson with a wildly over-enthusiastic fan
forms, his wrathful form is far more popular. club (p. 79). Regardless, his story starts in the great Licchavi
Another time, Vajirapāṇi summoned every deity in the city of Vaiśālī, where he was a wealthy nobleman. Instead
universe to the summit of Mount Sumeru to take refuge of dwelling in a monastic community, he lived in a lavish
in the Buddha, the Law, and the Buddhist community. An home, surrounded by his wife, son, and servants.
evil version of Śiva didn’t want to, so Vajirapāṇi recited Vimalakīrti saw a path from his life of privilege to that
a spell, instantly obliterating Evil Śiva and causing him of a devoted bodhisattva. Though he was a layperson with
to be reborn in an alternate universe where he became a family and servants, he attended to himself just as a monk
buddha. No one remembers this event, and we would not would. He consumed food and drink, but was in fact only
recommend asking Śiva about it in case he does the third nourished by meditation. He regularly visited sporting
eye heat ray thing again. events, casinos, and the royal harem, but only to expound
Before even that time, Vajirapāṇi was said to be a the Law to those within. For his infinite understanding
wandering mendicant (he dislikes the word “beggar”) who and merit, he was honored as an Indra among Indras,
accompanied Gautama Buddha during his many travels. Brahmā among Brahmās, and Lokapāla among Lokapālas,
He was divine at this time, but in accompanying Gautama notwithstanding detractors’ protestations that he was just
Buddha was faced with fresh humility and exposure to the some guy.
struggles of mortals. In various forms, he rescued Gautama Once, Vimalakīrti feigned illness to lure Buddha’s
Buddha from troublesome scrapes, and defeated the congregation into his home so he could talk at them about
serpent of Udiyana in a heroic battle. All of this behavior how much better he understood Buddhism than they did.
speaks to Vajirapāṇi’s mercurial nature. Unlike Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Nearly the entire Buddhist community made excuses
who sometimes seems removed to the point of alienness, to the Buddha about how they didn’t want to go because
Vajirapāṇi is distinctly human in his flexibility and of awkward interactions they’d had where Vimalakīrti
willingness to try new things, even when they might prove miraculously appeared to correct them on some finer
harmful. point of doctrine. The eventual expedition to Vimalakīrti’s
Scions of Vajirapāṇi typically experience their mansion, detailed in the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa, resulted in
Visitation after striking down an enemy in defense of their some of the most articulate and influential preaching the
faith, friends, or a place of sacred importance. For all his Buddhist religion had ever heard, not to mention a fair
flightiness, Vajirapāṇi appreciates a show of raw strength amount of physics-bending transformations. Depending on
and passion, especially if it makes Titans think twice about whom you listen to, either Vimalakīrti perfectly completed
making a follow-up attack. Mañjuśrī’s answer to the question of finding non-duality or
nitpicked the Buddha’s entire entourage until their vows
Callings: Guardian, Monster, Warrior against killing creatures who draw breath started to chafe.
Purviews: Epic Strength, Passion (Fear), Sky, War Regardless of which version of the tale you believe,

VIMALAK RTI, it’s indisputable that Vimalakīrti’s influence has spread

throughout much of East Asia. While most of his Scions
UNTAINTED FAME are mildly annoying, their intelligence and lateral thinking
Aliases: Wéimó Mié (M), Imakoji (J) abilities are among the best. Over half of his Scions descend
from him, and most of the rest are Chosen for their skill at
Depending on whom you ask, Vimalakīrti might be
debate and harmless trickery.
considered one of the best bodhisattvas who ever lived or

132 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 Vimalakīrti often performs his Visitations as an with the Wǔdāng Clan’s enthusiastically political Daoist
interested tutor, sponsor, or patron of the arts. He’ll priests. Throughout history, various enemies, including
approach his Scion with an offer of riches (not necessarily the government and the White Eyebrow, have conspired
in the form of money, though he appreciates its value) if to burn down the Shàolín Temple, kill everyone inside, et
they’re prepared to argue for an unpopular opinion on cetera. Several of these climactic conflicts led to Shàolín
a public stage. Their success or failure is less important diasporas, with renegade monks ducking persecution and
than their willingness to try. He’ll watch as they orate and training enthusiastic students everywhere from China’s
engage in polemics, and his divine feeling of pride will flow rivers to Manhattan’s Allen Street.
into his offspring, potentially galvanizing their argument The Chinese Communist Party now keeps a short
Callings: Adversary, Sage, Trickster leash on the Shàolín Monastery, which has become a
Purviews: Artistry (Pedantry), Health, Journeys, major tourist site and cultural attraction. It still functions
Prosperity as a Buddhist temple and martial training facility for
aspirants from around the World, but in the secret society

COSMOGRAPHY: of martial heroism known as the Rivers and Lakes, lineages

originating from diasporic runaways exceed the monastery

THE TRIPLE proper in prestige. Rumors bubble up every year of plots

to reclaim the Monastery and restore yesteryear’s disparate

REALMS monks, but the military and political practicalities of such a

scheme have so far dissuaded all attempts.

S ee reflected here the entire billion-world galaxy, with

its limitless celestial mansions; the realms of the eight
species of mythic being; and the mountains which reach
The White Eyebrow still bears a grudge toward
Shàolín, especially the ones who got away from his various
kung fu treacheries. Every Shàolín teacher fears the day his
up to the heavens and are regarded as the monarchs of all white-robed goons show up at their studios. However, of
mountains. all ex-Shàolín leaders who might actually try to retake the
Monastery, this audacious man is the most likely.
THE REALM OF DESIRE The Underworld: Nāraka
Look with a bodhisatta’s magnificent supernal senses
Underneath the Rose-Apple Continent are the hells
and you shall perceive the limits of the Desire Realm, a vast
of Nāraka. They have such poetic names as Great Crying,
disc. Surrounding it, the Ring of Iron Mountains contains
Bursting Blisters, Corpse Swamp, Razor Road, Hot, Really
within its vast circumference the sea in which float the
Hot, and Sneezing. For those beings shackled to the lie of
continents. What are their names? To the north, see
transmigration and the illusion of rebirth, Nāraka is the
Uttarakuru, where humans stand over 14 meters tall and
worst possible place to be born. Here, under the watchful
speak a strange language. To the east, see Videha, where
eye of Yamaraja, denizens are punished according to their
humans stand nearly 4 meters tall and live for 250 years. To
sins in previous lives. Lifespans are exceedingly long,
the west, the Cattle-Using Continent, where humans stand
boring, and painful.
over 7 meters tall and live for 500 years; its eponymous cow
can grant any wish and provides for humans’ every need Upon death in Hell, you pass on to an infernal
and want. Finally, to the south, the Rose-Apple Continent, processing center where Yamaraja’s staff assign you to
which we know also as the World. some better rebirth. The processing center is also a little
boring, especially with the current backlog, but there’s free
The Shàolín Monastery
tea and snacks. Moreover, not being pelted with hail or set
Located at the foot of Hénán Province’s Mount Sōng, repeatedly on fire can be a refreshing diversion while you
one of the Five Sacred Mountains, the Shàolín Monastery is wait to find out what kind of crab you get to be next time
the World’s most famous and storied Buddhist institution. around.
It was founded in around 496 CE as a center of Buddhist
academics. After Shàolín monks violated Buddhist AXIS MUNDI:
prohibitions against violence to fight for Emperor Tàizōng,
his Táng Dynasty rewarded Shàolín with fortune and
MOUNT SUMERU
influence. The South Indian monk Bodhidharma later In the center, between all four great continents, seven
made the monastery the capital of the Meditative Buddhist rings of golden mountains and seven seas surround the
tradition which he founded. He also introduced Indian axis of the world. It is eight leagues high with four flat
martial arts as a calisthenic and devotional practice, leading faces like a pyramid. The northern face is made of gold, the
to the development of the Shàolín styles of Chinese boxing. southern face of lapis lazuli, its east face of silver, and its
west of crystal; the blue skies we see above our world are a
Shàolín’s famous (if inconsistent) political impartiality reflection of the lapis face. Sumeru’s slopes are the abode of
has rarely worked out the way it’s wanted, and it figures asuras, and balanced upon its peak are the heavens where
in its sometimes-friendly, sometimes-unfriendly rivalry the great Gods live.

Cosmography: The Triple Realms 133

 Akṣobhya, a buddha-field the Licchavi Vimalakīrti once lifted
OVERWORLDS: THE SIX up in his right hand to show off. The World is located in the
HEAVENS AND BEYOND less glamorous field also known as the Enduring.
The Overworlds ascend high above Mount Sumeru,
stacked atop one another and increasingly immaterial as
one climbs higher. In the Four Heavenly Kings’ Heaven,
TITANS
for instance, Dhataraṭṭha and his gandharvas, Virūḷhaka
and his kumbhaṇḍas, Virūpakkha and his serpents, and T he Titans of the Pālas are nearly as prolific as the Pālas
themselves. And at least one, Dorje Shugden (Scion:
Demigod, p. 229), is considered to be a Pāla by some.
Vessavaṇa and his yakṣas each have an abode on the east,
south, west, and north slopes respectively. After Yamaraja,
these Pālas have the most constant responsibilities, to
M RA, THE KING
watch over their respective directions and everything OF ILLUSION
within and report to the divinities above. Māra is a Devá, specifically the God of illusion
Above it lies the Heaven of 33 Devás, whose radiance and lies. He took issue with the Buddha’s approach
is visible to all throughout the sensuous world. In this toward enlightenment, which the other Devás followed
heaven live the thirty-three Gods ruled by Indra, the king enthusiastically. Indra cheered the Buddha on by blowing
among Gods, in golden palaces among handsome parks. his conch, which was 55 meters long and sounded for four
Individuals born in this Heaven live for thirty million months straight. It probably didn’t help quite as much as
years. Thereupon you shall find the Heaven Where Indra thought it would, but that’s Indra for you.
Seasons Are Always Good, the Heaven of Contentment, Māra got worked up about the possibility that the
and other places where lives are long, perfect, and a little Buddha would escape from the three realms over which he
boring to describe. But highest of all are the heavens of had dominion. He decided the best way to approach this
the Immaterial Realm. The deities who inhabit these problem was murder, at least to begin with. He raised an
sublime spheres excel above all, existing as purely mental army of monstrous soldiers, mounted his favorite giant
constructs requiring neither body nor brain to exist. These demon elephant, grew a thousand arms each bearing a
realms are mental states as well, accessible by those adept different weapon, and marched upon the Buddha’s seat
at meditation. beneath the bodhi tree, scaring off all the other Devás
who had shown up to cheer on the Buddha, which the
BUDDHA-FIELDS AND Buddha was honestly probably okay with. None of his
PURE LANDS weapons ruffled the Buddha, so Māra used nine elemental
Now that you have comprehended the nature of the attacks, which all transformed into rains of pretty flowers
four directions and the three realms, know also that a upon approaching the Buddha’s form. Then, he deployed
multiverse exists, of planes which emerge from a specific a mechanical weapon that could stop grass from growing
Buddha’s enlightenment. That buddha-field may be an or rain from falling for twelve years if discharged into the
impure buddha-field which gives rise to a world disc like ground or air, but it had no effect either. Finally, he tried
ours, with animals, devils, spirits, and mortal beings and arguing with the Buddha, which was predictably the least
plagued by delusion, hatred, and greed. Within such a effective of all his approaches. Māra succeeded only in
realm, the mortal shell of the eventual Buddha progresses irritating himself. Of course, failure hadn’t stopped him
toward enlightenment. before, so why would it stop him then? Māra spent the rest
of the Buddha’s life annoying his supposed rival — even
When they achieve enlightenment, they manifest a pure after the Buddha achieved enlightenment.
buddha-field, or pure land, which lacks animals, ghosts,
and devils. Instead, it is inhabited only by sentient beings As a powerful Devá inhabiting the heavens above
without fault. But look: Even the world-disc of an impure Mount Meru, Māra commands immense armies and
buddha-field may merely be an illusion cast by the Buddha awesome weapons to rival the likes of Indra and Karttikeya.
who emanates it in order to inspire those within to seek He hates Buddhism and Buddhists, the symbols of his own
enlightenment, upon which realization the world-disc is humiliation and failure, and always moves against them
revealed to be a pure buddha-field, and to always have been when given the option, though he places enough layers
such a pure buddha-field; so let there be no complaining in between himself and his minions that it’s hard to trace
about the many supposed “faults” of any world-disc which things back to him.
make it seem less cool than someone else’s pure land. Māra does the same thing online, spending untold hours
The best-known buddha-fields are the Unsurpassed, on any number of dummy accounts writing giant paragraphs,
manifested in the center by the Buddha Vairocana, also leaving bad-faith comments, sealioning, and starting “devil’s
inhabited by many devás; the Blissful, manifested in the west by advocate” arguments hoping to tempt the righteous into
the Buddha Amitābha, also inhabited by those souls who paid wasting their time responding to him. All of these activities
homage to Amitābha by chanting prayers to Amitābha with allow him to maintain the façade that he is a devout Buddhist
faith; and the Joyous, manifested in the east by the Buddha who was converted away from his wicked ways. He is single-
handedly responsible for most of the fake Buddha quotes you

134 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 SIDEBAR: AIN’T NO SELF WHEN SHE’S GONE
One of Buddhism’s most central and most confusing doctrines is the doctrine of no-self (P. anattā).
The Buddha explicitly taught that a person is the product of the Five Aggregates: physicality, sensation,
perception, impulse, and consciousness. Upon death, the Five Aggregates are dispersed, and the
person ceases to exist; nothing remains to transmigrate to the next life.
“Wait a moment,” you may be thinking. “This chapter keeps talking about rebirths. If nothing
transmigrates, who or what gets reborn?”
Buddhism hasn’t got any straightforward, definitive answers for that question, but a few of the
noodles thrown at the wall over the centuries have included:
• The person doesn’t really exist in a continuous sense during life either, so the passage from one
lifetime to the next is no different from the individual passing from moment to moment.
• Rebirth is best understood as a form of dependent origination, where existences are dependent
upon previous existences as a sort of cause, but cause and effect don’t imply a transmigratory self.
• OK. Selves do exist, kinda, but they stop existing once you truly understand anattā.
A lot of these attempts at resolution really start to struggle when you get into, for example, the
enormous anthology of tales about the Buddha’s past lives, or stories about the Goddess Thorani
washing away the Buddha’s problems with the water of all the oblations Buddha had given her over
Vajirapāṇi blowing up Śiva with a magic spell and causing him to get reborn in
all his past lives, or Vajirapāṇ
another universe where he became a Buddha during that life. They aren’t necessarily metaphysically
inconsistent, but the storyteller isn’t making the metaphysician’s job easier, you know?
Then we get to the World, which poses additional problems, because transmigratory souls are
eminently, provably real for the Òrìs Òrìshà, Loa, Shén, Kami, and especially for the Pantheon which
the doctrine of no-self was conceived to refute, the Devás. Normally, differences in opinion about
how metaphysics work between Pantheons are just explained away as “different strokes for different
folks,” but the Pālas love to proselytize. So other Pantheons’ realities are kind of their problem now.
Still, we can’t really have Buddhism without anattā.

see on social media, so make sure to check fakebuddhaquotes. • Buddhism’s Complicated Relationship With
gov before you reshare one of those. Violence
Callings: Adversary, Monster, Trickster • Why Is the Monkey King a Buddha? How Is That a
Purview: Death, Deception, Passion Thing?
Callings: Monster, Lover, Tyrant
RAT , ARAT , AND T : Purviews: Beauty, Deception, Passion
M RA’S DAUGHTERS
After Māra and his armies failed to budge the Buddha, RELIGION:
BUDDHISM
he encouraged his three daughters to give it a shot. Ratī
(Delight), Aratī (Discontent), and Tṛṣṇā (Craving) are
immensely beautiful, but when they attempted to use
their wiles on the Buddha, he transformed them all into
repulsive hags until they left him alone, at which point they T he Buddhist religion originated with Siddhartha Gautama,
a Nepali prince raised in privileged isolation which kept
him from any knowledge of suffering. When he escaped his
transformed back.
cloistered life and saw sickness, old age, and death firsthand,
Māra’s daughters are still active in the modern day,
he left his wife and children to become a religious ascetic in the
though their methods now diverge from their father’s.
wilderness, but none of the austerities he practiced or religious
While Māra goes in for bad-faith arguments and conceals his
ideas he studied clicked with him. Finally, in meditation under
identity, Ratī, Aratī, and Tṛṣṇā are social media influencers
a fig tree, he achieved enlightenment. He conceived of a new
whose appearances, identities, makeup tutorials, etc. are
path defined by compassion and moderation which would
a big part of their presence. They still oppose Buddhism,
allow individuals to escape suffering. First among his teachings
and they’re vocal about it, but their approach is different,
are the Four Noble Truths:
focusing on frustratingly legitimate critiques. Follow
Māra’s Daughters for clickbait-y but surprisingly cogent 1. Suffering is an innate quality of existence in the
content. Some of their most-watched videos include: sensuous realm.

• Is Buddhism Culturally Appropriating Hinduism? 2. Suffering arises from desire.

Titans | Religion: Buddhism 135

 • No adultery
ISN’T TANTRA • No lies, slander, or cruel gossip

A SEX THING? • No chemical intoxication

The quality of Buddhism that particularly makes
Well, occasionally. Certain tantric it stand out in the World is its teachings about who the
practitioners in various South Asian traditions, religion is for. Most religions are aimed towards mortal
including Buddhism, consciously include
humans and demihuman denizens, intended to teach them
violence, sex, intoxicants, or other forbidden
practices in their pursuit of enlightenment. to practice certain attitudes and behaviors in relationship
Tantras don’t have to involve such transgressive with the divine or the sacred. Gods, Demigods, and similar
acts, but more than a few do, arguing that figures engage with these other religions, but they do not
everything is sacred, including the profane. usually practice the religion in the same sense that humans
This ties back into the idea of no-self; if there do. Buddhism, however, is for everyone, Gods included.
is no self, then why would there be something While Scions of most cultures are part subject, part object
that the self isn’t supposed to do? Still, in of their religion until Godhood, Pālas Scions continue
common English parlance, the word “tantric” practicing Buddhism long afterwards.
has acquired the connotation of “weird sex
things,” which is imprecise at best. LEVELING UP
Buddhism has had its share of sex scandals Most living beings are bound to a cycle of life, death,
involving famous teachers and their students, and rebirth (P. saṃsāra) which is the source of their
some of which have involved good-faith or
spurious invocations of tantric sexuality. However, craving, and therefore their suffering. All Buddhists strive
these scandals have less to do with Buddhism or for extinguishment (P. nibbāna, Skt. nirvāṇa) — that is to
tantra specifically than with patriarchal authority say, enlightenment and freedom from the tiresome and
structures both in and out of religious life, and the unpleasant cycle of saṃsāra. The route to nibbāna consists
way they interact with secrecy and power (not to of freeing oneself from their fetters, the mental shackles
mention the temptations of attachment to worldly that anchor them to desires and their sense of self.
power and pleasure).
In many schools, those who free themselves from half
If you and your group want to include of their fetters, become non-returners (P. anāgāmī, Skt.
tantra in your game, you should probably anāgāmin). As you might guess, these people do not return
find some actual tantras and read them to the World during rebirth, instead appearing in one of
or learn about them from a well-reputed
the Pure Abodes (not to be confused with the Pure Lands,
mahāsiddha in your area. If your Pālas wish
include sacred sexy times in their practice, which are home to Buddhas (and bodhisattvas, according
they’ll need the cheerful and non-coerced to many schools). Though new non-returners have only
consent of the other players — all the cleared half of their fetters, they’re truly in the home
other players, including those who are not stretch. Here, they can take their time, gradually shedding
participating. (see Safety Tools,
Tools, p. 39) their remaining fetters one at a time, slowly ascending
While we’re on this topic, the Kāma Sūtra through the five heavens of the Pure Abodes, or shatter
isn’t a Buddhist text, in spite of having “sūtra” them all as soon as they’re reborn in the Pure Abodes.
in the name. It’s more like an ancient Indian But what happens then?
issue of Cosmopolitan.
Enlightened beings are called worthies (P. arahant, S.
arhat). A worthy one has unfettered themself from earthly
and mortal concerns. Upon death, worthies are not reborn
3. To eliminate suffering, let go of desire.
into the World, having transcended the saṃsāra. Depending
4. To let go of desire, and eliminate suffering, follow on what school they belong to, that might be the end of the
the Noble Eightfold Path: right views, right intentions, road or merely a waystation on their way to becoming a
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, bodhisattva and, eventually, a Buddha. Because of this, Pālas
right mindfulness, and right concentration. Scions are rarely interested in power for its own sake, and
What kind of views, actions, etc. qualify as right are apotheosis is far from the end game that it is with children of
better researched on your own; but one important point other Pantheons, with some Pālas Scions seeking to create a
to consider is that the kind of livelihood the Buddha new world to cut saṃsāra off at its source.
describes in the Eightfold Path is a monastic one, requiring As Buddhism has expanded throughout the World,
the individual to give up labor, family, and other worldly interpretations of the doctrine of anattā have shifted
concerns to become a nun or monk. For lay Buddhists, in response to counter-examples. Souls and selves, for
there are still some prohibitions to follow, numbering five: example, are perfectly real in several other religions, and
• No killing humans or animals sometimes even in Buddhism. The Buddha Amitābha, for
example, has given special dispensation for people who
• No theft or crimes of deceit chant prayers to them to have their souls reborn upon their

136 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

death in Amitābha’s own Blissful buddha-field, which some • The Adamant Vehicle is another sub-school of
Buddhist philosophers deride as cheating, but it keeps the Great Vehicle, though it’s distinctive enough to
happening all the same. Another common interpretation of warrant its own name and classification. This form
anattā teaches not that souls or selves don’t exist, per se; of Buddhism is also known as “tantric Buddhism”
instead it teaches that souls or selves don’t matter one way in reference to tantras (literally “patterns,” like
or another, even if they do exist. a cross-stitching pattern), South Asian religious
This interpretation accords with the Lesser Discourse texts describing esoteric practices which confer
to Māluṅkyāputta and the Parable of the Poison Arrow, weird superpowers on the way to enlightenment.
in which the monk Māluṅkyāputta asks the Buddha a In the Buddhist context, these esoteric practices
bunch of questions about cosmological mechanics and include reciting spells and charms, drawing circular
the Buddha sarcastically responds that Māluṅkyāputta’s diagrams, performing sacrifices, and taking vows
questions are the equivalent of getting shot with a poison to do or not do certain things. Luminary teachers
arrow and sitting there trying to figure out the true nature in the Adamant tradition have become famous (or
of the poison arrow instead of going and finding a doctor, infamous) for their strange behavior and stranger
resulting in death. It’s not that those questions don’t have superpowers, the temptation of which has derailed
answers; it’s that the Buddha doesn’t care. many a practitioner on their way to liberation.
Adamant Vehicle Buddhism is particularly popular
VEHICLE MODES in the Himalayas and Mongolia, where indigenous
shamanic religion has influenced and been influ-
Different Buddhist traditions are commonly known as
enced by Buddhism. Smaller sects exist throughout
“vehicles” (S. yāna), as they convey the practitioner toward
South, Southeast, and East Asia, and have given
enlightenment. Some of the most popular vehicles include…
rise to legends of strange monks in the wilderness
• The Elder School, which focuses on the early wielding odd powers. If you’ve seen any anime
canon of Pāli teachings, those easiest to connect to where martial artists cast magic spells by making
the person of the Buddha. This school focuses on strange hand symbols, that trope actually originates
monastic life and becoming an arhat as the final from Adamant Vehicle practitioners in the Japanese
goal before enlightenment and doesn’t get into backcountry.
supernatural issues very much, though they recog-
Of all the schools of Buddhism, the one with the
nize and respect deities such as the Pālas — though
closest relationship to the Pālas is Adamant Vehicle
more as role models than superpowered protectors.
Buddhism. Adamantine practitioners frequently
Elder School adherents sometimes claim to be the
invoke the Pālas, perform tantric practice to win
“original” strain of Buddhism, though in practice the
attainments from deities, or practice yidam medita-
modern Elder School isn’t actually older than the
tion to assume their holy and terrible forms.
other vehicles. The Elder School is the predominant
form of Buddhism in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. • Deities who practice Buddhism, though, tend to
gravitate toward the Protector Vehicle, a tradition
• The Great Vehicle, which emphasizes the virtue of
that only exists among supernatural creatures. This
compassion and encourages practitioners to become
school teaches that deity status is the result of the
bodhisattvas and work toward the enlightenment
accumulation of merit over many lifetimes, leading
of others as well as their own. This vehicle is far
to an exalted birth into Godhood. It is therefore a de-
and away the most popular throughout the world.
ity’s role within the Saṃgha to exercise their divine
Many other schools began as offshoots of the Great
powers for the protection of other Buddhists, fulfill-
Vehicle.
ing the role of a bodhisattva to defend and shepherd
• Meditative Buddhism, an offshoot of the mortal Buddhists toward the accumulation of merit
Great Vehicle founded by the legendary teacher at worst, and exaltation at best.
Bodhidharma, focusing on meditative practice as A more controversial claim by some Pālas who adhere
a means of achieving enlightenment. Meditative to the Protector Vehicle ethos holds that it is a Pāla’s duty
Buddhism is philosophical, quirky, and paradoxical; to take on “dirty jobs” which would endanger ordinary
it has been influential at times in China and Japan, Buddhists’ progress toward enlightenment — most notably
but it is probably best entrenched in Korea. In spite the practice of violence.
of its small membership, it’s one of the best-known
and most influential forms of Buddhism outside of
Buddhism, especially in Europe and the Americas. BIRTHRIGHTS
The most famous bastion of Meditative Buddhism
is China’s Shàolín Monastery, where Bodhidharma
CREATURES
legendarily taught both Buddhist meditation and The Eight Legions: Eight species of denizens and
Indian martial arts to out-of-shape Chinese monks, divine beings assist Pāla in need, usually with violence,
who then got really into working out and fighting as particularly the devás, gandharvas, nāgas, and yakṣas.
a form of religious practice.

Birthrights 137
Other members of the Legions include the asura, garuḷa, so far as to say the Buddha was one of his own avatars, and
kinnara, and mahoraga. that Buddhism is either a trick to tempt away heretics or
an alternate form of Vaiṣṇavism. This topic of conversation
FOLLOWERS tends to get awkward when you bring Vaiṣṇavas and
Shàolín Monks and Nuns: The Shàolín Monastery is Buddhists together; but setting aside doctrinal questions,
perhaps the most famous institution in the Buddhist world. Viṣṇu is perfectly happy to offer his form as a yidam
Scions in need of wisdom or some help kicking ass need for interested Buddhists and to lend his protection and
only call. patronage to the Buddhist community.
Several Kami are enthusiastic Buddhists as well. In
GUIDES Japan, Shintō and Buddhism were formally syncretized
Vimalakīrti: Though the bodhisattva could be as part of the same religion until the Meiji Restoration in
considered a God, Vimalakīrti also appears as a devout 1868 CE, and the Kami were so accustomed to it that they
Buddhist whose fan club got away from him. As a Guide, he regularly forget there’s been a change. Hachiman, Inari,
dispenses knowledge of non-dualism, as well as avoiding Ōkuninushi, Bishamon, Benzaiten, Kisshōten, and Hotei
the dangers of popularity. are all particularly enthusiastic Pālas as well.

RELICS Among the Shén, Guānshìyīn and Guān Yǔ are

themselves bodhisattvas and as devoted Pālas as you’ll
Ghaṇṭā: These bells are often paired with vajra, find anywhere in the World. Sūn Wùkōng also converted
representing a union of skill and wisdom. On their own, to Buddhism and became the Victorious Fighting Buddha,
their ringing drives out demons and grants clarity of mind, whatever that means. At some point, Tibetan Buddhists
especially during meditation. also foisted upon the hapless Confucius the Mantle of a
No Self: More of an anti-Relic, really. Pālas who have wizard king with magical glyphs written on his hands who
awakened to the reality that they have no permanent or learned divination from Mañjuśrī. Confucius is about as
transmigratory self are freed from that harmful attachment. excited about this identity as he is about all the Confucius
They see themselves as aggregates of traits, skills, and “quotes” on social media, but he nonetheless grumpily
attributes, allowing them to shed injuries as easily as dons his robe and wizard hat when called upon.
erasing a pencil mark.
Vajra: The namesake of Vajirapāṇi and the Adamant
CURRENT PRIORITIES
Vehicle, these short clubs are one part thunderbolt and one Pālas don’t really do priorities, as those constitute
part diamond. Although vajra are indestructible weapons, attachments, things that Buddhists try to free themselves
they are also symbols of skillful actions. from. Nevertheless, some of the Pālas find themselves
working in patterns that could generously be called a
Your Own Personal Buddha-Field: Exceptionally plan, such as: Vajirapāṇi’s current march through Western
rare in the World, personal buddha-fields operate much China, beating up demons; Vimalakīrti’s ongoing battles
like the real ones (p. 134)), granting a blank canvas in a Terra in internet forums; and Avalokiteśvara’s quest for equality
Incognitae. For Pālas Scions, this provides a much-needed across all genders.
respite from the dangers and stressors of the World. Unlike
true buddha-fields, these are only accessible while their GREATEST WEAKNESSES
owners are performing tasks that are at least somewhat in
The Pālas’ greatest weaknesses, which are vastly
line with their Virtues.
outnumbered by their merits and perfections, and which

RELATIONSHIPS they themselves would describe as no weaknesses at all, are

counted at two. The first is that their ethical convictions
limit their participation in the Titanomachy, or in any

A mong all the Pantheons of the World, the Pālas are far and
away the most interconnected, since their membership
arises not from theogony, but from conversion. In the original
other endeavor which requires attachment and ambition,
which is nearly all endeavors. In the Titanomachy, for
example, even in an operation which only targets demons,
vision of Protector Vehicle Buddhism, a deity would have to
an allied Pala may decide abruptly, and based on abstruse
forsake their own previous Pantheon and diligently practice
philosophical reasoning or tantric contrarianism, that the
Buddhism in order to declare themself a Pāla. However, the
thing they said they would do no longer serves the end of
Buddhist community quickly expanded that definition to
personal or global freedom from suffering, pack up their
encompass any deity who practiced Buddhism, and from
thunderbolts, and head home. Worse yet, they might even
there even to any deity who promised to uplift and guard
stop mid-fight to listen to a “penitent” titan who promises
the Buddhist community.
to convert to Buddhism!
The Pālas’ closest allies in the World are the Devás,
… which brings us to the Pālas’ other weakness, at least
all of whom have at least a passing interest in Buddhism
in other Pantheons’ eyes: They consider it their duty to
and maintain cordial relationships with the Buddhist
lecture and even convert non-Pālas into Pālas.
community. The most enthusiastic Devá is Viṣṇu, who goes

138 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 their friends’ woes as quickly and directly as possible,
PANTHEON PATH interceding as if invoked by a Great Vehicle spell — but this
solution isn’t much good at preventing serious, recurring
OF THE P LAS problems with roots in said friend’s illusion of self. The
voice of Rigor might advise a longer view, suggesting
Asset Skills: Empathy, Integrity religious practices and disciplines to help others help
Virtues: Compassion and Rigor. Buddhism’s themselves by addressing suffering’s origins in attachment
ultimate goal is to end all beings’ suffering. The path there, and desire; but this view can be a hard sell to someone in
though, abounds in doubt and danger. Concepts like love, immediate pain, let alone someone who dislikes organized
mindfulness, or equanimity light the way, but each is a religion in general or Buddhism in particular.
philosophical puzzle which could take lifetimes to untangle You must find a middle way between kind and strict,
— before one even begins squaring it with other concepts. teacher and savior, the religious mind’s perspective and the
Ideally, all these ideas illuminate one another; but were it experience of the unknowing.
that easy, we’d all be Buddhas already.
Compassion is the Buddhist wish for suffering’s SIGNATURE PURVIEW:
end not only for the self, but also for all others. It goes YIDAM
hand in hand with loving-kindness (the wish for others’ Imagine a blue-skinned giant stomping toward you
happiness) and empathetic joy (happiness at others’ good with a thousand arms brandishing weapons, claws, fangs,
fortune). Great Vehicle Buddhism especially emphasizes horns, tusks, and a crown of screaming skulls. What
compassion and acts of service such as medical treatment, would you think? Common answers include “my time has
fighting demons or monsters, and comfort and counsel. come,” “that’s it, I’m quitting cold turkey,” and “[screaming
Gods, Buddhas, and bodhisattas make themselves available intensifies].” But you may be looking upon a yidam, so fear
for invocation by magical spell or chant, appearing to not.
ward off disease or violence through the power of their
enlightened compassion. Certain tantras instruct meditating individuals to
connect their own minds with awesome supernatural
Rigor is the Buddhist’s adherence to the religion’s forms, “yidam” in Tibetan, to reveal their incipient Buddha-
many strictures — and their encouraging others to do the nature. Everyone’s yidam is personal, its aspect peaceful,
same. While these laws vary between denominations, wrathful, or neither. While mortals usually imagine
every form of Buddhism calls on the individual to study specific divine or demonic beings, such as favorite Pālas,
carefully, work hard, and challenge themself in pursuit of Pālas themselves often imagine custom-built final forms to
enlightenment. These challenges include divesting oneself which they aspire as their enlightenment progresses. Their
of attachments, avoiding violence, adhering to a specific aesthetics usually evoke Tibetan thangka, though younger
diet, spending time with the Buddhist community or in Pālas who grew up with the likes of Magic Knight Rayearth
service to a monastery, and practicing strenuous forms of or Voltron have tried out mechanical forms.
meditation. The Buddhist should tackle these tasks with
joy and moderation, ideally, but again — it’s not always that Since a yidam happens to be convenient for fighting
easy. monsters, it sometimes leads to intra-Band arguments
during titanspawn battles, when all a Pāla Scion’s friends
These priorities come together in the question of how want to do is see them turn into a giant woman, and the Pāla
a Pāla Scion should approach their bandmates’ suffering. insists they can do so only for strictly Buddhist purposes.
The voice of Compassion might encourage them to alleviate

Pantheon Path of the Pālas 139

 “Tell me who you are, and what you are doing here, and what you wish from
me, and why you have had me summoned. Tell me if you want to be cut
down, or if you want to come with me, and how you want to be carried, for I
will be you a house with land.”
— Fray Ramon Pane

In the beginning, the people of the Greater Antilles They found kindred spirits in the Òrìshà when slaves were
lived in a Cacibajagua. Everyone else lived in other caves, brought from Yorubaland to the Caribbean. They currently
of course, but they are of no import. While Yúcahu Bagua find themselves in the melting pot of the Bronx in New
Maórocoti finished what his mother started and created the York City, in Miami’s Little Havana, and in the Haitian
World in its most basic form, the Taíno lived without much Communities of Montreal. Scattered farther than the
care underground. While they finally left, going out when islands are from each other, the Zemí long to reunite their
their keeper was late to his post, many escaped the cave and splintered family, all the while being highly protective of
changed into animals of all sorts. Eventually those Taíno their children. Having already nearly been wiped out by
who continued waited were allowed into their tropical the machinations of Guabancex once already, they refuse
paradise. They lived in relative peace, only coming to abandon their people once again.
into conflict with the neighboring Caribs
rarely, much more likely to suffer from the
aftermath of Deminán Caracaracol’s
PRINCIPAL
playful antics.
The sun brought further
MEMBERS
change for them, gleaming off the sails
of La Niña, La Pinta, and La Santa T he Zemí are the shepherds of the Taíno,
making sure through their worship that
they are in balance with the world around
María. Carrying the Italian Admiral
Christopher Columbus, while not the them. Rain is required for crops and to
first time Europeans found their way drink, but storms can be destructive;
across the Atlantic, it was the most the earth gives us food and metals,
disastrous. Pushed on Guabancex’s but at the same time, mudslides are
winds, the three ships found always a risk.
Hispaniola, beginning centuries
of European colonization of the
ACHINAO,
Americas. COROMO,
The Taíno withstand the RACUNO, AND
campaign of annihilation of SOBACO, THE
Columbus’ conquest, some finding
refuge in Yuké on Boriken, now known
STAR QUARTET
as El Yunque on Puerto Rico, others Upon the making of the Earth, the
retreating into Cacibajagua, and others still finding refuge creator Yúcahu found four gemstones on the ground.
for a short while among the dead of Coaybay. Those who Delighted, he infused them with life and from them came
couldn’t flee kept their faiths in secret, worshiping when the Star Quartet, the four stars that birthed all the others.
they could, and passing on their oral traditions to their They then made the birds to accompany them in the sky
children. and fly between the Earth and the realms of the Zemí,
taking messages between them as shooting stars.
The Zemí found themselves worshiped in Florida and
in Spain when Columbus sent enslaved Taíno back there.

140 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 TAÍNO PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Although no direct phonological examples of Taíno exist in our world, some information has survived,
albeit filtered through Spanish scholars. Other closely-related languages include the indigenous language
of the Wayúu people of Northern Colombia and Venezuela.
Taíno consonants work much as English-speakers would expect, with a few exceptions due to the
Spanish scholars who first transcribed the language into a Latin-based alphabet:
R: a flapped r, which most English speakers Caguana: kaw-waw-naw
make in place of “tt” in “butter” and “Seattle” Coromo: koh-roh-mo
Gu: voiced w sound; “what” Coatrisquie: koaw-tree-skee-eh
J or G: h sound; “how” Deminán Caracaracol: deh-mee-nawn
C or Qu: k sound; “kick” kaw-raw-kaw-raw-kol
X: sh sound; “shop” Guabancex: waw-bawn-kesh
Taíno vowels are fairly predictable, although Guacar: waw-kawr
some accent marks exist, as a legacy of Iguanaboína: ee-waw-naw-boee-naw
Spanish scribes:
Itiba Cahubaba: ee-tee-baw kaw-hu-
I: ee sound; “see” baw-baw
Ei: ay sound; “say” Juracán: hu-raw-kawn
E: eh sound; “bed” Maquetaríe Guayaba: maw-ke-taw-
A: aw sound; “paw” ree-eh waw-yaw-baw
O: o sound; like “oh,” but shorter Márohu: maw-ro-hu
U: u sound; “who” Maroya: maw-raw-yaw
Important Names: Opiyelguabirán: o-pee-yehl-waw-bee-
Achinao: aw-chee-nao rawn
Anacacuya: aw-naw-kaw-ku-yaw Pico El Yunque: pee-ko ehl yun-keh
Bayamanaco: baw-yaw-maw-naw-ko Racuno: raw-ku-no
Boínayel: boee-naw-yehl Sabaco: saw-baw-ko
Cacibajagua:: kaw-kee-baw-haw-waw
Cacibajagua Yúcahu Bagua Maórocoti: yu-ka-hu
baw-waw maw-o-ro-ko-tee
Cacique: kaw-ki-keh

Each of the identical brothers presents as a young stars given mortal form most often. The Chosen are always
Caribbean man dressed in different colors: Achinao favors those who know where they are most needed and never
red, Coromo deep blue, Racuno likes orange, and yellow is shirk their duties.
Sobaco’s hue. Each of the brothers is boisterous and has These days, the Quartet head a pan-Caribbean shipping
wits as swift as his feet. Their Scions often share this with and messenger business, allowing them to move around
them, as well as broad, shining smiles and a sense of pride all over the World, weaving the threads of community
in whatever it is that they do. wherever they find wayward Taíno.
It is said that Achinao, Coromo, Racuno, and Sobaco Callings: Creator, Liminal, Shepard
guide their fellow Gods and many children in travel, time,
and destiny. Whether taking the forms of a hundred birds Purviews: Beasts (Birds), Epic Dexterity, Journeys,
swooping through the sky, via the patterns they carve Stars
into space, manifesting as stars and galaxies, or just by
instigating gentle (and sometimes sharp) waves in the ANACACUYA,
water, the Quartet show their loved ones the way. Playful as THE FIRST CACIQUE
they are, however, they can utilize the same methods and Aliases: The Star of the Center
tricks to lead their foes into misfortune, whether that takes
When it finally was the Taínos’ time to leave their first
the form of rocky bluffs, hostile territory, or parched lands.
home in Cacibajagua on Ayiti, now the Dominican Republic
The Quartet expects their children to put duty before and Haiti; it was Anacacuya, their first chieftain, or cacique,
pleasure or fun always, making sure their work is complete who led them into Boinael’s light. It was also he who taught
before partaking in fun. They rarely have time for romance his people how to dig out boats and he who navigated the
or to take time off to Incarnate, and thus Scions of the sea to spread the Taíno to the islands of the Caribbean.
Quartet are usually Chosen or Created — the latter being

Principal Members 141

When they settled, he established the first settlements, or boat and its captain await them. The captain is Anacacuya,
yucayeques, on each island. and he promises great fortune to any who allow him to lead
Jealous of his power, his brother Guahayona, second them. It’s been known for Anacacuya to set himself and
out of Cacibajagua and the first behique, or shaman, went his Scion adrift and for visions to assail his child that only
to every yucayeque. While Anacacuya was meeting with through the God’s sacrifice can they return safely to shore,
Boinael to learn how to farm, Guahayona convinced every replicating Guahayona’s murder of his brother. For his part,
woman of the tribe to travel with him to another island, Anacacuya takes any drowning attempt without a struggle.
Matinino, which he sealed away from Taíno men. He always returns to ferry another child on another night.

After returning with the knowledge of farming, Callings: Guardian, Leader, Sage
Anacacuya demanded to be taken to them to see if they Purviews: Forge, Fortune, Journeys, Order, Stars
truly wanted to go. His brother said he would take the first
cacique to Matinino, but halfway there Guahayona pushed BAYAMANACO,
his brother overboard and drowned him and continued his
journey with the stain of death marking him. Guahayona
OLD MAN FIRE
Bayamanaco was old before the creation of the Earth.
went on to lead many further adventures, Achinao, Coromo,
He was old before the foolish child Deminán Caracaracol
Racuno, and Sobaco leading him on a journey where he was
broke Yayael’s gourd and released the waters of the sea
afflicted with disease and degrading health as punishment
into the World. Even great Yúcahu, who helped complete
for the betrayal of his brother.
Atabey’s universe, may have existed for longer than Old
Upon his death, with the respect and honor of the Man Fire, but he is not older than Bayamanaco. With age
remaining Taíno, his spirit ascended out of Coaybay and comes wisdom, of course, but also obstinance.
became the Star at the Center, the guiding star for all future
The old Bayamanaco wanted nothing more than to be
Taíno seafarers. Anacacuya’s Scions are leaders in their
left alone in his hut, sniffing cohoba and eating the bread he
communities, empathetic counselors, and wise teachers.
invented from mashed and processed yuca. He didn’t even
He himself has the look of a well-respected amateur sports
want to keep these things from humanity; he just rarely
coach, the strong body of a former athlete with an iron firm
interacted with them. They exist over there, and Old Man
will but kind eyes and an easy smile. He began El Centro
Fire likes his house just fine. That young upstart Deminán
para el Interés de los Niños to help disenfranchised youths
Caracaracol had no business bothering him or stealing
across the Caribbean, making sure that he can help his
them though.
tribe.
Bayamanaco’s balding pate is dark from decades in the
When Scions of Anacacuya close in on their Visitation,
Caribbean sun, and he walks with a thick cane. He sires the
they find themselves drawn to a body of water, where a
least Scions of the Zemí, and when he does, he trusts them

142 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

to not be fools. They share his stubbornness and fury when showed them how to farm and take care of themselves. He
angered. does, however, have a penchant for japes.
Bayamanaco’s Visitation often comes upon a Scion The Sun God most often takes the form of a dark-
when they’re overburdened with food or goods (fresh skinned young man holding a shining sphere, the sun
from shopping) or treasures (having just resolved a quest). within a Cemí of its own. His Scions typically take after
Only then does Bayamanaco’s hut appear to the Scion as a him in his joking nature and sense of poetic justice, and
place to rest, its door open, it hearth warm. Bayamanaco physically in their lithe figure and quickness. They usually
sullenly invites the child in and chides them if they don’t find themselves in positions where they can advocate for
immediately offer a portion of their resources. He won’t their communities, helping to grow those bonds like the
let them leave until they give up what he deems a fair sun does crops.
tribute, though the quantity and value of the tribute differs Boinael’s Visitation manifests by way of a trick, though
depending on what’s on offer. He has a particular love of typically not on the Scion themselves. Boinael likes to
forged metal items, and sometimes even trades them for a deceive someone close to the Scion in a way that humiliates
Relic in his possession. them, but could grant them wisdom, if the Scion has the
Callings: Creator, Sage, Warrior skills to pull them from their embarrassed state. He expects
Purviews: Fire, Forge, Passion (Anger), War his Scions to be the sun, in this regard, leading those in
darkness into the light. Only then will he appear as a kind,
BOINAEL, GOD OF THE SUN proud parent, and reward his child with their Birthright for
exhibiting depth of thought.
Aliases: Boniael
Callings: Judge, Sage, Trickster
The first-born son of Yúcahu, he holds the honor of
the most shrines, as the most popular among his people. Purviews: Deception, Epic Dexterity, Fertility, Sun
Chased by his sister Maroya, he has raced across in the
skies over the World long before humanity was meant to BO NAYEL,
see him. When their guardian was late to his shift watching GOD OF THE RAIN
the mouth of Cacibajagua, he lured some of them out of the The younger of Iguanaboína’s twins, he plays a delicate
darkness of the cave to bask in his light, only to turn them dance with his brother Márohu. If he isn’t exacting with
into the various animals and trees that populate the islands his dispensation of rainwater over the Antilles, the crops
for falling for his trick. will drown, but at the same time, if he allows his brother
None can say that Boinael is not a kind God. It was he too much time at the lead, drought will reign. That said,
who, when it was finally the Taíno’s time to enter the World, however, the pair have this down to a science, masters of a
balancing act for the lives and livelihoods of their people.

Principal Members 143

 The goodly rains of Boínayel begin as his tears. Light advice they then need to act on, whether it’s to find
summer day showers are his tears of joy, surprise showers meaningful romantic companionship, become pregnant or
are when he’s overcome with emotions, and weeklong adopt a child, reunite with an old friend, or simply get laid.
cloudy systems of mist and gloom the mark of his sorrow. Like her, Caguana’s Scions are varied. If they follow her
Each time, his elder brother tempers whatever the emotion advice, however, they can claim their Birthright.
is currently, bringing clear skies once more. Callings: Healer, Lover, Sage
Boínayel presents as a young male, barely a man, Purviews: Beauty, Fertility, Fortune, Passion (Love)
dressed in only a loincloth as if he was about to go
swimming. His Scions have the same excitable nature that DEMIN N CARACARACOL,
he does; they wear their hearts on their sleeves, when they
bother to wear shirts at all. Free spirits to a tee, clearly the
OF THE SACRED FOUR
archetype of a younger sibling, his Scions are as emotional First born and the only named of Itiba Cahubaba’s
and heart-driven as he is. children, Deminán has always been a champion of the
Taíno and a thorn in the side of the other, more serious
Boínayel commonly Visits his Scions as a sudden,
Zemí. It was he who went to Bayamanaco, Old Man Fire,
disorientating rainfall or thick cloud of mist that renders
and stole for humanity the secrets of fire, the recipe for the
them lost, until they find themselves someplace they’d
special yucca bread, and the important ritual of smoking
rather not be. Boínayel varies the destination from muddy
cohoba that the behiques need to commune with the Zemí.
ditches to cliff edges, bars full of violent drunks, or on rare
For his trouble, the old man spat on his back and threw
occasions, into a field of burning crops. It’s up to the Scion
cohoba powder as he fled. Where it landed on his back, a
to solve the problem and earn their Birthright, after which
turtle grew, and it was cut from his skin with axes by his
Boínayel thanks them for finding wisdom in the water, and
brothers. All four of them married the turtle, and upon her
goes on to help make Heroes of his offspring.
back he builds their house.
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Healer
Deminán is most well-known, however, for the creation
Purviews: Fertility, Sky, Water of the sea and the saving of the Taíno people. When the
quartet were young, they wanted to see the bones of the
CAGUANA, betrayer Yayael, and thus pull down the funeral gourd in
GODDESS OF LOVE which Yaya set them. Instead of bones, he found fish, and
Well versed in the hearts of the Taíno, the middle-aged ate his full. Trying to set the gourd back to hang from the
Caguana walks among the various yucayeques, or towns, house’s roof where it belonged, instead, it fell, shattering.
following the threads that connect all people. When two Out from the gourd poured the oceans of the World and all
threads are strong, she weaves them together, connecting the beasts that live inside it.
the hearts of those people. Love blooms within them, and Later, when Guahayona convinced all the women
relationships form. Not just romantic love, but fellowship of the tribe to vanish forever on the secret island of
and friendship as well. Love of all shades falls under Matinino, he found while out on the hunt La Estrella, the
Caguana’s remit, and she is forever busy. genderless first children of Achinao, Coromo, Racuno, and
Daughter of Atabey, Caguana is called out to by lonely Sobaco. They spoke the language of birds, who were their
hearts among the Taíno. She knows that love has no single siblings as well, and with Deminán’s help, they enlisted
shape, and while one couple’s threads are forged in iron, the woodpeckers of Boriken to carve them human forms
others are more fragile and change often, and others still from wood. Some became women or men, others retained
are bound to more than just a pair of people. Some Taíno their genderlessness, while still others flowed like water
had multiple partners, as long as they could provide for between these designations. All of their children, the Taíno,
each other; Caguana weaves your thread with whoever is retain this gift: to be whomever they feel themselves to be
your perfect match, or matches. and to know the love of their champion, Deminán.

She is one of the Zemí with the most Born Scions, as Deminán is a small man with a wide face and thoughtful
she falls in love as often as there are days in the year. They eyes, always looking for his next act. He travels the World
are all passionate and tend to favor leading hedonistic lives. on the back of his turtle bride with his brothers, sun
Caguana herself hosts a popular multilingual relationship darkened and bent-backed from the birthing. His Scions
advice streaming channel online, answering the questions are consummate troublemakers, not unlike their father, but
of the heart in English, Spanish, Jamaican Patois, and also know when to use that ability to be a rabblerouser to
Haitian Creole. the benefit of others.

It’s through her relationship advice channel that Deminán Caracaracol’s Visitations play into his love of
Caguana performs most of her modern Visitations. Her trickery, and due to his ongoing rivalry with Bayamanaco,
children feel a deep loneliness and inability to be fulfilled, Old Man Fire, they often depend on stealing from or
drawing them to the God’s medium of counselling. Once humiliating the curmudgeonly God in some way. Deminán
they’re logged on and listening, she provides them with makes no secret of who he is to his children, but does make
it clear to them that they’ll only earn their Birthright if they

144 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

can get one over on Bayamanaco such as by thieving from Purviews: Artistry, Darkness, Earth, Epic Stamina,
his treasures while he’s asleep, besting one of his children Epic Strength, Forge
in a game of deception, or making him a laughingstock
for reasons real or fabricated. The act is often a lot of fun, IGUANABO NA,
but tends to earn Bayamanaco’s resentment for the newly
invested Scions.
THE RAINBOW SERPENT
The mother of the twins Boínayel and Márohu, it is she
Callings: Creator, Sage, Trickster who taught them how to play in a way that would provide
Purviews: Beasts (Turtles), Chaos, Deception, Earth, enough rain for the prosperity of the Taíno. One can always
Fire, Fortune, Prosperity, Water tell when they’ve done a good job, as she appears in the sky
above them, her iridescent scales shimmering in the colors
GUACAR, of the rainbow in her son’s rain and sunshine.
WHO LIVES IN THE EARTH When not appearing as a shimmering winged serpent,
Great Yúcahu was not an only child, but a twin. When she manifests as an elderly woman, dark brown skin from
Atabey retreated from the universe, believing that her a lifetime in the sun, her silver hair retaining its iridescent
children would complete creation, she meant for Yúcahu gleam. Her eyes shimmer in the colors of her rainbow. She
and Guacar to work together. Yet, as his brother’s opposite, adopts the most Scions out of any of the Zemí, her Chosen
introverted and anxious, he retreated from his duty. and Created loved as dearly as she loves her divine sons.
Instead, he found his home back in the caves of the islands, While Yúcahu is the patron of the Taíno, Iguanaboína
remaining there until the completion of the creation of the is their mother, and she treats them all with almost the
World. same care that she does her own Scions. It is through her
Many believe that he holds great envy for the love and efforts that many Taíno are found all over the World. She
attention his older brother receives, but no, he just wishes guides Anacacuya’s El Centro para el Interés de los Niños,
he was able to be the center of attention, the main character as well as a half dozen other charities. Her Scions are also
in a story. This was not his fate, however, as he has never likely to be found in the halls of charities looking after the
been particularly comfortable with that much limelight. disenfranchised, especially children. They are also prone to
Instead, he hides deep under the earth, building caves and adorning themselves with shimmering colors, making sure
mountains, two of which would be the ones from which they can be seen when the clouds break and those first rays
humanity would emerge from when their time arrived. of sunshine poke through.

While younger than his brother, Guacar has none of his Iguanaboína’s preferred method of Visitation sees a
vigor, instead being bent and pale, with thin hair and a thin Scion accepting something about themselves they were
beard, having dark eyes, and made of thickly corded muscle. previously afraid to confront. This may be in the form of
He walks with a cane that doubles as a hammer to break a hidden shame, such a crime committed when they were
stones and ore. He discovered the holy metal guanín, an young; a limit to their skillset, and fresh focus on something
alloy of gold, silver, and copper, and he carved Cacibajagua. they can overcome or now channel their energies into;
Currently, he has found peace in the R&D Department in or something like a repressed sexuality. When they find
a Dominican based manufacturing company, advancing acceptance, they see the Rainbow Serpent in the sky and
their tech without being the person anyone looks at. He is know they are part of a rich, divine tapestry.
always sure to guide away from automation, however, as it’s Callings: Guardian, Leader, Lover
important for him to provide jobs. Purviews: Beasts (Serpents), Beauty, Passion (Love),
Guacar’s Scions are commonly as introverted and Prosperity, Sky, Water
shy as he is himself. They tend to like being indoors at
work, crafting masterpieces of art or craftsmanship. They ITIBA CAHUBABA, THE
are large and strong but are closer to gentle giants than
anything else. They would be heroes, of course, but they
GREAT BLEEDING MOTHER
Aliases: La Vírgen de la Caridad
would rather not be the center of attention.
One of the oldest of the Zemí, Itiba is the mother of
Guacar’s Visitations tie into his lust for and
Deminán Caracaracol and his unnamed brothers, but in the
simultaneous fear of attention. He commonly appears
birthing of Gods, she succumbed to the blood loss and died.
to Scions who have accomplished a great deed and had
Descending to Coaybay, she watches over her boys on their
the praise attributed to their Band instead of themselves,
wild adventures throughout the World.
so they can live in the same dichotomy as he, sharing
the praise without receiving a full measure of it. Even Given her sacrifice that allowed the hero of the Taíno to
better if his Scion did most of the heavy lifting but is now be born, Itiba is worshiped by mothers and pregnant people
overshadowed. all over the islands. Death is no hindrance from duty, just
another state of being from which she, and everyone else,
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Sage
is still expected to be diligent. For this reason, the Cacique
of Coaybay, Maquetaríe Guayaba, gave Itiba her own realm

Principal Members 145

in the Underworld, wherein she oversees the souls of those
who also die in childbirth and who die before adulthood. M ROHU,
Taking the form of a young mother with tanned skin GOD OF CLEAR SKIES
and kind eyes, Itiba works across lower Florida to bring The older brother of Boínayel and first-born son of
services like Planned Parenthood to otherwise underserved Iguanaboína, his duty is to calm or instigate the emotions
communities. Her Scions usually find themselves in the of his younger, more excitable brother, bringing or ending
medical field, or else in the service of others. Some days the rain so that the fields are watered but not drowned, so
they give too much of themselves to others, but they know that the days are warm but not swelteringly so.
how important sacrifice is.
Boínayel’s opposite in nearly every way, Márohu is
Itiba’s Visitations uniformly appear as medical crises, stoic, and his head rules his heart, but he understands the
though not necessarily with the Scion as their heart. The role emotions serve in how others work. He pushes and
Scion will be called upon to lend aid in such a situation, pulls on his brother’s emotions, manipulating him to make
which can be as varied as the fallout from an earthquake to sure they can, as a group, play their balanced role in Taíno
delivering a child to a mother who unexpectedly goes into life.
labor in the frozen aisle of the supermarket. What follows
In physical appearance, he’s identical to his little
this Visitation is Itiba Cahubaba’s blessing, and the Scion’s
brother, but where the rain God breathes youthful vigor,
Birthright.
Márohu is firm and unyielding. He dresses with an air
Callings: Creator, Healer, Lover of respectability, regardless of the era’s fashion, and
Purviews: Death, Epic Stamina, Fertility, Health encourages his Scions to do the same.
Márohu’s Visitations come when his Scions are
MAQUETAR E GUAYABA, most agitated and likely to do something instinctive and
CACIQUE OF COAYBAY dangerous. In each case, he emerges from the air around
them, places his hands on their shoulders, and asks “Is this
Hidden by day, at night the spirits of the righteous
what you want?”
dead exchange their humanoid forms for that of fruit bats,
flying from the caves that lead to the underground sea and Callings: Guardian, Leader, Sage
flocking to the fruit trees to feast, favoring the delicious Purviews: Deception, Fertility, Order, Sky
guava most. Maquetaríe guides them into the night sky and
ensures that when Boinael’s light breaks over the horizon, MAROYA,
the ghost bats have returned to the underworld where they
belong.
GODDESS OF THE MOON
Racing after her bright older brother across the vault of
During the rest of the day, he sits in the dark of the
the sky, she is only a silver sliver in comparison to Boinael’s
Underworld, sorting the dead into the realms where they
golden brilliance. Her countenance brings cool darkness
belong based on their place in life and their actions. Having
with her, and what dim light she provides isn’t truly for the
passed his hound, Opiyelguabirán, all of these souls are
living, for the Taíno share the night with their dead.
worthy of a peaceful afterlife, but as there is order in life,
there is in death as well. Her night is a safe domain for the worthy dead that
earned the paradise of Coaybay, but not for the hupia, or
Standing tall, skin pale from a subterranean existence
unworthy dead. They haunt the places where the moon
and cloaked in a wing like cape, Maquetaríe holds a
can’t see, under dense tree cover, behind waterfalls in
fearsome countenance. He is the most serious of the Zemí,
caves. They work their way into Taíno communities in
and his Scions are often the same, serious as the grave and
human form, speaking honeyed words to naive youths,
duty minded. Since the strength of Juracán’s storms have
killing them in hopes to find lovers to end their lonesome
been growing, fewer getting stopped by the protections put
existence. But not if Maroya finds them first, striking them
in place by Yúcahu, Maquetaríe’s work has only increased.
down with her guanín tipped arrows, consigning them to
Maquetaríe’s Visitations tend toward the morbid, oblivion.
with his appearing as a dead body on his Scion’s property
It is because of the distraction of the hupias that Maroya
with all manner of clues pointing toward the Scion being
rarely catches up to her brother, but eclipses happen when
responsible for his death. He observes how the Scion
she does. She stands quite tall and fit, her natural black hair
handles the situation — calling it in to the police, trying to
flowing in locks down her back. Her Scions were all born
dispose of the evidence, fleeing — before alerting them to
and went through their Visitations at night, and they tend
his identity. He then decides on whether they’ve earned
to share her nearly fanatical obsessions when set to a task,
their Birthright.
often to the detriment of other goals.
Callings: Leader, Liminal, Judge
Callings: Hunter, Liminal, Warrior
Purviews: Beasts (Bats), Darkness, Death, Order, Sky
Purviews: Darkness, Epic Dexterity, Epic Stamina,
Epic Strength, Journeys, Moon, Stars, Warrior, Wild

146 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 His Incarnations appear as an elder statesman, dressed
OPIYELGUABIR N, in fine silks appropriate for his station as the patriarch of
THE HOUND OF THE DEAD the Zemí. He sits, usually secretly, on the board of many
Caribbean charities trying to preserve Taíno culture in
When a Taíno dies, their goeiz, or living soul, leaves
the face of colonization and racism. His Scions know their
their body and becomes an opia, dead soul. If they are
roles as leaders and protectors, know how important it is
meant to go to Coaybay, Maquetaríe sends Opiyelguabirán
for them to do their duty, and they relish the attention it
to guide them to any of the caves that eventually lead to the
gives them.
realm of the dead and protect them from hupias, those not
worthy of paradise, who would destroy them should they Callings: Creator, Leader, Sage
be found unprotected. Opiyelguabirán protects them and Purviews: Artistry, Earth, Fertility, Forge, Fortune,
watches over the many entrances to the Underworld. Order, Prosperity, Water, Wild
While it is believed that Opiyelguabirán could very
well take the form of a human, he never has, appearing
either as one of many potcake dogs, the type that commonly
COSMOLOGY
populate the Antilles, or as a larger canid-humanoid form,
the body of a large dark hound with a man’s head. His
howl echoes out at the moment of dusk and dawn, telling
T he Taíno emerged from caves, and the majority of their
Terra Incognitae remain within them. Beyond these,
there are many mythical islands that can only be found on
the residents of Coaybay that it is time to fly out back into the ocean with the divine knowledge of how to arrive there.
the World for their guava treats, or conversely time to Among these are Amayauna, the Cave of the Unimportant,
return home. The rest of the night is split between guiding from which all the non-Taíno people emerged.
the spirits of the newly departed to the underworld and
hunting down hupias, a task he gladly shares with his TERA INCOGNITAE:
nighttime companion, Maroya. CACIBAJAGUA
Opiyelguabirán doesn’t take human form very often When Yúcahu made humanity, they lived in caves,
and thus has no Born Scions, but he has a large number of hidden from the light of the sun and the moon. The World
Chosen, all people like him, born to serve and protect those was not yet ready, but one day, Macocael, the Zemí sent to
who are the most at risk. His Visitations to them commonly make sure humanity remained sequestered, failed when he
come when they’ve drawn blood from an enemy, and he overslept and was late to his shift.
catches the scent.
A few brave and foolish Taínos who saw this
Callings: Guardian, Hunter, Judge opportunity fled Cacibajagua, on the mountain of Cauta
Purviews: Beasts (Dogs), Darkness, Death, Order, on Ayiti, present day Hispaniola, only for Boinael to catch
Wild them at midday. He turned them into animals and birds for
their hubris, and Macocael was petrified into a statue for
Y CAHU BAGUA his failure.
MA ROCOTI, HE The walls of the cave system are aglow in iridescent
WHO HAS NO FATHER petrographs describing the history of the Zemí. Smaller
sub-caves split off from many tunnel systems to form
The first of the twins Atabey birthed to complete the homes, and cool nutrient rich freshwater streams provided
universe she began, Yúcahu shares in his mother’s creative the early Taínos with all they needed. This still exists and
streak. He brought the World into being from the void that is accessible, as the future Taíno would learn in their most
Atabey left under the vault of the heavens and the chthonic dire hour of need.
sea below it. He built the Earth, and even though his twin
descended into that earth instead of helping Yúcahu, he When Columbus landed on Ayiti, some of the Zemí
had more than enough juice to populate the World. could feel the hunger in his eyes, could smell Guabancex’s
chaotic influence on his ships, and they didn’t trust him.
He opened a rift between the World and the celestial Chief among these were the odd pair of Old Man Fire
Overworld in which the Zemí existed at that time, calling Bayamanaco and the trickster Deminán Caracaracol. But
several forth, each with a remit to carry out in the World. Yúcahu said they were of Amayauna, and thus unimportant.
He gave the Antilles yuca, also known as cassava, the staple
crop for Taínos. He is the master of the sea, having created It was Deminán who guided some back to the safety
and given the gift of nautical navigation to his people. He of Cacibajagua to ride out the times the admiral was on the
gave them the Zemí and then rested upon El Yunque on islands. Those who came there would hide until it was safe
Boriken, where he connected the celestial home of the Zemí to move to other islands: Boriken (Puerto Rico), Xaymaca
to the World. It is from here that he combats Guabancex’s (Jamaica), Coabana (Cuba), and others. There, they spread
depredations, where he turns back the majority of Juracán’s the news of his depravity and warned those Taínos of what
storms. was on its way.

Cosmology 147
 the islands. Yúcahu does his best to guard his people from
UNDERWORLD: COAYBAY her assaults and machinations.
Deep underground, through winding caves and the
underground sea, lies the realm of the dead, where the lives COATRISQUIE,
of the Taíno continue after death. They began in caves, and THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR
to caves they will return eventually. Usually they are guided
One of the two consorts of Guabancex, Coatrisquie
to the catacombs by the canine Opiyelguabirán to the house
follows behind her herald, Guatauba. His is the rain that
of Maquetaríe Guayaba, who will tell them where they
overwhelms, washing away plantings and flooding rivers
belong, their roles in the hereafter.
and streams. He makes mud that flows down the sides
Life after death is not all that different from life before of mountains and drowns villages and the living at once.
it. For some, especially caciques and other community His rain is the opposite of Boínayel’s, which is expertly
leaders, they become lesser Zemí in their own rights, measured.
splitting their time between the Underworld and their
He is the quiet lover of Guabancex but is quite
reliquaries that hang in their communal homes. For others,
enamored by her. Before he first heeded Guatauba’s call
like those who die in labor or as children, they attend Itiba
to join her chaotic retinue, he was but another Zemí of
Cahubaba and aid the living in childbirth and other matters
the rain, under Boínayel’s leadership. He wanted to use
of health.
his powers with impunity, whenever and wherever, but
Both Maquetaríe Guayaba and Opiyelguabirán have balance is key to the Zemí of the weather. Constantly held
three-point cemí that can allow either holder to enter the back, he jumped at the chance to rain all over the World
caves in the Antilles at night and gain access to Coaybay. without restraint or care. Coatrisquie then grew covetous
of Guabancex, but she can’t love him, as it is not her nature.
OVERWORLD: PICO She brings him into her court and onto her raids of the
EL YUNQUE Antilles, and he falls for her, only to be rejected and sent
away once she no longer needs him. His rage grows, but he
Deep in the rainforests of northern Boriken, Pico
always returns when summoned — perhaps this time it will
El Yunque is shrouded in near constant mist, and light
be different — over and over again.
showers fall daily. The seat of Yúcahu’s power when he
finished Atabey’s creation, he anchored the realm where Calling: Destroyer, Lover, Monster
the Zemí existed before the World there so that from his Purview: Water
realm he could rest and watch his works.
But even now, his work is not done. It is from the GUABANCEX,
mountain that Yúcahu protects Boriken from the worst of SHE WHO WILL DESTROY ALL
Juracán’s wrath. The mountains of El Yunque hold back
Another child of Atabey, Guabancex was always her
the storms that would otherwise wreck that part of the
brother’s opposite. Where Yúcahu’s need to complete his
island, saving the Taíno who live there.
mother’s creation drove him to make the universe and
Pico El Yunque appears as almost any other yucayeque populate it, she only wants to destroy it. She feels only
found in the Antilles, save for the fact that all the buildings contempt for the glory her brother holds, playing clean-up
there are made of the holy metal guanín. From the windows for their mother’s half formed World. The people he created
of Yúcahu’s own bohio, the home of a cacique, all of the don’t love her like they do him. Is she not the daughter of
Taíno World can be seen. The other Zemí live in their Atabey? Do they only love him for what he does for them?
caney, round houses where multiple generations of Gods They only give her offerings to avoid her attention, and
may reside. From his low throne, or duho, Yúcahu holds that is fine for a time, sure — but if these mortals are to
court and defends his people from the depredations of remember why they fear her, it could never be enough.
chaos and Guabancex.
When Guabancex’s wrath rises, she throws her
The village of the Zemí may reside at the peak of El arms wide and dances in a spiral, gathering up wind and
Yunque mountain in Puerto Rico, but Scions can reach its water. Her herald Guatauba plays thunder on his drum
heights by any number of Axes Mundi on various mountains and throws lightning, summoning those Zemí who would
in the Antilles. Pictographs in the stone lead those who leave the order of Yúcahu’s finely crafted World to revel in
know how to read them to the gates of the patriarch’s destruction and chaos.
village in no time flat. For more details, see p. 223.
The damage from her most successful gambit to date

TITANS can still be felt amongst the Taíno and others all over the
World. Lost at sea because of his incompetence in trying
to find a shortcut to Asia, Admiral Christopher Columbus,

T he Titans of the Taíno are almost entirely centered

around the Zemí of Chaos, Guabancex and her retinue
of destructive storm Zemí. When she is not satisfied by the
in service to the Castilian Queen, found nothing but open
ocean, overbearing sun, and impending death. As his
thoughts turned to cannibalism, Guabancex noticed him,
offerings of the Taíno, she gathers her hordes and rages at the darkness and ruin in his soul, and found a kindred spirit.

148 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

She sent Coatrisquie to give them thirst quenching rain,
conjured fish for them to fill their bellies, and summoned YAYAEL,
Juracán’s most gentle storm winds to fire La Niña, La Pinta, THE SON WHO BETRAYED
and La Santa María at Ayiti like bullets. She knew what
Before Yúcahu’s work was done and he retreated
all the Zemí knew: They were of Amayauna, non-Taíno,
to Pico El Yunque to rest and contemplate, he left the
without value and not important. They sailed right into the
administration of the World as it was to the Zemí Yaya, who
Antilles, past Yúcahu’s protections.
came to the World with his son, Yayael. Like many sons,
Callings: Adversary, Destroyer, Leader Yayael coveted the power and authority of his father. When
Purview: Chaos the time was right, that role and power would be passed to
Yayael when Yaya retired and returned to Pico El Yunque,
GUATAUBA, HERALD OF but patience and wisdom are rarely the strengths of the
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING young.
He planned to murder his father, but when Yaya found
The consummate rebel, Guatauba never felt that he
out about this, his son was banished from the mountains
had a place in Yúcahu’s design. Rarely a part of the balance
and valleys of the Taíno, as there was no sea as of yet.
forged by the twins Boínayel and Márohu, he grew tired of
He traveled aimlessly, plotting for four months before
sitting on his hands. The first time Guabancex called upon
returning with vengeance on his mind. In a great combat,
her great and terrible monster, Juracán, he knew where he
Yaya had no choice but to slay Yayael in self-defense. As
belonged.
was the custom, Yayael’s bones were defleshed with fire
His music is the first part is Guabancex’s dance, the and hung in a gourd in Yaya’s house.
thunderous tune to her spiraling summoning steps. He
When Yayael’s mother wished to see the bones of her
calls out, voice booming to Zemí and Taíno alike, to the
doomed son, they brought down the gourd and found that
disaffected and unhappy. “We will welcome you into our
some of the bones had transformed into fish, and they used
host,” claims the Titan, but his words are lies. Guabancex
them to feed the village. Young Deminán Caracaracol and
cares for none further than how she can use them, and
his three unnamed brothers heard of this, and when they
Guatauba knows this. His place as her herald remains only
were next hungry, they snuck into Yaya’s house to steal fish
because he is more than happy to consign the World to
from Yayael’s reliquary, but they were clumsy and knocked
chaos and destruction to make sure his status is assured.
it down, shattering it on the ground. A great torrent of
Callings: Adversary, Destroyer, Trickster water and aquatic life poured out from the broken gourd,
Purview: Sky filling the ocean and separating the Taíno people from each
other on islands poking up from out of the water.
JURAC N, Yayael still remains on the bottom of the ocean, dead
THE WHIRLING STORM but scheming, desiring the power of his father. His bones
Alias: Her-khan, Huracan being separated all over the sea is the only thing keeping
him from rising again and challenging Yúcahu for the
The only thing Guabancex ever actually created, the leadership of the whole Pantheon.
Titan of storms lives in a liminal quasi-existence. She
only fully exists when summoned by her mother to be her Callings: Adversary, Tyrant, Warrior
warrior, or perhaps more accurately, her weapon. She is the Purviews: Deception, War, Water
Zemí of hurricanes, tornadoes, waterspouts, and typhoons.
Created by a being who only knows destruction, her
existence is twisted. She hates Yúcahu, the Zemí, and
PRIMORDIALS
by extension the Taíno and all humanity — but that’s
because all she knows is to hate them. She has only met W hile Yúcahu completed the creation of the World and
populated it, it was not his original work to begin
with. His mother, Atabey, who herself was formed out of
the rebellious Zemí Titans who defected and has only the
teachings of her mother. She rages at her half-life, unaware the magical energy of the world before the World, created
that it is Guabancex’s fault. the basic concepts and forms that would be the building
blocks for the world to come. This world was dark, with
As the World and its oceans warm, Juracán finds little land lifted from the deep chthonic waters from which
increased power when she is unleashed. Her storms ravage all things come. She could not think of what else to populate
what was Boriken and is now Puerto Rico, as well as where the world with, but she knew that her young children would
the Taíno settled in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, playing be able to, and so she retreated deep into the home Realm of
into her mother’s plans. the Zemí and left the task to her children, Yúcahu, Guacar,
Callings: Destroyer, Primeval, Warrior and Guabancex. Guacar, feeling the pressure of the World’s
Purviews: Sky, War creation was too much to bear, fled deep into the earth.
Guabancex, with her chaotic and angry nature, turned her

Titans | Primordials 149

back on creating the World. She would rather destroy it all much power without care for the consequences make the
than share it with her siblings. same rains and winds that Boínayel uses to water crops and
In so doing, as he couldn’t both hold the roles to lead replenish streams and rivers become the deadly weapons
the Zemí and complete creation at the same time and do of Coatrisquie and Juracán.
either thing well, Yúcahu delegated rulership of the World Today, the construction of cemí has become an
as it was being finished to Yaya, one of the senior Zemí and industry, with careful stewardship of blessed stone quarries
the first to father a son, the now Titan Yayael. Upon the and organically grown tree groves supplying materials
shattering of Yayael’s reliquary, Yaya retired in his role of for behiques who wait to be called. All across the World,
steward of the World and retreated with his wife to deep in cemís stand as a place for the Zemí of all ranks to come to
the Overworld of Pico El Yunque. advise their wayward people, blown all over and apart by
both the cruel hand of colonialism and the slow march of
RELIGION: so-called progress and globalism. Through these, the Zemí
can reconnect the Taíno wherever they may be.
ZEM ISM BIRTHRIGHTS
T he Zemí live all over the Taíno’s life. They construct icons
that remain in their homes, in small houses of their own,
and wearable amulets and torcs. The various Zemí, from the F ine craftspeople, the Taíno are best known for their Relics,
cemís of all styles and natures.
spirits of the honored dead in your own family, to honored
caciques from the past, to the named Gods of nature and CREATURES
creations included above, inhabit these icons, also called cemí. Hounds of Opiyelguabirán: Made of wood, these
Made of stone, wood, or beads — after African peoples, such pack members serve as guide dogs to those looking for
as the Yoruba, brought such materials across the ocean as a Coaybay.
part of the slave trade — nascent cemí call out to passersby
as raw materials, demanding to be brought a shaman. FOLLOWERS
Behiques, or shamans, have one foot in the world of Behiques: Shamans and medicine people, these
the Zemí and the other in that of the Taíno. The bridge priests know the secret language of the Zemí that can only
between them is cohoba, stolen from Old Man Fire by the be spoken under the influence of cohoba, how to create
trickster Deminán Caracaracol. Once they ritually purify cemí totems, and the ways to try to assuage the rage of the
themselves, they take a hit of this powdered leaf. Suitably Titans.
altered, the behique can communicate with the Zemí, and Ghost Bats of Coaybay: The opias of the dead who
they are told the name of the spirit and what they wish leave the underworld nightly to rejoin their still living
done with the material, what sort of cemí they want made families and feast on the sweet flesh of guava fruit, these
for them to inhabit. spirits know things that the living have forgotten, or else
When Taíno are ill or troubled, behique are summoned never had the chance to learn.
to tell them what they should do to rectify the situation.
They take the cohoba and in some cases don cemí masks, GUIDES
allowing the spirit in question to inhabit them and use their Cemí Caciques: Long dead chiefs in an honored place
voice to communicate with the afflicted. Other times they of leadership in Coaybay, these spirits can be conjured to
tattoo the images of the Zemí into cemí on the skins of the cemí icons and statues to advise and teach their descendants
faithful, so that they may go with them wherever they go. in matters of governance, diplomacy, and war.
When honored Taíno die, their bodies are defleshed,
either by time or by fire. Their bones are collected into RELICS
reliquary urns or gourds or their skulls are incorporated Deminán’s Crotch Rocket: This fully customized
into cemí, so that they may advise their family members 2006 Nikkei sports a paint job of the national flag of the last
who remain and as a place to rejoin the communities they Caribbean island it was on and is fast enough to ride the
lost on their nocturnal adventures out of Coaybay. This is waves between them.
done on a larger scale for caciques of note and honor, so Inhabitation Mask: A mask made of dark wood with
that they may continue to lead their people and advise their the face of the Zemí it represents carved with a wide smile
descendants in the governance of their village and people. on it. Worn to allow the Zemí in question to inhabit the
Everything about Zemíism is about balance, about body of the wearer.
the perfect number of things that would otherwise throw Moonlight Bow: Modeled on Maroya’s, this guanín
order into chaos. Just enough sunshine and rain makes bow fires arrows made of moonlight, which is particularly
the crops flourish, but too much of either would kill them. useful against spirits of the dishonored dead.
Their Titans show this: Too much ambition drove Yayael
to try to kill his father to take his seat early, storms of too

150 CHAPTER THREE: PANTHEONS

 Three-Point Cemí: Stone idols in the shape of various
Zemí that they can inhabit or give their blessings to. GREATEST WEAKNESS
To this day, the greatest failing of the Zemí is the
RELATIONSHIPS way they portray other mortals than the Taíno as not just
other, but lesser. They’re of Amayauna, without value. It’s

T he Zemí and their Scions live hand and hand with each
other and the other beings in their Overworld and
Underworld. Coaybay is not the end of all things, but the next
why Yúcahu never interceded to prevent Columbus, his
greatest failing. At the time he thought, “What could the
Italian in the employ of Spain do? He’s not Taíno.” While
part of the play that is existence. That said, the Zemí have some, like Deminán Caracaracol, have worked hard to
issues trying to hold non-Taíno peoples and Gods with the better appreciate others, other yet struggle to shake off this
same regard, as they are all collectively of Amayauna. This mindset.
view has been changing, however, largely at the prompting
of Deminán, who is the least set in his ways of the Zemí.
PANTHEON PATH
OTHER PANTHEONS OF THE ZEM
Once the Zemí get past their disdain for anyone who is
not them, they have been able to create relationships with Asset Skills: Occult, Survival
the Gods of other peoples. They share a bond of empathy Virtues: The two sides of the Zemí coin are
and pain with the Teōtl, Apu, K’uh, and Balahala over their Community and Inclusivity. For centuries, the Zemí and
shared experience in Spanish conquest, and with the Loa their people believed themselves to be measurably different
and Òrìshà as well, having been the landing platform for from all other Gods and mortals. They believe that from
the slavers who brought the enslaved to the islands before their very creation, they have a value others do not. At the
continuing to the American continent. The Zemí find the same time, since the coming of others and the globalization
Manitou to be cousins in their lived experience as the of the World, they know that if they are going to be able to
survivors of colonialism. They also find the Tuatha to be stand against the evils of things such as colonization and
kindred spirits of a sort, island Gods booted out of their capitalism, and the literal evil of their Titans, they need the
homes. help of other people; they can’t do it alone.
Conversely, the Zemí see the Theoi (especially once Community is family, relationships, the bonds both
Rome was founded), Yazata, Kami, and Shén as imperialists birthed and chosen. It is your nation, your neighborhood,
and subject to suspicion. They also do find some tension your block. Standing against the invasion of both colonizers
with the Òrìshà over their falling in with the concept of the and gentrifiers. If anyone is going to fight for the heart and
Titanomachy. soul of the barrio, it would be those who live there. If anyone
is going to care about people like us, it will be people like us.
CURRENT PRIORITIES Inclusivity is realizing how connected all indigenous
The Zemí want to connect their diasporic people peoples are. That we are all one family, that people need
together again and make sure they’re resilient in the face of each other if we are going to fight against injustice and
the changing climate and the depredations of Guabancex. the world around us. There is more than one kind of
Once Columbus and his Spaniards came to the Antilles, oppression, and if we aren’t willing to stand together and
he loosed them onto the Taíno women, kidnapping some combine forces against those who would press their boots
back to Europe. The Taíno people were spread all over to our throats, we won’t ever defeat them.
the World, many forgetting their identities as the people A Zemí Scion must balance the needs of her Community
of Cacibajagua. Many Zemí Scions remind them that the and Inclusivity. She knows that she is a tent pole of her
Zemí still exist, that the Taíno are not an extinct people, family, of her neighborhood, of the society around her, but
regardless of what white historians would have the World at the same time, she knows the value of her Band, that she
believe. has others who can and will help her, and that she can’t go
The Zemí also search for wherever Guabancex and her into conflicts on her own.
horde hide when not sending Juracán and her storms. They
believe that she resides on a secret island only accessible
through the ocean, but the ocean is vast and largely
uncharted.

Relationships | Pantheon Path of the Zemí 151

 The part-timer at Sheedy’s switched on the neon signs,
I. Gods help him, he forgot about her again, until the
flipped the sign to “Open,” and unlocked the front doors. It sound of liquid splashing against the hardwood-laminate
was a formality, really: He’d not see a soul for another hour. drew his attention.
Not even the crustiest of regulars could justify stopping “—and honor me as I do thee,” her words were barely
in on a Tuesday at one in the afternoon, and their biggest audible over the splattering. “Fire-Soother, hear my plea.”
crowd of usuals — the fine men and women of Engine
Company No. 2, Station 12 — would only be by after their “Hey!” He barked at her over the bar. “What the hell?”
shift change. “Oh, sorry,” she apologized loudly, even as she tilted
So he might be forgiven for missing the chime of the one of the pint glasses to empty it upon the floor. “I’ll get it.”
door, for failing to notice his young patron entirely until “None of that shit in here, that’s what temples are for.”
she was standing at the polished wood-top bar. She had a The part-timer jabbed his finger toward the exit, customer
nose like a beak and the attitude of someone who’d been service be damned. “I’m gonna have to ask you to—”
scowling since birth, her pale and heavily-freckled face
He’d missed another one: a stocky, square-jawed
sour with impatience.
woman, tattoos peeking from under her sleeves, bent
The part-timer studied the youthful luster of her blue languidly over his bar. She must’ve been fresh from a long,
eyes. “Can I see I.D.?” He asked placidly, skipping the late shift: She was still in her khaki-colored bunker pants
niceties. and her thick, steel-reinforced boots. The firefighter folded
With an exasperated groan, she fished into the pocket her strong hands on the countertop, a curious look in her
of her kelly green trackpants for a battered bifold, rainbow- green eyes.
striped and Sharpie-scribbled. There was a sixty percent “Oh. Hey. Sorry about that, ma’am.” The part-timer
chance the license was fake, but the part-timer decided the blinked at her. Any embers of anger lingering in his face
remaining forty wasn’t worth the fight — not at 1 p.m. on began rapidly to cool. “I.D.?”
a Tuesday. The girl’s quick eyes glanced over the taps; she
She winked. “You’re sweet. Pint’a bourbon stout.”
asked for two pints of bourbon stout and a stack of napkins,
smoothing a crumpled ten over the countertop. The girl hurriedly shoved her lump of stout-soaked
napkins under the booth table. Hands trembling, she sank
“Not the Guinness?” The part-timer asked.
into the squeaking leather seat. The firefighter came to join
“Did I say Guinness,” came her acidic retort. her as if they knew each other, as if she’d been expected.
He raised his hands in half-hearted self-defense. Technically, both these things were true.
Handling the pints in one hand — a real pro — she took
“Hey there,” the woman in the bunker pants greeted
her drinks to a corner booth, under the battered old “FIRE
her in a warm, rough voice. “Thanks for the pint.”
STATION NO. 12” sign, where she sat alone, tracing lines
and dashes into the frost of the glass. The girl’s dark eyebrows knit, her eyes fixed on the
tabletop between them. “Lady of Accord,” she mumbled,

152 SCION: GOD

strange and stilted. “Rhiannon Fire-Soother, my honest She needed no confirmation, but Ellis gave it anyway
entreaty I lay before—” with a hesitant nod.
“No need for all that,” the firefighter assured her. The Worldly Incarnation of Rhiannon, Goddess of
“We’re meeting for drinks, so let’s talk like it.” Truces and Diplomacy, read the girl’s adherence to order
The girl exhaled in a huge gust, her shoulders and goodwill like a glance at an open book. There wasn’t
loosening, her face shining with relief. “Thank the Gods. I much to see. Trouble was charitable — dissonance bled
hate that flowery prayer shit.” from the young Scion like a persistent wound. It was
inextricable, interwoven with her very soul.
Divine laughter filled the empty pub. “Ellis, right?”
If she’s so used to causing problems, this must be a big
Ellis nodded, finally daring to look the firefighter in one to come asking for me.
the eye.
Ogma’s daughter took a deep breath. “Nergal started a
“Ogma’s girl.” She smiled, the kind of smile that did plague to kill me.”
away with even the most stubborn reticence. “No surprise
there, I see your gift for words. I don’t suppose it’s gotten The firefighter snorted into her drink, her dark red
you into trouble lately?” eyebrows climbing her forehead.

II.
She’d never liked the name they arrived at: the Valley of ride-share driver’s face remained impassive. Colorless
Refusal. The canyon of bare, jagged rock and emerald moss flame roared around the young Scions in an aura of
stretched toward the horizon under her sharp green eyes. passions, conflict, hurt; their faces, each so different, were
It stood in contrast to her own memory, faded and strange lined with identical worries and rage beneath their medical
and divided against itself. She died that day, laid open by a masks.
spear thrown by Bres himself, her wound absolute and fatal. Two of them were infected. Judging by the stage of the
She lived that day, wrapped in the Mantle of Accord like an disease — pinpricks of pale green and yellow surrounding
inverse burial shroud, her right of retaliation waived, the them in a corona only a healer could see — they had no idea
cycle of violence ended. they were carriers. And they’re not alone, Rhiannon mused.
The World was as distant to her now as it was beloved. Nergal’s plague demons were notoriously indiscriminate.
Walking its roads and speaking to its inhabitants was like A third of the county had come down with whatever the
wading through a river in full PPE — the destinies of the God had created, with who knows who else working
entire World weighed her down on every step, muffled her as unintentional carriers. All in the hopes of making an
every word. example of young Ellis McArthur.
Heavy or not, even Fate couldn’t keep her behind a The gall of an Annuna. The driver sighed, hiding her
desk. balled-up fists in the folds of her jacket.
She let the driver-side door of the Charger slam “Oh, they’re late?” The Scion of Lugh sneered, tossing
behind her and leaned against it with her arms crossed. long black hair from their eyes.
Exiting opposite, a tall and somber man with a broad, “We can wait a little longer,” one of the mortal
brown forehead squinted into the late afternoon sun: Ethan negotiators assured them, her shrewd gaze searching the
Shields, a Scion of Dian Cécht. Excluding the prideful God of Band. She covered her mouth and nose with the collar of
medicine would’ve caused yet another problem she’d have her jacket.
to smooth over, so she’d made sure to head that situation
off at the pass. If Ethan suspected his ride-share driver was “Rude, isn’t it, Tash?” The Scion of Aries giggled, her
a God incarnate, he said nothing, but he certainly wasn’t in voice crackling with malice.
a rush to pay her and see her off. He slipped on his cotton “We can wait.” Tash, the Annuna Scion, asserted
medical mask, gave her a grateful nod, and joined the pair herself with a gentle air of command, crossing her arms
of mortals waiting patiently by their own ride: members of over her slick, designer-label blouse. For not the first time,
the IAFF Local 68, a union-turned-secular cult to the Lady Rhiannon wondered at her part in this. It certainly wasn’t
of Accord. Stalwart, compassionate, and absolutely dogged the first time a companion of Gilgamesh had been marked
negotiators, the husband-and-wife pair were figures of for death by her Pantheon.
quiet infamy within their district. Rhiannon had personally
So, wait they did… for a full hour beyond the appointed
maneuvered for them to be here.
time. The young Band paced, fidgeted, and all but broke
It wasn’t long before a beat-up sedan roared into view, out into a fight amongst themselves. Ethan checked his
tires spinning over the gravel. Even if the boisterous Scion watch with increasing frequency. Even the two negotiators
of Ogma hadn’t been there to help them pick fights, this wavered between resignation and uneasiness.
was a Band destined for trouble. They were all of them
“Fuck this,” the Scion of Ares declared. “Sun’s going
young adults and all of them warriors: children of Lugh,
down. Let’s get out of here already.”
Ares, Ītzpāpālōtl, the whole lot led by an Incarnation of
Gilgamesh. Ichor and muscle steeled within her, but the

Rhiannon 153
 Ellis’s blue eyes widened in alarm. “We’re giving up? and die. The reborn Gilgamesh will recant her shameful
This was the last chance we had to—” behavior and refuse to associate with any Scion outside the
“There was no chance, El,” Ares’s daughter snapped. Annuna. Then Lord Nergal will lift the plague and recall
“They’re jerking us around.” his demons.”

As natural as breathing, the Lady of Accord could feel “No one’s dying,” came a snarl from the young Band,
the expression of her Purviews ripple and flex around her. followed by some choice, acidic language.
The Long Wait was a diplomatic trick older than writing “Let us handle this,” one of Rhiannon’s faithful insisted,
itself and she wasn’t going to let it get the better of them. raising her voice.
You can stay, a little longer. Her own endless power itched at the back of her mind,
“A little longer,” Tash echoed without realizing, tossing beckoned to her with the promise of victory. I could handle
her mane of curly black hair and focusing with laser-like this myself. I could end this so quickly. So perfectly.
intensity on the dissenting members of her Band. They “Then handle it,” the Scion of Ares was snarling. “Tell
grumbled, heels scuffing against the gravel. them we’re not about to let anyone die from some ancient
As if in response, the crush of tires on rock hailed them Egyptian plague!”
from down the unpaved road. Headlights veered toward “Sumerian,” Ellis corrected, scowling.
them. An old SUV the color of mud parked uncomfortably
close. “These demands are His demands,” the cultist of
Nergal declared, her face serene and her eyes absolutely
She recognized Nergal’s cultists by the tug of destiny wicked.
alone. The air thrummed at their arrival, and the Valley of
Refusal glowed green and black in the last of the sunlight. Rhiannon opened her mouth, words on the tip of her
The motley group of four piled out in coordinated effort, tongue.
their faces boldly bare, their bodies free of the disease their The weave of Fate tightened around her, and The
God had unleashed. Ethan tensed, as if their presence alone World watched with bated breath.
raked at his senses. The warrior Band arranged themselves
She was young, once, in another life. She’d been a
in a loose formation behind their leader.
Scion; she’d been part of a Band. She had faced her share of
“Sorry for the wait,” the lead cultist purred, her pale trials… horrible, at times unbearable. She had lost so much
eyes dancing. to the flames, to the Titans, to the endless grinding gears
“Like hell you are—” The Scion of Ares blurted. Tash of the modern World. She lost even more at her dying, lost
gave her a withering look and Ellis smacked her in the pieces of herself. She had wondered why the Gods never
shoulder. acted.
“It’s no trouble,” the husband of the mortal negotiators How much more of her self would the strange
assured them. “We’re just eager to begin.” machinations of legend snatch away, were she to act upon
The World now?
“So are we.” The cult woman folded her hands in front
of her impeccable tan trench coat. “The demands of our The ride-share driver closed her mouth without a
Contentious Lord are as follows: The Scion of the Tuatha word, and fifteen minutes later negotiations broke down.
Dé’s Champion and her immediate family will fall ill, suffer,

There weren’t many kin among her Pantheon she

III. were expecting a proper God. Mantle and dominion though
couldn’t get along with, but in a gun-to-her-head situation, she had, she was too young, too fresh.
she’d have no trouble claiming Ogma as her favorite. In “Liked that old Renfield,” he confided in his pleasant,
retrospect, that was what got her into this mess in the first honey-smooth drawl, only a touch of the Emerald Isle in
place: The Champion was a busy man, she owed him more his words. “Might swing around again when the ugliness
than a few favors, and when his daughter came with ogham is done, see if it’s still listed. Hoping that wasn’t really Set I
and offerings, Rhiannon saw no reason to decline. saw back there or we’ll have a bidding war.”
She had reasons aplenty, now, but it was far too late “And then good luck getting through the background
for that. check.” She grinned.
Striding beside her, all wind-burned cheeks and long “We got our ways, don’t we? There’s the dossers now.”
blond beard, comfortable in denim and a military surplus
field jacket, Ogma’s Incarnation looked right at home Over the roiling sea of mortal lives and tables loaded
on the show floor — just another good old boy looking to with gunmetal and lead, she could see the weft of Fate
exercise his rights as an American. Rhiannon suspected puckering like a snarl in a sweater. Two tall, handsome
that if it weren’t for his presence, she’d be getting a lot more men, their skin like burnished copper and their hair thick
dirty looks. It was a fair analogy for her presence in Tír na and curling, drifted from dealer to dealer, feigning interest
nÓg, too — or in any of the Otherworlds where denizens

154 SCION: GOD

but truly scanning the crowd for signs of divinity — for Ogma frowned. “I can’t say I know what she’s done to
mediators from the Tuatha Dé. deserve a generational death sentence.”
“Suspect Shamash and I’ll get on well,” Ogma said “Nor can I say why there’s such a fuss over one
brightly. distasteful young mortal.”
“You’ve never met before?” “Please,” Shamash broke in firmly with a raise of his
“And thank you for the acquaintance. This Nergal, hand. “If I may. My brother has shared his concerns with
though…” me, and I with him. It is not the mortal that concerns us, as
it is the spread of her conduct — her disrespect. Familiar,
But there was to be no more discussion, because the are you, with the tales our allies in the southern sphere
Annuna had found them. share of the firehawk?”
Shamash appeared in a glossy Incarnation, his dark Ogma stroked his beard again and gave a noncommittal
hair neatly trimmed, his chin smooth, his suit practical but grunt.
clearly expensive — the prototypical executive-hobbyist.
His brother-in-law, the man of the hour, dressed wholly in “The birds that carry burning branches?” Rhiannon
black, his beard neatly trimmed and his curls touched with prompted, politely.
red. He looked more like a movie assassin than anything Shamash did not honor her with a glance, but
else. This informal summit may have been her idea, but the continued. “They take the smoking twigs into their beaks,
choice of venue… that was all Nergal. conveying them to unburnt land. The flames harry their
They exchanged introductions and how-are-you’s, prey. They hunt within the inferno, heedless of the damage.”
Ogma’s smile never dimming, the Annuna brothers never “My demons will spread this plague the way your child
losing that aura of vague distance. spreads fire,” Nergal interjected with a smug sneer.
“Thank you for agreeing to speak with us,” and “Inferno,” Ogma snorted. “Whatever she’s done, it’s
Rhiannon added, “truly,” dipping her head and allowing not as bad as all that. To kill her mother, and so many
deep sincerity to color her words. Finally, Shamash smiled. innocent bystanders—”
There’s no true blarney like deference to your elders. “No?” Nergal’s eyes flashed.
“There’s a pub down the way,” Ogma suggested. “If you Too late, Rhiannon recognized his acid-bright rage.
gentlemen are the type for a drink.” “What we mean is—” She tried to cut in.
“No, thank you.” Nergal’s words were deep, curt. “I “Not as bad?” The God of destruction continued over
would prefer to conduct this quickly.” her. His eyes raked Ogma’s appearance. “If my brother and
“Concerns over the behavior of your children have I had known the Children of Danu were unwashed idiots
reached the red dome of Anu,” Shamash informed with no concept of filial piety, we would have declined this
them, softer-spoken than his brother-in-law but no less meeting outright.”
commanding. The fluorescent lighting overhead flickered and
“My children,” Ogma half-smiled, bemused, stroking dimmed. Dark clouds passed over Ogma’s countenance.
his beard. Nergal was undisturbed — if anything, Ogma’s anger
That night at the Valley of Refusal, when diplomacy seemed to invigorate him. “My terms: Your child pays with
failed and the fires of dissonance raged, the young Band of her life, and then my demons withdraw.”
warriors had chased the terrified cultists back into their “And if we destroy your manky demons instead?”
vehicle; the negotiators of the Lady of Accord retired in Ogma’s voice was like a distant roll of thunder.
shame at their failure; and Ethan Shields, son of Dian Cécht,
paid for a lift to the Westchester Medical Center and began “My lords,” Rhiannon raised her voice, recognizing this
indignantly treating the ill himself. By morning, half the was spinning rapidly out of control. “This isn’t a productive
inpatients were out, and word came to both the Champion use of our time. Why don’t we—”
and Physician by way of a two-faced messenger: Nergal was “You’re right,” Nergal snapped, still glaring at Ogma.
furious at this subversion of his will. “We have far better things to do.”
Rhiannon would not tolerate an intertheological “Why not inspire some new epics,” Ogma suggested
incident under her own oversight. But the Annuna seemed with a brightness that belied his stormy expression. “You
to have other plans. made an awful hames of the ones I’ve heard.”
“You have many Scions, don’t you?” Nergal’s glare “You,” Nergal seethed. Shamash held him back with a
gored into the two of them. “And this one seems a hand on his chest.
disappointment.”
“Give it another millennium, you’ll get the hang of it,”
“You mean Ellis McArthur,” Rhiannon asked, a little the God of speech encouraged, smiling.
stunned at the outright hostility.
It took only fifteen minutes, and negotiations broke
down.

Rhiannon 155
 “Thanks for nothing.”
IV. Ellis groaned again. “You should’ve stopped her. Um.”
The strikingly tall young woman with hair like black Rather than blush at her impudence, she looked even
fire and eyes hard as stone stormed down from the library greener. “I mean. Couldn’t you — no, uh — f-forgive my—”
entrance hall, her heels falling like hammers on the tile “It’s all right.”
floor. Should have. Could have. Won’t. The threat of
“I didn’t…” The student-staff protested, devastated by inextricable bonds chained her down. Her own sensitivity
her dismissal. “I tried…” to the myths of humanity left her bound and gagged and
It was two in the morning on a Friday night, and the helpless to influence anything, anything at all.
WCU Library was still as a graveyard. When the automatic They sat in grim silence. The firefighter took the girl’s
doors parted like genuflecting serfs for the young Scion, cold, trembling hand in hers.
her shoulder collided with another figure, the only other “It’s the only way, right?” Ellis asked, and for the first
fool still working at this hour. time her fear was obvious, bold in its presence.
“Excuse me,” the firefighter said by way of apology. She said nothing. It can’t be. It can’t be the only way.
Tash shot her a grim stare and kept walking. “I guess that’s just… destiny.” The Scion’s chest
The lone student behind the reception desk leapt to shuddered with a sigh. “Tash told me all about the whole…
his feet at the sight of the emergency medical tech, keys Enkidu thing. I guess that’s me now.”
jangling from his lanyard. “It’s the Jefferson Room,” he “How so?” The firefighter asked, vaguely curious
said without preamble. “She’s been in there for hours with through the racing of her mind.
the door locked. My key won’t even…” He trailed off into
uselessness. “Cause we’re like—” Her face flushed again, and her
pulse fluttered weakly under Rhiannon’s thumb. “I mean.
The stocky firefighter with the red hair thanked him We’re not. I never actually asked her.”
brusquely.
The firefighter managed a grin.
“Do you want me to show you—?”
“Fuck it, I’m dying, aren’t I,” Ellis muttered. “I’m stupid
But she was already gone, striding away under the about her.”
fluorescent lights.
“I can tell,” the God said diplomatically.
Under her touch, the brushed metal doorhandle
clicked and twisted. The Jefferson Room was rank with “That’s why Nergal’s out to get me. Why this is all…”
illness, proverbial bad air stinging the firefighter’s nose. Her chest rose and fell with the effort of catching her
There was only the long table here, the swivel chairs, and breath. “Fate decided I get to be Enkidu.” She drew a finger
a single young woman. The study room table was defaced, across her pale throat.
one might say, but Rhiannon recognized the ogham runes Rhiannon frowned at the girl’s hand in hers, then lifted
tracing the circumference of the cheap laminate. In the her green eyes to that ashen, sweating, lethally mortal face.
center, Ellis McArthur lay stretched out like a corpse at “That’s not how it works.”
the morgue. She was already halfway there, in truth — her
With effort, Ellis’s eyes found hers.
health was failing slow and sure, the divine plague well-
rooted within her. “Fate can’t tell you what you are.” Even as the words
left her, she could feel them swelling like a new-lit candle.
I could end this all. Right here, right now.
“It fuels what you could be.”
The firefighter sat at her side, propped elbows on the
Ellis shook her head in bewilderment. But the Lady of
table, and looked down into her pale face.
Accord rose from her seat.
Ellis gestured weakly. “Thanks,” she groaned. She was
“Beg my mother to forgive me,” ran the ogham in loose,
sincere. Rhiannon thought to ask, What for? I failed you and
unmetered lines, winding under the failing body of Ogma’s
everyone else, at every possible turn, but instead she said
daughter, “and my heart-mate to forget me, though I carry
nothing.
her love like a bird into—”
“So this is it, right?” The young warrior-poet sighed.
“And you can be something else.” The Goddess’s voice
“This is what finally takes me out?”
filled the room with warmth and light. “You must be.”
“Not what you expected,” Rhiannon guessed.
Clutched between Rhiannon’s gloves, Ellis’s wrist
She snorted. “I expected someone to get tired of my grew hot as a brand. The little room sweltered, the air
shit and stab me, or something. Um.” Her bluster faded in a wavered. The dying girl looked up at the Goddess with
rush. “Did you see Tash on the way in?” brightening eyes, confused but believing. Smoke trickled
“Looked like she had a job to do.” from the corner of her mouth. Ghostly green flames rose
from her limbs.

156 SCION: GOD

 And, really, Rhiannon thought with a private smile.
There’s only one thing you can be.
It was a short flight to find Tash Turani. She glowed
like a bronze beacon in the hospital parking lot, the remains
of her grieving Band arrayed in formation behind her. The
four were armed with relics and the zealous fury of the
young. They raged atop a growing mound of slaughtered
demons. Still more flooded forth from the night’s brume to
attack them.
Veiled in smoke and light, Nergal loomed over the
scene, all copper and shadows and blood. He watched with
unconcerned interest, gesturing wave after wave of demons
forward. The young warriors couldn’t see him, but still they
screamed profanities at him, desperate to draw him out, to
end it all one way or another.
There was no time to plan a clever entrance.
“Ellis McArthur is dead,” Rhiannon announced, letting
her voice precede her.
A hundred emotions danced on the head of a pin — the
pin that always drops in every important silence. A chorus
of howls rose from the Band, but the God behind her was
silent, calculating.
Rhiannon emerged from the deepness of the night,
and the light posts surrounding blazed a brilliant emerald.
Beside her, a new-made body gleamed.
How do I look to them? She wondered. What kind of
stories are they going to tell about this? After a moment, she
decided, The kind I want to appear in.
“I’m gonna need a new name,” said the person beside
her. She was light-boned and misleadingly petite, feathered
in glossy black and green. Atop her head was a crest of pale
red, and in her smile was the promise of flame.
“What the hell is this?” The Scion of Ares sputtered.
Tash Turani approached with a careful pace and a
wide-eyed stare.
“The remains of your friend.” The Goddess gestured in
presentation, as much for Nergal as for the young Scions.
“She left behind a firehawk.”
“This isn’t—” Tash began, quiet and frightened.
“Would you just fucking rename me already so Nergal
can hold up his end?” The firehawk snapped. “Shit. Did you
want to fight another hundred-fifty monsters?”
The Incarnation of Gilgamesh broke into a slow, joyful
smile.
Nergal’s anger hit Rhiannon like a wave of stench, the
smell of the sick and dying. His hate burned between her
shoulder blades. The sound of gibbering retreat echoed in
her ears. The weight of the plague lifted from her psyche.
Rhiannon swelled with pride, and knew that she, too,
had been transformed.

Rhiannon 157
 The story is there to be picked up and found, to be claimed like a piece of
uncultivated land, to be salvaged as anonymous treasure from the ocean of
story.
— Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty

T wo caravans of traveling merchants meet in a village, both

far from their homes. Like all people who spend time
together, they trade stories. Eventually, they talk about their TREADING ON
Gods, and before they leave the market, they build shrines
to all of them. Over time, more travelers come to the market
HISTORIES
and add their own Gods to the shrines, until they gather There is a long and unfortunate tradition,
them together into a single temple. Soon, the stories change. both in fiction and in older histories, of
Now they talk about how those Gods are connected
ascribing the accomplishments of non-
Western cultures to some outside force. It
to each other: what great feats they have accomplished
may be aliens, Atlanteans, or early Christian
together, how this one loves that one and how their child missionaries, but the result is still to deny that
was a great Hero long ago, how others fought on different those cultures could have achieved anything
sides of a great battle that took place not far from the on their own.
temple. The stories weave together over generations as When characters act to influence history in
the market village grows to become a city with the temple this game, take a few moments to consider
at its center, then expands and changes as centuries pass. whether you or your players are doing the
In the end, people all around the World have temples and same thing. Myths that are vital to real-
shrines of their own to the Gods who created it and watch world religions should be treated delicately.
over them. Likewise, attributing historical atrocities to the
actions of a God by, for example, making
This, however, is not quite how it was for them. Their
Hernán Cortés a Scion of Quetzalcoatl, is
Pantheon only took shape a few years ago. Before that, while best avoided.
some of them did love each other and others clashed, they
were Scions of different Pantheons. What set them apart
was that they rose to divinity, chose to keep their bond with Scions of all scales — Gods, Demigods, and Heroes
each other, and performed Deeds together so legendary — share the common trait of creating or adding meaning
that Fate itself acknowledged that they had always been as to the daily experiences of humanity. Without them, the
they are now. World would be a place of indifferent, impersonal laws
The Deeds that create a Pantheon take place both in without any sense of significance to provide orientation.
and outside of time or mortal notions of causality. Actions History always unfolds in the same way, more or less, but
that a God takes in the present can ripple back into the the actions of Scions turn it from a chain of unfathomably
past, altering the memories and even some events of complex causes into a story that the people affected by it
the World. The greater a God’s Legend, the further into can comprehend. Perhaps it will even offer them comfort.
the past the effect reaches, so that the most powerful of This means that a God cannot decide that one of the
them — the ones who will become the leaders of the new changes he will make to history is to prevent all Europeans
Pantheon — can even take part in the creation of the World from reaching the Americas or to have Julius Caesar ally
itself. There are risks to reweaving Fate in such ways, as with the Nemetondevos instead of scattering them. What
the Tuatha Dé Danann can attest: While some of them are he can do is lay claim to some events, such as declaring
certainly powerful enough to have taken part in creation, that a certain narrow valley was created when he cleaved
none of them remember clearly anymore how it happened. a mountain in half. If he wants to risk the anger of another
Something went very wrong, leaving them with only distant God, he can try to claim responsibility for an event that God
and fragmented memories of their own origins. has already made their own: no longer is it Andraste that

TIME, FATE, AND Boudica invoked against the Romans, but him.
To the rest of the World, things have always been
THE GODS the way that the God made them. If that means that some
historical figures were devotees of one of them rather than

W hile Gods can, in the process of creating a Pantheon,

have an influence on the past, the course of historical
events changes very little. Fate, to put it bluntly, does not
another, it alters the details of some biographies, but not
what they did. If it means that shrines and temples appear
where there were none before, or that some mortals live
like the concept of the butterfly effect. It ruins their stories, their lives as priests and priestesses instead of what
and there is nothing that Fate likes better than to see their they originally were, that, too, changes nothing else of
stories play out the way they intended. significance.

Time, Fate, and The Gods 159

 • It involves a choice of Deeds to complete fully at
CREATING A each point of Legend from 9 to 12.

PANTHEON • Gods accomplish three of these Deeds through

Incarnations: as Heroes at Legend 9 and 10, and as
Demigods at Legend 11.
P antheons do not spring into existence fully formed,
even if it may appear to mortals that they do. From the
perspective of the Gods, they gradually coalesce through
• Unlike Apotheosis, there is no need to complete ev-
ery step, but skipping one has consequences.
Deeds that shift the perceptions of the World: When a • A Pantheon can only have three Gods of Legend 12 at
Band of Scions has fought, loved, and struggled long enough any time.
together, people cannot help but think of them as more than
Heroes who stood side by side. They become something else, This information is not hidden from Gods, either,
something new. although they will explain it in their own terms. Any God
whose Mantles have created their own Pantheon, like those
Scions who achieve Apotheosis and become Gods of the Òrìshà who transformed into the Loa, know how it is
have a choice. They can remain fully part of their own done and can guide others along the way.
Pantheon(s), or they can work to define themselves as so
markedly different that they gain access to powers that OVERVIEW
will be unique to them and to any of their Scions. Other There is no single way to form a Pantheon. Some
Gods have accomplished this in the past through Mantles Gods form themselves around a culture, others around a
woven together from Deeds intended to strengthen their sacred place, and still others around an ideal. Some focus
new identities. Some of them have poured so much of on the mortals who worship them, and for some, those
themselves into these new Mantles that their original mortals rely on them to live. What all these methods share
natures in their first Pantheons have all but faded: The God in common is a general arc from the smaller to the larger,
of a minor city-state or a sacred mountain leaves that part whose reverberations can reach further and further back
of themselves behind to become the protector of an empire, in time until they may reach the moment of creation itself.
with their first selves turning into nothing more than a
At each step, the Gods act to provide answers to
curiosity for scholars and archeologists.
increasingly profound questions for their followers. If they
Players who want their characters to form their own make mistakes along the way, those become part of their
Pantheon should be aware of several things before they legacy as well. Unless they’re careful, their Pantheon and
begin. Briefly: the religion associated with it may look nothing like they
originally intended.

160 CHAPTER FOUR: BEYOND APOTHEOSIS

 • At Legend 9, Gods act to offer devotees new ways
of seeing them as a distinct grouping, even while
they maintain their ties to their original Pantheons. MANTLES FOR
Whether as mystery cults like those of the Hellenistic
period or as syncretic religions that form where cul-
EXISTING PANTHEONS
tures meet and exchange stories of their Gods, the The steps described here can, with some
Scions come together to nurture a new Cult that is modifications, work for Gods who want to create
theirs alone. The focus of this stage is their mortal Mantles that are part of existing Pantheons.
community of worshipers and how it interacts with Instead of defining his own values, a God
other mortal communities. demonstrates that he can support that Pantheon’s
followers (Legend 9), uphold its Virtues (Legend
• At Legend 10, they work to extend the reach of their 10), and add to its mythology (Legend 11). There
Deeds further into the past, attaching it to Scions is no equivalent step for Legend 12; the role of
whose own achievements demonstrate that the Pantheon leader is reserved for native members
Gods have raised up Heroes for centuries to pro- of that Pantheon only.
mote their values. By guiding these Scions to their
Visitations successfully, the characters define their
proto-Pantheon’s Virtues, which, together with the
The amount of difference between a God’s main
kind of Heroes who represent them, are the focus of
identity and that of a Pantheon Mantle depends on their
this stage.
preference and how many of the stages of Pantheon-
• At Legend 11, the Gods become the first to have taught building they have undertaken. Some are virtually the same
humanity important skills, to have named things, or other than having a connection to different Legendary
to have performed sacred rituals. Depending on the Titles, while others are almost unrecognizable.
choices they make, this can involve claiming a peo- By completing the work of Pantheon creation at
ple, a land, or an aspect of nature as their own, but it Legend 9, a God’s Pantheon Mantle can substitute up to
usually involves the creation of a Realm that will act three of her Legendary Titles for ones better suited to this
as the seed of an Over- or Underworld. For details new identity. She can do so with another three Titles with
on this process, see Creating Realms in Scion: God each subsequent point of Legend, so that a Legend 12 God
Companion. Performed successfully, it ends with has an entirely different set than she began with.
the creation of their own Signature Purview that
they will pass on to any of their future Scions. The Starting at Legend 10, a God can exchange one Calling
focus of this stage is the relationship between divin- for a Mantle-specific one, keeping the same number of dots
ity, humanity, and the World. in that Calling and associated Knacks. He may do so with a
second Calling at Legend 11 and a third at Legend 12.
• At Legend 12, they define their cosmology and their
place in it. This step can be the most challenging and At Legend 11, the God can trade two Purviews for ones
difficult, since it will forever engrave their identities specific to the Pantheon Mantle, and two more at Legend
in the memories of both Fate and mortals. If they 12. If one of these is the Pantheon Signature Purview
succeed, however, the Mantles they have created (PSP) of the God’s original Pantheon, it means that her
along the way become independent Gods, and the player is indicating that he wants the character to focus
Realm or Realms they have created expand to their completely on the new Pantheon: The PSP changes to the
fullest potential. The focus of this stage is that of one associated with it, and the Mantle attached to the first
ultimate meaning: life, death, the order of the cos- Pantheon goes free to find a better bearer.
mos, and similar matters of profound importance to
THE FRAMING STORY:
humanity.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
PANTHEON MANTLES The framing story is a brief ritual of play to introduce
A God worshiped in one place or in one aspect can be and close the story arc in which characters work to build
markedly different from another. Zeus Basileus rules over their Pantheon. It’s a way of separating that particular part
the Theoi, Zeus Xenios protects strangers and defends of the game from the other ones that the players are engaged
the rules of hospitality, while ram-horned Zeus Ammon with, like the cinematic and literary devices that traditionally
is counted among the Netjer. While most Mantles like mark off a flashback from the rest of a narrative. Using it is
these come to be when a God negotiates with a Demigod completely optional: If players want to dive straight into
Scion to keep her from trying to usurp his primary action without setting it up, or if the Storyguide wants to end
Mantle — acknowledging the Scion’s worthiness without with “…so that happened,” there’s no disincentive to doing so.
surrendering control — they can also arise when Gods If the group decides to use the framing story, then it can
separate themselves from their native Pantheon in order to follow this broad format: At some point in the future, after the
create a new one. Pantheon has established itself, a young questioner or new
member of the religion asks a question about how it came to be

Creating a Pantheon 161

or some aspect of their practice. An elder offers an answer in While the Gods’ Incarnations are not their former selves, the
the form of a story. Choose one player to take on the role of the Deed they carry out is symbolically or thematically similar to
questioner for the exchange, and another one to set the scene one of their early adventures and takes place on the same day
without going any further into the details. (The Storyguide of the year. The opponents are different, as are their specific
can take either role if there are no volunteers.) At that point, goals, but what motivates them is much the same. Choose an
the action shifts to the perspective of the Incarnations through option like this if you want a more action-oriented arc in which
which the Gods will carry out their Deed, if a Deed is involved, characters teach lessons through displays of power.
and play continues as normal.
• If they once fought Titan cultists hunting for sacrifices
Because these Deeds are their own arcs, many players that no one would miss in a busy city, their opponents
and Storyguides will find it most helpful to discuss what may now be a group of politicians systematically with-
the characters want to do for each of them well before holding support for poor neighborhoods so that they
they begin. They can talk about their ideas between game collapse and can be demolished. Both of these groups
sessions so that the Storyguide can prepare. (To the extent are driven by a callous disregard for the lives of mar-
that she usually does — if she’s comfortable improvising ginalized people, but their methods change from the
and letting the players lead everything while she focuses on past to the present. Resolving the situation emphasizes
the consequences of their actions instead of trying to come that the Heroes are protectors above all else.
up with a defined plot, that’s good, too.)
• If the Heroes once investigated a Sorcerer who used
To help give some direction for players, each step of the magic to take revenge on anyone whom he felt had in-
creation process lists some options for the kind of question sulted or belittled him, then this time it’s an amateur
to begin the framing story and the sort of stories that might occultist who is the first of many victims whose only
follow from them. While there is a recommended structure connection is that they all had a scholarly interest in
to follow, if the group comes up with an idea that isn’t listed magic. The opponent might be someone who wanted
but that still fits into the broad thematic concept of that to learn sorcery and was turned down repeatedly, but
step, they should develop that one instead. who now has some item that lets her strike back at
However the characters begin their arc, when they them. Depending on the way the story plays out, the
complete it, the players should take some time to talk theme could either be a warning about the dangers
about what lesson they believe their followers would learn of sorcery or what happens when someone lets the
from it. It could involve moral teachings, ritual behavior, desire for retribution dominate them. Each would
what they consider sacred, or how they interact with the teach a different lesson to the Gods’ Cult.
rest of the World. Once they have come to an agreement, What makes us different from others? Through
the Storyguide provides the closing frame, narrating the symbols and practices, the Pantheon’s followers have
consequences of their actions and how they have affected marked themselves as different from worshipers of other
the World in the present. Whatever changes that Fate religions. They may do it through the way they dress, their
makes to reality take effect then, and play goes on. diet, or how they decorate their bodies. They may surround

LEGEND 9: NEW MYSTERIES themselves with secrecy, requiring initiation to learn the
deeper teachings of the Cult, or they may only be open to
At Legend 9, newly-risen Gods begin forming a people of specific heritages. How did these practices come
Pantheon on a small and local scale by gathering a new Cult to be, and how does it affect the Cult’s relationships with
that recognizes their connection to each other. Even if the surrounding mortal communities? Choose an option like
Scions already have Cults of their own, this one is different: this for a socially-oriented arc in which investigations and
It will become the core of their religion and a record among interactions are the key to success.
mortals of all the Deeds they accomplish together.
• A group of devotees of the Gods want to buy prop-
The general goal of the Deed at this point is to foster erty in a small town so that they can build their first
and strengthen this new Cult against whatever forces temple, but the local community is suspicious of
might oppose it. The characters do this by incarnating as them, especially those involved with a temple of an
Heroes somewhere in the World linked to their collective established Pantheon. The Heroes must find a way
Legend, acting to exemplify the qualities they want the either to ease tensions among the mortals before the
Cult to promote, and showing would-be followers that problem escalates or show their own followers how
their way offers something different from the worship of to protect themselves against the kinds of threats they
other Pantheons. will face in the future. It’s possible that some outside
SUGGESTED QUESTIONS AND STORIES force is manipulating one group or the other in order
to force a confrontation and drive the Gods’ people
Why is this day sacred? People remember when
out; it may be someone involved with one of the char-
their Gods win victory against the forces that oppose their
acters’ native Pantheons who sees this new faction as
religion. A day that commemorates a challenge the original
an aberration, or even a member of one of their exist-
Band of Heroes faced has turned into a holy day among
ing Cults who believes the inclusion of their patron in
worshipers, but what was it that they did to make it special?
this new religion is religiously offensive.

162 CHAPTER FOUR: BEYOND APOTHEOSIS

 • A schism in the Gods’ Cult happens before it can to reconcile questions of publicity versus privacy
properly take shape, with two small groups of wor- and help their followers decide whether their reli-
shipers in a bustling city dividing over matters of gion should remain secret.
proper belief and practice. Each group has a char-
• In order to draw new members to their Cult and
ismatic leader who isn’t willing to accept the other
establish better relationships with the surrounding
one as head of the community. Not only are their
accusations against each other growing increasingly community, the Gods’ worshipers intend to hold a
lurid — with rumors of gruesome sacrifices, abuse of public festival on one of their holy days. The prob-
their followers, and cooperation with Titanic forc- lem is that, while they all agree that it would be a
es — but they are starting to claim divine favor for good plan, they have no clear idea what message they
their own position in the form of miracles. Do the want to communicate or how they want to go about
Heroes side with one group over the other, work to doing it. Some of them want a parade (hampered by
bring them together to resolve their feud before it their small numbers), while others want to reach
gets out of control, or remove both leaders in favor out directly to segments of the population they feel
of someone more suited to the role? would welcome them or hold a feast for the entire
What is our most important teaching? In area, in the hope that casting a broad net could bring
multicultural societies where people can choose from a more people to them. The task for the Heroes is to
variety of religions to find the one that suits them, those nudge them gently toward a solution while ensuring
religions often need to hold out a promise that none of the that any forces in the mortal or supernatural realms
others do. It might be hope for a better afterlife, secrets of who might oppose them are kept at bay for the festi-
the true nature of the World, clear guidance on how to live, val’s duration.
or just a supportive community, but it will be something that If the characters complete the Deed they chose, then
they can claim is theirs alone. What sets the Gods’ Pantheon this step ends with them acquiring a new communal Cult
apart from the religions around it, and how did they come to (see Communal Cults sidebar) with a rating equal to the
communicate its unique qualities to worshipers? Choose an number of players in the group (to a maximum of 5). Any
option like this if you want an arc in which characters teach character who took part in the Deed can draw on the
lessons directly, reveal mysteries, and lead others. benefits of the Cult, and any of them can regain Legend
• Members of a still-new Cult dedicated to the char- through sacrifices that it makes in their name. They should
acters have been very cautious so far about who agree as a group on the Cult’s features as well as when it was
they allow to join, restricting their teaching to per- founded: It can have happened any time in the past century
sonally-chosen initiates only. When some of their (although setting its foundation further back in time does
secrets are not only leaked online, but are picked not mean that it has grown beyond what its number of dots
up by a well-known designer who plans to use them would normally allow).
as the basis for a new videogame, they find them- If they fail to complete the Deed, then this aspect
selves faced with two challenges. First, they need to of their Pantheon does not manifest in any significant
discover which one of them (if it was one of them) way in the present. They may discover that their Cult
revealed the secret teachings and decide how they existed briefly but ultimately split because of internal
should respond to that. Second, they realize that if disagreements, that they have a scattering of worshipers
the mysteries become part of a popular game, people who communicate online but have never cohered enough
will believe that the Cult was inspired by the game to become a movement, or that something else happened to
and not the other way around. It’s up to the Heroes stifle it soon after it was founded.

COMMUNAL CULTS
Two or more Scions can run a cult together, with each player contributing one or more Experience points
to its Birthright dots, although the total rating of a single cult can’t exceed 5. Perhaps they share the same
divine parent or Pantheon, or the band’s Deeds themselves attract collective worshipers. All players who
contribute Experience points decide together on how to build the cult.
Scions running a communal cult must ensure its purpose and dogma remain coherent, though they can
split into different sects. Children of Tyr, Freyr, and Loki might share a cult dedicated to combating the frost
giants, for example, with the Scion of Tyr leading its diplomats, the Scion of Freyr training its warriors, and
the Scion of Loki leading a cell of spies and saboteurs. Such a cult still has just one foundation, but you can
use tags to open up room for each sect’s methods.
A shared cult can still only sustain three total invocations per session before its resources and loyalty are
at risk, regardless of which Scion they aid, but Suspension and Revocation are tracked separately for each
bandmate. If the characters give opposing orders to the cult or invoke them for mutually exclusive things,
those characters become Suspended or Revoked immediately.

Creating a Pantheon 163

 If they complete the Deed, but in a way that the players feel • One of the Gods’ Incarnations crosses paths with a
teaches a different lesson than they intended, they still receive mortal in an obvious state of distress who confides
the benefits of success, but in an altered form. If, for example, in them: Although he came from a good family, had a
they planned to reform a Sorcerer they tracked down, but happy childhood surrounded by friends, and seemed
ended up killing them instead, their Cult would absorb that to succeed at everything he tried, he’s lost everything
into its teachings and act accordingly. Any important action in the past month for reasons he is sure weren’t his
that they take will resonate with their followers and become fault. Now he has no job, his family refuses to speak
part of the Cult’s history just as surely as any Fatebinding. to him, he has alienated all of his friends, and bad
luck follows him wherever he goes. The task ahead
LEGEND 10: of the Gods is to discover why Fate or another force
IN ILLO TEMPORE has overturned this man’s life and decide how to
At Legend 10, Gods have the power to reach further intervene in a way that’s in keeping with the Virtues
into the past through their actions in the present. The they want their Pantheon to promote.
period that they influence is their Pantheon’s heroic age, • A God becomes Fatebound to one of their otherwise
the vaguely defined era in which their own Scions rose to ordinary followers in a role that puts the follower’s
complete great Deeds in the World and define the Virtues life in danger. The easiest way to resolve the situ-
that would then become those of the Gods themselves. Just ation is through direct intervention, but doing so
as importantly, the decisions that they make at this point would steer the God toward a Fate that obliges them
will decide who among them will become one of the heads to continue to do so for all of their followers in the
of their Pantheon once it is complete. future. Instead, she has to find a way to intervene in-
The story that accompanies this step takes the same directly by guiding the mortal along the path of one
general shape no matter what the question is: guiding a of the Pantheon’s Virtues, trusting that it will lead to
potential Scion from her ordinary life to her Visitation. The the right conclusion.
Gods’ Incarnations take the role of guides, helpers, and What must I do to be a good person? People use the
occasionally providers of omens. Ultimately, it’s up to the stories of Gods to remind each other what kind of behavior
Scion to take up the challenges that will show he is capable is good and how to keep behaving that way in the face of an
of representing them as a Hero, but that does not mean that imperfect world that rarely rewards them for it. Choose an
the characters cannot steer his course somewhat and protect option like this for a story about theodicy that examines the
him from threats that are beyond his ability to face alone. relationship that the Pantheon wants to have with individual
The players provide the general concept for the Scion, worshipers.
but the Storyguide decides on the details. He can either write • A member of the Gods’ Cult who also belongs to a
her up as a starting character using the rules from Scion: Cult of one of their native Pantheons finds herself
Origin (but without a defined Origin, Calling, or Birthrights) torn between their teachings. She has been part of
or use the Professional Antagonist template, assigning three the latter for most of her life, as has her family, but
skills to her Primary Pool and two to her Secondary Pool. She has grown increasingly dissatisfied after a crisis
has no other Flairs or Qualities initially. (personal, familial, or local) that the leaders of her
There is nothing about the candidate for Visitation that sets temple could not answer in a meaningful way. Now
them apart from any other person on a supernatural level. The she needs guidance on how she should respond to
only thing that makes them special is that they are someone who this and any future crises. Part of what she wants
is drawn into the greater world of divinity and does not turn away is to understand why the initial crisis happened,
from it. From a Storyguiding perspective, this means that the especially if it was something that appeared to have
Storyguide character who seems like the most likely subject of caused completely arbitrary suffering — a natural
this step might not be the one destined to receive the Visitation. disaster, a random act of violence, a life-threatening
Instead, it could be the supportive friend who only finds the diagnosis, or a great personal loss. The role for the
courage to act at the last moment, the inquisitive neighbor who Gods to play is to reveal to her enough of the situ-
keeps getting in the way, or anyone else in the Gods’ immediate ation to give her an understanding of its cause, as
orbit. Giving the players several potential Scions to keep track of well as to offer her subtle encouragement to let her
at once can add an extra level of complexity to the plot. respond to it according to their Virtues.
SUGGESTED QUESTIONS AND STORIES • Sometimes, the proper response to life’s troubles is
How do I know if someone is blessed by the Gods? also the least palatable one. When a devotee is faced
Sometimes, the surest sign the Gods have taken an interest with a seemingly impossible choice — adhering
in somebody’s life is that it has been thrown completely off- to the Gods’ teachings at a life-changing personal
course from what they expected. Choose an option like this cost or taking a principled stand in an unwinnable
to explore the complications that arise when Gods and Fate situation — it is up to the Gods themselves to show
meddle with humanity and what the characters want their how the decision they make is ultimately correct. It
Pantheon’s role to be in resolving those complications. may mean restoring what the worshiper loses as the
result of their actions, but it can just as easily be an

164 CHAPTER FOUR: BEYOND APOTHEOSIS

 opportunity to console them by showing how diffi- automatically becomes one of the characters who can reach
cult choices are part of the larger order of the World. Legend 12. (There are no restrictions on who the other two
can be.) Second, the Pantheon establishes itself as having
How do I know if someone is a bad person? Myths
Scions in the distant past — whatever period it would call its
teach people how they should behave and how the World
“heroic age” — whose exploits the players can sketch out on
should be by presenting them with examples of what
their own as they wish. Finally, all of the Gods’ Virtues change
happens when things are otherwise. (Trickster Gods
from their original Pantheon’s to those they have agreed upon.
often embody this very idea by illustrating the results of
upsetting the intended course of things through their There is no chance of complete failure here. So long
actions; they may end up being punished for it, or they as the potential Scion does not retreat from their destiny
may have the purpose of pointing out very real weaknesses (which the Storyguide should ensure), the Gods succeed
in a worldview.) Answering this question requires two even if the candidate dies before their Visitation. If that
examples: one of good behavior and one of bad, represented happens, however, the players need to decide how to
by people or supernatural beings in the World whose lives incorporate that death into their Pantheon’s Virtues and
are intertwined. Choose an option like this for a story about adjust them to fit: They may not have originally intended
punishing evil. to have “self-sacrifice” or “doom” as a Virtue, but the death
of such a significant part of their collective Legend has
• In this case, the Storyguide has several choices for
consequences.
how to arrange the story. The example of good be-
havior could be the potential Scion, while the other LEGEND 11: FIRST THINGS
is a mortal in their life (a sibling, friend, lover, rival, There is a first for everything in the World: the time
or enemy) whose own actions lead them on a path when a God gave humans the first seeds to grow, taught
that goes against the Pantheon’s Virtues. It could how to turn them into crops, and what sacrifices to make
also be that the bad example is not human at all, but a to ensure those crops flourished. At Legend 11, a Pantheon
Titanspawn, sorcerer, or similar supernatural entity can put its mark on any of those things, and more, and
whose entire purpose is to undermine those Virtues. everything that they do, they will have done as far into the
Alternately, if one of the Gods is a Trickster or has past as immediately after the first humans came into being.
Titanic Callings that put him on the edges of proper It can mean the naming of natural elements; the teaching of
conduct most of the time, he can take on the role of the skills needed for a society to flourish; or the secrets of
the example himself. However the story plays out, prayer and ritual to call upon their aid.
it’s up to the characters to ensure that the candidate
for Visitation sees and understands what happens Carrying out this step requires a Demigod Incarnation,
when someone goes against the Gods’ Virtues. with its overflowing and unpredictable power, because it
involves changing the World in such a way as to engrave their
• For a Pantheon whose founders intend the distinc- Deeds into its ancient history. The alterations do not affect
tion between God and Titan to be less absolute, the the myths of other Pantheons, which will continue to be
story could involve a traditionally antagonistic figure true stories, but they demonstrate to worshipers of the new
that has come to see the Virtues of the Pantheon in a Pantheon the power of its Gods and their place in the World.
positive light and wants to change their ways. There
has to be some judgment about the antagonist’s past SUGGESTED QUESTIONS AND STORIES
and how to set it right, which may mean putting a Where did this part of the World come from?
burden on them that they are reluctant or unable to Although myths express humanity’s relationship to the
hold to. They may also, if a reformed Titanspawn, natural world rather than explain it in objective terms,
still cling to the absolutism of their Titanic nature some stories combine the two approaches. To say that
and embrace one Virtue with such zeal that their thunder is the laughter of Gods at play is different than
actions continue to be harmful, in which case they describing it as the hooves of divine horses or the sound of
have to be taught to balance their inclinations. battle. Calling a mountain the body of a dragon is likewise
This step ends successfully when the candidate Scion different from saying that it is the ruin of an ancient city
accepts their role in the greater scheme of the World and destroyed for its hubris. To answer this question, the
receives their Visitation from one of the characters. That Gods’ Incarnations take actions that make some part of the
character also chooses the Scion’s Origin. If Chosen, physical landscape significant, create a new geographical
nothing more needs to be done. If Created, the character feature, or use natural phenomena in a key way to associate
simultaneously remembers and reveals that she had them with themselves. Choose an option like this to focus on
created him at some point in the recent past. If Born, she World-altering actions on a physical level.
likewise remembers the relationship with a mortal that led • The Incarnations seek out a Titan of enormous size
to his birth, long enough ago for the Scion to have grown to with the intent of defeating it and making its body
his current age. into a lasting emblem of their power. Although the
There are three other effects of success: First, whichever battle takes place in the present, if they are victori-
God performed the Visitation, which is the Pantheon’s first, ous, the effects project into the past and undo any
collateral damage caused by the clash: the city laid

Creating a Pantheon 165

 waste during their fight is instead built on top of the Why is this place sacred? It’s natural for places
remains of the defeated enemy, its history otherwise associated with divine Deeds to become sacred to a religion
unchanged as much as possible and its population and for them to become the sites of temples or destinations
largely the same. If they fail, however, there is no for pilgrimage. When answering this particular question,
such alteration, and the site becomes a lesson of an the players choose a location in the World that they want
entirely different kind. to make sacred to their Pantheon and decide what kind of
• Gods with authority over the elemental aspects of Deed to perform there to make it so. The choice of Deed will
the World use them to change the lives of their fol- lend significance to the place forever after, and followers of
lowers on a grand scale in a way that is forever mem- the Pantheon will treat it with reverence, so it’s important
orable. They might alter the course of rivers to make to choose the Deed carefully.
barren land habitable, end a war with an enormous • The Gods of the Pantheon visit one of their favorite
storm that drives back armies, or curse a region with parks from their mortal days and throw a grand party
a blight that strips it of every living thing. Whatever for all their worshipers. Even minor actions they take
they choose to do, they must do it solely through the while the celebration continues become elements to
power of the appropriate Purviews. Players should be repeated on holy days, while the park itself becomes
decide on a message that they want their Deed to sacred ground for them. If there are conflicts during the
convey, while the Storyguide comes up with some party, they may be remembered in the form of ritual
form of opposition to that message. games and competitions, while forming new alliances
Who taught us our rituals? A religion’s rituals are or setting aside grudges can make the land into some-
not limited to the rites performed in temples or on holy where that violence is forbidden.
days. They can include ways of speaking, dressing, or • A pair of Gods in a relationship decide to enter the
eating. They can govern people’s attitudes to money, sex, World as Incarnations for a romantic escape from
violence, or art. However they manifest, they do so because their other obligations. When their time there ends,
a Pantheon’s followers are either reenacting divine stories the hotel where they choose to spend their time be-
on a mortal level or acting to demonstrate their devotion. comes a destination for pilgrims hoping to conceive
By sending Incarnations into the World as teachers or blessed children, rekindle love, or otherwise share in
exemplars of ritual behavior, the Gods alter how their a moment of divine fertility. Unfortunately, whatever
worshipers present themselves to others. Choose an option attention they draw to themselves by incarnating in
like this for stories that shape the culture of followers in a powerful forms also becomes part of the meaning of
broad manner. the place, perhaps giving rise to rituals afterward to
defend against Titanic attack, such as questioning visi-
• Through a series of encounters with mortals, the
tors about their intentions, putting on masks to ensure
Gods demonstrate the ideal roles for people to
anonymity, or anything else the Storyguide can devise.
play at different stages of life. Many focus on the
distinction between child and adult, showing what If successful, the Pantheon members gain access to a
must be done for someone to become the latter, but Pantheon Signature Purview they design for themselves
a Pantheon can decide to make other categories, too: and a motif for performing Marvels. The motif is one that
married, student, elder, clergy, parent, or member followers of the Pantheon will imitate in their own religious
of a certain gender identity. Like the difference be- or magical practices. All members of the Pantheon lose
tween morally good and bad people, the Gods may access to their original PSP and motif at this point, unless
decide to illustrate their point by playing opposing they are developing separate Mantles for each Pantheon.
parts, with one adhering to the Pantheon’s preferred Failure means that whatever place, creature,
norms while the other rejects them. It is up to the phenomenon, or activity was the focus of the Deed becomes
players to decide what the consequences of obedi- one that will forever signify misfortune. If it is a place, it
ence and defiance are to be. is somewhere to avoid; if a plant, animal, or other element
• Through observation of Cult activities or direct in- of nature, it is an evil omen; if an action, it is forbidden to
tervention, the Gods of the Pantheon influence the worshipers. The last of these can have the most dramatic
form of religious ritual, prayer, and magic for their effect on the history of the Pantheon’s associated religion,
followers. At a time of crisis, they reveal the proper especially if it involves such fundamental things as
way to pray to them in order to receive a positive gathering food, building permanent structures, or engaging
response as well as the sacrifices that they each pre- in sex.
fer. This form of the Deed requires the Cult to face
a threat that it cannot overcome on its own or one LEGEND 12: THE
for which its traditional rituals have been of no help. CREATION MYTH
The Gods intercede, and whatever actions worship- The Creation Myth is the final and most definitive part
ers took just beforehand become the framework of of forming a Pantheon, and it works differently than the steps
their new rites. that came before it. It defines the Pantheon’s cosmology,
establishes roles for each of the Gods, identifies what aspects

166 CHAPTER FOUR: BEYOND APOTHEOSIS

of the World it treats as sacred, sets up the Titanic forces (if returns matter to a formless state; if it came from endless
any) that oppose it, and responds to the most fundamental mist, she could use a Sky Marvel to shape mists into solid
questions of its human devotees. Depending on how players things, reproducing the transformation that occurred at
want to approach it, it can be the beginning of an epic arc the beginning of creation.
for their characters, a long conversation interspersed with The second question for the Creation Myth is how
scenes that illustrate how it takes place, or the successful end the World in a narrower sense — the Earth and possibly
of their entire mythic journey. the Sun, the Moon, and stars — came to be. There is no
CREATING THE WORLD simple course to follow in order to answer this question,
given the number of ways that historical cultures have
Not every mythology addresses the question of how the
done so, but there are patterns that the Storyguide can
World as a whole came to be. In some cases, the cosmos is as
use to determine what qualities the Gods of the Pantheon
eternal as the Gods themselves, and the subject of its origin is
must possess and what obstacles they must overcome in
meaningless. In others, it’s a minor enough topic compared
order to justify the kind of creation the players imagine.
to the origin of humanity or the landscape that worshipers
As a general rule, Gods must have Dominion over the
spend little time considering it. If the Gods of a Pantheon
Purviews involved in the act (recommended Purviews are
do not want to answer the question of ultimate origins, all
given with the examples that follow) and at least one of
this means is that they want their followers to devote their
them must have the Creator Calling.
attention to other issues that, to them, matter more. If they
do, however, there are many ways to go about it. Creation by Performance (Artistry, Order): The
creator or creators bring the World into being through
The first question to consider is whether the World (in
words, song, or dance that brings order to the cosmos and
its broadest sense, encompassing the whole universe) was
sets it in motion. The participants take turns naming the
created out of something or nothing. Creation ex nihilo is a
elements of the World that they intend to create, from the
rarity in historical mythologies. It is far more common for
largest to the smallest, until they are done. The form of the
there have to been something — darkness, mist, water, or
performance echoes into the present in the form of their
some other phenomenon — that had always been and that
religion’s rituals, at least some of which will use the same
provided the basic substance for what followed. Players do
medium for celebrations of the creation of the World.
not need to make any rolls or overcome any challenges to
pick something like one of these as their primal material, Creation by Generation (Fertility, Wild): the World
but the choice will have an effect on the meaning of comes to be as if it were a living creature: It is born from
Purviews linked to it. If the World came from water, a its creator or creators, grows from the primal landscape
Scion with the Water Purview might possess a Boon that like a plant, or hatches from a cosmic egg. There are other

Creating a Pantheon 167

possibilities, too, depending on the comfort levels of the Other: While the Gods of established Pantheons
players involved: Amun masturbated the World into have traditionally relied on creation myths that reflect the
existence, perhaps knowing it would be the last time he could technologies and processes available in the World long
be certain of not being interrupted. Usually, but not always, ago, modern Gods should not feel bound by those limits.
this form of creation requires two or more participants A Pantheon can just as easily decide that everything that
whose bond with each other is close enough that they are exists is part of an elaborate computer simulation, that it
willing to accept the role of being the parents of the World. was built with the help of celestial nanobots, or that every
Creation by Sacrifice: The creator or creators make species was genetically engineered in divine laboratories
the World from the dismembered body of a vast pre- to carry out a particular purpose. Some of them even
creation being. Unlike other forms of creation, this one choose to take a neutral stance on the topic of creation
does not require any special Purviews. It does, however, itself, referring worshipers to ideas of The Big Bang and
involve the killing of the being in question, which should the gradual evolution of life; their interest, they teach, is in
be a significant challenge to the Gods who face it. At the human life in the present, not how it came to be.
beginning of the combat, the only participants are members Whatever the method, the Creation Myth requires
of the Pantheon with Legend 12, but as the Antagonist another component: a location in the World that represents
suffers wounds, they can declare that another member is the point at which everything else was made, its original
born from its blood or a severed body part and allow that Axis Mundi that connects humanity to the Gods. No matter
God to join the fight. how many others they may establish, this one must always
Creation by Retrieval (Beasts, Darkness, Earth, remain intact in order to anchor the Underworld and
Water): The creator or creators gather parts of the World Overworld to the World, which makes choosing where it
from beneath or within the formless mass of pre-creation should be a serious decision. Although not all such locations
substance. This form of creation is widespread among exist in the World’s earthly geography (like Yggdrasil), it is
Pantheons of North America and parts of Eurasia as far much more common that they do.
away as Finland in the form of the Earth-Diver myth, in The Axis Mundi takes the form of a place, natural or
which an animal dives under the primal waters to collect constructed, that represents the Gods’ first acts of creation
earth and shape the land on its surface. The Purviews it and reflects some characteristic of their Pantheon that
requires depend on what the World is being drawn from they want mortals to remember. If they attune themselves
and whether or not the Gods take the form of animals to strongly to the natural world, it might be a tree, a cave, or
retrieve it. a lake; if they focus more on human concerns, a city or a
Creation by Design (Artistry, Forge): The creator or temple. A mountain can signify that the Gods intend to
creators plan and craft the World like architects or builders, look down upon the World from high above, distant and
then turn their design into reality. Where the tools they use unreachable, while a more modest hill where different
to create it came from isn’t a concern: Despite nothing else groups come together to meet and conduct diplomacy
existing, if a divine smith hammers the dome of the sky means that these are values to the Gods, too.
on an anvil while sparks fly up to become the stars, then The problem with finding a suitable location for the
that is what happens. The resulting World may have some Axis Mundi is that so many parts of the World are already
imperfections, but overall, its harmony and complexity sacred to other Pantheons whose Gods might object to
demonstrate the excellence of its creator’s work. newcomers setting up shop in the middle of their territory.
Unless the Pantheon is on especially good terms with
the Theoi, for example, it would be considered an act of
IT’S JUST A GAME aggression to declare Mount Olympus as its Axis Mundi.
The Olympus of the Theoi and that of the new Pantheon
Some groups aren’t going to want to would not overlap metaphysically, but it’s a matter of pride
devote time in a game that started with to keep them physically distinct as well, so as to avoid
Heroes throwing pick-up trucks at trolls to clashes between worshipers over who the space belongs to.
coming up with answers to issues of suffering The Gods know well enough what happens when several
and death that real-world theologians have religions try to claim the same sacred space as their own.
been wrestling with for thousands of years.
If approaching these questions seems that it Establishing the Axis Mundi, then, means finding a
would move away from being a fun creative place that is as yet unclaimed, that an established Pantheon
exercise and into the realm of existential crisis, is willing to share, or that exists outside of the World. To
skip them. If someone in the group is struggling create its physical manifestation requires Dominion over
with trauma that has already put them in the an appropriate Purview: Earth for a hill or mountain, Forge
forefront of their mind, make absolutely sure for a temple or city that doesn’t already exist, Fertility
they are willing to go forward, and if not, set or Wilds for a world-tree, and so on. Once created, the
them aside. There’s nothing wrong with saying manifestation of the Axis Mundi will have always existed
that it’s a mystery known only to Kevin, the
new Death God. in the World, even if this means putting New York City on
the slopes of a mountain.

168 CHAPTER FOUR: BEYOND APOTHEOSIS

ULTIMATE QUESTIONS might so fully populate the World with invisible beings that
every act is accounted for.
One of the most important functions of myths in
religions is to respond to worshipers’ deeply meaningful Do we have free will? Few Pantheons raise this
questions about the World and their place in it. These question directly, although several approach it by
are the questions that go beyond daily matters of human recognizing that there is some divine order to the cosmos
interaction, beyond the origin of the landscape and the that dictates different aspects of people’s lives. It may be as
creatures that inhabit it, and directly to subjects for which simple as declaring that every person’s lifespan is ordained
even Gods may never be able to provide a complete answer. at the moment of their birth, or it could be a complex
A fully-formed Pantheon is going to have to offer some sort mechanism of astrological influences that combine to
of response, however, if it wants to provide mortals with a shape the broad outline of their destiny. What mortals
story to make sense of their lives. who ask this question really want to know, however, is how
much they are responsible for their own actions. If they are
Considering these questions and how the Pantheon successful, is it through their efforts or those of the Gods
addresses them is the final step for players and the watching over them? If they fail, did they ever have the
Storyguide to work through during the creation process. If chance to do otherwise? Like the question of suffering, free
they want to attach them to a story arc that they play out will often comes down to “What have I done to deserve
similarly to how they did for earlier stages in the formation this?” The response from the Gods is not necessarily a
of the Pantheon, they can, but it can also be something to comforting one, nor does it have to be.
talk about outside of the game and agree is the way the
World works in their cosmology. EXPANDING THE PANTHEON
Here is an incomplete list of questions to consider: When Gods have formed their Pantheon to the extent
Why do we die? For some religions, death is a natural that they first desire, they may look to the future and how to
part of the cycle of life, coming to everything that lives increase its ranks. The easiest way to do this is to produce
without any judgment about whether it is good or bad. In Scions and wait for them to reach Apotheosis to join their
others, it is the result of a choice given to humanity in the divine parents, but young Pantheons can feel impatient
distant mythic past, like when one God offered his human when they compare their numbers to the number of Gods
creations a stone and a banana as gifts. When they rejected in other Pantheons, especially if they are worried about
the useless stone in favor of a tasty bit of fruit, he told them conflicts. Throughout the history of the World, many new
that they would have been immortal if they had chosen Pantheons have come into being only to be swallowed up by
the stone, but now they had to live and die like the banana. their older, more powerful neighbor.
No one ever said it had to be a fair choice, but at least the While there is no shortcut to divinity for Scions, Gods
opportunity had theoretically been there. It’s better than can try to recruit members from existing Pantheons to join
the many myths in which a messenger of the Gods is tasked their own. They can guide recently Visited Scions along
to deliver the news to humanity that it will be immortal, a path that sets them more in line with the Pantheon’s
but gets distracted along the way and tells them they will be Virtues, gradually encouraging them to weave a Mantle
mortal instead. It’s definitely better than the cases where that could be at home with them rather than their original
death is a punishment inflicted on people in perpetuity Pantheon, but there is always the danger that a Scion’s
because some distant ancestor made a mistake, broke a parent will be offended and take action to intervene. Even
rule, or angered a God. That one adds a layer of guilt to if they don’t, this sort of interference acts as a sign to other
mortality that’s difficult to shake off. Pantheons that the Gods’ own Scions are open to being
Why do we suffer in our lives? The burden that poached, which is more likely to hurt a smaller Pantheon
accompanies the role of Gods providing meaning through than a larger one.
which humanity can understand its experiences is that An alternative is to invite a God to turn over one of
they also have to answer for all the suffering, great and their Scions or even one of their already-divine Mantles. If
small, that people inevitably face over their lifetimes. Some it’s a Scion, it can be a practical way for that God to avoid
of them wave the problem aside by attributing such things one of their children replacing them: offer them a nearly-
to Fate beyond their control, acknowledging that even the identical Mantle to their own, but in a different Pantheon
Gods themselves are not immune to its dictates. Others where they will not have to worry about conflicts. If,
point to the existence of Titans and their lesser minions instead, it’s a Mantle that the God wears often, adding it
actively trying to bring more suffering into the World while to another Pantheon can give her a way to keep an eye on
the Gods fight against them to minimize their influence. them. Some Gods, especially those with lower Legend,
They may not always succeed, but that’s only a reminder might see the new Pantheon as a way to gain more power
that every follower of the religion must be wary for signs of and escape a stagnant hierarchy through which they
Titans at work. Depending on their cosmology, a Pantheon may never advance. More powerful ones may consider
could set a minimum threshold for divine influence in daily the possibility of overthrowing its current leader and
life — your life-threatening disease came from a malignant establishing themselves in the top position.
spirit, but not the fact that you dropped your cellphone — or

Creating a Pantheon 169

 Close your eyes. Concentrate on your breath. Remember that you were not
always earthbound. Every living creature, every drop of water and every
sombre mountain is the by-blow of some bloated, dying star. Deep down, we
remember wriggling through the universe as beams of light.
— “Son of a Trickster,” Eden Robinson

LEGEND •••• •••• ••• Unparalleled. Your deeds and actions

shape the values of your Pantheon, becoming the basis for
belief and how your followers emulate you. Religious orders
A t each step of their journey, from Visitation to Apotheosis,
a Scion’s Legend ebbs and flows. Their deeds and
misdeeds form the basis of their Mantle and give rise to the
and cults dedicated to you now extend across the world. 11
Boons.
very foundation that firmly establishes their place in both •••• •••• •••• Peerless. You are inextricably linked to
their Pantheons and within the World. your Pantheon and its mythos, for better or worse. Whether
you have been part of it since its creation or through the
AND YE SHALL BE AS GODS forging of your own myth, none can deny your place in its
Upon Apotheosis, a new God’s Legend is transformed cosmology. Your words are gospel unto themselves, etched
into something far more substantial than as a Hero or into stone, the hearts of your believers, and the very cosmos
Demigod. First, you integrate into the cosmology of your itself. 12 Boons, 11 Calling dots.
Pantheon. Or, if you are the sort to have bucked tradition
and started your own Pantheon with blackjack and illicit
GODLY ABILITIES
substances, you are the cosmology — especially if Creator is In addition to the benefits granted by increased
one of your Callings. You can also find yourself commonly Legend, Gods also gain the following:
referred to by your Legendary Titles. Just as Odin’s title, All- • Absolute Dominion: Gods with Dominion (Scion:
Father, is central to his identity, so too can your Legendary Demigod, p. 154) of a Purview can apply an Absolute
Titles become an epithet by which others invoke you and Dominion Stunt (p. 186) to any Boons from that
your deeds. Purview. Characters reduced to Demigod-tier by
However, now your Legend makes you a prime target losing their Mantle or befalling a similar catastrophe
for ambitious Heroes and Demigods. As difficult as it retain access to their Absolute Dominion Stunts so
is to attain Godhood, maintaining it can prove to be an long as they still have Dominion of that Purview.
unbelievably challenging task. You cannot simply rest upon • Innate Purviews: Gods become masters of their
your golden laurels and expect the continued adoration of Purviews. They have 4 innate Purviews at Legend
your followers — even Gods must work and nurture belief in 9, including their Pantheon’s Signature Purview.
themselves. In failing to do so, they run the real possibility When Gods increase their Legend rating and choose
that they may become forgotten or lose their standing in a new Boon, they may choose that Boon from any
their Pantheon, being relegated to a mere Demigod, or Purview they have access to. That Boon’s Purview
worse, just a Hero in another Demigod or God’s story. Who becomes innate to the God if it wasn’t already.
knows how many Pantheons and Gods rose only to fall into Buying Dominion of a Purview instead of a Boon
obscurity throughout the ages, their names forgotten and also makes that Purview innate.
their Mantles left by the wayside?
• Feats of Scale: Gods who spend Legend for a Feat of
LEGEND TRAIT EFFECTS Scale are treated as Tier 5 for that action, reducing
Your God-level character receives a new Boon per dot their target number to 6.
of Legend and a new Calling dot for every even-numbered • Extreme Scale: Gods act at Scale 5 (and sometimes
dot of Legend. 6!), instantly reducing anyone not supernaturally
•••• •••• • Singular. You are a fledgling God, whose gifted to a trivial target.
Legend is secure but can still grow. You have taken the first • Avatars: Gods can create one temporary Incarnation
step into full divinity, and many newly Visited Scions aspire per scene by imbuing 1 Legend. The avatar fades
to your ideals and achievements. A religious order is started away at the end of the scene, when Taken Out, or
in your hometown or where one of your most important when the God reclaims the imbued Legend.
deeds took place. 9 Boons. 9 Calling Dots
• Effortless Victory: While using an avatar gives
•••• •••• •• Incomparable. You have fully integrated opponents the opportunity to succeed, Gods hold a
into your Pantheon’s structure, finding a niche for yourself, powerful ace in the hole. They may choose to succeed
allowing for wider proliferation of your worship extending effortlessly by spending a point of Momentum when
far beyond the lands of your birth. 10 Boons, 10 Calling dots. confronted with challenges or opponents of Tier 1 or

Legend 171
 THE RED THREADS OF FATE
Fatebinding players’ characters in Scion has historically been discouraged because of its potential
negative effects on player agency. However, when playing games at God-level, this becomes a difficult
impasse: Players’ characters at Legend 9+ run the risk of finding themselves Fatebound to anything and
anyone — including other players’ characters. Should the players at the table be amenable, the Storyguide
can allow players to be Fatebound to one another, but with special considerations.
Being Fatebound is not a means through which one player’s character can exert control over another
player’s character and should not be treated as such. It is an action-reaction dynamic which pushes
characters and plot development. Each player’s character are still “equals” at the table when it comes
to making decisions for themselves, for better or worse. The purpose of allowing for Fatebound player
characters is to encourage dynamic collaborative storytelling.
A Storyguide should always be aware of and encourage enthusiastic consent and negotiation between
the Fatebound players’ characters, ensuring that the Fatebound players are not put into positions that make
them feel uncomfortable outside of the game. Players are at your table to have fun, and collaborative
negotiation and trust between the Fatebound players’ characters is key to ensuring the continued mutual
enjoyment of the table.

lower. If they do so, they succeed with a number of remains, but it can be considered optional with the
successes sufficient to overcome Difficulty and any ongoing and enthusiastic consent of the involved
Complication present, with additional successes characters (See Sidebar “The Red Threads of Fate”
for Stunts equal to their Legend should the scene above).
require it.
• Acquiring Fatebindings: In addition to the

FATEBINDING rules established in Demigod, Gods can become

Fatebound through even the most casual interaction
with mortals, places, or objects — no miracles or

I f Scions thought avoiding Fatebinding as a Demigod was a

difficult task, avoiding it as a God is downright impossible
— their existence is now inextricably linked to Fate, for better
marvels required. When a God decides to take direct
action, whether on behalf of themselves or others,
they are likely to become Fatebound to the place
or worse. Everything a God touches, or anyone they might where it happened or the people who witnessed it.
interact with, is highly likely to become Fatebound to the
God. Just look to history: Any time a God took a direct action • Divine Wounds: When a God attempts to Avoid
on behalf of an individual, a people, or a place, it became a particular Fatebinding, they now suffer from a
forever part of their myth and legend. condition known as “Divine Wounds” (p. 71). The
more Divine Wounds a God receives, the easier it
Like Demigods, Gods are not limited by the restrictions is for them to lose their Mantle or have it usurped
of Tier when it comes to who (or what) they can be by another. When a God has three or more Divine
Fatebound to as the Fate of the World pulls them into its Wounds, their titles are ripe for the taking.
weave. For the most part, the rules of Fatebinding as laid
out in Scion: Hero (p. 195) and Scion: Demigod (p. 146)
have not changed. This section details how being a God
HIGHER STAKES,
adjusts and changes each Condition and role. If no changes GREATER SCALE
have been made to the Invoke, Compel, or Resolve for each Fatebinding affects Gods on a Scale far greater than
role, assume it functions the same. Demigods. Like Demigods, Gods can be bound to whole
societies, communities, and even inanimate objects and
BASICS places. It might seem like the Scale could not get any
• Unbound by Legend: Gods are more easily bound higher, but it can. They can become Fatebound to Terra
than their Demigod counterparts. Fatebindings are Incognitae, Strange Places, and even Realms. In addition to
no longer limited by a God’s Legend. the effects of Scale in Fatebinding as outlined in Demigod
(p. 146), Gods gain +1 Complication when interacting with
• Storyguide and Players’ Characters: There is no their Fatebindings indirectly, and a +2 when interacting
limit on the Tier of the Storyguide character that with them directly. There is nothing that Fate loves more
can be Fatebound to a player’s character. The rule than trying to trip up Gods.
of thumb to never Fatebind other players’ characters

172 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

FATEBINDING CONDITIONS
AND ROLES IMMORTAL KOMBAT!
This section updates Fatebinding Conditions and
roles from Demigod, including examples of how Gods Sometimes, Gods don’t want to deal
can manifest Divine Wounds for attempting to avoid their with Divine Wounds, especially since it can
Fatebindings. takes days or weeks to inflict harm. In those
times, tempers won’t wait, and hurting their
IMPERILED opponents now is more important than doing
lasting damage. For those cases, Gods can
In addition to the rules established in Demigod (p.
use their avatars, temporary Incarnations, to
146) for Imperiled Fatebindings, this Condition may be do battle for them.
applied to a character not present in the scene.
Avatars use their God’s Skills and Attributes
Avoidance: If the character fails to address the to create dice pools, just as they did back when
Peril, they gain Divine Wounds equal to the rating of the they were mortal. These avatars have Health
Fatebinding. equal to their God’s current Legend. An avatar
reduced to 0 Health is Taken Out and their
DISCIPLES (ADEPTS) God immediately leaves the scene, returning
As the God grows in power and Legend, so too do their to a place they’re Fatebound to, even if they’re
disciples become more integrated into their teachings. Gods Fatebound to the place where they were just
attract sorcerers, Heroes, Heirs, Demigods, and Legendary defeated. Defeated Gods cannot recoup the
Creatures alike as Disciples. Legend cost for creating their Incarnation.
Compel: Adepts are more skilled than their apprentice
counterparts. When working in conjunction with their
teacher, the God gains 3 Legend and add the Fatebinding
strength in dice to the Collateral Pool. If this would cause DOOMED (CANARY/MARTYR)
the pool to empty, the Storyguide must choose the Echo or
When Gods attract the sacrifices of stronger folk, those
Rift results, if able.
individuals become Doomed; powerful allies, friends, or
Avoidance: A God who does not attend to their even lovers who are doomed to the same fate as a canary or
disciples’ needs, avoiding their Fatebinding role as teacher, martyr, will give up their life (even if it’s temporarily) for
gains 1 Divine Wound if this Fatebinding role plays into the sake of the God.
their Calling, Legendary Title, or Mantle.
Avoidance: When the God does not give the Doomed
BALM the opportunity to sacrifice themselves on the God’s behalf,
they immediately gain 1 Divine Wound. Any stunts chosen
The Fatebound keeps the Scion centered, but this no
by the Storyguide on this roll do not target the Doomed but
longer needs to be a single person. A God may find a Balm
must target something else of equal importance to the Scion.
in a community, society, or cult drawn to them by their
miracles. JINX
Avoidance: If the God avoids their Balm, refuses their A Jinx at God tier can be nearly apocalyptic —
help, or gives into the extremes of her Virtue, they resolve intentionally inflicted on the God by a powerful foe (like
the Fatebinding as per Demigod but also gain 1 Divine the Baba Yaga), the enmity of a large group of people, or
Wound. their own careless actions. Unlike a Rival or Nemesis who
have their own reasons to hold a grudge against a God, the
BOON COMPANION Jinx exists as an agent of Fate to try and course correct the
A society, organization, religion, or cult may smile God’s poor decisions.
favorably upon the God, offering aid and support in return
Avoidance: Gods should know better than trying to
for a favor down the line.
hoodwink Fate, but it doesn’t stop them from trying and
Invoke: In addition to its default benefits, invoking the suffering as a result. There is no restriction to the Tier
aid of a religious group counts them as Cult with a rating of Storyguide characters for the purpose of the Jinx, and
equal to the Fatebinding’s strength for the duration of the these interfering characters appear in a number of scenes
scene. equal to the Fatebinding’s strength +2, gaining an equal
Avoidance: If the God refuses to assist their Boon amount of Enhancement to all rolls which would interfere
Companion for any reason, Fate ensures other friends turn with the God’s goals.
their backs on the God, decreasing all Attitudes towards the
God by 2 and imposing +2 Difficulty to all social rolls until
NEMESIS
the end of the episode. The more powerful the Scion, the more powerful their
Nemesis. While Gods certainly may contend with mortals

Fatebinding 173
seeking to bring about their downfall, they also may face WORSHIPPERS/UNREQUITED PARAMOUR
the wrath of other Gods and Titans alike. Miracles and
unchecked uses of their power attract mighty foes with At the God level a Worshipper becomes Worshippers, as
ease. a whole community or society attaches themselves to the God
and their deeds. A God who performs a marvel, Feat of Scale, or
Avoidance: In addition to the Avoidance in Demigod a number of casual miracles before a large group of people can
(p. 147), any time a God avoids interacting with their Nemesis, become Fatebound to Worshippers, who then wish to see more
they gain 2 Divine Wounds and suffer from the Cowardly of the same miraculous power from the God. The Unrequited
Condition (see the “Cowardly Deeds” sidebar below) until Paramour remains the same but is again not limited to mortals.
they face their Nemesis and resolve the Fatebinding.
Avoidance: Avoiding Worshippers eats away at the
PARAMOUR divine nature of the God. For each scene in which the God
The love lives of the Gods are a messy thing, as neglects their worshippers or dodges their Unrequited
many myths can attest to. Like the Nemesis, Gods attract Paramour, they gain 1 Divine Wound, as they are actively
especially powerful bedfellows. Any kind of powerful hurting the belief others have in them.
creature capable of consent can turn its eyes towards the
God — for better or worse. At the God level, Paramours
become obsessive in their infatuation and will do anything
BIRTHRIGHTS
to keep the apple of their eye. THE HAMMER (ETC.)
Avoidance: There are few forces stronger than Fate, OF THE GODS
with love being a close second. When a God avoids, ignores, From the time that a Scion experiences their visitation
or otherwise neglects their Paramour, they gain 1 Divine up until the moment of their Apotheosis into Godhood, they
Wound and run the risk of transforming their Paramour have been aided by their Birthrights — creatures, guides,
into a Nemesis or Doomed Fatebinding. followers, and Relics — who have grown alongside them
in both utility and power. These Birthrights can and often
RIVAL
do become part of a God’s Legend, attaching themselves to
Rivals at the God level are still driven by the desire perhaps a specific Mantle or Incarnation.
to compete with the character (and win, of course!).
Unfortunately for the God, Rivals are no longer limited MYTHIC RELICS
to mortals, and they can find themselves in direct In the World, there are a multitude of Birthrights of
competition with Heroes of legend, jealous Gods, or varying degrees of power. Some tied more intimately to the
even Titans. Legend of a Scion, Demigod, or God themselves than others
Avoidance: In addition to the Avoidance in Demigod (p. — all of which were created from being part of a legend or
148), any time a God avoids interacting with their Rival they mythic stories — have spawned what could essentially be
gain 1 Divine Wound and suffer from the Cowardly Condition considered homages to the original. These relics, while
until they face their Rival and resolve the Fatebinding. powerful in their own right, pale in comparison to those
which truly have earned the moniker “Mythic.”
Take Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. By itself, it is a powerful relic
capable of great feats of strength and drawing down thunder
COWARDLY DEEDS and lightning from the skies by its wielder. Anyone capable of
forging Birthrights can make a facsimile and attempt to pass it
Even Gods have moments where their
off as the real deal, but the truth is, as they say, in the pudding.
fears get the best of them. Unlike Heroes or
Or in this case: its matching belt, Megingjörð. Without it the
Demigods, who are still coming into their own
true power of Mjolnir cannot be unlocked.
Legends and deeds, Gods are not given the
same benefit of the doubt when it comes to Truly Mythic Relics like Mjolnir, Caladbolg, Aegis, or the
their less than heroic behaviors. In the eyes of Cloud-Stepping Boots are infused with a piece of the wielding
their worshippers, a God who flees from their God’s Legend, imbuing them with a greater power than lesser
obligations is the very definition of a coward. versions, but with a catch: They now have invocation or
Legend requirements to unlock their true power.
Until the God resolves this Condition by
facing their Nemesis or Rival, they cannot See below for a couple examples of Relics from Scion: Hero
invoke one of their Mantles or Legendary and Scion: Demigod that have been brought up to God-level:
Titles. Any attempt to invoke their Mantles or MJOLNIR (••••)
Titles before resolving this condition results in
a +2 Complication to their next roll involving Mythic
a Knack, Boon, or Birthright attached to said
Purviews: Epic Dexterity, Epic Strength, Sky
Mantles or Titles.
Motif: The strongest thunder is felt before it’s heard.

174 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

 Often imitated, but never truly replicated, the true the night sky while she was on her hunts. Today, it appears
Mjolnir — the one which Thor himself, and Thor alone, as a custom chopper and helmet combo that moves faster
has wielded — is a sight to behold. It radiates power, than any other motorbike in the World, with its handlebars
with ripples of electricity crackling as soon as it is similar in shape and style to a stag’s horns.
handled. Crafted by the dwarf brothers Eitri and Brokkr, Enhancement: 3 general, or 4 while attempting
it is part of a fuller regalia including a belt and iron Stealth
gloves worn by Thor during his greatest adventures.
Those seeking to emulate or even seize the Mantle of Knack: For the purpose of hunts, the Golden Stag
Thor have sought after the true pieces as proof of their can traverse to any place in the World, as well as Terra
mettle and prowess. Incognitae or Dominions so long as there is a moon in that
place.
Enhancement: 1 to defeat opponents of equal or
greater Tier Requirement: The Scion must have engaged in some
manner of hunt (not all hunts involve animals) to ride the
Knack: The Scion imbues a number of Legend points Golden Stag of Artemis, up to and including requests to
into Mjolnir and gains that many dots of Might for a scene. enact vengeance by a wronged party. Attempting to ride the
This can exceed 5 Might. stag without a hunt being called will result in them being
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Returning, Shockwave, Thrown, bucked off, if in stag form, or the engine not turning over, if
Versatile in motorcycle form.
Requirement: To fully unlock the legendary power of FORGING NEW MYTHIC RELICS
Mjolnir, user must also be equipped with the Megingjörð
— the Power Belt. Otherwise, it remains inert, and access to Not every Scion has access to dwarven blacksmiths
its Purviews and Knack are restricted. from another Realm who can forge weaponry for them, so
most make do with what they have on hand. Thoroughly
GOLDEN STAG (•••••) modern Scions who lack the long history of their
Mythic Demigod or Godly forebears have a whole wide market of
craftspeople and smiths from the World over, some even
Purviews: Journeys, Moon, Wild within their own Pantheon or Cult.
Motif: Swift and agile as the deer. So, what makes a Mythic Relic exactly that: capital ‘M’
In the days of old, the Golden Stag was exactly that: A Mythic?
golden-antlered stag that pulled Artemis’ chariot through

Birthrights 175
INFUSING RELICS WITH LEGEND Jason is playing a Scion of Anat who is creating
To create Mythic Relics, a Scion must start with a a Mythic Relic. They are currently Legend 10,
rating 3+ Legendary Relic and then sacrifice a point of and in sacrificing a point of Legend to create
their own Legend, forever fueling the item with a touch of this Relic, they bring their Legend score down
their divinity. In doing so, they give the Relic the ability to to 9. So long as Jason continues to wield this
become a Legend on its own. It’s why Sun Wukong’s staff is relic they crafted, they are essentially still seen
one of a kind and has stories told about it, where the same and treated as though they were Legend 10. If
can’t be said for a random stick someone picked up in the Jason were, however, to lose their Mythic Relic,
woods. It is intrinsically tied to a Scion’s Mantle precisely,
whether by hook or by crook, their Legend
drops to 9 until either they recover the Relic or
in part, because they have permanently connected a piece gain more Legend via Deeds.
of their legend to it, and the relic gains the tag “Mythic” in
its description, to set it apart from lesser versions.
In lieu of requiring an additional Flaw (if the Relic’s
Imbuing a relic with a dot of Legend imparts an initial build already included one), a Mythic Relic now has
additional allowance of 3-dots worth of special effects to be Requirements which need to be met or activated to fully
added to the Relic during its forging without the necessary access the relic’s powers and abilities. These Requirements
drawback of including Flaws. This is on top of the can vary but must remain thematic to the Relic as a
additional 1-dot allowance from its base Legendary Relic whole. Players crafting Mythic Relics should work out
and the allowance of half of the item’s rating (rounded up) these Requirements with their Storyguide to ensure they
from being wielded by a Demigod or God-Tier character. enhance, rather than hinder, gameplay.
For example, the Mjolnir earlier in this section is a 4-dot
Mythic Relic, giving it a total budget for powers of 10. These Example Requirements:
allowances can be spent to add an additional Enhancement, • Invocation: The Scion must perform some manner
Knack, other effects, or Purview (up to a maximum of 3, of invocation to activate the relic’s abilities, be it spo-
per Scion: Hero, pg. 212). While a Scion wields this Mythic ken, through gesture, or ritual.
Relic, they gain an additional dot of Legend that only counts
• Imbue: The Scion must imbue a single point of
so long as the Relic is in their possession.
Legend to activate the relic’s abilities.
• A Paired Set: The relic can only be used in conjunc-
SACRIFICING LEGEND tion with another relic.

TO CREATE MYTHIC NEW BIRTHRIGHTS

RELICS As new Pantheons come into the collective
consciousness of the World, so, too, do new Birthrights
A Scion can only sacrifice a single dot of become known and available to those born, chosen, or
Legend for the purpose of creating a Mythic created to wield them.
Relic once per Relic. After all, it would not do
for a Relic to eventually have more Legend than CREATURES
a God. Yet, what happens if a God-level Scion
sacrifices multiple dots of Legend in the creation
ALUXO’OB (••)
of Mythic Relics and it brings them below the Considered to be spirits of good luck among
threshold needed to be deemed a God? worshippers of the K’uh, and appearing as traditionally
dressed Mayans, albeit no taller than a child’s doll, the
It is normal for a Scion’s Legend to ebb
Aluxo’ob are a welcomed presence on farms the world over,
and flow throughout their story, but usually
with small roadside shrines built next to local farm stands.
after they have achieved Apotheosis, they are
Beware: if an Alux’s request for an offering is refused — be
nominally seen as Gods. When a God-level
it a small bit of dried corn or another fruit of one’s labor —
Scion’s Legend rating drops below 9, they
bad luck will follow until the proper reparations are made.
don’t stop being a capital “G” God, but their
Mantle is significantly weakened, and their Qualities: Shroud
place in the pecking order of a Pantheon may Flair: Curse
be diminished.
With that said, it is good to consider whether SWALLOWS OF RA MAYYU (••)
it is worthwhile to create a multitude of relics Among the multitudes of birds in the sky, none are more
if it means losing one’s standing among peers. sacred to the Ilhm than the swallow, especially as it pertains
There is some wisdom in the adage of “quality to Raḥmayyu and her daughters the Kotharat. These birds
over quantity.” act as messengers to all in need, especially those who find
themselves in dark places, needing guidance to bring them

176 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

out and back into the light, and defend them if the need feel of the wood that lends them to being often pet and
arises. They appear as any other swallow might, in a variety doted upon as the goodest boys or girls.
of colors and markings, but what sets them apart is that Qualities: Armor Piercing
they bear a palm frond in their beak — a symbol denoting
them as Raḥmayyu’s servants. Flair: Penetrator

Qualities: Flight LAUGHING FALCON (••)

Flair: Eye of the Swarm While others may be content to send a text message or
an email to communicate with one another, for the K’uh,
GHOST BATS (••) there is only one way to send a message: via the Laughing
To most, bats are creatures to be feared, and Falcon. Why does the falcon laugh? No one can say. Yet,
superstitions about them run rampant across the world. when you absolutely, positively need to send an encrypted
This is not the case for the Ghost Bats, who inhabit the message, the best way to do it is by giving the message to a
paradise of Coaybay. Each of them was once the soul of louse, who is swallowed by a toad, then eaten by a snake,
a living person, who now in the nighttime leaves their and then finally consumed by the falcon. The process is
paradise to return to their families and watch over them. reversed to deliver the message, safe and sound.
Offerings of guava fruit are often left for the Ghost Bats, and Qualities: Flight
it is said to be useful in summoning them and getting them
to share their eons of knowledge. Flair: Molon Labe

Qualities: Flight SACRED RAMS (•••)

Flair: Mirror, Mirror Traditionally, rams were often used as sacrifices, but
Ba’al took note of this humble creature and elevated it to
KAPOK HOUNDS (•••) being a symbol so associated with him that there are some
Moving together in packs, these hounds — referred to who believe that a particularly spirited ram might be the
lovingly as sato or “street dogs” — share no one appearance God himself in disguise. These rams, though humble in
on account of their being crafted from the wood of the nature, are reminders that stubbornness gets shit done, and
kapok tree. Their purpose is to act as a guide for those they aren’t afraid to headbutt wayward Scions who have
seeking the paradise of Coaybay, acting as companions for fallen off their path.
the journey. They are not as hard as one would expect for Qualities: Natural Weapons
hounds made of wood, and there is a cottony quality to the
Flair: Seeing Red

Birthrights 177
SERPENT OF ASHERAH (•••) the best raid is the one that is carefully planned. Whether
it’s the high seas or the corporate jungle, these raiders are
As Raḥmayyu’s winged servants take to the skies, always at the ready.
Asherah’s chosen serpent remains firmly on the ground —
and sometimes under it — taking in the tales and stories it Tags: Entourage, Heavy, Knack (Close The Gap)
hears and bringing them back to its mistress. So, too, does
the serpent aid Asherah’s Scions, acting as their eyes, ears,
GUIDES
and yes, even tongue, to get a better grip on a situation. ACAN (••)
Qualities: Subterranean Movement Among the many Gods of the K’uh, Acan is said to be
Flair: Hypnotic Charm the life of the party. A boisterous and exciting God who
enjoys partying and being the clown of the group, Acan’s
YAKSHA (•••) gift to humanity was intoxication and altered conscious
The Yaksha have had many lives, as nature spirits, by way of his sacred brew made of fermented honey and
ghosts, and even an ancestral deity. It is hard to determine the bark of the balché tree. Scions seek Acan out when they
where exactly they originated, but among the Pālas, need to gain otherworldly or spiritual insight and need the
they are considered protective entities and guardians help of a more experienced partier than themselves.
of the righteous and are said to uphold and protect the Asset Skills: Culture, Occult
Buddhadharma, generating compassion throughout the
Guide Stunt (1 or 2): Gain an Enhancement equal
world. Still, every now and then they do bend the rules and
to successes spent on this Stunt on your next Culture or
cause a little mischief, as a treat, to keep people on their
Occult roll to glean helpful information.
toes as a reminder that the path is not straight and true, but
filled with pitfalls to overcome. EK CHUAJ (•••)
Qualities: Center of Gravity Known as the Black War Chief or the Black Scorpion,
Flair: I Have Friends Ek Chuaj has worn many hats: as a God of merchants, a
God of war, and even the patron of the cacao plant. Being
FOLLOWERS multifaced has proven to be part of his staying power, and
he teaches Scions to not put all their eggs in one basket:
BEHIQUES (••) Diversifying your talents and skills is the best way to get
Shamans and medicine people of the Taíno, they can ahead — especially in business and war.
speak with plants to uncover their medicinal and spiritual Asset Skill: Culture, Persuasion
properties. Further still, they know the language of the
Zemí themselves and act as the conduit between the Gods Purview: War
and their faithful. So honeyed are their words that they Guide Stunt: Gain an Enhancement equal to the
are even said to have used their skill to calm the rage of number of successes on the next Persuasion roll to improve
the Titan Juracán, and there are few situations that they the Attitude of the target in your favor.
cannot talk themselves (or the Scions they follow) out of.
PARAWALI (••)
Tags: Consultant, Helpful, Knack (Combat Medic)
To the ancient Visayans, the parawali were well-respected
GANDHARVAS (••) counselors and sagacious advisors who offered their wisdom
Servants of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, one of the Heavenly Kings and to any who asked. To modern Visayas (and their descendants
Guardian of the East, these celestial beings are skilled in the World over), the parawali continue their practice of
song and dance. Not only do they bring joy to sad events, passing along the wisdom of the Balahala themselves, while
but they also use their talents as an act of meditation in also being a veritable font of knowledge — like a walking,
hopes of bring enlightenment to those in their presence — online encyclopedia that you can call upon when needed.
and hopefully to help them fare better in this incarnation Don’t let their calm demeanors fool you: The parawali aren’t
than their last, the very process which led them to become just experts in lore, but also in martial arts, and they have a
gandharvas in the first place. Perhaps if they stopped fondness for passing along that knowledge as well.
bothering meditating monks, they’d fare better in the next Asset Skills: Academics, Close Combat
life. Guide Stunt (1): Gain +1 Enhancement to your next
Tags: Entourage, Knack (Fluid Appeal), Smooth roll involving any skill, or +2 Enhancement to your next
combat roll.
TATTOOED RAIDERS (••)
There was a time when the Tattooed Raiders looked to QADESHTU (•••)
the horizon and took to the seas in search of riches to bring The highest authority in a particular marzeh, or
back home, but times have changed, and they have changed temple, the qadeshtu are the priesthood of the Ilhm, in
with them. No common pirates, they instead take their charge of caring for millennia of knowledge and sharing it
guidance from Inaginid, a Goddess of war who believes that to those who come to their door. Whether it is a rare scroll

178 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

detailing another Pantheon’s cosmogony or a first edition While ancient Phoenicians did not have a compass in
printing of a favorite novel, the qadeshtu have it all and are a way that resembles modern ones, they were nevertheless
willing to share it — and the resources of their marzeh — to granted the means to navigate their way home by the God
any and all who seek them out. Dagon. This item can take a multitude of forms: a classic
Asset Skills: Academics, Empathy hand-held compass, a needle on a magnetized rock in a bowl
of water, or even an app on a smartphone whose icon is the
Purview: Order silhouette of a dolphin jumping from the water. No matter
Guide Stunt (1): Until the end of the scene, gain +1 where a Scion is, this compass can guide them wherever
Enhancement to an Academics or Occult roll that requires they need to go or be — be it in the World or otherwise.
a specialty that you do not have. Enhancement: 1 to finding or entering Terra

RELICS Incognitae or Underworlds, 2 to navigating to anywhere

else in the World.
ANAT’S RIB (•••) HURRICANE JAR (••)
A highly sought-after material to be forged into jewelry
Purview: Chaos
or as accents on weaponry, Anat’s Rib isn’t Anat’s — it is a
sliver of bone from Ba’al’s body which she reconstructed Motif: A tempest in a teapot, err… jar.
after Mot slew him. Many see it as a sign of Anat’s devotion To the untrained eye, this relic looks like any jar you
to Ba’al as well as her inclination towards righteous fury might find in any house in the World. Perhaps it once
— you may have slain her beloved, but she will use parts of housed jam, pickles, or some other condiment used to
him to enact her vengeance. flavor a family meal but has found a second life. However,
Knack: If the Scion is Taken Out, they gain a second looks can be deceiving, much like calm sea during a sunny
wind and unmark Taken Out. Only usable once per battle/ day before it turns dark and tempestuous a few hours
scene. later. These jars, each imbued with just a bit of Juracán’s
anger, often appear unbidden but never without need. The
Enhancement: 1 when engaging in battle or feats of
jar, when opened, summons a storm which can be used as
strength.
cover or as a distraction for an argument, a fight, or any
DAGON’S COMPASS (••) other situation requiring a way out.
Purview: Journeys
Motif: Wherever you go, there you are.

Birthrights 179
KAMPILAN (••) Forged out of guanín, an alloy consisting of copper,
silver, and gold, this bow is modeled after the one wielded
Purview: Fortune by the Goddess Maroya, who hunted down the unworthy
Motif: Bring the islands with you wherever you go. dead in the night, shooting beams of moonlight to banish
them to oblivion. A more modest in appearance recurve
By all appearances, the kampilan is a simple, single-
bow in the modern era, scenes of Coaybay are etched into
edged sword with a distinct profile: a tapered blade that is
it. It has become popular among hunters, and even Artemis
much broader and thinner at the point than at its base. The
has commented that she, too, wished she had such a bow.
pommel can feature several designs, but it most commonly
depicts animals native to the Philippines. What makes the Knack: When a Scion is facing down dishonorable
kampilan stand out, however, is that it comes with actual undead, the arrows fired from the Moonlight Bow appear as
bells, if not whistles, that herald the arrival of its wielder — brilliant beams of moonlight, and they deal one additional
and the ferocity that comes with it. damage against such creatures after purchasing either the
Inflict Injury or Critical Stunts.
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Flashy

K’UK’ULKAN’S FEATHER (•)

Purview: Journeys
KNACKS
Motif: Go, like the wind
A feather shed by K’uk’ulkan himself, its iridescent
T he following Knacks are available to all Scions — Gods or
otherwise. All Knacks presented are Immortal Knacks.

colors shimmer in the light of the sun, creating a rainbow CREATOR

effect that few other items in the World are capable of. Durant Works: Neither time nor mortal acts may
Each feather is considered a blessing from K’uk’ulkan; they harm your creations, and they’ll also give the immortal a
are highly sought after by faithful of the K’uh and are often run for their money. Imbue Legend for durability or size
seen hung from the rear-view mirrors of vehicles. Scale when making a creation preternaturally durable
Enhancement: 1 when used to drive/pilot a vehicle and lasting. Beyond the benefits of a high defensive force
without the appropriate specialization. Scale, such things are immune to the ravages of time or
environment not wielded against them by supernatural
LIGHTNING AXE (••••) powers.
Purview: Sky Eternity’s Atelier: Your place of work becomes a font
Motif: Bring down the sky’s might. of wonders, for you and whatever lucky students you allow.
Imbue Legend to consecrate a workspace; the procedural
Some have drawn comparisons between Thor’s projects of those who work there benefit from additional
hammer and Chac’s axe, but both Gods will be quick to tell Scale of any applicable type. This may create a Realm
you that they are not one in the same. Outside of the obvious, Condition (p. 67) that reduces the cost for Artistry, Forge,
when Chac strikes the clouds (or rain-bearing snakes) with or Prosperity Divine Rule actions taken through it by 1.
his axe, it produces rain, lightning, and thunder. It also does
not require a belt or any other implements to be used — Rhapsodic Whirlwind: You are an elemental force of
chalk up a victory for Chac. It does go well with his shield, creation and works of art and artifice pour from you like a
if he does say so himself, but one need not wield both — deluge. When taking a crafting Procedural action, you may
however, it must be used honorably in battle. spend 1 Momentum to immediately fulfill a Milestone once
per episode. When creating Realm Conditions through this
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Thrown, Versatile Calling, gain an additional point of effect.
Knack: By imbuing the axe with a point of Legend, the Balahala Specific: Diwata’s Hospitality: You provide
Scion too can crack open the sky and release rain, lightning, for your family, your guests, and yourself in abundance.
and thunder from the clouds, directing bolts of lightning You can always produce mundane goods or equipment
towards any target for a scene — allowing the user to make with a moment’s notice with gifts and guidance from your
melee attacks out to Long range. ancestors. Additionally, once per session, you may use a
Flaw: Because of its affinity for lightning, and marvel without cost to create magical or raw elemental
subsequently being a source of static electricity, any bearer material as desired, the natural world offering treasures for
of the Lightning Axe is surrounded by static electricity and your use.
all the trouble it can bring against others and electronics.
Enhancement: 1 to Knockdown stunts and attacks
GUARDIAN
using lightning. The Fastness: Your sanctuaries and sigils are always
under your protection, no matter the distance. Imbue
MOONLIGHT BOW (•••) Legend to consecrate a place of safety or static symbol
Motif: Hunt the undead by the light of the moon. of your protection; those who seek shelter there benefit
from additional defensive Scale when fighting to protect
Purview: Moon
themselves. This may create a Realm Condition (p. 67) that

180 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

reduces the cost for Earth, Epic Stamina, or Epic Strength down to minute, specific details, and may gain Enhancement
Divine Rule actions taken through it by 1. equal to your Healer rank for one action targeting them by
The Heart: Peoples and nations respond to your call to taking advantage of your incredibly intimate knowledge.
action. When rallying large numbers of people in defense Supernatural disguises or similar deception must defeat
of their home, loved ones, or another shared bond, imbue you on a Clash of Wills to avoid your scrutiny.
a point of Legend, rather than spending it, to invoke your Excision: You cut out illness, root and branch. When
Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale. you successfully treat someone for a specific disease or
The Watchtower: To approach you is to be known. condition, you may spend Momentum to perfectly treat
Enemies never benefit from attempts to ambush you, your anyone else suffering from the same malady for the rest of
charge, or any characters in your immediate presence that the episode. When solving problems with this Calling in
are under your protection. Attempts to escape your notice Divine Rule, gain an additional point of effect.
in Divine Rule play require an additional point of effect, Operating Theater: You establish a place of healing
even if using a subtle method. and wellness, from which recovery and knowledge of life
Pālas Specific: Adamant Admonishment: Upholding and death flow. Imbue Legend to consecrate a place of
your sacred duty to protect the living, you exhort the healing and medicine; those practicing medicine there
violent and the aggressive to cease. Once per scene when benefit from additional scope Scale when treating large
confronting a violent foe, spend your action explaining numbers of patients. If there’s a common source of injury
the flaws in their behavior and how they might act rightly. or illness among the patients, you automatically recognize
So long as you continue lecturing and none take hostile this and gain the same Scale when attempting to determine
actions against them, they must listen nonviolently. Even the root cause. This may create a Realm Condition (p. 67)
if they succeed at a Clash of Wills to attempt a violent that reduces the cost for Death, Fertility, or Health Divine
action, you may reflexively make a social action or an attack Rule actions taken through it by 1.
targeting them, imbuing Legend for power Scale. If you
succeed, their violent action immediately fails in addition
HUNTER
to the regular consequences of your action. You may spend Fell The Mountain: The bigger they are… When
Momentum to use this Knack a second time in a scene. hunting enormous or incredibly durable targets such as
enormous monsters, giants, or similar prey, you may spend
HEALER Momentum to discover their weakest point. For the rest
Complete Medical History: You can tell how old of the episode, reduce the cost of the Inflict Injury and
someone was when they took their first steps from the way Critical Stunts against targets with Size Scale or Segments,
they waltz. Spend Momentum when examining someone and of resolving Goliath milestones by 2. When using
at a close distance. You know their entire medical history, Direct Assault (p. 70) through this calling in Divine Rule,
gain an additional point of effect.

Knacks 181
 Hackles Rise: One predator can’t slip by another. You familial to friendly, formal to intimate, at a glance, including
always know if someone else has taken life; whether it was any Bonds, Attitudes, or supernatural effects connecting
animal, human, monster, or divine being; and whether it them. If supernaturally concealed from you, you may gain
was out of need, in the flash of passion, or in cold blood. +2 Enhancement on any Clash of Wills to discover that
Magical attempts to deceive you or avoid this power must information.
defeat you in a Clash of Wills.
Wild Expanses: A lodge, hunting ground, or
LEADER
untrammeled stretch of wilderness is enough for you to feed Abiding Presence: You imbue those who follow you
a people. Imbue Legend to consecrate a hunting ground or with your ethos and passion, and they follow your design
attendant area dedicated to the hunt. Those hunting there even when you are absent or otherwise unable to lead.
benefit from additional applicable Scale when attempting Your followers and anyone who attempts to act on your
to obtain rare or bountiful resources. This may create a behalf in good faith always knows what you’d want done in
Realm Condition (p. 67) that reduces the cost for Beasts, that situation, and you may act remotely through them for
Moon, or Wilds Divine Rule actions taken through it by 1. Procedural actions, using your die pools and powers even
if you aren’t there. You pay any relevant cost for powers or
Zemí Specific: Between Disasters: No pathway
abilities used.
between islands, across the World, or beyond its borders
surprises you. When you engage in long term travel, you’re Halls of Power: Whether fortress war-room,
always aware of any potential hazards or dangers along your distinguished dining table, or intimate back room, where
path and gain an Enhancement equal to your Calling rating you speak, your words echo. Imbue Legend to consecrate
to avoid them. In Action-Adventure gameplay, reduce any a board room, a private study, a public square, or another
damage from dangerous terrain or damaging fields by your place you lead from. Those spurring their followers to great
Calling rating to a minimum of zero. deeds within its bounds benefit from additional leadership
Scale. This may create a Realm Condition that reduces the
JUDGE cost for Passion, Sky, or War Divine Rule actions taken
A House of Law: Your chambers or places of judgement through it by 1.
are beacons of light and order across the land. Imbue Unmistakable Dynamism: Even your fiercest
Legend to consecrate a courthouse, hall of judgement, law enemies cannot discount you as a figure of authority and
library, or similar place of jurisprudence. Those attempting importance. Beings of lesser Tier can’t help but treat you
investigative actions (in Procedural scenes or otherwise) to with respect, no matter their nature. Those of equal or
determine the truth within its walls benefit from additional greater Tier must choose to treat with you as an honored
Scale. This may create a Realm Condition that reduces the presence, even your enemies, and suffer from +2 Difficulty
cost for Fortune, Order, or Sun Divine Rule actions taken for any actions opposing or targeting you in a scene until
through it by 1. they acknowledge your august presence formally (which
Pardon and Parole: When a character offers takes an action in combat). When using divine opposition
recompense for their deeds in good faith to you and promises with this Calling in Divine Rule, gain an additional point
to amend their behavior, you may grant them pardon. As of effect.
long as they keep the promises they make to you, the World K’uh Specific: Amid the Intrigues: Both those
recognizes their changed nature and prevents further K’uh engaged in internal machinations and those who
persecution from any who acknowledge your judgement or consider themselves above it possess a keen awareness
who are lower Tier characters. This may include avoiding of the shifting alliances and loyalties of their kin. You are
legal consequences, removing negative Attitudes towards always aware when a character in a scene has a positive or
them, and allowing relevant Fatebindings to resolve negative Attitude towards you, and you gain that Attitude’s
peacefully (such as a Nemesis becoming a Balm). If they value to any Stunts to create Enhancement, Complication,
break their word to you or return to their perfidious ways, or Difficulty for them. Imbue Legend when leading or
this effect ends, and you immediately know. opposing a character with at least 3 Attitude towards you
Universal Inspection: You can find dust motes hidden on a massive Scale, such as leading an army to aid them or
amongst thistle if it will reveal the truth. When performing burying them beneath a mountain.
an investigation or search on an enormous Scale, such as
finding a lost ring hidden in a crow’s nest within a city or
LIMINAL
a smudged footprint in a muddied factory field, imbue a Universal Conductor: You help folks set off on
point of Legend, rather than spending it, to invoke your their own, marking needful paths across the face of the
Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale. World. When you help someone embark on a meaningful
and important journey, you may give them your blessing.
Ilhm Specific: Interlinking Roots: You trace relations
Characters of lower Tier are protected from any harm or
and relationships through the community, determining
serious inconvenience short of a character defeating you
where the people have come from and how they’ve come
in a Clash of Wills, while characters of the same or higher
together. You can tell two individuals’ relationships, from

182 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Tier benefit from your Liminal rating in Enhancement to Hearts in Sync: Those who you love and are loved by
overcome any travel related problems or dangers. When can support each other in ways most can only dream of.
performing Procedural tasks, you may describe how a Once per episode, you and a character with mutual positive
character you helped undertake a journey changed the Attitudes may lend each other a Knack. The lender loses
World in a way that aids your project, counting that as a access to it for the duration, but the borrower doesn’t
completed Milestone once per Procedural action. require any of the prerequisites and may use the lender’s
Nobody’s Path: Where you say there is no path, Calling rating in place of their own.
only fools attempt travel. When sealing off a travel route Impossible Allure: Your arrival seizes attention like
on an epic Scale, such as the border between two nations little else and rarely lets it go. When you enter a scene,
or a well-trod pathway between worlds, imbue a point of you may spend Momentum. Most trivial characters bend
Legend, rather than spending it, to invoke your Legendary over backwards to meet your every need, and even those
Title as a Feat of Scale. opposed to you are hopelessly awestruck without outside
Everybody’s Trail: Your peregrinations blaze paths intervention. Non-trivial characters must choose to be
between peoples and worlds. Your refusal to be limited awed, improving their Attitude towards you by +3, or
to any one context provides a path and template for those distracted, which imposes a +3 Difficulty to their first
that would follow you. Imbue Legend to consecrate a path, actions in the scene, as well as all subsequent actions that
literal or figurative, between any two places or away from target or directly oppose you.
any single place. Those that follow the path benefit from
additional appropriate Scale to overcome obstacles for
SAGE
following it to its conclusion. This may create a Realm Eternal Lectern: The spaces you teach others in
Condition that reduces the cost for Darkness, Journey, or cannot help but convey knowledge to the curious. Imbue
Stars Divine Rule actions taken through it by 1. Legend to consecrate a classroom or other place of
learning. Attempts to teach epically complex concepts or
LOVER across impossibly distant conceptual gulfs there benefit
A Place of Joy: Kitchen table, royal garret, artist’s from additional appropriate Scale. This may create a Realm
studio, petal-strewn bower — wherever you stir emotions, Condition that reduces the cost for Fire, Order, or Stars
the eddies carry others along. Imbue Legend to consecrate Divine Rule actions taken through it by 1.
a place of emotion and fellowship. Anyone attempting to Maps Beyond the World: Worlds beyond the World
convey heartfelt emotion to allies or others they care about are known to you, and you may ruminate deeply on the
in your Place of Joy benefits from one additional Scale. secrets therein. Once you’ve stayed in an Otherworldly
This may create a Realm Condition that reduces the cost location for at least a session of play or a day of narrative
for Beauty, Passion, or Water Divine Rule actions taken time, you may make a Knack skill roll to ask questions about
through it by 1. its nature or events transpiring there — such as “why do the
fire giants hate the Theoi visitors?” or “what has polluted

Knacks 183
the river of heaven?” — and get true, useful answers for Eternity’s Barracks: Blood, sweat, and effort suffuse
each success. In Divine Rule play, you may spend these the places you prepare for war, calling for other heroes
successes to learn information about Realm Conditions, to rise to the call of battle. Imbue Legend to consecrate a
including who created them and what their ongoing effects training ground, mustering field, barracks, or other place
on the realm might be. of martial training. Those readying for conflict benefit from
Transcendent Mastery of Works: Your understanding additional Scale for confronting impossible odds or epic
of all things under the sun and many things above it allows foes. This may create a Realm Condition that reduces the
you to guide long term projects with unmatched ability. You cost for Epic Dexterity, Epic Strength, or War Divine Rule
may automatically complete one Milestone per Procedural actions taken through it by 1.
scene, even if you lack any requisite Skills or equipment. Path of Blades: To approach you in battle is to court
death. Spend Momentum. When an enemy attacks you they
TRICKSTER suffer Complication equal to your Warrior rating. They
Better Things to Do Anyway: Sometimes, you seemed suffer any unresolved value as the Imperiled Condition.
destined for failure, but useful things come of whatever
foolishness you mire yourself in. Once per procedural
action, you may voluntarily fail a roll to have it count as a
TITANIC CALLING
Milestone for a different Procedural action.
Come Listen Here: Your stories carry beyond the
KNACKS
range of your voice, driving people to great deeds even if
you’d rather they didn’t. Imbue Legend to consecrate a
T he following Knacks apply to characters who possess one
or more Titan Callings. They are also all Immortal Knacks.
story you tell; those listeners who try to follow its moral,
promise of glory, or other suggestive theme to do what
ADVERSARY
would normally be impossible benefit from additional Another Price to Pay: When you warn someone off
Scale. This may create a Realm Condition that reduces the a course of action, the price for ignoring you is painful
cost for Chaos, Deception, or Fortune Divine Rule actions indeed. When you take the complicate action, create an
taken through it by 1. additional “Painful Price” Complication at the same rating.
The enemy suffers an Injury and −1 to their defense if the
Always In the Way: You are just where the opposition Complication isn’t resolved. The defense penalty can stack
would rather you not be, whether by intent or happenstance. up to three times and resolves at the end of the scene.
When you take the complicate action (Scion: Origin, p. 118),
create an additional “You’re here too?!” Complication at Inside Their Heads: Once you’ve wormed into
the same value. Your target applies any unresolved value as someone’s heart, you’re always in sync with its beats.
difficulty to their next action. When using divine opposition Characters who have Attitudes towards you of +2 or higher
with this Calling in Divine Rule, gain an additional point of suffer your Adversary rating in additional Difficulty when
effect. trying to lie to or deceive you. In Divine Rule play, you can
always detect their actions within a given realm unless
WARRIOR their approach is subtle or stealthy.
Some Warrior Knacks reference the Imperiled Lovely Plans and Wicked Plots: Few things bring
Condition. people closer together than bringing down someone
everyone hates. Imbue Legend to consecrate a dire plot,
The Heavy End of the Hammer: Your blows send en-
fiendish plan, or foul conspiracy. Those taking part gain
emies reeling, leaving them unprepared for what’s to come.
additional Scale for epic or grandiose measure taken
You gain access to the following Stunt:
against the target of the plot. Pick a Purview when taking
Batter (Variable): For every success spent on this this Knack; when you create a Realm Condition with that
Stunt, the target gains a point of Imperiled at the end of Purview that would benefit from a sprawling conspiracy or
your action. intricate plot, increase its effect by 1.

DESTROYER
Apex of Ruin: Even if a foe is ignorant of your
CONDITION: IMPERILED nature, their weapons recognize your brutal supremacy,
wasting away as they strike at you. Spend Momentum to
An Imperiled character reduces their Defense make weapon-based attacks against you suffer from your
and the cost of the Critical/Critical Hit Stunts Destroyer ranks in Ruin Complication for the round, which
against them by its rating. Imperiled reduces destroys mundane weapons and makes magical or otherwise
itself by 1 every time the character takes superlative weapons useless for the scene if not bought off.
damage and resolves itself at 0. Imperiled can In Divine Rule play, attempts to cause you Divine Wounds
reduce an affected character’s Defense to 0. require 1 more Effect than they otherwise would.

184 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

 Craters for Footprints: Your pathway is a rubble
strewn wake. Whenever you enter a new location (including
moving a range band in combat), you crack pavement, CONDITION:
shatter glass, and create an area of difficult terrain covering
the range bands you moved through that doesn’t affect you
MONSTROUS URGES
wherever you end the movement. You may consciously Some Knacks either force you to succumb
suppress this effect for a scene with a Knack skill roll. In to your Monstrous Urges or become more
Divine Rule play, whenever you create a Realm Condition powerful when you do. It’s up to you and
with the Personal Aura stunt, it automatically benefits from the Storyguide to determine the exact
one purchase of the Dire Hazard stunt. nature of those urges, but by default, you
In a Black Flash: No sooner do you conceive of are compelled to solve any problem that
violence than is it unleashed. At the beginning of combat, presents itself with force.
before initiative is rolled, you may spend Momentum to You can activate your Monstrous Urges
direct destructive energy at a target within medium range. anytime you are injured, threatened, or
Make a Knack roll; on a success, obliterate a trivial target, embarrassed.
or cause an injury to a worthy target; you may spend
Effect: You suffer a significant (3+)
additional successes for the Critical stunt. Enemies may use
Complication on any task that requires logic,
powers or marvels to protect themselves through a Clash
calm consideration, tact, or restraint as you
of Wills. When using Direct Assault through this Calling in
struggle against your instincts.
Divine Rule, gain an additional point of effect.
Momentum: Every time your urges
MONSTER cause you trouble, add a point of Momentum
to the pool.
Ravenous Force: Your drive to consume is a legendary
hazard. You may reflexively damage and consume up to five Resolution: Withdraw to a place of
points of cover within close range without consuming your safety where you have time to collect your
action on each turn; if you destroy a piece of cover in this thoughts or commit a heinous act of rage that
way, you gain +1 Defense for the rest of the round. In Divine you’ll regret when you snap out of it.
Rule, if you attempt to destroy a Realm Condition or similar
permanent feature, gain an additional point of effect.
Source of Doom: Hordes respond to your howls and Rule play, creating a Realm Condition with a Primeval
creeping legions seethe forth at your command. When you Purview doesn’t count as an investment of that Purview
spread your monstrous urge on an epic scale, imbue rather once per session.
than spend to invoke your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale. Personal Territory: The elements constantly
Zenith of Creatures: Spend Momentum; your form rearrange themselves in your presence. Other characters
briefly turns massive and dangerous, causing you to gain +1 treat close range to you as difficult terrain, though you
size Scale for the rest of the turn, and any attacks you make may exempt up to your Primeval Calling of them from this
benefit from the Reach tag. If you’re in your Monstrous Knack’s effects at any one time. You may spend Momentum
Urge Condition, you may choose to stay enlarged for to increase this effect by a range band for a turn or to make
the rest of the scene instead. In Divine Rule play, gain an it also count as Complication 1 dangerous terrain. You may
additional point of effect when creating a Realm Condition spend Momentum for this effect multiple times in a turn
with the Personal Aura Stunt if it includes shifting into a to intensify it. In Divine Rule play, gain an additional point
monstrous form. of effect when using a primeval Purview to create a Realm
Condition.
PRIMEVAL Rising Tide, Falling Sky: There is no force of the
For the purpose of Primeval Titan Knacks, Primeval World that is beyond your use. When you work to call
Purviews encompass elemental and ancient forces, largely up enormous elemental forces or call down great natural
untouched by mortal mastery: Beasts, Chaos, Darkness, destruction, imbue rather than spend Legend to invoke
Death, Earth, Fertility, Fire, Frost, Moon, Passion, Sky, your Legendary Title as a Feat of Scale.
Stars, Sun, Water, and Wilds.
Living Font: the World’s miracles flow from you like
TYRANT
water but threaten to rush uncontrollably into the world I Am That Which Is To Be Obeyed: When you
the more power you exert. You may pay for marvels from attempt to assert authority on an Epic scale, such as
Primeval Purviews by adding dice to the Collateral pool asserting rulership over a continent or pulling rank on a
(see Titanomachy, p. 142) in place of spending Legend, Titan, imbue rather than spend to invoke your Legendary
or to Tension if the Collateral pool is not in play. In Divine Title as a Feat of Scale.

Titanic Calling Knacks 185

 Might’s Prerogative: Other people exist for your
convenience, and sometimes your protection. You may treat UNIVERSAL
subordinates and trivial characters as light cover in combat All Purviews have a version of the following Boon,
and may always choose for the results of a collateral pool purchased separately for each. It can only be purchased by
roll to affect them instead of directly affecting you (though Gods and Titans.
this does not prevent potential Fatebindings). In Divine
Rule, you may choose to destroy a Realm Condition you are
EMINENCE OF [PURVIEW]
invested in in place of suffering a Divine Wound once per Cost: Spend 2 Legend
session. Duration: One scene
No Balm for Terror: Fear is beyond a weapon; in your Subject: Self
hands, it’s the creeping tide of oblivion. You may afflict
characters with an Attitude of fear or similar emotions Action: Simple
towards you with disease or poison conditions at the same You bring yourself into perfect alignment with your
rating as the attitude. Trivial characters are at your mercy, Purview, tapping its miraculous power directly from
while others suffer additional difficulty to any rolls to the source. This is accompanied by a transformation,
recover equal to the Attitude. In Divine Rule play, reduce though it needn’t be dramatic: Some Gods become
the cost of the Divine Hazard and Slaying Force Stunts by 1. walking maelstroms of their Purview’s raw energy;
others simply take on an ineffable sense of that Purview

ABSOLUTE as it seeps into their posture, gestures, and bearing. In

either case, the change is unmistakable. Every charac-

DOMINION ter within the scene automatically knows that you are
your Purview incarnate and responds accordingly.
Eminence offers a number of benefits:
A God may always apply a single benefit of Absolute
Dominion to any activation of a Boon or marvel. • You can work any number of marvels for your
Purview and don’t need to spend any Legend
Alacrity: You may reset a Boon which can only be used
once during a single session. This may only be used on a
to do so. Marvels that would normally require
imbued Legend instead last until the end of the
given Boon once per session. scene.
Blessing: You may use a Boon which normally only
• Foes attempting to use your Purview — wheth-
targets Self on another character as a form of blessing. er through Boons, marvels, or even themati-
Alternatively, a Boon which can only target a single cally associated magic like Birthrights — must
character may be applied to a group. make a Clash of Wills, rolling their Legend
Enduring: You may change the duration of an effect against yours directly. You gain Enhancement
to indefinite as long as you imbue its cost in Legend to 2 on these rolls. If they fail, you may choose to
sustain it. If the effect is resolved as a Condition, you may
smother their power or twist it, inflicting a +3
Complication on its use.
prevent the Condition from resolving until you reclaim
your Legend. • You and your allies automatically have access
to all of your Purview’s Dominion stunts, add-
Farsight: You may treat yourself as being within range ing 3 Enhancement to any of their effects as if
of a target for the Boon that you are aware of, regardless of you had multiple Purview-wielders.
the distance between you. You must be aware of your target
and either be within the same realm as them or possess a • When you leverage your Purview’s nature,
means of perceiving the realm which they are present in.
you automatically gain +1 all-encompassing
Scale to all relevant actions.
Supremacy: Apply your full Scale to the Boon’s
When used in the World, you always suffer a
primary effect.
new Fatebinding at the end of the scene, without

PURVIEWS recovering Legend. Attempting to use this Boon while

Incarnated taxes your divine nature to the breaking
point. This inflicts a Divine Wound (p. 71) either to one

A s a God rises in Legend, they continue to develop

signature miracles through new Boons. While most of
the following Boons are appropriate for use by Heroes and
of your Callings or to the Purview itself at the end of
the scene.

Demigods, true Gods gain access to the ability to channel ARTISTRY

some of their Boons through the lens of their own Callings. AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENT
Any God with at least one dot in the relevant Calling gains
access to the Calling specific enhancement, which may
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
increase its potency, offer increased flexibility, or provide Duration: Scene
other unusual twists and opportunities. Range: Close

186 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Subject: One object You are so beautiful (or so terrifying) that everything
else fades into the background. Characters that
Action: Simple perceive you must overcome a +2 Complication to un-
By adding your own artistic flourishes to an ordinary dertake any action at all in your presence; if not bought
object, you enable it to fulfill its purpose better: off, they act as they normally would, but their memory
Painting a red stripe on a car makes it drive faster, of what transpired is confused. All they can remember
giving a weapon a name makes it more effective, and is your presence, not what you did, for better or worse.
so on. Whoever uses the item gains 2 Enhancement Lover Specific: Forget Yourself Before Me:
on appropriate rolls for the duration of the scene. Your presence is so overwhelming, those who see
Creator Specific: Sublime Creation: When using you forget even themselves. Upon failure to buy
this Boon, you can choose to spend 1 Legend instead off the Complication, targets of this Boon gain a
of imbuing in order to create an object instantly that Condition that causes them to forget everything but
possesses the desired Enhancement. The object disap- you. They suffer +3 Difficulty on any action which
pears at the end of the scene. isn’t concerned with finding you, and they can only
resolve it by being in your presence. Their memories
of the original scene where you used this Boon do not
ESOTERIC INTERPRETATION return, even once the Condition is resolved.
Cost: None
Duration: Episode EXPRESS YOUR TRUTH
Subject: Self Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Action: Simple Duration: Instant
Once per session, when you use the Player Inspiration Subject: One character
Stunt (Scion: Origin, p. 75) to discover a new Range: Short
fact about a clue, you can declare that it also has a
hidden meaning appropriate to you or your Pantheon. Action: Simple
For the duration of the episode, treat any Twist of Fate You give your target the power to embody their true self.
that you invoke as if you rolled 3 more successes, so With their consent, the target undergoes a miraculous
long as it relates to this meaning. transformation. The transformation reflects both their
conscious and unconscious desires. It can be internal,
reflecting a change in perspective, growing comfort
LIVING TRADITION with their appearance, or acceptance of their body. It
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend can also manifest in dramatic external transformation,
altering the target’s general appearance such as hair
Duration: Indefinite color or eye color, height and weight, physique, sex
Subject: One artwork characteristics, and other aspects of their appearance.
Action: Simple For the rest of the session in which this Boon is used,
the target possesses an aura of confidence and joy
You instill a small work of your art — a poem, song, that intuitively communicates their comfort with their
dance, or design — with both a clear message that transformation, and they gain +3 Enhancement on
you define for your intended audience when you use any Intrigue rolls that benefit from their newfound
the Boon (as per the innate power of the Purview) confidence or encouraging others to celebrate their
and the ability for that audience to repeat it flawlessly transformation. Whatever the form their transformation
for others. So long as you maintain the Boon, the takes, it is permanent unless revoked with the target’s
message will spread from person to person, but its consent.
meaning will remain hidden from those you do not
want to understand it. Healer Specific: Peace of Mind: You offer
comfort to the mind as well as the body through your
blessing. This allows the target to resolve a Condition
adversely affecting their mind when they benefit from
BEAUTY this Boon.
ALL ELSE FALLS AWAY
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend PAINFUL TO BEHOLD
Duration: One scene Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Subject: Self Duration: Condition
Range: Medium Subject: Self
Action: Simple Action: Simple

Purviews 187
 Your presence becomes so striking that it inflicts pain BEAST AVATAR
on those who gaze at you for too long. All characters Cost: Spend variable Legend
in your presence are exposed to the Painful to Behold
Condition and suffer a +2 Complication to their actions. Duration: One scene
Failure to buy this Complication off inflicts an Injury Subject: Chosen Animal
Condition of an appropriate nature, such as damage to
the eyes, pressure on the mind, or exhaustion of the soul. Range: Short
Trivial characters who witness you are immediately Taken Action: Simple
Out in an appropriate fashion, though they may be
unharmed at the start of the next scene at your discretion. You imbue a chosen animal with your will, causing
it to become stronger, smarter, faster, and more
You may exempt your allies from this effect. beautiful than others of its kind. You form a connection
This Condition resolves at the end of the scene, or with this creature and can see through its eyes and
whenever you suffer an Injury Condition, whichever control its movements. You can even commune with
comes first. the animal instantaneously, understanding its wishes
as you would your own.
Primeval Specific: A Sight Too Beautiful:
Anyone Taken Out by your presence suffers a With each Legend point spent above 2 (to a
Persistent Condition such as the loss of eyesight that maximum of 5 Legend spent) the animal receives
may only be removed through miraculous healing. +1 Enhancement to all of its actions, though its
Health levels do not increase. This transformation is
BEASTS permanent and binds the animal to you until its death.
Keep in mind that while the animal may be more
From birds soaring high above to fish swimming in powerful than others of its kind, it’s still limited by its
the depths of the ocean, this Purview taps into raw bestial own abilities. While an animal may be smarter and
power and a connection with the natural world. may understand you, it still won’t be able to speak a
ASPECT OF THE APEX PREDATOR human language itself.
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend An animal that is Taken Out while being influenced by
Animal Avatar causes the God controlling the animal
Duration: One scene to receive 1 Complication to any social-related rolls
Subject: Self as they deal with their emotions for the duration of the
rest of the scene. Failing to buy off the Complication
Range: Self causes the God to have an emotional breakdown.
Action: Simple
For one scene, a God becomes the primordial BEAST CALLING
concept of the Beast. With a quicksilver shape that
changes as quickly as thought and an insatiable Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
hunger, this form is as powerful as it is dangerous. This Duration: One scene
form understands the thoughts of every animal within
range of its senses and can choose to consume any Subject: Chosen Animals
number of trivial characters within Close range. Range: Long
The Beast will crush homes, tear into Titans’ flanks, Action: Simple
and pursue prey to the ends of the earth with the
cunning and subtlety of a master predator. Normally, Calling just one animal to yourself is one thing, but
a God changes into the Beast as a last resort, since summoning all of them in a given area is another.
they may be at risk of being consumed by the very When purchasing this Boon, the God must choose
form that they take. one type of animal. The God may then summon all of
this same species of animal in a one-mile radius to her
While rampaging, the God increases their Tier by side. This allows her to give them simple commands
1, reducing their target number to 6, and has a such as retrieve this object for me or harass the police
+3 Enhancement to attacks that may exceed the until they leave or observe this person for me. The ani-
Enhancement cap. For every worthy foe (enemy at mals do this obediently and to the best of their ability,
least equal to their original Tier) that the Beast de- but they will not put themselves in serious danger.
stroys, the God must succeed on a Difficulty 3 action
(usually Integrity + Resolve). Their dice pool for this
test decreases by 1 per round. Each time the God fails
CHAOS
this action, they lose 1 Health level to the Beast. If a Before there was order, there was chaos. When the
God’s avatar is Taken Out while channeling the Beast, World falls to destruction, chaos will reign again. This
the God receives 2 Divine Wounds (p. 71) . is disorder and boundless potential. This is unintended
Hunter Specific: Understanding the Beast: consequences, anarchy, unrest, revolution, and accidents.
Receive +2 Enhancement to your roll to retain control The God that channels this Purview is one who understands
after destroying an enemy. that chaos is a fundamental aspect of the World.

188 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

BUTTERFLY EFFECT Scatter (2 successes): All trivial or non-magical
Cost: Variable targets (including followers) flee the area, out of terror
or self-preservation. Even well-drilled military units
Duration: Variable will run. This is a fear effect for the purposes of Knacks
Subject: Action and Boons.
Range: Short Trickster Specific: Trickster’s Choice: If you
are the one who rolls the 10 dice, then instead of the
Action: Simple Storyguide choosing which Stunts are used, you may
A single push of a domino can set off a series of make that choice.
effects that can lead to either ultimate victory or
destruction. Gods who follow Chaos know this better
than anyone else. A seemingly unconnected series of REWORKED RELIC
circumstances can wreak havoc over time. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
The God may spend between 1 to 5 Legend points Duration: One Scene
to set off a series of incidents that will lead to their
ultimate goal. This series of incidents can occur either Subject: Relic
over one scene or over the course of an entire act or Range: Short
series, depending on how many Legend points were
spent and what the God is attempting the accomplish. Action: Simple
When creating the Butterfly Effect, a Collateral pool is When it comes down to it, everything returns to
also made (Titanomachy p. 142). Each time either Chaos. The Void is eternal, ever present and waiting
the God or their companions are in direct association for the end. By focusing on a Relic, a God of Chaos
with incidents caused by their Butterfly Effect or may change it so that they themselves can use it for a
perform actions that would lead to the ultimate goal short period without any ill side effects. A God may
of the Butterfly Effect, they add a die to the Collateral choose to perform one of the below actions when
pool. Once the Collateral pool reaches up to 10 dice, using Reworked Relic:
the individual who added the final die rolls all 10
dice. The Storyguide then chooses any of the follow- • Change any current tags to new tags. The
ing Stunts, based on number of successes rolled. God cannot add additional tags when using
this.
Echo (3 success): Alter the Field with an aspect of
the rolling player’s Purviews. A building might sprout • Change the item’s Purview.
flowers, a road could turn into a river, trees could • Change the item type, but not its fundamental
become metal sculptures, and so on. These changes purpose. As an example, a sword can be
persist until the end of the scene. changed into a gun since it still remains
Harm (2 successes vs. trivial targets/any a weapon. However, a sword cannot be
successes over Defense): Either a major character changed into a pendant.
is hurt by an environmental disaster caused by the Creator Specific: Master Crafter: You may
characters’ actions or the power unleashed causes choose to make two changes instead of one at the
injury (or death) to any number of trivial bystanders. same cost.
Incite (2 successes): Onlookers turn against the
characters. The triggering character has +1 Difficulty
to social interactions for the rest of the session for each RISING CHAOS
time this Stunt is chosen, to a maximum of +3. Cost: Imbue 1+ Legend
Pin (2 successes vs. trivial targets/any suc- Duration: One scene
cesses over Defense): A massive piece of rubble
falls either on a major character in the scene, or on Subject: Variable
any number of trivial bystanders, trapping them until Range: Short
they break free or are rescued.
Action: Simple
Raze (Successes equal to Size): Destroy an
object established in the Field such as a building, a Mortals, Demigods, and even Gods have always
getaway car, an armored vehicle, etc. trodden a fine line between order and chaos. You can
tip them from that line and firmly to the side of disor-
Rift (5 successes): An aspect of an Overworld, der. Any Tier 1 characters in range will argue, riot,
Underworld, Terra Incognita, or other cosmological or frenzy based on Storyguide discretion. Any Tier
place associated with the rolling character appears, 2 characters suffer 2 Complication that if not bought
subsuming part of the Field and displacing its reality. off causes them to frenzy. Any Tier 3 characters must
Threats from this Otherworld may appear, if dramati- compare the amount of Legend points that the God
cally appropriate. Reality reasserts itself at the end of is imbuing against their own. If the amount of points
the scene. being imbued is more than the amount that the Tier 3
character possesses, then they also join the fray.

Purviews 189
 Subject: One character
DARKNESS Range: Short
KINSHIP WITH NIGHT
Action: Simple
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Your power turns dreams against dreamers, making
Duration: Condition their nightmares come to life. The target suffers
Subject: One character the Living Nightmare Condition, which causes an
intangible nightmare to appear within short range
Range: Medium of the target, and they suffer a +3 Complication to
Action: Simple all rolls from the distraction. Failure to buy off this
Complication results in the Living Nightmare moving
This blessing transforms your target into a creature one range band towards the target. If it enters into
of the night. This transformation may give the target close range, it will attack them using your Occult +
features akin to nocturnal animals or night- or Presence against the target’s Defense. Success inflicts
dark-dwelling Denizens, though just as often, they be- an Injury Condition that manifests as white hair or
come a living pall of darkness. When taking Intrigue internal injury without cause.
actions involving nocturnal animals or Denizens
associated with dreams, darkness, or night, the target The Living Nightmare is intangible and imperceptible
gains Enhancement 3 for the duration. Shadows to all but you and the target and appears as her worst
are drawn naturally to the target, offering the same fear from her nightmares, which may serve as a Clue
Enhancement to conceal themselves within shadows in Procedural scenes. To resolve the Condition, the
or to hide their identity. This Condition is resolved target must enter into close range and take a simple
when the sun’s light falls on the target. action to make an opposed Integrity + Cunning roll
against your Occult + Presence. Success overcomes
Liminal Specific: Night-Friend’s Blessing: This the nightmare with sheer will and disperses it for the
Boon confers upon its beneficiary a single use of a scene. Otherwise, the Condition fades at the end of
Miracle using the Darkness Purview, using one of your the scene.
Motifs. Doing so resolves the Condition.
Adversary Specific: I Am Your Nightmare:
The living nightmare appears as a duplicate of you.
NIGHTMARE MANIFEST You may speak through it to intimidate your enemy,
gaining +2 Enhancement to influence rolls against
Cost: Spend 1 Legend your target. This speech is not perceptible to anyone
Duration: Condition but you and your target.

190 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

SHADOW SPIES confer +2 Enhancement to an action once per scene
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend to their charge as a divine blessing. You may also use
their soul for other purposes, such as to complete a
Duration: Indefinite Milestone in crafting or as supporting characters in
Subject: Shadows Intrigue scenes.
Range: Long Judge Specific: Harrowing Test: You may speak
directly through your Eidolons to pass on divine warn-
Action: Simple ings. When sent to pass judgement over living targets,
You may compel the shadows to reveal the secrets you may imbue 1 Legend to possess your Eidolon for
of those they’ve seen. You must be able to perceive the scene, granting them access to your power.
a shadow to compel it to reveal its secrets. They will
always answer truthfully, but their understanding is
limited by their nature: A shadow cast by a torch or OPENING THE GATES
a light can identify basic information, while a lantern Cost: Spend 1 Legend
could describe the presence of two figures arguing,
but it doesn’t understand what they may have said. Duration: One scene
Shadows cast by people are more articulate, able Subject: Self
to understand and relate much about what they see.
These shadows have an Attitude of 3 towards you. Range: Medium
As long as you imbue Legend in this boon, the Action: Simple
shadow’s answers provide Enhancement 3 on any You may open the gates to the Underworlds to call
applicable rolls. forth the dead to do your bidding. You call forth the
Leader Specific: Lord of Shadows: You may dead from the ground or a nearby portal to the after-
animate a shadow to move separately from its master, life as walking corpses, wraiths, or in whatever form is
and it can even interact with the environment around culturally appropriate. They take the form of obedient
it. Treat an animate shadow as if it were a Follower undead Followers with the following tags: Heavy,
with a number of tags equal to (Legend/2, rounded Mob, and Tough. Treat them as if they possessed a
up). The animate shadow remains as long as Legend rating equal to your (Legend/2, rounded up). They
is imbued. You may only maintain a single instance of do the character’s bidding unquestioningly until they
this effect at any given time. return to the grave at the end of the scene.
Alternatively, you may Imbue 1 Legend to instead
call forth an individual to serve. You may select their
DEATH Archetype and grant them two additional tags. You
may not select the Group tag.
CLAIM SOUL
Tyrant Specific: Emperor of Death: An army
Cost: Spend 1 Legend of the dead rises to serve you instead. Imbue one
Duration: Instant Legend. You may grant your Followers the Mob tag,
and the raised dead persist indefinitely as long as
Subject: A dying character your Legend remains imbued.
Range: Long
Action: Simple ORPHIC REUNION
When someone dies in your presence, you may use Cost: Spend 1 Legend
this Boon to claim their soul before it proceeds to its
expected destination. Their soul appears before you Duration: One night
to pass your judgement. You may send them to an Subject: One character
Underworld of your choosing, describing the circum-
stances of their arrival and their relationship with their Range: Short
new home; transform them into an Ancestor; or you Action: Simple
may choose to transform them into an Eidolon (Scion:
Origin, p. 31) related to your Pantheon, dispatching For one night, you return a deceased character that
them to a Godsrealm. knew the target to their side. The deceased is tempo-
rarily drawn from whatever Underworld they inhabit
You may also charge an Eidolon with a task and instantaneously, if nothing prevents their departure.
dispatch them to the appropriate Otherworld to An opposing force prompts a Clash of Wills. They
accomplish it, such as guiding other Shades in the may enjoy each other’s company as if the deceased
Underworld, guarding a particular location, or were still alive; however, this Boon does not ensure
mentoring a young Scion. For the most part, Eidolons that the reunion will be a happy one. The deceased
are treated as independent Storyguide characters, character need not possess a positive Attitude to-
but as long as the Eidolon serves you, they may wards the target.

Purviews 191
 You may choose if trivial characters may perceive or true force being used against them. A base illusion im-
interact with the deceased. When the sun rises, the bues 1 Legend, but you may imbue your illusion with
deceased returns to their place of rest. up to 3 Legend to make it more realistic. With every
point spent, you increase the difficulty to see through
You can only use this Boon on the same target once the illusion by 1.
per session.
Those who wish to see through your illusion must make
Healer Specific: A Night’s Reprieve: You may an Integrity + Intellect roll (base Difficulty 3). If the
target this Boon at a small group of significant charac- illusion is seen through, then you gain 1 Momentum.
ters, equal to (your Legend/2, rounded up), and any
number of trivial characters, allowing you to return Creator Specific: Vision Made Flesh: When you
many for a night of shared celebration. imbue additional Legend to make the illusion harder
to detect, instead you transform it into something
temporarily real. Military troops become Followers
with a rating equal to your Creator dots, vehicles take
DECEPTION form and can be piloted, a pit in the ground becomes
DOPPELGANGER dangerous terrain, and so on.
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Duration: One scene PERFECT REPLICA
Subject: Self Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Range: Long Duration: One scene
Action: Simple Subject: Self
You can create an almost perfect replica of yourself or Range: Short
someone else with the same powers and abilities that Action: Simple
you have or the other person has. This Doppelganger
will act as you would act or the other person would You can become the exact facsimile of another mor-
act, though it cannot be in the same vicinity as you or tal, Hero, Demigod, or God. You seem exactly like
the other person. As soon as it comes within short or them in the way you look and talk, and you can even
medium range of you or the person it is replicating, mimic the appearance of their powers, if not the actu-
it dissipates. This Doppelganger will only be present al way they function. Anyone who tries to see through
for a short amount of time and will dissipate after a your disguise suffers a +4 Complication to their rolls to
scene or if it is Taken Out. When the Doppelganger is recognize who you actually are. If the Complication is
of someone else, then it is up to Storyguide discretion not bought off, you receive a +2 Enhancement to any
how the Doppelganger acts. Characters of the same social rolls against them. When attempting to copy
Tier or higher may recognize the Doppelganger for a God, they may attempt to resist you via a Clash
what it is with a Clash of Wills. of Wills. If they succeed against you, you receive
a Divine Wound. If you succeed, then you inflict a
Monster Specific: Gruesome Demise: You may Divine Wound on them in addition to copying them.
choose to end this effect early, instead detonating
the Doppelganger into an explosion of ichor and Adversary Specific: Lessons of the Self: While
illusory flesh. All characters within short range of the using this Boon to impersonate someone with the
Doppelganger immediately suffer an Injury. You may express goal of teaching them a lesson, increase the
also apply this effect whenever the Doppelganger Complication and Enhancement provided by this
would be Taken Out otherwise. Charm by 1 so long as they hold a negative Attitude
towards you. When this Boon resolves, you may ad-
just their Attitude towards you by 1 in either direction.
ILLUSION OF LIFE
Cost: Variable
Duration: One scene EARTH
Range: Long EARTHEN CREATION
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Action: Simple
Duration: One scene
You can create an illusory scene that covers up to
long range. This could be the illusion of approaching Subject: Earth
military troops or the illusion of a car or plane. It could Range: Short
even be the illusion of Gods coming in force or a pit in
the ground. This illusory scene looks, smells, and even Action: Simple
sounds like the real thing. Objects within it even have
some physicality and can be touched. However, these Earth can be strong as diamond or as moldable
illusions cannot cause actual harm or stand up to any as clay. You know how to use this to your best ad-
vantage. By concentrating on the earthen materials

192 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

around you, you can mold them to your will. This may and fissures. You’re able to use your mind to control
be an impromptu shield that breaks once one blow the flow of magma and bend it to your will. As soon
is blocked or an earthen throne to sit on. It can even as you activate Molten Earth, you can call magma
be an earthen spear to hurl at an enemy or a bridge from beneath the surface of the Earth and form it to
across a canyon. Whatever is created is destroyed your will. The magma will not harm you, and you can
once it’s used and is made from the earthen materials walk through it as easily as you would water. When
at hand. Items created can have up to 3 tags and using Molten Earth, you cause a Field Complication
receive a +1 Enhancement that matches the theme of (3) that affects anyone in the vicinity, other than your-
the item. self. Your enemies all take 1 Damage unless they buy
off the Complication each turn. Your allies are immune
Guardian Specific: Impasse: When you use this to this effect.
Boon, you may create walls of stone providing light or
heavy cover. Increase the number of Injuries the wall
can take by your Guardian dots. These walls may be
used to completely block ground-level movement,
requiring enemies to leap or soar over them.
EPIC DEXTERITY
ESCAPE ARTIST
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
EARTHEN TRANSFORMATION Duration: One scene
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Subject: Self
Duration: One scene
Action: Reflexive
Subject: Earth
You become utterly uncontainable to all mundane
Range: Short means, allowing you to slip out of any mundane
restraints — you can instantly and effortlessly escape
Action: Simple handcuffs, slip a grapple, or pick your way through a
Earth isn’t just dirt and rock. It’s also sand, metal, prison lock. Against supernatural restraint, including
and gems. You’re able to enforce your will on a holds from Scions and other Legendary beings, you
single material made of earth and can transform gain +3 Enhancement to any attempt to escape
it to another material made of earth. This could be through dexterity.
transforming steel into copper or glass into silver. You Trickster Specific: Substitute Detainee: When
can choose to turn mere rocks into gems to sell before you escape from another character while using this
they transform back (to the dismay of the person that Boon, spend one Momentum to swap places with
bought them). You can also change earth into gold another character in short range — so a cop’s partner
to allow it to be more conductive to electricity. The ends up in handcuffs instead of you, or the centaur
transformation does not last forever, however, and trying to pin you down ends up on top of their buddy
reverts back at the end of the scene. At Storyguide instead.
discretion, receive +1 Enhancement to any action
you’re attempting to enhance with the transformation.
As an example, you may be trying to break into a
safe made of steel. You decide to transform the lock of FASTER THAN THE EYE
the safe into sand, which turns it into a sandstone-like Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
material. The Storyguide gives you a +1 Enhancement
to busting into the safe. Duration: One scene
Destroyer Specific: All Is Rust: When you Subject: Self
use this Boon, you may instead weaken an object, Action: Reflexive
reducing its durability Scale by 1 and negating any
Enhancement an object would otherwise provide. You move faster than the human eye can process,
allowing you to take actions at up to Short range and
return to your “current” position in an instant. Attempts
to notice you doing so require either technological or
MOLTEN EARTH supernatural assistance, and even those suffer from a
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend +2 Complication preventing others from pinpointing
Duration: One scene exactly what you did and how you did it; without buy-
ing it off, all they can notice is a vaguely you-shaped
Subject: Action blur.
Range: Medium Monster Specific: Gone in a Blink: You may
use the speed from this Boon to hide behind anything
Action: Simple within short range without having to cross the interven-
Magma is the lifeblood of the Earth, flowing deep be- ing space.
neath its surface or bursting through between cracks

Purviews 193
 POCKETING THE MOON Complication that prevents them from inflicting Injury
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Conditions unless bought off. Magical weapons are
similarly damaged until repaired; significant characters
Duration: Indefinite can attempt to resist with a Clash of Wills for 1 Tension.
Subject: Self Guardian Specific: Blade Breaker: When you
Action: Reflexive defend another character with a complicate action,
this Boon affects the weapons of anyone you interfere
Upon successfully taking hold of an object, you may with as if they had attacked you.
activate this Boon to successfully hide it somewhere
either in the scene or on your person. This ignores up
to 3 points of Complication from an object’s bulk or TIRELESS EFFORTS
size and allows for impossible feats, such as packing a
sword into a handbag or smuggling a lion in a cat-car- Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
rier. Mundane efforts can’t locate the hidden object, Duration: Indefinite
and supernatural investigations suffer +2 Difficulty.
Subject: One character
Guardian Specific: Safehouse Vigil: Whenever
someone seeking the hidden object approaches within Range: Short
long range, you are instantly aware of their presence Action: Simple
and intention. You may project your senses to the scene
to observe the target for as long as they remain in You endow a character with divine vitality, allowing
range, although other details are vague and indistinct, them to ignore all Complications from hunger, thirst, or
such as the surrounding environment and passers-by. exhaustion. When used on a character who already
possesses these immunities, such as from Epic Stamina’s
Innate Power, they instead gain +3 Enhancement to any
extended action based on long hours, hard labor, or
EPIC STAMINA meticulous detail — it’s amazing what you can get done
HALE OF SPIRIT when you replace sleep with an IV of caffeinated ichor.
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Leader Specific: Crunch Time: You may use
this Boon to benefit a group under your direct
Duration: Indefinite leadership, allowing your subordinates to reduce all
Subject: Self or one character Complications from hunger, thirst, or exhaustion by 3.
Range: Short
Action: Simple EPIC STRENGTH
You endow a character with an overwhelming sense BREAKING BOUNDS
of wellbeing and energy. Attempts to shame, frighten,
depress, or otherwise dissuade them from their chosen Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
course of action suffer +2 Difficulty. If the character Duration: One scene
would benefit from one of their own positive Attitudes,
they may treat it as 1 higher. Subject: Self
Healer Specific: Heart to Heart: Whenever the Action: Reflexive
character sincerely shares their experiences, trauma, You may leap into the sky as a standard action, end-
or insecurities to connect with someone experiencing ing your turn suspended at least three range bands
a similar struggle, they ignore any Atmosphere that above your starting position. At the start of your next
might impede their attempt, piercing through the turn, you can plummet down to any point in the scene
miasma of guilt, scorn, or despair. as part of your movement action, either landing harm-
lessly or making a diving close combat attack with
+3 Enhancement. Outside of combat, you can easily
SKIN BLUNTS THE SWORD clear multiple stories in a single leap or spend a point
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend of Momentum to vault a skyscraper without harm.
Duration: Indefinite Warrior Specific: No Need for Wings: If you
make an attack against another character while in
Subject: Self midair, you may remain suspended there rather than
Clash: Stamina + Legend vs. Might + Legend falling back to the ground. On subsequent turns, you
may use your move action to “fly” in any direction, so
Action: Reflexive long as you end with another attack.
Your divine flesh wrecks any weapon that dares to GIFT OF LIFT
touch you. After a close combat attack against you,
mundane weapons automatically break. Bones break Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
and claws shatter; until healed, using them inflicts a +2 Duration: Indefinite

194 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Subject: Self or one character Creator Specific: Build It Bigger: You can use this
Boon on objects as well as characters. Simple mech-
Range: Short anisms grow to accommodate their increased Scale,
Action: Simple so a toy car can race like a dragster and a model
prop plane can fly, although both still suffer the +2
You can endow a character with tremendous strength, Complication to maneuverability; unless bought off,
granting them +3 Enhancement on Athletics rolls. they’ll take corners wide enough to flatten anything on
When undertaking these feats of strength, they may the curb or clip downtown buildings mid-flight.
also ignore any Complications from size or bulk,
allowing them to lift objects that might otherwise be
damaged by the effort — when they deign to pow-
er-squat an entire shack, it stays in one piece regard- GROUNDS FOR DISCUSSION
less of what gravity and engineering might prefer. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Creator Specific: Crew of One: The target can Duration: One scene
apply the benefits of this Boon to any action to create
or repair heavy objects or structures, allowing them to Action: Simple
do the work of several dozen people. You spread a spirit of possibility throughout the scene,
creating fertile grounds in which new ideas and
understandings can flourish. This changes the scene’s
STRONG OF HEART Atmosphere so that characters treat all their Attitudes as
one step closer to neutral — negative Attitudes rise and
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend positive Attitudes fall by 1 each. At the end of the scene,
Duration: Indefinite these Attitudes return to normal, but any shifts made
during the encounter are further increased by 1: If you
Subject: One character convince Òshun to give humans one last chance before
Range: Short she cuts them off from childbirth again, your arguments
reach a little deeper than they might have otherwise.
Action: Reflexive
You draw out a character’s inner strength, fortifying
their courage and integrity. Attempts to intimidate, IN VINO VERITAS
frighten, or dissuade them suffer +3 difficulty. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Leader Specific: Goliath Falls: Once per scene, Duration: One scene
the target can gain +1 strength Scale on a roll to
attack a character whom they have witnessed harass, Subject: One character
bully, or injure someone weaker than them or +1 Range: Short
social Scale to attempts to intimidate the bully into
fleeing or making amends. Action: Simple
You surround yourself in a heady aroma of revelry
and abundance, an intoxicating presence that inspires
FERTILITY honesty (and pratfalls). Characters within medium
range (including you) suffer a +2 Complication to all
BIGGER PROBLEMS attempts to lie or mislead; unless bought off, charac-
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend ters let slip inconvenient and embarrassing truths in
their effort to keep their main lie going. A similar +2
Duration: One scene Complication applies to all rolls relying on balance;
Subject: One character anyone who fails to buy it off ends up causing a big
enough scene to end up as the center of attention.
Range: Short
Lover Specific: A Small Confession: Successful
Action: Simple Read Attitude actions against characters affected by
You cause a character to grow rapidly until they qual- this Boon automatically reveal whether or not they
ify for Scale 1 based on size, although their newer, have positive feelings about anyone else present in
bulkier form comes with a +2 Complication on any the scene, and the nature of those feelings.
quick or precise actions, causing collateral damage or
leading to a clumsy result. When used on a character
who already qualifies for size-based Scale, they
instead expand to the very precipice of the next level FIRE
of Scale, granting them +2 Enhancement to actions FIRE MANIPULATION
that benefit from their size. In either case, their clothes Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
and other personal effects scale with them, and they
gain the benefits of soft armor (if they didn’t already Duration: One scene
have it). Subject: Action

Purviews 195
 path. It will automatically destroy any mortals within
its path. After it has consumed all enemies, the Living
LIVING FLAME Flame dissipates.
Initiative: 3 Monster or Primeval Specific: Fuel for the
Fire: Once per round, when the Living Flame success-
Primary Pool: 8 (Attacking at Close Range, fully consumes an enemy, regain 1 Legend.
Moving Swiftly, Embodied Flame)
Secondary Pool: 6 (Consuming Flammable
Material, Emitting Warmth) RAIN OF FIRE
Desperation: 3 Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Defense: 4 Clash: Occult + Legend vs. Survival + Legend
Health: 10 Duration: One scene
Flames Rising: Automatically destroy any Tier Subject: All characters in Medium Range
1 characters within melee range. Upon successful Range: Medium
attack against Tier 2 or higher characters, deal 2
damage instead of 1 against a target. Action: Simple
Your wrath is something that cannot by tempered. You
can call down a rain of fire from the heavens them-
Range: Medium selves upon those that are unworthy. All those in the
immediate area around you take 1 Injury and suffer +3
Action: Simple Complication to any action that they choose to take as
Fire is wild and untamed, but you’re able to tap into they try to avoid the flames. If the target fails to buy off
its nature to control the element. You can stop wildfires the Complication, they take another level of damage.
before they spread or cause a candle to light. You can Primeval Specific: Pyroclysmic Eruption:
even summon it to act as a barrier against others for Extend the effect of this Boon to the entire Field.
a short period of time. You cannot use it immediately
as a weapon against someone, but you can set things
ablaze or snuff out fires before they spread. When us-
ing Fire Manipulation, you can do one of the following: FORGE
• Create a weapon out of flame. It receives the BREACH THE WALL
Elemental (Fire) tag and +1 Enhancement
when used with a combat skill. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend

• Create a flame wall that provides heavy cover Duration: Indefinite

for your allies. Subject: One object
• Light or stop a fire completely. When lighting Range: Short
a fire, how it spreads is up to Storyguide
discretion. Action: Simple
Warrior Specific: Wreathed in Flame: When You can instantly spot the vulnerabilities in a structure,
you create a flame weapon with this Boon, increase granting you +3 Enhancement on attempts to breech
its Enhancement by 1 and apply the Piercing tag. You or destroy artificial barriers. You may grant this bonus
may also choose to create a suit of fiery armor which to other characters by pointing out vulnerabilities as a
has the Hard (3) and Resistant (Fire) tags. simple action. While acting under the auspices of this
Boon, your demolition ignores all Complications from
unintended collateral damage — pulling a load-bear-
ing beam might still bring down the roof, but you know
LIVING FLAME how to do it without any risk to yourself or your allies.
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Warrior Specific: Bunker Buster: When dam-
Duration: One scene aging an artificial structure or a large object (such
as a tank), you can purchase the Critical Stunt an
Subject: Action additional time.
Range: Short
Action: Simple
DURABLE FINISH
Special: This Boon is limited to Tier 4+ characters Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
You can summon a living flame that will do your Duration: Indefinite
bidding. This element of fire is terrifying to behold and
will consume any kindling — living or not — within its Subject: One object

196 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Range: Short roll other than a Clash of Wills, using the second result
even if it ends up worse than the first.
Action: Simple
Guardian Specific: Protective Amulet: You can
You render an object nigh-invincible. It can’t be indefinitely endow your fortune into an object, cre-
destroyed by any mundane means, and magical ating a charm. Whoever holds it gains the benefits of
attempts to damage it suffer +2 Difficulty. Even then, this Boon for as long as your Legend remains imbued.
enough will always remain so that it can be repaired.
Unbreakable objects used as cover provide the bene- Judge or Trickster Specific: Never Prosper:
fits of soft armor rather than hard. Characters attempting to cheat against you in a
game or contest must make a Clash of Wills with
Leader or Sage Specific: Lasting Lessons: Manipulation + Legend against your Cunning +
When you offer inspiration or tuition, it sticks with Legend, or else they automatically fail in a way that is
your audience for life. Characters can perfectly recall either ironic (for Judges) or humiliating (for Tricksters).
every detail of a speech you make (for Leader) or
a lesson you provide (for Sage). Characters who
choose to accept this truth increase the difficulty of
any attempt to change their mind about it by 2; at the DIRE WARNING
end of the story, this drops to 1. Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Duration: Condition
STORIED OBJECTS Subject: Self
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Clash: Intellect + Legend vs. Resolve + Legend
Duration: Indefinite Range: Medium
Subject: One object Action: Simple
Range: Short You announce how a course of action will inevitably
Action: Simple lead to your target’s downfall. This must be a specific,
voluntary action they could avoid — you can warn
You choose an object and get a sense of its history. someone away from visiting the Solstice Club or tell
Ask the Storyguide one of the following questions: them not to press their luck hunting the yeti. If they
ignore your warning, they suffer a Cursed Condition
• Who made this, and for what purpose? that inflicts a +1 Difficulty on any action that opposes
• What’s special, useful, or valuable about this? your warning. If they succeed despite the curse
— such as by battling their way to the club or suc-
• How has this object been used, and by cessfully bagging a yeti — the Condition metastasizes
whom? into a single act of terrible fortune. Fate visits one
If you follow through on the Storyguide’s answers, final calamity on them sometime after their victory,
you gain either Enhancement 3 on rolls to leverage transforming a successful roll into an ironic failure at
that information or Enhancement 1 on any roll to use the Storyguide’s discretion. This Condition can only
or repair the object. be resolved if the target truly abandons their course of
action or willingly seeks and accepts your advice. This
Hunter Specific: Free Returns: You can automat- Boon is free when used on trivial characters.
ically sense the direction and distance of the object’s
maker, owner, or user based on the question you Sage Specific: What I’d Do Is…: In addition to
asked the Storyguide. You ignore up to 3 points of warning someone away from a course of action, you
Complications from tracking them. may also provide an alternative strategy; when fol-
lowed, they ignore any problems from this Boon and
instead gain +2 Enhancement to enact your plan.
FORTUNE
CHARMED LIFE DESTINY DECLARED
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Duration: One scene Duration: Condition
Subject: Self Subject: Self
Action: Simple Clash: Intellect + Legend vs. Resolve + Legend
You become a bastion of good luck and automati- Range: Medium
cally get whatever result you want on games of pure Action: Simple
chance such as dice, roulette, and slot machines. In
contests of skill, this provides +3 Enhancement as the You tell a character what destiny has in store for them,
smallest of coincidences arrange themselves in your revealing an auspicious role that they could embrace
favor. Once per scene, you may reroll an opposed which would bring them into harmony with Fate. This is

Purviews 197
 usually an occupation or social role, like “the greatest Liminal Specific: Real Life: At the end of a scene
paramedic” or “the world’s best big sister.” When where your ice-beings helped you accomplish a
they undertake an action to fulfill that roll, they may significant task, you may grant them both freedom
reroll up to five failed dice per scene as Fate tips in and true life, transforming them into fully independent
their favor. This Condition ends if they willingly shirk Storyguide characters. When you next use this Boon,
their destined role or betray a closely associated you create entirely new automata.
value, such as a paramedic neglecting a patient due
to a petty grudge.
Sage Specific: Written On Your Face: When WHITEOUT
you cast someone in their auspicious role, it becomes Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
automatically obvious to anyone who meets them. This
increases the Attitudes of appropriate characters by 1 Duration: One scene
based on the role — siblings everywhere will feel more Subject: Self
comfortable around the world’s best big sister, after all.
Action: Simple
You draw winter’s storms around you like a cloak,
FROST wrapping your surroundings in cold, wind, and snow.
Characters within medium range of you are buffeted
FROZEN MOMENTS by driving, icy gales that inflict a +2 Complication
Cost: Spend 1 Legend when they move into or within the storm; failure to buy
it off knocks them prone. Ranged attacks on charac-
Duration: One task ters within the storm from outside it suffer +1 Difficulty.
Subject: Self You may forfeit your movement action while the storm
is active to direct it with greater precision and fury,
Action: Reflexive allowing your allies to ignore its effects and increasing
You bring time to a halt for just long enough to either the Complication or difficulty by 1, chosen at
undertake a single time-consuming rolled action, the start of your turn.
such as casing a scene without anyone knowing you Hunter Specific: Snow Cover: You may station
were there, changing a flat tire in the middle of a the storm at a point of your choice within long range,
shootout, or breaking the seal on a vault at a leisurely rather than centering it on yourself. If you do so, you
pace. While time is frozen, you can’t directly interact gain +2 Enhancement to attempts to conceal yourself
with other characters — you can’t attack someone or
extract the gun from their grip, but you could plant or ambush others from within the storm.
phony evidence in their pocket or sneak behind
them. After using this Boon, the character gains the
Timelagged Condition, which inflicts +1 Difficulty on
actions based on speed and reflexes until the end of
HEALTH
the scene. DIVINE INTERVENTION
Sage Specific: Time to Think: When used to per- Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
form a Procedural action, you gain +3 Enhancement Duration: One scene
to the roll.
Subject: Any targets in short range
Range: Short
LIVING ICE
Action: Simple
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Wounds, sickness, and old age are all temporary un-
Duration: One scene der your hands. For one scene, your eyes shine with
Subject: Self a divine light, and you can remove any sickness, dis-
ease, or wounds from as many characters as you can
Action: Simple touch. You may end any Condition or Complication
You can create and animate living beings of ice and affecting a target and may heal any lost Health on a
snow loyal to your wishes. Create up to a dozen of Storyguide character. If you instead focus all of your
these snowmen, who serve you as Heavy Followers might on only one target, you may remove 1 Divine
(Scion: Hero, p. 203) with the Group and Helpful Wound from that target.
tags, as well as one additional Tag chosen when you Healer or Sage Specific: Physician Heal
gain this Boon. When used in a cold environment Thyself: You may apply this Boon to yourself as well
(whether it’s the Canadian taiga or the back of a refrig- as others.
erated semitruck hauling venison), they gain one more
Tag of your choice. You may expand this Boon’s rep- RESURRECTION
ertoire by taking the Creatures or Followers Birthrights; Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
instead of gaining the usual benefits, you design a new
ice-being (or beings) that you can summon. Duration: Instant

198 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Subject: 1 character Tier 2 characters receive a Complication that they
need to overcome or suffer the disease and receive a
Range: Short −1 to their Stamina. Tier 3 characters may overcome
Action: Simple the disease by rolling Survival + Stamina (Difficulty
3) or suffer the disease and receive a −1 to their
Death is not eternal. It is something that can be Stamina.
temporary, as long as your healing touch does not
come too late. You may focus on a character other The virulence of the disease may also be increased by
than yourself that has been Taken Out for no longer any 2 successes above the basic difficulty. You may
than one scene in the same area that they died in choose to add any of the following:
and may rip them from the Underworld even if their God’s Death (2 successes): Increase the difficulty
body has been completely destroyed. The character by 1 for any Tier 3 characters. This may be purchased
is instantly restored fully back to life with no injuries or up to Difficulty 5.
Complications. Resurrection can only be done once
per session. Fatigue (2 successes): Add an extra Complication
to Tier 1, 2, and 3 characters. Unless the
Liminal or Healer Specific: Beats Back Death: Complication is bought off, the character suffers im-
Resurrection now may be done once per scene. mense fatigue and finds it difficult to perform complex
actions.
UNHOLY PLAGUE Deadly Plague (4 successes): Tier 1 characters
succumb to the plague and die unless they make a
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend successful roll of Survival + Stamina (difficulty 3).
Duration: 1 Act Tier 2 and Tier 3 characters take 1 damage if they
succumb to the disease.
Subject: City
Range: Long
Action: Simple JOURNEYS
Many don’t consider that the other side of health is EMERGENCY EXIT
pestilence. With your divine wrath, you can send a Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
plague to a city or town. The success of the plague is
determined by rolling Medicine + Intellect (Difficulty Duration: Indefinite
3). Tier 1 characters suffer the disease automatically. Subject: Self or one character

Purviews 199
 Action: Simple bearings first. Trivial characters are utterly lost and can’t
escape at all unless led by a Tier 2 or higher character.
When you activate this Boon, you become anchored This curse can be laid on a single building of any size
to your current location. At any point in the future, you or a discrete area of up to a few city blocks.
may spend an action to open a door, window, or
similar portal and cause it to lead back to the anchored Alternatively, you may curse a single character, in-
location, allowing people and objects through — al- flicting the +3 Complication on their attempts to reach
though only in one direction. The portal remains active a location of your choice. Significant characters can
until it’s either closed on one end (such as by shutting attempt to resist with a Clash of Wills. Against trivial
an enchanted door), you open a new portal to the an- characters, this is free.
chored location, or you withdraw your imbued Legend.
Judge Specific: Come No Further: You may use
Liminal Specific: Behind Other Doors: You this Boon’s second effect for free when targeting a sin-
can anchor up to your Liminal dots in total locations gle character who has been officially barred from the
at once, although each can only have one portal to target location, like a stalker kept away by a restraining
it open at the same time — if you’ve anchored your order or a malcontent removed from the premises.
Hong Kong loft, a night club nearby, and your secret
Senegalese hideout, you can open a portal to each
of them, but not two portals to the loft, for example.
MOON
LUNAR PALACE
SAFE TRAVELS Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Duration: Indefinite
Duration: Indefinite
Range: Short
Subject: Self or one character
Action: Simple
Action: Simple
There are times when you need a place to wait out
Your travels are marked by hospitality, and you can and hide. The Lunar Palace is perfect for just that. You
always find safety, comfort, and refuge within as little as have a house, estate, or palace that remains hidden
five minutes of searching — in Buenos Aires, an elderly from both mortal and immortal sight for the daylit
couple will invite you in from the rain; on the Russian hours and most of the moonlit hours. This acts as a
steppes, you’ll stumble upon fuel for a fire and a safe safe house where you can invite others for respite.
den of rock. Trivial characters can’t find you unless you When choosing Lunar Palace, you must pick a phase
want them to, and you gain +3 Enhancement to hide of the moon when your Lunar Palace is visible (such
from or fight off significant characters while hunkered as Gibbous, New Moon, or Full Moon). During that
down. If travelling with a group, this hospitality will ex- time, both mortal and immortals can see the Lunar
tend to other player characters, plus up to your Legend Palace.
in Storyguide characters.
Guardian Specific: Eternal Shelter: When you
Liminal Specific: Pomegranate Forager: While use this Boon you may instead make the Lunar Palace
in the Underworld, you and any characters who travel visible at all times, but only able to be accessed by
as part of your entourage ignore Complications from characters whom you grant permission. Enemies
the natural hazards of that dead realm — the food is cannot invade or infiltrate your palace without your
pure, the Styx’s water potable, and the ash-storms as express permission. Attempts to do so using flawless
easily wiped away as rain. effects provoke a Clash of Wills. On this roll, gain
your Guardian dots in Enhancement.

WRONG TURNS
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend MOON’S SHADOW
Cost: Variable
Duration: Indefinite
Duration: One scene
Subject: One character or location
Subject: 5 characters
Clash: Manipulation + Legend vs. Cunning + Legend
Range: Short
Range: Medium
Action: Simple
Action: Simple
The shadows of night and the light of the moon
Things get topsy-turvy as you twist the normal pattern of can transform what you see, making you believe
exit-and-entrance. When used on a location, this Boon something other than reality. With Moon’s Shadow,
turns it into a labyrinth where doors lead to the wrong you can change up to 5 characters to appear as
places, inflicting a +3 Complication to any attempts something other than they are. They still have to have
to navigate the space; if not bought off, characters the same general size and shape, but within those
bumble around for minutes or hours trying to get their

200 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

borders you can change how they look to others. In You see chaos and see how to make it structured once
order to see through this disguise, a character must more. You can take something seemingly disordered,
make an Intellect + Empathy roll (Difficulty 5). You such as a pile of bricks or twisted metal, and create
may raise the number of targets number up to 10 by something orderly, such as a bridge or a fence, in
spending extra Legend points, one for one. mere minutes. You are limited by the materials you
have in terms of what you create. However, your
Trickster Specific: Now You See Me: Reduce the creation is something that will endure as any structure
cost of concealing additional characters to 1 Legend of its type would under normal circumstances. Keep in
per 2 additional characters and extend the total num- mind that using Order from Disorder does not apply
ber of other characters that can be concealed to 11. to things like chemical, fission, or fusion reactions
(nuclear bombs, chemical bombs, etc.). For each
Legend you spend, the object becomes larger, up to a
PURIFICATION maximum of 4. 1 Legend results in a bus-sized object;
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend 2 Legend results in an object the size of a house; 3
Legend results in a skyscraper-sized object; 4 Legend
Duration: One scene results in an object the size of a city block.
Subject: 1 character The effect the object has depends on what it is. A wall
Range: Short may provide some cover, whereas a building may
provide complete cover. Similarly, creating something
Action: Simple like a sniper’s nest may give an Enhancement to any-
Within the World, there are supernatural forces at one firing from it. The ultimate effect is per Storyguide
work. They can affect how someone acts or feels or discretion.
can even turn someone’s motives into their own. You
can remove the mental influence of supernatural forces
simply by touch. When using Purification on a single PATTERN RECOGNITION
target, you can sever any magically-created attitudes Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
and social bonds, as well as any Complications or
Conditions based on social interactions or emotions. Clash: Empathy + Legend vs. Subterfuge + Legend
Duration: One scene
Range: Short
ORDER Action: Simple
MY WILL IS LAW
You are able to see the patterns that others would
Cost: Variable not, creating order from seemingly random actions.
Duration: One scene Whenever you are presented with a crime scene or
other evidence, you are able to extrapolate what
Subject: Other characters exactly happened and why it may have happened.
Range: Medium While this may make you the perfect detective, there
are times when you may be trying to parse apart the
Action: Simple actions of a more chaotic supernatural being. When
Your will dictates what is and is not law. Any Tier 1 that happens, you receive 1 free clue about what
characters who are part of order, including judges, their goals are. In order to learn more to try and catch
police forces, military, etc., will listen to whatever short up to the individual, you may roll Empathy + Legend
command you give and treat it as law as long as they against the opponent’s Subterfuge + Legend to see
are within hearing range. While following your will, if you can make sense of their seemingly chaotic
they receive a +1 Enhancement to any actions they actions.
take that falls in line with carrying out your orders. Any
Tier 3 characters may try to convince the Tier 1 charac-
ters to not follow your will by a Clash of Wills. PASSION
Judge Specific: Judgement Day: Gods with the IMPOTENCE
Judge Calling may affect Tier 2 characters with My
Will is Law. Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Duration: Condition
ORDER FROM DISORDER Subject: One character
Cost: Variable Range: Short
Duration: Indefinite Action: Simple
Range: Short You curse your target with impotence regarding
the object of their desire. They gain the Impotence
Action: Simple Condition, which inflicts +2 Complication to act

Purviews 201
 on their desire for a particular person, whether it’s complex action. While the target can be Taken Out
confessing their passion, taking action to fulfill it, or during the scene, they cannot be killed, as their passion
doing something on their behalf. Failure to buy off ensures they’ll survive until at least the next scene.
the Complication results in awkwardness and one of
the following results: the object of the target’s desire Warrior or Guardian Specific: Exalted
suffers −1 Attitude towards the target; the Atmosphere Champion: You may Imbue 2 Legend to change
of the Field becomes one step worse; the target suffers the Duration of this Boon to Indefinite. Your target be-
+2 Difficulty to a future roll involving this person. comes immortal, able to be Taken Out, but always re-
covering at the start of the next scene, no matter how
This Condition ends if the target risks serious personal grievous their injuries appear to be. Unfortunately,
consequences on behalf of the object of their desire, they gain the Vulnerability Antagonist Quality, suffer-
or if you release them from its effects. ing a cursed weakness of the Storyguide’s design.
Destroyer Specific: The Universe Doubts You:
The target cannot act on their passion at all, as self-doubt
becomes a lodestone and Fate itself seems to conspire
against their success. The target suffers +5 Difficulty to
PROSPERITY
any rolls that the Complication would apply to for the DIRTY MONEY
duration of the Condition in place of the Complication. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
This cannot raise the final Difficulty higher than 5.
Duration: Indefinite
Subject: One character
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE FERVOR Clash: Intellect + Legend vs. Resolve + Legend
Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Range: Medium
Duration: One scene
Action: Simple
Subject: One character
You curse a character’s fortunes with notoriety and
Range: Short suspicion, marking them as a cheat or crook. They
Action: Simple suffer a +3 Complication on any rolls based on their
finances, whether brokering deals, managing busi-
You inflict your target with a frenzied passion for ness operations, or blending in with the social mores
violence that puts them in harm’s way. For the scene, of the 1%. Unless bought off, these actions become
the target suffers a +2 Complication on all action-ad- hopelessly bogged down by legal complications
venture rolls. Failure to buy off the Complication leads or scandal, making every transaction a subject of
to one of the following: The target suffers an Injury public inquiry and social media discourse. The same
Condition resulting from an eager mistake; falls into Complication applies to anyone acting on their behalf
a vulnerable position, granting +1 Enhancement to in financial matters, making the target an albatross to
any enemies attempting to strike him until his next turn; their company and clique. This Boon is free when used
or is drawn into a trap, such as dangerous or difficult on trivial characters.
terrain.
Destroyer Specific: Market Crash: In addition
Trickster Specific: A Warrior’s Reward: You to attracting unwanted attention, Complications from
may curse a target with this Boon, changing its this Boon also dramatically increase the cost of doing
Duration to Condition. This Condition persists indefi- business, inflicting unexpected expenses that ensure
nitely unless resolved by death, suffering a near-death the target hemorrhages money with every transaction.
experience, or if you release it reflexively, typically
after the target has groveled or apologized for a
perceived slight. KNOWING THE PRICE
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
SUPREME DETERMINATION Duration: Indefinite
Cost: Spend 1 Legend Subject: Self
Duration: One scene Action: Reflexive
Subject: One character You automatically know when anyone in a scene
Range: Long pays off someone else, whether it’s in cash, goods,
or favors. Once per scene, ask the Storyguide one of
Action: Simple these questions about a present character:
You bless your target’s passion to fortify them against • What kind of debts does this character owe,
any obstacle. They gain one of the following benefits as and to whom?
long as they are acting in pursuit of the blessed passion:
an additional Bruised Condition, a +3 Enhancement • What would it cost for this character to do
to endure hardship, or an extra interval on a relevant what I’d like?

202 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

• What does this character want from me? You call forth a sudden and terrible hurricane to wreak
havoc against the world around you. Gale force winds,
If you act on the Storyguide’s answers, you gain +3 sheets of rain, and sudden flooding or choppy waters
Enhancement. affect the region around you (typically a large town
Judge Specific: Terms and Conditions: If you or a small city), but wherever you stand becomes the
reach an agreement with the character based on the eye of the storm, leaving that Field unaffected. Those in
Storyguide’s answers, the deal is bound by Fate. You adjacent Fields are less fortunate. All other Fields in the
know immediately if the other party acts in bad faith. region become difficult and dangerous terrain, inflicting
If they violate the agreement outright, they suffer a a +3 Complication to all physical actions or attempts
single 5-point Complication at the worst possible to traverse the environment while inside them. Failure
moment at the Storyguide’s discretion, inflicting social to buy off this Complication inflicts Injury Conditions,
disgrace, bodily harm, or financial ruin. While you as characters are injured by the raging weather, debris
can violate the agreement without undergoing a simi- from the destruction, or straining themselves to avoid it.
lar calamity, it frees them from their obligations. This causes massive damage in even a short scene,
flattening weaker structures, causing flooding, and
resulting in a significant death toll in regions poorly
MIDAS TOUCH prepared for hurricane events. Using this Boon adds
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend three dice to the Collateral pool.
Duration: Indefinite Primeval or Leader Specific: World-Ending
Storm: You may imbue an additional Legend to
Subject: One character extend the effects of this Boon to one day. This causes
Range: Short massive destruction on an even greater scale.
Action: Simple
You curse a character so that a touch of their hands CONCEALING CLOUDS
transforms objects into a precious material of your Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
choice. Gold’s the standard, but you could go with
silver, electrum, diamond — whatever, as long as it’s Duration: Indefinite
pretty, desirable, and not super useful on its own. This Subject: One Field
is a Condition that presents logistical challenges to
any action with their hands: Steering wheels lock into Range: Medium
place, phones become useless bricks, and food turns Action: Simple
to treasure with precious little nutritional value. This
transformation fades at the end of the scene, leaving You may bless a target location with Concealing
the object mostly unharmed. It’s a small relief that the Clouds that keep it out of sight and out of mind. The
Condition provides one Momentum when it signifi- clouds appear as a dense fog that hides the location
cantly inconveniences or endangers the cursed char- from sight, inflicting +2 Difficulty on attempts to per-
acter or someone they care about. You may choose ceive anything contained within the clouds. This can
a general condition that will resolve the Condition, be used to conceal a structure in fog, to fill the interior
such as when the target makes amends for a crime; of a cavern with obscuring mist, or to make a lake’s
otherwise, it lasts for as long as the Legend is imbued. surface impenetrable to the eye.
This Boon is free when used against trivial targets.
If created in the sky, the Concealing Clouds act much
Adversary Specific: Hands Off: When you lay like natural clouds, with one key difference: Those
this curse, you may name a character the target loves, who enter the Concealing Cloud find its interior to be
forbidding them from touching. If they do, the character tangible. As a floating structure of solid cloud-stuff,
suffers a level of damage as their flesh is partially trans- the Concealing Cloud is the size of a small home and
muted into precious material. Unlike for objects, this can serve as a safehouse in the sky, provided you
transformation doesn’t reverse until the curse is lifted; if don’t mind furnishing it.
the character dies, they are transformed forevermore.
Monster or Sage Specific: Flying Cloud Palace
(or Lair): Your concealing cloud is a larger palace
or lair, decorated in fineries made of cloud-stuff. You
SKY may move it slowly through the air without following
natural wind currents to arrive at whatever destination
CATACLYSMIC HURRICANE you please.
Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Duration: One scene
LIFE-GIVING RAINS
Subject: One Field Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Range: Short Duration: One scene
Action: Simple Subject: One region

Purviews 203
 Range: Medium bolster, or draw upon that relationship suffers a +3
Complication, as Fate conspires to separate family,
Action: Simple lovers, and business partners alike, calling them off
You order the heavens to release their bounty, causing to unexpected emergencies or twisting their words to
a life-giving rainfall to fill the region. These rains create a seed of doubt. You needn’t know the exact
inspire tranquility and healing in the region, improving details of a relationship when cursing it, only that it
Atmosphere by 1 for all people caught in the rain. exists — “Steve and whoever he’s dating” works, as
Anyone caught in the rain gains +2 Enhancement to does “Steve and whoever’s paying for his new car.”
influence rolls to encourage others to set aside their Against trivial characters, this Boon is free.
tasks and enjoy the feeling of the rain on their skin. Lover Specific: Tying the Red String: When used on
The rainwater resulting from this downpour is always a character’s romantic relationships, you may bless them
potable and refreshing to drink. A single use of this instead, granting +2 Enhancement on any action where
Boon provides enough water to bring temporary the couple work together and support one another.
relief to a drought-plagued town. It also stimulates the
growth of plant life in the region; farmers will see a
larger yield from fields watered in the sacred rain. OCCLUDED SKIES
Healer or Creator Specific: Healing Waters: Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
The sacred rains heal the injuries of anyone bathed in
them. Bathing an injured patient in the waters provides Duration: Indefinite
+2 Enhancement to treat their injuries. Others suffering Subject: One target
persistent medical conditions such as cancer or other
diseases may have a miraculous recovery after bath- Action: Simple
ing in the waters at Storyguide’s discretion. You obscure a character, object, or location from
scrying and divination. You automatically sense when
STARS someone attempts to magically detect something
about the target and can return vague, contradictory,
AS YOU WISH or deceptive results, although you don’t know exactly
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend whom you’re deceiving. Characters with a Legend
Duration: Indefinite higher than your own can attempt to break through
this Boon with a Clash of Wills. To obscure a location,
Subject: One target it must be a discrete area that’s recognized as a single
location, such as “this plaza” or “the dying mall on
Action: Simple the other side of town.”
While under the auspices of this Boon, you can listen Sage Specific: Hidden By Heaven: The subject
to the wishes of anyone around you, intuiting their you obscure becomes difficult to detect even with
innermost desires. Whenever you take a Read Attitude mundane senses. Attempts to locate the subject or
action (Scion: Origin, p. 79), you intuit one of the evidence about it, even through mundane surveillance
character’s fondest wishes — at least, one that you and detective work, suffer +2 Difficulty.
can reasonably do something about, given your time
and resources. You gain +2 Enhancement to attempts
to grant that wish, and the character’s Attitude
towards you improves by 1 for as long as you work
towards it in good faith.
SUN
CENTER OF THE GALAXY
Lover Specific: For You, I Move the Stars: You
gain the +2 Enhancement bonus to fulfill the wishes of Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
characters you love, even while this Boon is inactive. Duration: One scene
Subject: Self
CROSSED STARS Range: Short
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Action: Simple
Duration: Indefinite All planets and therefore all people rotate around the
Subject: One character sun. In social situations, this becomes all the more appar-
ent. There’s something about the sun that draws others
Clash: Cunning + Legend vs. Resolve + Legend toward it, whether for good or ill. You can choose to
become the center of attention in the room for one scene,
Range: Medium drawing others toward you and away from others.
Action: Simple Everyone other than yourself receives +4 Complication
for any social rolls that would draw others away from
You choose a character within medium range you. If they fail to buy off the Complication, they see you
and curse one of their relationships, dooming it in a favorable light, and you gain +1 Enhancement for
to mishap and peril. Any action taken to support, any social rolls against them.

204 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Adversary Specific: Flare in the Eyes: Characters Range: Long
who fail to buy off the Complication see you as an
irritant and a problem. Decrease their Attitude by 1 and Action: Simple
increase the Enhancement to social rolls by 1. You lay a curse upon the enemy force, leading
one-tenth of their soldiers to ruin. The Decimation
Condition causes all enemy combatants who com-
SOLAR REBIRTH prise the opposing army to suffer a +2 Complication
to their attacks. Failure to buy off the Complication
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend results in suffering a single Injury Condition. Against
Duration: One scene Mobs or Segments of enemies, each Condition should
be sufficient to injure or slay several soldiers. You may
Subject: Self decide that this appears to be natural, such as injury
Range: Short due to grievous damage inflicted by the enemy, or
explicitly supernatural, with soldiers spontaneously
Action: Simple dying from wounds that appear on their bodies with
When the sun sets, it always rises the next day. So no natural source.
too does a God who falls. When Taken Out, you This curse is demoralizing to any fighting force
can choose for your body to suddenly immolate and afflicted by it. Should the enemy fail to buy off the
turn to ash. With the rising of the sun during the next Complication twice, commanding officers may be re-
scene, your body reforms from the ashes and you are quired to make a Difficulty 4 Leadership + Composure
restored to full Health. roll to prevent their army from routing in the face of
Healer Specific: Life, Death, and Rebirth: heavy casualties.
You may apply this Boon to a character other than This Condition comes to an end after the enemy army
yourself. This persists until the character is Taken Out is routed or one-tenth of its soldiers have been slain.
or until the end of the session, whichever comes first.
Destroyer Specific: Salt in the Wound: Your
favored forces also gain +1 Enhancement on attacks
SUN’S GLORY against the opposing force, and they may also apply
this benefit to any rolls to keep from routing, as your
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend fellow warriors are emboldened by victory.
Duration: One scene
Subject: Self or one character GRAND ARMY INVOCATION
Range: Short Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Action: Simple Duration: Condition
The sun is yours to command. You can reach up and Subject: One army
pluck the sun from the sky to form a golden coronet
that you either wear or bestow on someone else. Range: Close
While you can only manifest one of these coronets at Action: Simple
a time, other Gods can also perform this ability. If you
remove this coronet before performing the Boon, then A great general is never without their favored
it immediately disintegrates. It cannot be removed by weapon. You can put a call out into the universe,
anyone other than yourself. either literally with your voice or through written
messages on pamphlets or social media, for able and
At a later time, you can choose to manifest the sun willing warriors to fight for a particular cause. Within
itself in miniature by activating the coronet. A small, moments the first of these fighters show up to support
blazing halo of light appears above the wearer’s you; treat them as Heavy Followers with the Group
head and protects the wearer from being targeted tag. At the start of the next scene, sufficient forces
by all ranged attacks. If an enemy tries to target the have rallied for your Followers to gain the Mob tag.
wearer at range, they must choose another target. The At this level, they become an army. Treat them as if
light also has the same potency as sunlight and will they possessed (Legend/2, rounded up) tags and an
impact supernatural creatures in the same way. After additional Bruised Condition.
the scene, the coronet floats upward and disappears.
The army is a miraculous one, able to be comprised of
veteran combatants and enthusiastic greenhorns, giv-
en the blessing of skill through your divine power. The
WAR Grand Army Condition lasts until the army completes
DECIMATION the task it was called together to accomplish or it has
been Taken Out in battle.
Cost: Spend 1 Legend
This Boon may also be used to fortify an existing army
Duration: Condition of Followers that possesses the Mob tag, granting
Subject: One enemy army three additional tags for the duration of the effect.

Purviews 205
 Guardian or Destroyer Specific: Fighting for OTHERWORLDLY REFLECTION
the Cause: As long as the cause the army has been Cost: Spend 1 Legend
brought forward for falls within the themes of your
Calling, they gain one additional Bruised Condition Duration: Instant
and two additional Maimed Injury Conditions. Subject: One character
Range: N/A
WARLORD MIEN Action: Simple
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Using a pool of water as a medium, you may observe
Duration: One scene the whereabouts of people known to you. In order
to target a subject with this Boon, you or one of your
Subject: Self Bandmates must have met them before and recognize
Range: Self them. Targets using scrying-defeating magic of an
equal or greater Tier than you provoke a Clash of Wills
Action: Simple when this Boon is used. If you have something signif-
You project the aura of a universal warrior, an unstop- icant to the subject, such as a treasured belonging,
pable God-general who breaks armies before you. strand of hair, drop of blood, or a deeply held secret,
This is a supernatural aura of terror that is most effective you automatically win this Clash of Wills if the target is
against enemy soldiers, granting you +3 Enhancement the same Tier. If you choose to destroy the item or forget
to intimidation or attempts to influence enemy warriors the secret, you automatically win this Clash of Wills
not to fight against you. Once per round, you may against a target up to one Tier greater than you.
reflexively roll to intimidate any character who sees On success, you may see their current activities and
you in battle. You may also influence your enemies watch them for up to a scene. This gives you a vision
remotely; any enemy combatants discussing you or of the subject and their immediate surroundings
your reputation as a general appear in a vision in your reflected in the water; you may sense things as if you
mind, allowing you to influence them second-hand. were physically present. These visions always provide
Leader or Tyrant Specific: Divine Defection: just enough context to gain +3 Enhancement on a
You may use the Enhancement granted by this Boon single roll to locate or confront the subject. You do not
on rolls to influence enemy soldiers to join your cause, need to have met one of your worshippers or follow-
persuading them to turn against their allies. They ers to use this Boon to perceive them.
ignore negative Attitude towards you resulting from Hunter Specific: Waters See All: You can view
the current conflict for these rolls. subjects without having met them prior to scrying them
with this Boon, but doing so reduces the Enhancement
WATER to +2 and the Storyguide may spend 2 Tension to
ANODYNE WATERS add a true, but misleading detail. This misleading
detail should never derail the observation, but it might
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend distract from the Scion’s pursuit.
Duration: One scene
Subject: One character TORRENTIAL CASCADE
Range: Short Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Action: Reflexive Duration: Instant
You may bless yourself or another with a beguiling Subject: One Field
watery mien. At your discretion, this may transform the
target in a minor cosmetic way, rendering them damp, Range: Medium
festooned with seaweed, transforming their hair into Action: Simple
a mane of flowing water, and so on. The target may
choose to focus on a single character, rendering them You call forth a massive wave of water from a nearby
transfixed and motionless. This functions as the Dread water source or the air itself to flood your enemies.
Gaze Flair (Scion: Origin, p. 149), save that it does Roll this as an attack using (highest Power Attribute)
not require a basic action to move. Maintaining this + Occult. It has the Bashing, Pushing, Ranged, and
effect is unrolled and can be part of a mixed action Shockwave tags. The water crashes into the ground
with an influence action. Influence against the trans- and floods the entire Field your enemies are standing
fixed character ignores negative Attitude. This is only in, creating water-logged difficult terrain. These flood-
effective against characters of equal Tier or lower to waters remain unless drained away.
you, regardless of the subject’s Tier. Primeval Specific: Flood the World: This Boon
Lover Specific: Siren of the Shores: The recipient causes a great flood that affects the entire region. This
of your blessing may increase positive Attitude in can level entire settlements, cause great loss of life,
the transfixed target by one. If Attitude is neutral or and turn a valley into a lake. Add three dice to the
already positive, increase by two. Collateral pool. If you choose, you may ensure that

206 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

no living beings are killed by the mass flooding. You NATURE’S DUE
can also designate a single Field in the region which Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
will remain miraculously unharmed.
Duration: One scene
Subject: Self
WILD Clash: Cunning + Legend vs. Resolve + Legend
ACCLIMATE Action: Simple
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Your touch is destructive to man-made objects, espe-
Duration: Indefinite cially mechanically or technologically complex ones.
As a Simple action, you can destroy a mundane,
Subject: Self and allies man-made object within short range, transforming it
Action: Simple into plant matter and dirt. Nontrivial characters can
contest this when used against their possessions with a
You transform yourself and your allies to suit your Clash of Wills.
environment — thick hide, warm fur, or whatever else
is needed. You can use this Boon to benefit yourself, Trickster Specific: Leaf It Behind: You can mark
other players’ characters, and up to your Legend in an object for later destruction, causing it to decom-
Storyguide characters, allowing them to ignore envi- pose at a point chosen by you either within the next
ronmental Complications from their current surround- day or when some condition is met, such as “reaching
ings: You might grant them the fortitude to survive the for the gun” or “if you try and follow me out of here.”
scalding heat of the Sahara or immunize them against If a condition isn’t met after a day, the magic fades
the radiation of Chernobyl. and the object is safe.
Hunter Specific: Adaptive Camouflage: You
and your companions gain +2 Enhancement on
attempts to conceal yourself and your tracks within the PREVIOUS BOONS
chosen environment. Calling specific effects can help to make Boons more
potent or flexible, synergizing with certain concepts and
allowing players a way to tailor a core power to more
GREEN FLESH
closely fit with their aesthetics. These special effects don’t
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend have to be limited to the Boons printed here: Players and
Duration: Indefinite Storyguides are encouraged to develop additional Calling
specific bonuses for the Purviews detailed in Scion: Hero.
Subject: Self
When designing your own Calling specific bonuses,
Action: Simple remember that they come in two major forms: boosts and
You transform your flesh into plant-stuff. You gain one twists. A boost increases a Boon’s effect or expands its
of the following benefits and may shift between them applicability, like letting Blinding Veil affect additional
as a simple action: senses. A twist is about letting you use a Boon in a different
• Thick Bark: Your skin becomes thick and way, creating new options such as allowing a character to
knotted, increasing your soft armor by 1. carry around a ghost from Unquiet Dead as a companion.
• Enchanting Blossom: You gain +2 ARTISTRY
Enhancement on rolls based on allure or
distraction. Enthralling Performance (Leader Specific: Stirring
Speech): In addition to drawing all attention to yourself,
• Natural Deterrent: You are covered in your performance shifts the scene’s Atmosphere by 1,
wickedly sharp needles, burning resin, or weakening an unfavorable vibe or creating a new mood of
some other defense. Characters touching you your choice suitable to your performance.
suffer a +2 Complication to grapple or restrain
you; those who fail to buy it off suffer a level BEASTS
of damage.
Tooth and Claw (Warrior Specific: Chimeric
In addition, you gain the ability to photosynthesize, Strike): You gain one additional form of attack, built with
replacing the need to eat so long as you have water Lethal and three other tags of its own. This attack can be
and sunlight. inspired by a different animal than the original Boon.
Healer Specific: Gift of the Green: You may use
this Boon to give one of its three benefits to another BEAUTY
character along with the ability to photosynthesize. Lasting Impression (Tyrant Specific: Steel
When used as part of treatment, this transformation Wrapped in Silk): Characters affected by this Boon
instantly stops all bleeding for the duration and grants can’t resolve its effects until they have done at least one
+1 Enhancement against toxins or infections.
inconvenient task they genuinely believe will please you.

Purviews 207
Trivial characters can’t resolve it at all while your Legend least one terrible Injury Condition, not just the young and
remains imbued and must attempt an act of obedience or the elderly. This usually takes the form of sudden illness,
devotion in any scene where they have the opportunity to inexplicable bleeding, or other mysterious ailments. This
interact with you. additional effect can’t be used on the same family again
until all members have either recovered or passed.
CHAOS
No Masters (Judge Specific: Barred from Office): FIRE
You may spend 1 Legend instead when using this Boon to Heaven’s Fire (Primeval Specific: Spreading Fire):
inflict its effects as a Persistent Condition, preventing the You may choose to spread your fiery attack over multiple
target from accumulating or benefiting from any kind of targets. If you do, you gain +3 Enhancement and then divide
authority. You must pronounce a clause that will resolve the the attack’s overall successes against any number of targets
curse — usually when the target has learned true humility, within short range of each other.
made substantial amends, or otherwise corrected whatever
hubris led them to infamy in the first place. FORGE
Reclaim from Ruin (Healer Specific: Swift
DARKNESS Recovery): You can make your first crafting roll
Blinding Veil (Trickster Specific: Smothered immediately, regardless of how long it would normally take
Senses): Targets lose an additional sense of your choice for to begin a repair project.
the duration.
FORTUNE
DEATH Nine Lives (Adversary Specific: Best Enemies): At
Unquiet Dead (Liminal Specific: Vessel for the the start of each session, you may decide who your best
Dead): While your Legend remains imbued, the ghost may enemy is; while under the protection of this Boon, your
travel with you as a guest and advisor, invisible to all others best enemy increases the cost of the Inflict Damage and
unless you choose to make them manifest. Unless they’re Critical Stunts against you by 1 each.
hostile to you, they serve as a 2-dot Follower with either
the Entourage or Consultant archetype and the Access tag, FROST
providing intel about one of their Paths in life. Cooler Heads (Judge Specific: Ice Cold
Consideration): When characters affected by this Boon
DECEPTION next return to the chosen topic, they shift all relevant
Ephemera (Creator Specific: The Next Best Thing): Attitudes up to two points towards 0.
Your illusions are incredibly detailed and lifelike; even
characters attempting to physically interact with them HEALTH
must succeed at a Clash of Wills or else be compelled to Flawless Diagnosis (Healer Specific:
explain away any inconsistency — maybe they just imagined Comprehensive Exam): You may ask the Storyguide
that their hand went through that wall for a moment. an additional question, so long as it pertains to the same
subject.
EPIC DEXTERITY
The Falling Star (Guardian Specific: I’ll Be There): JOURNEYS
Once per round when using a complicate action to protect Here There Be Dragons (Hunter Specific: Hare in
a target, you may reflexively move one range band towards the Brambles): When pursuing the target of this Boon, you
them. gain +2 Enhancement to all rolls to overcome impediments
to your own movement and are never hindered by any
EPIC STAMINA inconvenience your curse visits on your quarry: Parades,
Adamant Body (Healer Specific: Herd Immunity): riots, and flooded rivers alike part around you.
Friendly characters within short range of you also benefit
from the Resistant armor tag against the chosen damage MOON
type. Phase Cloak (Monster or Hunter Specific: Ghost
Stalker): When using this Boon, you choose an additional
EPIC STRENGTH sense that it conceals you from, rendering you either
Heavy Lifter (Warrior Specific: Ten-Ton Hammer): inaudible, completely scent-free, or undetectable through
After lifting a heavy object, you may wield it as a melee heat.
weapon with no Complications, gaining the Pushing tag.
You choose whether its damage is Bashing or Lethal. ORDER
Divine Right (Leader or Tyrant Specific:
FERTILITY Undeniable Claim): When you use this Boon to declare
Favor of Nature (Destroyer Specific: Rot at the yourself sovereign, characters who wish to foment
Roots): When used to curse a family, all members suffer at rebellion against you must succeed at a Clash of Wills, with

208 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

their Resolve + Legend against your Presence + Legend, or
be rendered unable to speak out. Tyrants may choose to use
their Manipulation instead.
PANTHEON-SPECIFIC
PASSION PURVIEWS
Tugging at Heartstrings (Lover Specific: Love
Blazes Bright): When used to strengthen positive feelings,
SIGNATURE ILHM PURVIEW:
this Boon increases the relevant Attitude by +2 instead. MARZEH
The Ilhm are ancient; their memory is long, and
PROSPERITY their tables are burdened with offerings for their lineage.
Blessed Wealth (Creator Specific: Making Money): Through the marzeh — ritual feasts — the Ilhm and their
Once per session, you produce $100,000 worth of riches worshippers preserved and celebrated the memory of
rather than $10,000 when using this Boon. If you choose their countless generations. By these rites, they built and
to manifest it as a single objet d’art, such as a diamond- strengthened a sense of community and continuity which
encrusted gaming laptop or a solid platinum statue, you continues into the modern day. Their Scions can draw
gain +2 Enhancement to bargain with it, provoking fits of strength from similar rituals through the Marzeh Purview,
deep avarice in all who behold it. which allows them to both sense the ties of legacy and
sanctify them with communal feasts.
SKY Pantheon Motif: Through food, song, and community,
Flight (Guardian Specific: Rise Up, Together): The the Gods may be invited to work miracles.
benefits of this Boon extend to other friendly characters
within short range. They must end their turns within short Innate Power: Once per scene, when you share food,
range of you or begin to fall as normal. drink, or some other moment of quiet or respite with a
character, you may ask one of the following:
STARS • What can I do to understand you better?
Starry Path (Liminal Specific: Light in the Dark): • What here do you care about, and why?
You can use Starry Path to travel to an Underworld, but the
Storyguide chooses where you appear. This is never a place • How are you connected to [a particular community],
of immediate danger, but it’s always somewhere dramatically and what does it mean to you?
interesting, presenting challenges, opportunities, or both. This connection adds two dice to a Bond pool with that
character. If no Bond currently exists, they instead gain one
WAR for the remainder of the session — usually camaraderie or
Herald of Victory (Warrior Specific: The Decisive friendship, but the characters’ players have final say. This
Blow): Once per scene, when a character from your favored power can be used on other player characters only with
side makes a successful attack, you may grant them the that player’s consent.
ability to purchase the Critical stunt an additional time.
ROLL OF LINEAGE
If this attack is against the other side’s leader, the cost to
purchase this additional stunt is reduced by 1. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Duration: Indefinite
WATER
Subject: Self
Reborn in the Depths (Monster Specific: From
Beneath the Sea): When you emerge from the water after Clash of Wills: Cunning + Legend vs. Manipulation
using this Boon to heal yourself, you may do so with a + Legend
strange aquatic feature meant to adapt you against future Action: Simple
danger, such as thick scales or rubbery skin that resists
electricity. This grants you the Resistant tag against a You can recognize whether a character is related to
damage type of your choice. You may choose to shed this
another whom you have met, whether by a blood
lineage or a social legacy such as mentorship,
adaptation any time you submerge yourself in water. shared membership in an organization, or found
WILD family. When leveraging this sense, you gain +3
Enhancement to investigate leads, establish relation-
Overgrowth (Primeval Specific: Green Maelstrom): ships, and perform similar Procedural actions that
You may move your zone of overgrowth by one range band benefit from intuition about social connections and
as a reflexive action, or two as a simple action. While the obligations. Characters of your Tier or higher may
area it leaves is still choked with vegetation that makes it conceal their lineages from you with magic, provoking
difficult terrain, you can no longer direct the plants within a Clash of Wills with Manipulation + Legend against
that region or benefit from terrain features. your Cunning + Legend.

Pantheon-Specific Perviews 209

 Unlike other Pantheon Signature Purviews, Yidam
grants only a single Boon which may be purchased multiple
The problem with Mr. Demiere is that he was exactly as
times. A Scion may learn Become Manifest twice as a Hero,
smart as he thought he was. Elissa and her Band had
nothing on him — no hard evidence to connect him with once more as a Demigod, and a fourth and final time as a
the stolen idol, no motive beyond money and power, God.
which he already had in abundance. He had an annoy- Pantheon Motif: Through contemplation, discipline,
ingly good poker face, too: concerned but distant, with and an unencumbered mind, miracles may reveal a deeper
just the right amount of confusion about why anyone truth.
would ever be asking him specifically about this.
Innate Power: You radiate a sense of deliberation
“Come on,” Elissa said, and they made their exit as and mindfulness that others find soothing, allowing you to
gracefully as they could manage. They all knew he was
ignore up to 3 points of Complications from grudges, enmity,
sitting there, smiling at his victory. He was too skilled at
these games for them to pin him down, but she recog- and misconceptions when influencing a character. When
nized something familiar about how he sat, and a little you leverage this to help a nontrivial character address a
gesture he made with his thumbs. She’d seen it a few negative pattern of thinking, such as possessiveness or a
days ago from the girl on Nebuchadnezzar Street. Not desire for petty vengeance, gain 1 Momentum.
a daughter, Elissa thought. An apprentice. BECOME MANIFEST
“We can’t catch the cat, but we can definitely catch the Cost: Spend 1 Legend
kitten.”
Duration: One scene
Subject: Self
SHARED BANQUET
Action: Simple
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
You perfectly embody your tutelary deity, transform-
Duration: Indefinite ing your flesh into a reflection of their enlightened
Subject: One meal form. When you first gain this Boon, select three
attainments and one devotion, which define
Action: Simple the nature of your yidam-form and the restrictions
You sanctify a shared meal with the spirit of commu- you must obey when invoking it. You may select this
nity and kinship. Anyone who freely partakes of it Boon additional times, gaining two attainments and
can sense if another guest is harmed, distressed, or in one devotion for each purchase. If you violate your
danger, and the general nature of the related trouble. devotions, this Boon automatically ends and can’t be
Players can spend 1 Momentum for their character used for the rest of the scene. The Storyguide should
to arrive in time to intervene with that situation, inform you beforehand if you are about to violate
regardless of distance, barriers, and other obstacles. one of your devotions — to do so is a mistake on the
When guests undertake teamwork, the maximum character’s part and an active choice on the player’s.
Enhancement bonus increases to 5. Once per session,
you may use this Boon without imbuing Legend;
guests retain its benefits until their next meal. Attainments
Giant Size: You gain 1 size Scale. You may purchase

SIGNATURE P LAS this attainment multiple times; each additional purchase

increases the Scale by 1. You suffer a Complication equal to
PURVIEW: YIDAM half the total Scale granted by these attainments, rounded
For the faithful of the Pālas, the yidam is a tutelary up, to any action that depends on the fine manipulation
deity with whom one forms a personal connection through of objects smaller than yourself; unless bought off, your
meditation. Through contemplation, an aspirant seeks to actions are slower or clumsier than intended. Clothing
understand and emulate their yidam’s enlightened mind and similar personal effects are replaced with ceremonial
— and through that understanding, they may be made equivalents of appropriate size.
enlightened themselves. This is an internal transformation, Burning Presence: You are surrounded by a nimbus
shaping the mind and soul in the image of their personal of holy fire. Characters within short range suffer +2
deity. Complication on attempts to attack, restrain, or deceive
Scions can make this transformation slightly more you; if not bought off, they catch fire and must extinguish
literal. For them, the Yidam Purview offers the ability to themselves or else suffer an Injury Condition on their next
take on a truly divine form: mighty, vast, and probably turn.
on fire. The Pālas have had to gently remind more than Fearsome Mien: You take on a supernaturally wrathful
one Scion that this final boss form is for strictly Buddhist appearance. You gain +2 Enhancement to intimidate others
purposes. and increase the difficulty of attempts to intimidate you in
return by 1.

210 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

 Many-Armed: You grow additional arms which Pantheon Motif: Through ecstatic communion with
provide +2 Enhancement to physical actions that benefit the numinous powers that dwell inside the natural world,
from coordination, leverage, or multi-tasking. miracles may be unleashed.
Many-Headed: You have at least one additional head, Innate Power: You are keenly attuned to the flow
granting you the ability to see in 360 degrees. You gain +2 of miraculous energy in the world, including an intuitive
Enhancement to rolls based on perception and computation understanding of the names and titles of the numinous
and can’t be ambushed by beings of a lower Tier. powers with whom you interact. Once per scene, you may
Vehicle: You are borne upon a sacred vessel, such as ask one of the following questions about a God, Scion,
an enormous lotus or a flying chariot drawn by enormous spirit, or other Legend-based character in the scene;
peacocks. You gain the ability to fly, although you can’t rush if you leverage the Storyguide’s answers, you gain +3
or disengage while doing so. Enhancement.
• What is your true rank, title, and nature?
Devotions
• What price would I have to pay for your assistance?
Gentle: You can’t initiate violence and can only fight to
defend yourself and others from aggressors. • Which of your powers should I most be aware of,
right now?
Honest: You can’t lie or deceive others with the
intention of manipulating them or profiting from the deceit. FORM FOLLOWS SPIRIT
Gracious: You can’t insult, slander, or gossip about
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
others, or otherwise speak in malice. Duration: One project
Disciplined: You can’t act out of hate, anger, or Subject: Self
otherwise submit to impulsive action. Action: Simple
You introduce yourself to the raw materials arrayed
Kalsang frowned. Things had a way of spiraling out before you and ask them to reveal their names and
of control, didn’t they? A pair of titanspawn tigers on natures to you in return so that you may help their
the loose, and his Band was scattered from here to material form match their numinous truth. When
Barcelona. The cats had finally managed to catch him in undertaking a crafting project using natural materials,
a pincer, and now they were circling him, mouths open. you reduce any Complications based on materials
Clearing his mind of his thoughts — which were primarily by 3. You may choose to extend a project by an
about teeth — he thought only of Green Tārā. additional Milestone; if you do, the object carries an
additional minor magical benefit similar to a Tier 2
The tigers leapt, moving like liquid slaughter, but rather project: A house might help protect its inhabitants from
than tearing the Scion in half between them, they landed illness, while a drum’s sound might carry for miles, but
on a large, fleshy island. One tiger dug at it absently, only to the drummer’s kin.
dumbfounded. Where had their prey gone? Where
were they now? The other was quicker on the uptake,
and gazed up at Kalsang, whose towering form now
scraped the clouds. The young Pāla closed his fingers IMBUE IDOL
around the tigers, making a cage of his fist. Cost: Free
He had the problem well in-hand. Duration: Indefinite
Subject: One object
Action: Complex
SIGNATURE ZEM PURVIEW:
BEHIQUE By carving, marking, or otherwise refashioning an
object, you can transform it into an idol, endowing
The behique are the shamans and medicine people it with numinous power. This allows you to store a
of the Zemí, able to intervene with the numinous powers marvel within the idol, using the Zemí Motif and the
that inhabit the World and to commune with the Zemí Fertility, Health, Water, or Sky Purview. Once creat-
themselves. They do so through the ritual consumption of ed, any character may activate the idol as a simple
cohoba. The behique also work with special idols called action, although you may require a password or other
cemí which serve as vessels for divine energies and can security feature, at your discretion. If the stored marvel
be made from stone, clay, wood, shell, or fiber. These idols
would normally require imbued Legend, it lasts until
the end of the scene. You can imbue only one idol at
come in many shapes, but the most common are three- a time. You may spend 1 Momentum to retroactively
pointed sculptures. Through the Behique Purview, a Scion change the marvel imbued into the idol, announcing
develops their own relationship with the Zemí, learning to how you anticipated your current need. Invoking an
sense their presence in the world and draw strength from idol doesn’t count against the usual once-per-scene
their carved idols. limit for marvels.

Pantheon-Specific Perviews 211

 When the marvel ends, the idol retains a fraction of You call out for guidance from the ancestors, pro-
the power endowed in it. These idols are conduits to claiming your willingness to learn whatever it is they
the Zemí and minor spirits in their own right, serving as have to teach you. One of these spirits answers your
Storyguide characters. They usually seek to form part- call, charging you with a special Long-term Deed
nerships with mortals and Scions who can help their related to what it wishes to teach you. If you accept,
Legend grow and flourish; their powers are minor and the spirit serves you as a three-dot Guide for the
left to the Storyguide’s discretion. remainder of the arc. Players are free to adapt an
existing Guide for use with this Boon or to create one
of their own design.
“You’re exhausted,” the fire elemental said, her voice If you achieve the Deed in a moment of drama,
smoldering and smug. “I can smell it, Scion. You’ve heroism, or sacrifice, you regain one point of Legend,
wrung the last drop of ichor from your veins.” and the next ancestor you summon will appear as a
It was true. Sofia was tapped. All around her, fire was four-dot Guide instead. Failing a Deed has no con-
spreading. She could already feel the heat starting to sequence — save proving that you still have more to
cook her skin, and soon the whole forest would be lost learn — but purposefully betraying or abandoning it
to it. It was a fight to do something as simple as reach altogether prevents you from using the Boon until you
into her pocket, but she grimaced through the pain and find a way to return to the favor of your ancestors.
found what she was looking for: a triangular shape
carved from limestone just this morning over breakfast. It
was a single mote of cool in a world of flame. GUARDIAN’S VIGIL
When she drew it out and held it up to the night, the rain Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
began — a few drops at first, and then a torrent that
would douse the fire and the creature that had set it. Duration: Indefinite
Sofia slipped down on her back, smiling up at the storm. Subject: One character or place
She ran her thumb along the stone idol like a favorite
pet. Action: Simple
“When this is all over,” she croaked, “you shall have to You ask one of the ancestors to protect a person or
tell me your name.” place. When protecting a person, their charge gains
+3 Enhancement to detect ambushes, traps, and other
dangers. They also gain a special pool of four suc-
cesses per scene that can be spent on Dive to Cover
SIGNATURE BALAHALA and Roll Away stunts. When protecting a place, any
PURVIEW: PAGANITO attempts to infiltrate it suffer a +3 Complication as the
guardian spirits raise the alarm, giving those within
Although the Balahala and their Scions are mighty in a few seconds of forewarning. If the infiltrator fails
their own right, they still appreciate a little help from the to buy it off, everyone within long range becomes
benevolent ancestral spirits who protect their families and aware that something is amiss, and you know instantly
intercede in important and dangerous matters. Through regardless of distance. Ancestors can only be set to
this Purview, the Scion develops a rapport with their protect relatively small locations no bigger than a
ancestors, allowing them to draw on their stores of wisdom large apartment or small park.
and beseech them for guidance and help in times of trouble.
Pantheon Motif: Miraculous power comes from ritual Eduardo didn’t have time to explain to Remi what it was
communion with ancestors and the spirits of nature. like to be in a firefight. Remi was many things — a good
singer, a scrupulous accountant, and an almost dev-
Innate Power: Once per scene, you may request
astatingly thoughtful boyfriend. But he wasn’t a fighter,
help from your guardian spirits in fending off magic and and Eduardo knew how this was about to shake out.
miracles. This provides Enhancement 3 on a roll to resist a He brought the man in close; Remi thought it was to kiss
hostile supernatural effect, including a Clash of Wills. The him, but instead he whispered a name into Remi’s ear,
spirits may ask for a small favor in return, such as a simple feeling the little cold thrill of the ninunò as they took Remi
ritual or minor sacrifice; until you appease them, you can’t under their protection.
use this power again.
“When I say run, you run. And when you feel something
ANCESTRAL GUIDANCE pull at you, it means you’ve got to duck, okay? Follow
those feelings,” he said, and kissed his boyfriend when
Cost: Free Remi looked back at him blank and afraid. When the
Duration: One arc fight started, he could only spare him a single glance,
but it was enough to see Remi tugged into safety behind
Subject: Self a column by an unseen hand.
Action: Complex

212 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

 paranoid fugue. If they suspect the day is near (such
SIGNATURE K’UH PURVIEW: as their partner entering their final trimester, or the
TZOLK’IN approach of the summer solstice), this increases to +3.
The K’uh are not beholden to the vagaries of Fate On the foretold day, everything that can go wrong
because they know destiny is something to be measured, will. Fate arranges calamities great and small, from
calculated, and, with some skill, predicted. They are masters flooded basements to jammed elevators. The day
of astronomy and mathematics, skillfully observing the culminates in an immediate danger to the target or
motions of the stars and their 260-day Tzolk’in calendars
someone they care about, as if they were Imperiled
(Scion: Hero, p. 198).
to plot their next move. They know the burden of destiny
passes from God to God each day in an unending chain This Boon is free when used against trivial characters.
as the year progresses, noting which days are auspicious
AS WAS FORESEEN
and which hold peril. Understanding the Tzolk’in is key
to unlocking these secrets. These divinations take many Cost: Spend 1 Legend
forms depending on the personal preferences of the Scion, Duration: Instant
incorporating Maya calendars in painted books or mobile
Subject: Self
apps with additional aid from cast beans, obsidian mirrors,
or observation of the flight of birds. Action: Simple
The K’uh do not bend Fate so much as predict it, The K’uh are rarely surprised, for their deep plans are
carefully navigating its storms and eddies while advancing written in the substrate of the eons of the World. Upon
their objectives. As their games progress, the K’uh become activating this Boon, you may frame a single scene
masters of move and counter move, prompting their foes that happened in the past in response to a current op-
to take risks by acting at inauspicious moments, while
portunity or peril, allowing you to undertake a single
Intrigue or Procedural action meant to prepare you for
avoiding similar ploys themselves. Outsiders facing the
just this eventuality. These scenes must be plausible,
K’uh find this experience frustrating, if not maddening. and the Storyguide and other players may ask for
The K’uh always seem to be one step ahead, striking changes if it stretches their sense of immersion: You
them at their weakest moment with schemes that unfold might not have been able to sneak into a rival God’s
across years of preparation. The only certainty in fighting sanctum to disable an insidious trap, but you might
the K’uh is that the stars are always right — and seldom for have been able to interrogate a member of her inner
their enemies.
circle into revealing useful details.
Pantheon Motif: Curses and blessings flow from
careful divination and meticulous planning. Ix loved when her enemies and rivals leaned back
in their chairs. Today, Mr. Moreno even went so far
Innate Power: You are always prepared, with access
as to steeple his fingers, clearly delighting in his total
to almost any common or relatively inexpensive mundane control of the situation. Ix was alone and unarmed;
equipment you might need: A quick rummage through her Band believed she was back on campus studying,
your pockets can turn out anything from chalk to rope to not in some ratty basement on the wrong side of town
walkie talkies. At the beginning of each session, you can being stared down by a mob boss and his serpent-man
also name your current fixation — a topic or field of study bodyguard.
that’s taken your interest. Once per scene, you may apply
“Really, I’m surprised, verging on impressed. I never
your newfound knowledge to gain +2 Enhancement. thought I’d catch you without at least one of your little
friends. They’re so good with violence, and you? You’re
like their mascot.”
A DOLOROUS DAY
“Too cute to hurt?” Ix ventured, smiling.
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Mr. Moreno gave her a mean little grin and slid to his
Duration: Indefinite (until one very bad day) feet. He took a handgun from the desk, loading it as
Subject: One character casually as anyone else might pet a passing dog. He
finally took aim, and his smile waxed with hubris.
Action: Simple
“Any last words?”
You foretell a truly awful day in your target’s future,
when all their hopes will crumble. This can be an Ix scrunched up her nose in faux thought, then smiled.
actual date or a general description, such as “the day “Try paying your people better.”
your first child is born” or “sometime this summer,” so Mr. Moreno crumbled to the floor, the serpent-man
long as it can be roughly anticipated and is at least a cleaning a bit of blood from his baseball bat.
week away. Your target is filled with deep, existential
dread that robs them of any real sleep, inflicting a +2 “I didn’t hit him too hard, did I?”
Complication on any action requiring concentration
to avoid nodding off, jittery outbursts, or entering a

Pantheon-Specific Perviews 213

 • Which option will lead me to my goal?
ASHA (YAZATA) • Which option will lead to my goal most
FOUNDING KNOWLEDGE quickly?
Cost: Spend 1 Legend • Which option will be the most profitable?
Range: Short Regardless of the course of action you decide to take
Duration: One Episode afterward, you gain 2 Enhancement on all rolls made
in pursuit of your goal for the duration of the Boon.
Subject: One person If you stop to focus on anything else for more than a
Action: Simple scene, you lose the Enhancement.
Just as Ahura Mazda taught the first humans the fun-
damentals of civilization, so you can instantly impart
knowledge upon others. If used on a Storyguide DODAEM (MANITOU)
character without a full character sheet, the Boon WAR MEDICINE
adds one Skill of your choice to their Primary Pool
for the duration. If used on an ally with a character Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
sheet, it grants 2 dots in any Skill that they do not Duration: Scene
already possess. In addition, when the Boon ends,
a player character can choose to spend Experience Action: Reflexive
immediately to gain one dot in that Skill instead of You have prepared for battle by creating one of three
waiting until the end of the current arc. You cannot use medicine bundles that you carry on your person. By
Founding Knowledge on yourself. invoking the Manitou, you empower them to make
you stronger or protect you from your enemies.
Choose one of the following when you use the Boon:
CHEVAL/G N (LOA • Buffalo Medicine: Gain strength Scale
AND R SH ) equal to half your Legend for Athletics and
Close Combat rolls.
PATHS OF ÈSHÙ
• Blood Medicine: Gain a number of Bruised
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend Injury Levels equal to half your Legend and
Duration: Indefinite the Resistant (cutting weapons) tag.
Subject: Self • Sorcery Medicine: 3 Enhancement on
Clash of Wills rolls against supernatural
Action: Simple powers directed at you. If a power would not
You look into the future to gain a brief glimpse of the normally allow a Clash of Wills to avoid it,
many possible outcomes of a decision you intend to you can make one with Occult + Presence, but
make. You can present the Storyguide two approach- with no Enhancement.
es you are considering taking to achieve a Short-term
Deed and ask one of the following questions:
• Which option is less dangerous to me? DVOEVERIE (BOGOVI)
HIDDEN WORSHIP
Cost: None
CONDITION:
Range: Short
SATIRIZED Subject: Self
You suffer from any of a number of minor Action: Reflexive
physical irritations, such as hair loss, skin
rashes, body odor, weak teeth, and so on. Scions of the Bogovi have learned to sustain them-
Collectively, these cause one Bruised Injury selves without drawing unnecessary attention from
other Gods. Once per session, when an ally regains
level of damage that cannot be healed until Legend by performing a minor or major sacrifice, you
the Condition is resolved. regain a point as well.
In addition, you gain 2 Complication If you use this Boon while under the effect of the
on any attempts to lead, command, or Mnogoverie Boon (Scion: Demigod, p. 174), you
intimidate others, with failure to buy off the can turn it to a more aggressive use instead. Once per
Complication meaning that your efforts are session, when you are in a sacred place dedicated to
answered by open disrespect and quiet the Pantheon or Titan whose Virtue you are borrowing
attempts to subvert your intentions. through Mnogoverie, you can siphon some of its

214 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

power to regain a point of Legend immediately with- • 1 for every Bond you have with another Scion
out performing a sacrifice. (maximum 5); plus
• 1 for every Apprentice, Boon Companion,
Nemesis, Paramour, or Worshipper
GEASA (TUATHA D DANANN) Fatebinding of any strength (maximum 5); plus
BLISTERING SATIRE • 1 for every Cult, Follower, or Relic Birthright of
2 dots or more.
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
You lose any dice that you do not use or trade by the
Range: Short end of the scene.
Duration: Condition
Subject: One enemy
Action: Simple METAMORPHOSIS (THEOI)
Clash: Manipulation + Legend vs. Composure + CONSTELLATE
Legend Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
By naming a legitimate offense that the target has Duration: Indefinite
committed against you or a community and mocking Range: Close
them for it, you inflict both physical and social injury
upon them. They suffer the Satirized Condition, which Subject: One incapacitated ally
can only be resolved by making appropriate restitution
or through magical methods of removing Conditions. Action: Simple
The Theoi are known for transforming beloved mortals
into stars after death. This Boon allows a Scion not
to have to wait for a fatal occasion. By using it and
HEKU (NETJER) touching an ally of lower Tier who has been Taken Out,
ANIMATE EFFIGY you make them instantly vanish and appear as a new
constellation in the heavens. While constellated, they
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend are stabilized but do not heal naturally, although you
Duration: Indefinite can use Health marvels and Boons on them if you have
that Purview. If you have the Stars Purview, your first
Range: Close use of this Boon in a scene has no Legend cost. When
Action: Simple you end the Boon, the subject reappears in front of you.
By giving a model of an object, animal, or person
a name, you transform it into a full-sized servant. If
you use it on a model object, treat the effect as an NEMETON (NEMETONDEVOS)
Equipment marvel. If you use it with an animal or
person, you create a temporary Creature or Follower PURGING BATH
with dots equal to half your Legend (even if that Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
exceeds 5). Scions with the Beasts Purview add a free Duration: Scene
dot when animating Creatures. Those with the War
Purview add a free dot when animating Followers Subject: Self
with the Heavy archetype.
Action: Reflexive
Although the Nemetondevos often struggle to recall
the memories of their past incarnations, they also
MANA (ATUA) recognize that it is sometimes wiser to let the past go.
SEE ME AS I AM By submerging yourself in water for a scene, you strip
away several aspects of your identity. First, you can
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend remove all mortal records of your existence in the
Duration: Scene World or replace them with new ones that appear
completely mundane. Second, you can adopt a new
Subject: Self name; anyone who knows you will automatically know
Action: Simple to call you by that name and not the one attached to
your former identity. Third, you can change your gen-
By manifesting your mana through your Omen, you der as well as make minor alterations to your physical
are able to transform the authority of your relation- appearance, erasing distinguishing marks like tattoos
ships into raw power. You gain a pool of extra dice to or scars, changing your eye and hair colors, and
use on any action for the duration of the scene or that adjusting your height and weight. If you use this Boon
you can trade to increase the group Momentum pool in your nemeton, you can also resolve one Condition of
at a rate of 1 die per point of Momentum. The number your choice, including an Injury Condition.
of dice in the pool is:

Pantheon-Specific Perviews 215

 All of these effects remain after you reclaim your
imbued Legend, but you must keep it imbued for the QUT (TENGRI)
entire scene for the Purging Bath to work. Once you INTERROGATE SPIRIT
have used this Boon, you cannot use it again until you
complete a Long-term Deed. Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Range: Close
NEXTLAHUALLI (TE TL) Subject: One person
MASK OF DUALITY
Action: Simple
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
Your Qut is strong enough that harmful spirits must lis-
Duration: One session ten to you when you question them. When you look at
Subject: Self a person under the effect of one or more Conditions,
you see how many there are and their general nature
Action: Simple (i.e., the Condition name). You can ask the Storyguide
The Teōtl are accustomed to presenting radically dif- one of the following questions:
ferent aspects of themselves in the World, with the four • Which Condition is potentially the most dan-
Tezcatlipocas being the best example. With this Boon, gerous to this person?
you can temporarily replace the Purview inherited
from your divine parent or patron with another one • How can I remove this Condition?
that would be available to you. You gain access to the • Who caused this Condition?
new Purview’s innate power and the same number of
Boons as you had for the original one, but the orig- • Is the source of this Condition natural, magi-
inal’s innate power and Boons become temporarily cal, divine, or Titanic?
unavailable. You then gain 3 Enhancement to resolve the Condition
or locate its source, depending on the question you
asked. If the Condition requires the subject to perform
PACHAKUTIC (APU) an action themselves to resolve it, the Enhancement
applies to them instead.
WORLD REVOLUTION
Cost: None
Duration: Scene SHUIL (ANUNNA)
Subject: Self ORDAINED PURPOSE
Action: Simple Cost: Spend 1 Legend
Clash: Presence + Legend vs. Resolve + Legend Range: Short
Sometimes, the only way to bring about renewal is to Duration: One task
put an end to the current state of the World. Once per Subject: One person
session, you can deliver a short speech to encourage
those around you to defy their circumstances and Action: Simple
strive for a better future. Choose one of the following Long ago, Enki and Ninhursag wagered that they
results: could find a suitable role in society for any sort of
• Invoke an appropriate Title for a Feat of Scale person, regardless of disability or disadvantage. With
to lead or rally crowds at no Legend cost; this Boon, you designate a task that you want the
subject to complete. Although they are not compelled
• Raise or lower the Attitude of your audience to obey, so long as they are performing that task, they
by 1 toward a person, institution, or authority; ignore any Conditions (including Persistent ones and
• Add a positive Atmosphere 1 of your choice Injuries) that would impede its completion. Ordained
(e.g., hopeful, loyal, rebellious) to the Field Purpose does not resolve or otherwise remove the
you occupy; Condition in question, but merely makes it so that it
does not present an obstacle: Someone with a broken
• Remove a negative Atmosphere of any level leg could run at their full speed to deliver a message
from the Field you occupy. for you, but they could not stop along the way to take
If the source of a negative Atmosphere is a Legendary part in a dance competition.
being of your tier or higher, they can make a Clash of
Wills to block the effect of this Boon. If they do, you TIANMING (SH N)
cannot use it again in the same session, but gain a INNER BALANCE
Consolation.
Cost: None
Subject: Self

216 CHAPTER FIVE: PURVIEWS OF THE GODS

Action: Simple
Once per scene, when you have the Virtuous
YAOYOROZU-NO-KAMIGAMI
Condition, you can restore yourself to the midpoint of (KAMI)
the Virtue track by forcibly expelling the unbalanced TSUKUMOGAMI
element. If the Condition was brought on by the Yang
Virtue, it takes the form of a fiery explosion around Cost: Imbue 1 Legend
you with the Element (fire) and Shockwave tags, Duration: Scene
extending to short range and using Integrity + Resolve
for the attack roll. If it was caused by the Yin Virtue, it Range: Short
douses all fires in short range while healing a Bruised Action: Simple
and Injured Injury Level for everyone in the same area
with no roll required. You awaken the kami of small, ordinary objects
around you to chaotic, mischievous life in order to
bedevil your adversaries. It creates a Field Condition,
extending to short range from you in all directions,
WYRD ( SIR) in which objects animate to harass targets of your
RUNIC CHARM choice. Anyone affected by it suffers +1 Difficulty
on all actions due to distraction, while you and your
Cost: Imbue 1 Legend allies benefit from 1 teamwork Enhancement on physi-
Duration: Indefinite cal actions as the little kami lend their support.
Subject: One object The Boon requires at least some material to work with
and is most often used in cluttered spaces like houses
Action: Complex and city streets, but it can use clothing if nothing else
You inscribe one of your Legendary Titles on an ob- is available.
ject or stitch it into a piece of clothing, imbuing it with
some of your power. The charm’s user (who can be
you) can then invoke that Title as if they were you but
limited by their own Legend. Storyguide characters
Y G (DEV )
without a Legend score spend Tension instead if they TRANSFORMATIVE SIDDHI
are Antagonists or add to the Tension pool if they are Cost: Spend 1 Legend
allies. In either case, their effective Legend is equal to
their Tier. Duration: Scene
When you create the rune charm, choose one of these Subject: Self
results as well: Action: Simple
• User gains 2 Enhancement on Knack Skill rolls You become aware of the illusory nature of space,
for the Calling associated with the Title; allowing yourself to change your size and travel
• User gains 3 Enhancement on any one Skill of instantly from one place to another. While under the
your choosing; effect of the Boon, you can do any of the following as
simple actions:
• If used on a weapon and the Title is
associated with the Adversary, Destroyer, • Increase your base Size Scale by half your
Hunter, or Warrior Calling, the item gains the Legend, gaining additional Bruised Health
Aggravated tag. Levels equal to half the change in your Scale,
rounded up;
• If used on clothing or armor and the Title is
associated with the Guardian, Healer, or • Decrease your base Size Scale by half your
Lover Calling, the item gains the Resistant tag Legend, gaining Defense equal to the change
to a single source of damage. in your Scale and making you impossible to
see by beings of a lower Tier if your effective
Destroying the charm ends the Boon immediately. Scale is −2 or less;
Otherwise, its minimum duration is the remainder of
the current scene. • Instantly move to any location you can see
within long range.

Pantheon-Specific Perviews 217

 I know a double picture:
the world of senses and the world
of image. That is my strength,
my poetry, my secret. I have flown
over the stars and found no barrier,
only more stars, more worlds.
— Hilary Llewellyn-Williams, “The Art of Memory”

Several decades ago in the World, three senior mingle with the World. In addition, there are Overworlds
researchers from the Comparative Science department of that don’t fit any of these types, Realms that are wellsprings
Cambridge University delivered a paper on their findings of reality without any inhabitants, Realms of dead Gods,
after seventeen years of investigation into the true nature and similar places.
of the universe. While the paper itself was highly technical
in both its scientific and theological aspects, a journalist
covering the event summarized their conclusions as
GODSREALMS
arguing for a “three-story universe”: a divine Realm
above, the World in the middle, and a Realm of the dead
below. Their fellow scientists pushed back against the
G odsrealms are the Overworlds shaped and defined by
the presence of a Pantheon’s Gods, even if they did
not create them themselves. They may act as afterlives for
theory, calling it an over-simplification that reduced the devotees of the Pantheon as well, but their primary role is to
complexity of the universe to a rigid model, but for a time, be a home and sanctuary. In size, they appear to vary from
it still enjoyed some success as fodder for introductory cities to islands to worlds, and in fact they have no fixed
books on comparative science. Now, of course, advances dimensions at all: If a new God arises to join the Pantheon,
in research have demonstrated that the model is entirely there is never the risk that it will crowd any of the others,
insufficient, and the theory has been relegated to a since all of the existing structures will shift to remain exactly
curiosity in the history of science. It did not help that the as far apart as they were before the addition. Those that seem
three original researchers were transformed into an eagle, to have boundaries, like island Realms, are surrounded by
a wolf, and a serpent by unknown Gods. endless waters whose far shores no God has ever considered
Overworlds, like most of the mythic elements that trying to reach.
shape the World, defy tidy classification. For every Garö- While most Pantheons recognize that the World
Demánæ welcoming the souls of the just to an eternity has changed over the centuries, the architecture in
of harmonious song, there is a Takamagahara into which
no human may trespass. For every lapis lazuli throne like
those of the Anunna, there is a meadow like Iðavöllr where
the Æsir gather to meet. Some are the homes of Gods, some
AFTERLIVES IN THE
of Primordials, and some stand empty. MODERN WORLD
What most of have in common is that they are real Although some sacred texts may still claim
in a way that nothing in the World is real. The colors are that an afterlife is only open to warriors who
more vivid, the air is fresher, and every part of it down die in battle, to virgins, or to victims of ancient
to the smallest blade of grass is an image of perfection. illnesses, the Gods themselves have adapted
Mortals who see them in visions often describe them in to account for situations that the past either
terms of gold, silver, and precious gems, because they have overlooked or never imagined. People who
no other language to capture the experience. (Although, to would once have been consigned to bleak
be fair to these mystics, many Pantheons really do enjoy afterlives find themselves standing alongside
making buildings out of these materials.) Gods manifest in the heroes of long ago after death.
Overworlds in their most idealized forms, unconstrained
by the limits of Incarnation, and wield the full range of
Cynical observers may believe that it’s a
their power. Only the mightiest of Titans would dare
response by the Gods to the wider marketplace
confront them there, but victory is not impossible: the
of religions and an attempt to draw more
Asura Meghanada fought and captured Indra in the God’s
worshipers to their Cults, but the truth of the
own palace to earn himself the name Indrajit.
matter is that it was never the Gods who
neglected these people: It was the mortals who
For the purposes of Scion, Overworlds can be of calcified myths as texts and decided that some
three very general types: There are Godsrealms that voices were not worthy of inclusion. There have
are, unsurprisingly, where the Gods of a Pantheon dwell; always been other voices that preserved and
Primordial Realms that are both home and body of a remembered alternatives.
Primordial being; and Immanent Realms that exist in or

Godsrealms 219
Godsrealms reflects whatever period its inhabitants are there. When he is not away fighting Jötunn or on a fishing
most comfortable in, the age when they believe they were trip, Thor himself often works alongside them, so that
at the height of their power. They may not shun modern the entire region resembles a self-sustaining agricultural
amenities, especially if the population includes human commune more than anything else. Bilskirnir itself is
souls unprepared for a Bronze Age afterlife, but they gigantic, as befits a God of Thor’s status, but more rustic
usually keep them hidden behind traditional facades. As in its décor than other halls: Every table, every bench, and
with everything else, Godsrealms are stories that the Gods every tapestry has the small imperfections that are the
tell themselves about who they are, and appearances are sign of hand-crafted work, and while food and drink are as
important. abundant as they are elsewhere, they are the products of
ordinary labor instead of magic.
SGAR The other Æsir have similar homes and halls, all
The Æsir realized long ago that they get along best according to their preferences. Baldr’s home, shining
when they have some distance between them. Fortunately, Breiðablik, is a place of peace and beauty where he hosts
Ásgarð — a Realm that they settled as much as shaped — is his mother when she does not have the patience for one
large enough for all of the Gods to have lands and homes of Odin’s latest schemes. Skadi and Njörðr keep separate
of their own. As well as reducing the number of quarrels homes — her in her dead father’s mountaintop hall,
and giving Gods places to let their tempers cool when Þrymheimr, and him in Nóatún on the shores of Ásgarð’s
arguments run the risk of becoming feuds, their private encircling ocean — rarely visiting each other after their
houses also let them do two vital things: first, show off amicable divorce. All of these halls have a splendor of their
their wealth (even if it is meaningless in a Realm without own that matches the nature of their owners.
any real economy), and second, offer proper hospitality by
throwing lavish feasts for their guests. AXES MUNDI
Valhalla, with its roof of golden shields supported by Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, is the chief way in and out
rafters made from enormous spears, is both an afterlife for of Ásgarð. It is flanked by impassable mountains, atop one
half the dead who fall in battle and an occasional home to of which is Heimdall’s hall and watchpost, Himinbjörg,
Odin in a part of Ásgarð called Gladsheim. The All-Father from which he guards the entrance to the Realm and
roams the World too often to have any permanent presence decides who may and may not enter. It has no fixed location
there, but if a visitor sees a pair of ravens perched atop the in the World, but it is open to any Scion of the Æsir within
hall, they know he is somewhere within. The hall itself is sight of a rainbow.
enormous and never empty. When the warrior souls there, A second way to reach the Realm is one used only
the Einherjar, are not eating and drinking at the end of a by Thor, whose habit of bringing stormclouds with him
day of training for Ragnarök, many of them remain within wherever he goes makes crossing a rainbow difficult.
to clean the floors and wash the dishes from the previous Instead of Bifröst, he wades through a series of rivers that
night’s festivities. There are no servants in Odin’s hall; run through Þrúðheimr to enter the World, and he can
everyone, whether king, hero, or lowly foot soldier, must do return by crossing any river there. If the other Gods know
their part to maintain it. (For more on Valhalla, see Scion: this route, they do not use it.
Demigod, p. 180 and Realms of Magic & Mystery, p. 119.)
The other half of the battle-dead go to Freyja’s hall, HANAN PACHA
Sessrúmnir, built in the shape of a half-sunken ship in the Some Overworlds are the breath of the World and
field called Fólkvangr. While the hall is as large as Valhalla some are its model, but if Hanan Pacha can be compared
and its tables appear to stretch on forever through its length, to anything, it is both a royal court and a beating heart. It is
it does not have the same overwhelmingly martial aesthetic. from Hanan Pacha that the seasonal movement of the Sun
Where Valhalla’s benches are covered with coats of mail, is regulated, and through its motion, the circulation of life-
Sessrúmnir’s have furs. Where one is lit by shining swords, giving waters from the ocean that is Mama Cocha through
the other is filled with the soft glow of jewels. Enormous hidden paths to the springs and rivers of the mountains.
cats roam freely throughout, leaping onto tables at meal In the rainy season, it gathers strength every night by
times and dozing in beams of perpetually late-afternoon drinking up the abundance of water, and in the dry season,
sunlight at others. The luxuriousness of the interior should it expends that strength across the World. Power flows
not make visitors forget that its occupants are Einherjar from Hanan Pacha under careful supervision, channeled
as well and fully capable of a fight when the Lady of the and distributed as surely as the irrigating canals built by
hall calls upon them. (For more on Sessrúmnir, see Scion: the Inca long ago.
Demigod, p. 179 and Realms of Magic & Mystery, p. 117.) The Realm is, first and foremost, a place of authority.
Thor and Sif live together with their children in It is not an afterlife for anyone but Inca royalty and their
Bilskirnir, part of the thunder God’s own land of Þrúðheimr. modern descendants who can lay claim to being the heirs
Þrúðheimr, unlike many of the other Æsir’s domains, to the empire. When they die and climb to the celestial
resembles a vast working farm more than anything else, and court, they continue to enjoy all the luxuries that they
visitors can always see some of the favored dead laboring did in life, although they must remember that even if

220 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

they were emperors, the Apu stand far above them. Inti
issues commands, sometimes with the quiet guidance of
Viracocha, and the rest of the divine court — Chasca, Illapa, ROAD COLORS OF
Kuychi, and Mama Killa — carry them out or relay them THE K’UH & TE TL
to Scions in the lower world. Most of these instructions to
Heroes and Demigods take the form of dreams or omens, Direction K’uh Teōtl
but on occasion, especially when communicating with one
of the Apu who do not make Hanan Pacha their home, one North White Black
of the Gods will descend themselves in an Incarnation to East Red Red
meet on neutral ground.
South Yellow Blue
There is nothing subtle about the appearance of the
West Black White
Realm, as befits its inhabitants. Everything there dazzles
with gold, from the walls of its buildings to the thrones Center Green
of the Apu. The entire Realm glows with light, cooling
from gold to silver only when Mama Killa enters a hall to A portion of Kan is reserved for the honored dead,
attend one of Inti’s meetings for his royal court. The entire including fallen warriors, women who die in childbirth,
effect can be overwhelming to visitors at first, but after sacrificial victims, and victims of suicide by hanging. Here,
they adjust to its brilliance, they find that the World seems the dead feast lavishly and enjoy luxuries rivaling those of
forever dimmer upon their departure. distant Tlālōcān.
AXES MUNDI Most K’uh, except for the denizens of Xibalba,
maintain holdings in Kan themed to their unique tastes.
When a God leaves Hanan Pacha, it is visible to
These include fantastical palaces, temples, and gardens that
everyone. They descend in bolts of lightning or Kuychi’s
also incorporate unique elements like Buhuc-Chabtan’s
rainbow. While they can reach any part of the World by
fortress temples or the warehouses and cacao farms of Ek
those means, the Apu prefer to arrive at Coricancha, the
Chuaj. The K’uh of Kan continually jockey for position,
golden temple complex at the heart of New Cusco in Peru.
ascending or descending levels as their status waxes and
There, they have thousands of priests ready to wait on their
wanes. They attempt to expand their holdings at every
needs and carry out their wishes. The temple is also the
opportunity through carefully plotted schemes, lavish gifts,
place where Scions of the Apu can address their prayers in
games on the ball court, or outright conflict. The K’uh also
order to request an audience with Inti or another member
compete with their Teōtl neighbors via cunning intrigues,
of his court. Whether the request is granted and a rainbow
espionage, and duels of honor designed to expand their
appears to open the way depends on how loyal they have
territory without breaching the Compact of Xol.
shown themselves to be in recent days. Some, especially
Scions of the trickster Coniraya, can go their entire lives AXES MUNDI
without being permitted entry into the shining halls.
Kan is easily traversed by full-blooded K’uh and their
KAN guests via an instinctual ability to navigate the K’uh’s
metaphysical roads or the tortuous roots and branches of
Kan’s origins lie in the hazy mists of time, but most the Yaxche. Access for Scions and mortals is slightly more
K’uh simply acknowledge the Godsrealm’s existence and complex. A good death is the fastest (if least appealing)
weave plots to conquer it. option for entering Kan, but enterprising travelers can
Four mighty deities, known as the Bacabs, stretch their simulate death by entering Xibalba through cenotes or ball
arms skyward from the corners of creation to hold Kan courts like the ones located in Chichen Itza, then advance
high above the World. Each of Kan’s 13 levels is governed heavenward via the Yaxche.
by a potent God, all of whom are collectively known as Another option is the road network crisscrossing
the Oxlahuntiku. The Oxlahuntiku stand aloof from the K’uh territory. Obscure rituals allow mortals to summon
K’uh politics, but they intervene ferociously if their level Xibalban owls to guide them to these otherwise invisible
is threatened. Itzamna’s throne rests within Kan’s highest thoroughfares. The roads are color-coded by direction,
level, where he routinely ascends skyward as a two-headed and understanding these colors can lead prospective
serpent to form the vault of the sky. travelers straight to Kan. This journey is not without
Kan boasts shaded gardens, pleasant lakes, bountiful peril, however. Xibalba’s owls are vicious and apt to lead
orchards, and idealized replicas of K’uh environs from unwary travelers down the black road to Xibalba for Cizin’s
the World. The Yaxche, a massive ceiba tree with roots amusement. The roads are also able to speak and prone to
extending to Xibalba, grows upward from the World’s providing inaccurate directions that lead travelers astray.
center, shading all of Kan under its branches. These For additional confusion, the K’uh network intersects with
branches form an intricate web affording the K’uh ease of its Teōtl counterpart that uses a different system of color-
travel between Kan, the World, and Xibalba. coding, making it easy to get lost, or worse.

Godsrealms 221
 protecting those that need protecting, skewer the overlords
KAHILWAYAN that wring blood out of the marginalized, and Kahilwayan
The Balahala dwell in every aspect of life, but their is the final reward, at the end of the blade.
fields of rest and prosperity can be found in Kahilwayan,
which they can enter freely, as is the privilege of their AXIS MUNDI
nature. In Hiligaynon, one of the many Visayan languages, Travel to Kahilwayan is possible through the many
Kahilwayan means “liberty” and “freedom.” Truly this is Mountains-That-Touch-The-Sky, such as Mount Apo in
heaven for all: Who doesn’t want to be free of the mortal Davao, Mount Kanlaon in Buglas, Mount Madjaas in Panay,
toil? and even a mountain in Borneo. However, their peaks are
gated and guarded by ancient warriors-spirits, and they will
Kahilwayan is not simply a heaven for the Gods to
only allow entry if expressly allowed by another Balahala.
live in. In truth, only the Balahala of the skies, winds, and
heavens call Kahilwayan their home. All the other Balahala
live in places that befit their Purviews: in the seas, the
OLYMPUS
earth, the trees, amidst violence or civilization. Kahilwayan Olympus has changed very little since the Theoi made
is the place beyond the clouds, beyond even the indignant it their dwelling place near the peak of the mountain of the
eye and lightning bolts of Kaptan, Grandfather Sky. same name in Greece. Its stone buildings, brightly painted
with unfading colors, still stand on the same bronze
The main Balahala that lives up there is old Tungkung foundations where they did three thousand years ago. Its
Langit, whose name means “Sky Pillar,” so called because golden pavements show no sign of wear from the countless
he is the one that holds up the sky far away from the earth, feet that have walked them, and the exquisite statues that
so that those pounding rice would not hit the blue sky. stand outside the temple-palaces are as beautiful now as
When a mortal dies fighting for something they believe they ever were. The eternal stillness of its architecture
in, most especially if their cause aligns with the Balahala’s contrasts with the occasionally explosive tempers of its
own naturalistic views, then Barangao, the Rainbow God, Gods and the perpetually roiling cloud layer that separates
descends upon them with the rainbow and brings them to it from the World of mortals, but even those aspects are
Kahilwayan, that place beyond the clouds. There they enjoy certain never to change.
freedom, peace, and everlasting rest; in Kahilwayan, there Like Tian and Teteocán, Olympus is not a Realm for
is no harm. More importantly, these ancestors become human souls, no matter what kind of lives they led. Those
mighty deities, divinities in their own right, who can go to Hades or, if they are fortunate, Elysium. The only ones
bestow merit and blessings upon their descendants should who can enter its golden gates are the Gods or the fleeting
they perform the proper rites. Kahilwayan therefore is an few they gift with immortality, like Herakles, Semele
idyllic Realm of rest and freedom. Thyone, or Ganymede. It is a place for Zeus to deliver his
Kahilwayan consists of fields of endless rice, rivers of commands, for the parents of Scions to watch over their
beauty, and houses of gold. No one ever gets tired there, as children, for intrigues, love affairs, and plots. In its more
they walk upon seas of clouds, living in islands that hang dramatic moments, it can resemble a soap opera with an
suspended in the great Sea-In-The-Sky. The folks here extremely generous budget for its sets, but it isn’t like this
in Kahilwayan, ancestor Gods and divinities, drink for all all the time. Most of daily life in Olympus (and it is daily,
time, making merry. If you should attack someone while with the sun rising and setting overhead) is taken up with
in Kahilwayan, you will be met with an almost nonchalant receiving the smoke of animal or incense offerings and
violence in response. Your violence is nothing to them; they attending to the prayers of human worshipers.
will eradicate you. These are the ancestors, some of the The Realm appears large, but finite, to those who
most powerful beings in the cosmos. see it for the first time. It has to be, given its mountaintop
The ancestors here are exceedingly helpful, however, position. Each of the Theoi has a temple-palace of their
if one approaches them properly. They recognize bravery own, complete with courtyard, gardens, dining halls, private
and virtue, especially in those that dedicate their lives to chambers, storerooms, and everything else that would be
protecting the marginalized and sacred divinity. They grant expected in the home of Greek royalty long ago. Because
merit and weapons, as well as sage advice for overcoming it is not a plateau, these all stand at different heights on
tribulations that mortals would otherwise crumble different lesser peaks, connected by stairs and pathways to
underneath. They come from a culture very often looked the Pantheon, agora of Olympus and meeting place of the
down upon, and so in their wisdom they grant items and Gods. The Pantheon itself leads directly to the palace of
wisdom even to people on the margins. Zeus, which is its equal in size and capable of hosting all the
Kahilwayan is thus peace and transcendence. To arrive Gods when circumstances warrant it. Carved into the sides
in Kahilwayan is to arrive at the end of all things, the final of the mountain itself are the smaller homes of nymphs,
oneness, an ascension from mortal toil. Another term for daimones, and other lesser entities whose immortality
Kahilwayan is Kaluwalhatian, which means “glory,” for and role in the World earns them a place, but not the same
what is death but ascension to glory? The end of your life degree of splendor.
need not be a moment of mourning, but of exaltation. Die

222 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

 All of the buildings in Olympus are the craft of formerly the island of Boriken before the coming of the
Hephaestus and his servitors. As their architect, he knows Spanish. It is here that Yúcahu Bagua Maórocoti set up his
the layout of every one, including the secret entrances that own village, a yucayeque, when he had completed the main
he installed for Gods to carry on affairs or smuggle favored thrust of creating the World. This is the celestial place from
Scions into their chambers. The smith God is too proud of which he called the Zemí in the time before his mother
his work and his reputation to reveal the location of any of Atabey began the work of creation.
these, having lost his taste for palace intrigues at the same Save for Maquetaríe Guayaba and Opiyelguabirán in
time his marriage with Aphrodite ended, but he still knows Coaybay and Guacar who still lives in Cacibajagua, all of
where to find them, and most of his servitors are aware the Zemí have a home in Yúcahu’s yucayeque. At dawn,
of at least one. In addition to the buildings, Hephaestus when it is Márohu’s will for it to be so, Boinael can be seen
is responsible for all of Olympus’ other amenities large taking his walk across the sky, chased by his sister Maroya
and small, from its ornate fountains to the golden bridles at night. Old man Bayamanaco can be heard hacking up
of the Gods’ horses and the cunningly animated tables, his cohoba laden spittle and swearing to himself about the
couches, and tripods that move about the palaces to serve state of the World, despite it being much as it always has.
their residents’ needs. (Despite repeated suggestions from Various people, Scions and not, walk down the trail back to
Dionysus, he has not taught any of the furniture to sing or the World from Caguana’s house in the wrinkled day old
dance.) clothes.
Each of the Theoi’s palaces reflects the character of its From Yúcahu’s squat seat at the center of Pico El
owner. The courtyard of Artemis’ can change from a tree- Yunque, he can see the whole of the World. For millennia,
shaded garden to an entire forest depending on her wishes, this meant he watched the Antilles and the Antilles
while the interior of Dionysus’ palace includes both an alone, keeping watch for the machinations of the ruinous
impressive storeroom for alcohol of all kinds and cavelike Guabancex, but only insofar as it related to his people,
rooms for him to visit when he feels ecstatic wildness the Taíno. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see the Guabancex-
about to overtake him. In Aphrodite’s palace are reflecting worshiping Caribs, or any of the other people in the World
pools, dove-laden trees, couches for guests to recline upon, and their Gods. No, it was that they were of Amayauna, the
multiple bedchambers, and a secret passage that leads caves from which all other people came, the Cave of the
directly to the armory-like palace of Ares. She rarely uses Unimportant. It is only now, in the wake of Guabancex’s
the passage now that her relationship with the war God is near success in twisting the Zemí’s egos to ruin, that he has
an open one, but she has never forgotten how to reach it in opened himself to the wider World and the events therein.
case of emergency.
This is important, since even before the coming of the
While Zeus’s brothers, Poseidon and Hades, have their Spanish, the Zemí and their people spread out far and wide
own palaces on Olympus, they both stand empty unless the over many islands. Now, in the modern day? The Taíno find
Gods have been summoned there. Poseidon far prefers the themselves all over the Americas and the World at large.
seas, and Hades has a Realm of his own to manage. When While Yúcahu can protect those living on Puerto Rico or
they are away, their servants still keep the buildings in a Hispaniola, as Pico El Yunque’s roots connect directly to
state of readiness, laying out meals of ambrosia and nectar these islands, he struggles to do so for the Boricua living in
every evening and taking them away again when they go New York City, the Cubanos in Miami, and the Haitians in
untouched. France. It is not a task that he can do on his own, and he has
AXES MUNDI asked his Scions to help protect the wide reaching Taíno
diaspora.
To reach Olympus, one must first travel to Mount
Olympus in the World, climb to its shrouded peak, and AXIS MUNDI
pray to the Theoi. If that prayer is answered favorably, the Hiking the trail to the summit of the highest peak
petitioner will see a second mountain emerge from out of in El Yunque National Park in northwest Puerto Rico
the clouds, one that resembles the ordinary mountain in without a cemí blessed by Yúcahu Bagua Maórocoti, one
shape but utterly dwarfs it in size. From that point, the only will find a beautiful vista, but nothing more. With one,
way to ascend is through flight. The stables of the Gods have however, a Scion of Yúcahu himself or of another Zemí
horses that are capable of the journey, some the winged with the patriarch’s permission finds that the trail ends
offspring of Pegasus and others that run through the air on with a silvery guanín bridge that leads up an even higher
golden horseshoes made by Hephaestus, but anyone who mountain, plateauing in Pico El Yunque.
can fly can attempt to reach the Realm’s gates. As the Hero
Bellerophon discovered, however, the flight can be lethal to
anyone who tries to make it without an invitation.
PRAV
Residing in the highest branches of the great oak tree
PICO EL YUNQUE which upholds the whole of the World and looking down
upon the other Realms supported within its branches,
Not unlike Mount Olympus, the home of the Zemí is the Bogovi guide the whole of creation from their seat of
built beyond the peaks of Pico El Yunque in Puerto Rico, power in the Realm of Prav. Here, the Law of Heaven reigns

Godsrealms 223
supreme, and a Bog who has not chosen to Incarnate or AXES MUNDI
manifest in the World is able to watch over their Scions.
Each Bog has a branch to call their own in accordance with The divine Realm of the Bogovi is perhaps one of the
their standing within the pantheon, with Perun’s being most accessible amongst all the Pantheons, and there are a
only second to the supreme light of Svarog and wholly multitude of gateways through which one may soon find
encompassed by the presence of the Primordial Rod, from themselves in the sacred groves and forests of Prav. Oak
whom they each are emanations of. trees, especially ones that are incredibly old, large, gnarled,
or scarred by lightning strikes, are each distant branches of
On varying descending branches, each bog has their the one true World Tree. Those who uncover one, either
own domain. Those higher on the branches of the world on purpose or by accident, find themselves on an upward
tree include Dahzbog and Svarozhich, who usually form a climb into Prav itself.
triumvirate with Svarog and are situated beneath Perun.
Mokosh and her twin children, Jarilo and Morena, take Like the Bogovi, who vary in nature and disposition,
up the middle branches — representing the cycles of the so too do these gateways vary. They are not limited to
seasons and of life and death — and are closest to the Realm the ancient homeland of the Bogovi, but have also been
of Yav, or humanity. The lower branches, far from the discovered in places like West Virginia, California, England,
radiant light of Rod and bordering the Realm of Peklo and Denmark, Lithuania, and Ukraine. Tales exist of curious
its adjoined lands of Raj and Nav, is the domain of Veles. hikers climbing up into the branches of one of these sacred
The Zoryas are also found in the lower branches, for it is trees and disappearing — only to appear in another oak tree
where they can shine the brightest. nearly half a world away.

While Prav is often described as a tree, that is but

one of the many ways it can be perceived. It is, in truth, a
SVARGALOKA
Also known simply as Svarga (“Paradise”), Devaloka,
Realm of energy and light — almost like the many fractals
or Indraloka, Svargaloka is the Devá’s Realm just above the
of light through a prism shining across an endless expanse.
World. At least six more lokas, or planes, stand above it,
That is how it exists when it has not been trespassed by
but a Scion who wishes to communicate with the Devá in
those not belonging to the Bogovi. When the land of Prav is
general does so through Svargaloka. It stands above the sky
trespassed by others, it takes on the appearance of a deeply
among the stars, which loom larger and brighter than they
primordial forest with a high canopy, mossy embankments,
do in the World, and is also illuminated by the light of the
and trickling creeks cutting through its lands — a nod to
virtuous merit of its inhabitants.
the closeness of the Bogovi with the natural world and its
cycles.

224 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

 It is a vast garden-park filled with every variety of tree Reward Boon reduces the time needed from potentially
and flower, all of them in full bloom at all times. Celestial months to one scene.
musicians, the gandharvas, and the apsaras, who are
dancers, pass their time in play, as do heroes and sages, TAKAMAGAHARA
enjoying the reward of having lived a good life before The High Plain of Heaven, Takamagahara, was the
returning to the World in new incarnations. Inhabitants first land that existed, of which the World is an imperfect
travel from one part of the Realm to another on lotus- replica, but it was not always so. It began, generations
shaped aerial platforms known as vimānas, sharing the sky before Izanagi first stirred the marshy waters to bring
with the flying thrones, chariots, and palaces of the Devá. forth Japan’s islands, in formlessness that hovered over
At the heart of Svarga is Amaravati, Indra’s city-sized an expanse that was empty save for a reed shoot. From
golden palace from which the king of the Gods rules. It is that reed emerged the Kotoamatsukami, the now-hidden
the only place in Svarga that has any defenses against attack, creators of all that is. These Primordial Kami were beings
which it needs because of repeated assaults from Asuras, of vast creative potential, not to mention fertility: Every
rakshasas, and other enemies of the Devá. Although such action, even without deliberate intent, gave rise to other
incursions into the divine Realm are rare, they become Kami who could further define the qualities of both
more active in times of Titanic upheaval in the World: It is Takamagahara and the World beneath it.
the Fate of Svarga to be conquered by evil, its palace looted But that was long, long ago, and Takamagahara no
and people imprisoned, in order to spur the highest Gods longer resembles its initial state in the least. Now, it is the
into sending a Hero to set things right. Thanks to the skill Godsrealm of the Amatsukami, the Heavenly Kami who
of the divine architect Vishvakarman, however, the damage wield (sometimes nominal) authority over the other Kami
never lasts for long. with Amaterasu-Ōmikami as their ruler. Unlike Tian, which
seems to change to accommodate every need of the Shén,
AXES MUNDI Takamagahara has adapted very slowly and cautiously to
Reaching Svargaloka is not a matter of finding entry shifts in the World. Its inhabitants know that what is done
through specific locations, but by performing austerities in there will be reflected in some form in the mortal realm,
devotion to the Devá. Arjuna, Scion of Indra, once climbed so they are reluctant to alter anything without serious
to the peaks of the Himalayas to do so, spending many consideration about its effects.
months as an ascetic before his prayers were answered. Any
For that reason, the Kami prefer to keep Takamagahara
Scion with knowledge of the Yoga Purview (Scion: Hero,
more or less stable while testing out novel ideas through
p. 205) can attempt to perform similar rites to draw the
their Incarnations in the World. If humanity accepts them
attention of the Gods and gain entry; having the Devotion’s

Godsrealms 225
without causing lasting harm, they will introduce them always dusk and dawn simultaneously, the horizons aglow
into Takamagahara so that they become permanent. If with amber and red while the zenith remains dark. This
they seem only to be passing fashions that might last a few image is the first that strikes those who reach Teteocán
centuries at best, they do not, and instead they let those for the first time and reveals its nature as a Realm where
ideas wither away on their own. The only concession they opposites exist and combine without contradiction. It is a
have been willing to make is to allow emissaries of other place where the Gods can transform their own natures as
Pantheons to visit and, in the case of Buddhist Pantheons, easily as putting on a mask.
to build a hall as an embassy. At the center of Teteocán stands a vast step pyramid
Physically, Takamagahara is dominated by Amaterasu’s that serves as the Gods’ temple to the Primordial creators
palace, a multi-story fortress built from stone and wood, Tonacacihuatl and Tonacatecuhtli, who are the source of
surrounded by towered walls and accessible through all that sustains the cosmos. They are both and neither one
guarded gates that lead to an open courtyard. Inside the and two, both and neither male and female; if Teteocán
palace are public halls for welcoming visiting dignitaries is where opposites exist and combine, the unfathomable
and the throneroom of the Queen of Heaven herself. Away Realm of the Primordials is where the concept of opposition
from these are more private spaces: rooms for weaving and is rendered meaningless, and it is unreachable by the Gods
other crafts, for sleep, for study, and for contemplation. except through prayer and offerings. At the temple, the
Beyond the walls of the palace are fields irrigated by rivers Gods offer sacrifices worthy of the Primordials — including
that flow from the Milky Way and gather in a well whose of themselves and each other — in order to ensure the
waters purify all that is washed in them. Around all of that continued existence of the cosmos.
stands an encircling forest, and beyond the forest, the misty Surrounding the great temple in a circle are the palaces
shores of an ocean. of the Teōtl. It is to these that they return when they die,
AXES MUNDI and here that they take on new forms. Within a palace, Gods
can combine to create new Mantles that share in each of
Onogoroshima, a small island off the coast of southern their qualities, duplicate themselves like the Tezcatlipocas
Japan, was created from drops of water that fell from do, or divide their natures into specialized aspects that they
Izanagi’s spear when he churned the primal waters, and then send into the World. So long as the World turns and
it was the first island to which Kami descended from changes, they will continue to do so, at least until the end of
Takamagahara. It is still possible for those who are sincere the age of the current sun.
in their intent, acting according to virtue, and properly
purified to visit there and discover the bridge that reaches AXES MUNDI
from the World to the heavens of the Kami. To approach Teteocán requires traveling beyond
Another way to enter the Godsrealm is to climb to the planets of the solar system to the stars, passing the
the peak of the mythic Mount Kagu, a feat that is easier tzitzimime who inhabit that region, and going still further
said than done, since no one can agree exactly where to the very edges of the universe. Even then, the Teōtl are
Mount Kagu is. It’s more likely that references to the Kami unlikely to welcome an uninvited visitor.
entering the World on that mountain are to an Axis Mundi It may be possible to reach Teteocán by ascending
whose terrestrial endpoint can move from one mountain to through the skies that lie beneath it, each of which is a
another. Godsrealm of its own and home to one or more of the Teōtl.
TETEOC N To do so would mean proving one’s worth to that Realm’s
Gods through great Deeds or great sacrifices, and could be
While followers of the Teōtl know that there are a journey of hundreds or thousands of years. Still, if a Hero
thirteen skies above the World, the one that is of greatest or Demigod wanted to try, they could begin by exploring
importance to them is Tlalocan, the Godsrealm of Tlaloc the deepest caves in Mexican mountains, some of which
and Chalchihuitlicue. It is the lowest of the thirteen, but lead into Tlālōcān.
also the one that offers an afterlife existence in a verdant
Alternatively, a visitor could try to use one of the World
land filled with ample food and drink, and of such Realms
Trees that connect the World to the Otherworlds of many
it’s the easiest one to reach. Anyone who dies from an
Pantheons, finding a root or branch adjacent to the tree
illness that falls under Tlaloc’s authority — which is most
of Tamoanchan (see below) to cross from one to another.
of them — may be reborn in Tlalocan. Those whom either
Locating and passing such a crossing point is not easy, as
God favors may enter there as well, and some of those may
Gods know full well that they could be used to stage attacks
become one of the tlaloque, Tlaloc’s helpers who oversee
by one Pantheon against another.
Mexico’s rainy season, crops, and water supplies.
But the Godsrealm where the Teōtl gather as a whole TIAN
is Teteocán, the twelfth sky. It is not a place for humans, or The bustling Godsrealm of the Shén, also known as
even for Scions who have not attained fully divine status, Heaven, hums with activity and invisible energies. What
but for the Gods alone. Teteocán stands far above the sun, was once a few elegant palaces floating on clouds high above
but it still receives light from it after a fashion: There, it is the World, each surrounded by a mix of carefully cultivated

226 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

gardens and forests of wild beauty, is now almost entirely a AXES MUNDI
cityscape in which the traditional mingles with the ultra-
modern. It still rests on clouds — specifically, clouds that The size of Tian and the scale of its operations have
hang immobile and invisible near the stratosphere over led to it establishing multiple Axes Mundi through which
China and that are themselves supported by eight vast Scions can travel. Its primary ones are the Five Sacred
pillars — but anyone walking the paved streets of Tian Mountains located at cardinal points around China: Mount
would be forgiven for forgetting it. Tai in the east, Mount Heng in the south, Mount Hua in
the west, Mount Heng (a different one) in the north, and
Tian has been a victim of its own success. As its celestial Mount Song at the center. At the top of each is a temple
bureaucracy expanded to encompass more and more complex through which authorized visitors to Tian may
aspects of the World, its departments multiplied. Each of pass and at which mortal worshipers of the Pantheon
them required not only staff to run them, but support staff, can bring their concerns to representatives of the Gods.
administrators to report to higher-ranking Gods, liaisons to This second purpose makes the temples busy places at
ensure that different departments coordinated their plans, all times, with a roster of local magistrates whose task it
space for archives, archivists to maintain those archives, is to hear petitions and judge whether they are worthy of
administrators for those archivists, and so on. Everyone further remedy. It is not an enviable job. Scions of the Shén
needed somewhere to live when they weren’t working, who appear to neglect the consequences of their actions
which in turn led to a further need for planners, builders, often end up assigned here for a time as a lesson in both
and their own associated places in the system. Somehow, compassion for humanity and the reasons why Tian works
it all works perfectly smoothly, so long as no outside force the way that it does.
(such as Titans or one specific immortal monkey) interferes
with its activity. The Godsrealm is like a living, breathing More adventurous, or more desperate, people can try
thing in that respect. It expands and thrives while the to find and scale the Tianzhu, the Sky Pillars that support
World is in motion, but it contracts and grows overcrowded Tian’s cloudy foundations from mountain peaks arranged
if some disaster brings that activity to a halt. around East Asia. While this route has the advantage of
bypassing the bureaucracy and gatekeepers of the Realm,
The inhabitants of Tian are a mixture of Gods, demons, it also involves climbing eight miles straight up into the
Denizens, and former humans whose virtuous conduct in sky. Flying on a somersault cloud (Hero, p. 128) or through
life earned them immortality and the opportunity to work other means makes the journey easier, of course, using the
to preserve the harmonious operation of the World. Most pillars as guides to find an entrance.
of the latter practiced some form of Confucianism in life,
but there are also Daoists, whose understanding of the
importance of motion and change keeps the Realm from
THE WADI
All the Ilhm’s children believe they return home
becoming stagnant. It’s because of their influence that
sooner or later, and they return to the Wadi. Unlike a wadi
a visitor to Tian can always find what she is looking for,
in the World, the Wadi remains perpetually lush and green.
so long as she stops searching and follows the currents of
Rivers flow from El Shaddai, the mountains which ring the
crowds and subtle signs without trying.
fertile valley, through groves of cedar trees, and beyond the
Not all of Tian is a city. There are, here and there, farm mountains’ protective ring; the unwary might tumble into
plots belonging to the various Gods who oversee plant and Tehom’s cold depths.
animal life in the World. Their homes may be humbler than
others, but the power they wield to record and determine THE RIVER PLAINS
the success of a coming year’s crops cannot be ignored. The Phoenician texts place no weight upon the origin or
elevated position of Yandi Shennongshi’s early Mantle as final disposition of souls, prioritizing instead a person’s
Shennong, the Divine Farmer, has ensured that the Gods deeds during life, but all souls begin in, return to, and
who maintain these farms are treated with the respect they slumber in the Wadi. Scions of the Ilhm report meeting
deserve. Without them, not only would the World fall into long-dead Phoenicians in the Wadi who believe themselves
famine, but medicines would cease to work and humanity merely sleeping.
could no longer distinguish what is healthy from what is
The Gods (save ‘Ila) keep hidden homes in the Wadi’s
poisonous.
cedar groves. The Primordials spend more time here than
Hidden among the skyscrapers of Tian are the small any of the other Ilhm; most of the Gods, despite keeping
(on the outside) palaces of the first Gods to rule the Realm. homes here, spend most of their time at the marzeh on
Fuxi, Nüwā, and Yandi Shennongshi, the Three Sovereigns, Mount Sappan. Eretz, the Earth, spends most of her time
remember when it was so much less crowded, and their sleeping, but those who find her awake and bring her
homes reflect that memory. Fuxi and Nüwā share one something delicious to eat (but never uncooked food) may
that stands at the heart of one of the city’s few remaining gain her favor. She may grant knowledge useful for those
forests, while from within Yandi Shennongshi’s palace, the who wish to travel somewhere difficult to reach on the
tall buildings all around it appear shorter so that his view of World or, more rarely, of hidden doors to other Axis Mundi.
the entire Realm is never impeded. (For more on Tian, see One most commonly finds Shamayim, the Sky, wandering
Realms of Magic & Mystery, p. 107) the Wadi. They spend small eternities talking with Emet

Godsrealms 227
Martine, a scientist Scion of Gad who specializes in chaos the Ilhm have turned their faces away from them. Only
theory. Emet visits them often, bringing them papers those who have truly offended the Ilhm or made extremely
covering recent hypotheses to study together, and many grave navigational errors find themselves in Tehom, but
Scions bring Shamayim new knowledge of chaos or order only Attar and his followers remain in Tehom forever. The
in hopes they’ll be rewarded with such information as the idea of eternal banishment horrifies the Ilhm, and they’ll
sky can see. eventually rescue those stranded there.

MOUNT SAPPAN
Upon Mount Sappan, the Ilhm’s highest home, one finds
PRIMORDIAL
single-story multi-room stone buildings arranged around
a central gathering area. Phoenicians have always lived
REALMS
communally: Each village shared all it made and earned,
leading to a universally high standard of living. Mount
Sappan displays this largesse, and despite the simplicity of
T he distinction between God and Primordial can be as
blurred as that between God and Titan. A Primordial
can, like Viracocha, hold an active role in a Pantheon while
the buildings themselves, they contain incredibly high-end turning its leadership over to a younger generation of Gods,
amenities, absolute bleeding edge technology. Ascending but most of them are more distant and have grander concerns.
Mount Sappan requires either earning the highest favor They may have created the universe and the World within
of one of the Ilhm or incredible desperation for a direct it and now exist solely to ensure its continued existence on
audience with them. a scale that no God can match. A few are the World itself,
always present, but unapproachable by the tiny creatures
TEHOM that crawl across their face. Many of them lack bodies in
The abyss. The coldness of space. The watery depths. any comprehensible sense, manifesting as light, truth, or
The cold and eternal emptiness of the desert, swallowing simply Being.
travelers and scouring their bones. Tehom encompasses If a Primordial has a Realm — and many are so far
all these things, the closest thing the Ilhm ever created to beyond the cosmos that they cannot be said to — then they
hell. People suffocate in the crushing depths or burn under may be able to focus their being enough to manifest within
the screaming sun, but the worst of Tehom’s suffering has it in order to communicate with those who approach them.
nothing to do with cold, with suffocation, with burning They do not do this for anything less than a God or a Titan
in the desert. The pain of Tehom comes from loneliness, of comparable power. The stars do not halt because an ant
from the way those in Tehom know down to their bones wants their attention. Should they take form within their

228 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

own Realm, it will often be in a size that matches their lower Realm of the Anunnaki, the lesser Gods who serve
power, the kind whose height is measured in how many the Anunna as they serve Anu, and from there, to descend
thousands of years it would take to measure. More often, once more through the dome of the sky to reach the Realm
though, they communicate indirectly through the Realm of humanity. The reverse is also possible, if one can find
itself, delivering cryptic messages that are to the Gods as the proper entry point. At the right times of the year, after
their own omens are to the uncomprehending mortals who performing rites to show submission to and respect for the
receive them. It is a humbling experience. Anunna, a Scion of the Pantheon who stands on top of the
Most Primordial Realms lack an Axis Mundi: Either White Temple in Uruk, Iraq, may be rewarded by having
the Primordial is present somewhere, or they are not, and the stairs to the heavens revealed.
there is no way to cross the gap without them wishing it to
happen.
GAR -DEM N
The House of Song, suffused with the eternal light of
ANU Ahura Mazda, is the paradisal reward of all those who have
There was a time when Anu, the heavens that contain followed the Zoroastrian tenets of Good Thoughts, Good
all that is, took a more active hand in the rulership of the Words, and Good Deeds. Once the dead have had their
universe, but that time is long past now. All that remains is lives judged by the Yazata Mithra, Rashnu, and Sraosha
the memory that he once did, and having passed a measure and deemed virtuous, they can cross the Chinvat Bridge to
of his authority on to the Anunna who succeeded him, he be welcomed to Garö-Demánæ beyond. The conditions of
can no longer return to that earlier state for more than brief entry apply as much to visiting Gods as they do to devotees
moments. He is always, and will always be, a figure of ages of the Yazata, measured by the standards of the Pantheon.
gone by. For this reason, not many choose to conduct their business
with the Yazata in the Overworld; those that do are the ones
Anu’s Primordial Realm is also a Godsrealm, the seat who have demonstrated that they can pass the test already.
of power in which the Anunna meet in their councils and
issue their decrees for the World. It takes the form of a Within the walls of Garö-Demánæ, everyone exists
walled city in which stands an orderly collection of temples, in their ideal form. Whether that ideal involves their age,
palaces, canals, libraries, treasuries, and storehouses that health, or gender, the light of Ahura Mazda reveals who
rise up from a level landscape of uniformly red stone. The their best and most truthful selves are. It’s no wonder
waterways surrounding these structures are all lined with that the streets between the city’s four great citadels are
lush vegetation, giving the entire complex the air of an oasis so often the site of delighted souls who see and recognize
amid a vast wasteland. While the Anunna are not incapable those who were dearest to them in life, happy for each
of bringing more life to the Realm, they see little point to other’s happiness.
it: They conduct all of their business within the walls or in The dead in the House of Song pass their time in
the World. comfort and ease, singing the hymns to Ahura Mazda
In the throneroom of the largest and most central that give the Realm its name. While not everyone sings at
palace stand the thrones of the God-kings of the Anunna, all times, there is never a moment when no one does, so
Enlil, Marduk, and Anu. Most of the time, Anu’s throne is there are always voices carried on its warm, sweet-scented
empty, but he is still present: He is the authority that gives breezes. Although they know that the time will come in the
the other Gods their power, and while they rarely speak of future when they must join in the final battle against Angra
it, they know that he can bestow or remove it as he chooses. Mainyu, this is no Valhalla; they are confident that Asha,
Should he decide to make an appearance, an outsider in Truth, is on their side.
the throneroom will immediately notice the change in Gods who come to Garö-Demánæ for an audience
atmosphere as the usually-commanding Anunna fall into with Ahura Mazda speak with one of the Amesha Spenta,
respectful silence to listen to what he has to say. Such visits emanations of the Primordial, instead. Ahura Mazda
are always as brief as his words are direct, after which the himself is too vast and all-permeating to manifest in
Gods move immediately to act on his dictates. anything but a fraction of his form, which the Amesha
The nature of Anu is such that visitors who are Spenta are. Vohu Manah, embodiment of Good Thought, is
not already connected to the Anunna will quickly feel the most customary representative. He typically takes the
themselves obeying their instructions without question form of a curly-haired youth dressed in shining robes that
as soon as they arrive. Other Gods know this from past make it difficult to make out more of his features. Calm and
experience, so they pay visits to Anu’s Realm only when reasonable, he will listen to whatever is brought before him
they can send members of their Pantheons whose status before making the decision on how to proceed.
will ensure that they are treated as honored dignitaries, not As for the Yazata, so much of their attention is taken up
servants. with matters in the World that they spend very little time
in Garö-Demánæ itself, unless they are in the presence of
AXES MUNDI Ahura Mazda himself. Atar, the fiery light of truth, stands
While there is no Axis Mundi that connects Anu before the Primordial’s throne to convey the essence of
directly to the World, it is possible to descend from it to the sacrifices from the World, while Hvare-Khshaeta patrols

Primordial Realms 229

the walls of the Realm to watch for threats. Inside a mansion sciences of astronomy and astrology can study Nut and the
filled with an abundance of surveillance equipment, Decans through a telescope to glean information. It cannot
mundane and miraculous, Ashi collects information to reveal the future, but such study can be very rewarding
deliver to Scions carrying out the wishes of the Yazata, when trying to perceive anything happening in the World
while Haoma’s sanctuary is a lush garden in which the God where Nut and her attendant Gods can see it, which is
experiments with new plant species. everywhere. For this reason, many of the World’s larger
Asha and the presence of Ahura Mazda infuse all of observatories maintain a shrine to the Primordial, and
Garö-Demánæ. For anyone less than the most powerful of several also keep an astrologer-priest of the Netjer on hand
Gods, deception is impossible and illusions are stripped to interpret unusual cosmic events. From supernovas, black
away. Pantheons whose Gods consider trickery to be a holes, and the pulses of distant stars, these priests calculate
standard tool of negotiation conduct their meetings outside portents and pass that information on to the Netjer’s
the city’s gates whenever possible, but even at a distance, Scions. (For more on the body of Nut, see Realms of Magic
they find lying difficult. & Mystery, p. 95)

AXES MUNDI AXES MUNDI

It is possible to create a temporary Axis Mundi to Re’s barque is the only way to enter the body of Nut.
reach Garö-Demánæ by kindling a fire and passing through A traveler must board it at the moment of sunset when
a mirror that reflects its light. The portal remains open it prepares to depart in the west, then be willing to fight
so long as the fire continues to burn, but if the flames are alongside the Netjer as they face Apep over the course of
defiled by contact with any flesh, living or dead, it closes the night. While someone could decide to leap from the
instantly. Those who pass through the mirror appear barque at any point in its journey and thereby enter one of
on one side of the Chinvat Bridge and must still cross it the regions of Duat, abandoning the Gods when they are
successfully to be allowed into the city beyond. under attack is a sure way never to be permitted to set foot
in Re’s presence again.
THE BODY OF NUT
For some Pantheons, the idea that a Primordial Realm
is the body of a God is mostly metaphorical, a way of
IMMANENT REALMS
expressing that the God is present in every part of it. For the
Netjer, it is quite literal. Nut, the night sky, stretches high
T he difference between an Immanent Realm and one of the
other kinds of Realm is generally a matter of proximity to
humanity. An Immanent Realm is a part of the World, usually
above the World in both a physical form — a woman who
in a visible form like the sky or a specific location, and as
arches from horizon to horizon, supported by her father
such, it is much more accessible to Scions who have not yet
Shu — and an expanse of starry darkness through which Re
reached Godhood. If the Realm is that of a Primordial instead
passes every night in his solar barque. The Underworld of
of a God, there is the same difficulty in attracting the being’s
Duat lies within her body, while a group of celestial Gods,
attention to one particular place in order to communicate. If
the Decans, guard her from the outside against attacks by
it is a location inhabited by a God or Gods, entry is usually
Titans.
restricted in some way, requiring the use of the right Gate or
Unless traveling with Re on his nightly journey, joining the performance of the proper ritual in order to shift from
in the battle against Apep to ensure that the Sun rises again the ordinary World to the divine one.
the next morning, there is little reason for most Gods to try
To the Pantheons of the Manitou and Kami, for whom
to reach Nut. She is not very communicative herself unless
anything either is or has the potential to be the home of
a visitor comes with news of her husband, Geb, or any of
a spirit, the World is a complex patchwork of Immanent
her children among the Netjer. Even if one does manage to
Realms, with each spirit having their own small territory.
draw her into conversation, there is very little she can do;
In the case of animal spirits, that territory moves with the
her father makes certain that she does not descend to the
animal, crossing into and sometimes conflicting with the
World, knowing that the last time she did, her lovemaking
spirits of plants, rocks, or other parts of the landscape.
with Geb left no room between Earth and the stars for
Most of the time, however, these roaming spirits still keep
anything else to exist. The twelve Decans are more likely
to a narrow domain. Depending on the spirit, their power
to be of assistance, but even they are better dealt with
in their Realm may be relatively minor compared to that
as sources of information. Collectively, they are aware
of a God or a Hero, but some particularly large or ancient
of all disturbances in the heavens, each of them having
spirits can stand up to Demigods who transgress against
knowledge of one-twelfth of the night sky, and they will
them.
share what they know with Scions of the Netjer if entreated
with the proper rites. Some Sorcerers know how to call on
them as well for the same purpose, and the Decans are only
CROM CRUACH
too willing to respond. The Titan Crom Cruach is simultaneously very
dangerous and utterly harmless. It manifests (so far, always
Fortunately for Scions who do not wish to make in rural Ireland) as a crooked standing stone about two
a journey into the sky, those who are familiar with the meters in height, surrounded by twelve smaller stones,

230 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

and once it does, it does not move from its location. Avoid AXES MUNDI
that location and one is perfectly safe from its influence.
To draw too close to it, however, is to risk falling under its There are two ways to reach Ginen, both with
single powerful command: “Worship me.” assistance by the Loa. Legba can open a pathway directly
there to allow other Loa and ancestral spirits to cross to
For more than fifteen hundred years, Crom Cruach has and from the World, while Lasyren can carry spirits —
appeared in different locations around Ireland to receive including those of the living — under the ocean itself. The
the worship it craves. Its involuntary devotees kneel before latter only requires the traveler to submerge themselves
it to bow their heads to the ground with such fervor that fully in a body of water after making the proper offerings
they crack their own skulls, feeding it with the blood of self- to the Loa, but the voyage has its own dangers. Apart from
sacrifice. Some of them offer up their children instead in the obvious risk of drowning, spirits sometimes get lost
bloody rites that leave authorities horrified once the Titan beneath the ocean, leaving their body a living, but soulless,
vanishes to manifest somewhere else. Where it appears, it husk until they can be found.
leaves behind scenes that look like mass suicides.
Crom Cruach is not one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, KOKE MONGKE TENGRI AND
nor one of their Titanic adversaries. Where it came from
is a mystery to all, and because it does not communicate
ETUGEN EKE
Between them, the Primordials of the Tengri — The
in any way other than to issue its command, it’s unlikely
Eternal Blue Heaven and The Brown-Wrinkled Golden
that even the Gods will ever know. What they do know, and
World — comprise the World and everything in it. Their
what most of the people living in Ireland know, is that any
children are the Tengri themselves, who serve them
of the ancient standing stones of the island can potentially
faithfully and respectfully, and many of the good spirits
be Crom Cruach. Government archeologists have taken to
on whom their people call for help. Like many other
erecting signs near known rings of stones, ostensibly for the
Primordials, they almost never intervene in mortal (or even
purpose of historical information, but really to distinguish
divine) affairs these days: Their purpose is simply to exist,
them from a sudden manifestation of the Titan. The survey
and by existing, to maintain the order of everything else.
of all the stones is nearly complete, reducing the threat
of Crom Cruach considerably, but a year rarely goes by Because everyone who inhabits the World is in contact
without a few backpackers or unfortunate inhabitants of with Koke Mongke Tengri and Etugen Eke, Scions of the
the countryside falling to its spell. Tengri can try to invoke them from anywhere in times of
need, but they are most likely to respond to prayers offered
GINEN under the open sky and on plains, steppes, or prairies that
Ginen of the Loa both is and is not Ilé-Ifè, the place resemble the landscape in and around Mongolia. Neither
where the Òrìshà created the World (See Scion: Demigod, of them manifest bodies to answer: They prefer omens
p. 191). Like its counterpart, it is a city where an immortal of thunder and lightning, tremors in the earth, or animal
spirit of the dead, a ti bon anj, returns to mingle with their messengers (especially wolves and horses). In extreme
ancestors until it is time for them to be reincarnated in the situations, they might whisk a Scion in danger to another
World. But the city that these spirits see is not precisely part of the World. They will expect sacrifices afterward,
the one the equivalent spirit (the égún) of a devotee of the and if not appeased, will make their displeasure known
Òrìshà sees: Its buildings are a mix of those in the actual through more aggressive versions of their usual omens.
space of Ilé-Ifè and ones that would be more at home in
Haiti or Brazil. More importantly, Ginen borders the ocean
MANITOU
while Ilé-Ifè does not, but only spirits who followed the Loa Sit down and listen up. The Manitou exist in all time
in life can see its waters. When they first emerge from the — throughout time. Past, present, and future are merely
underwater journey that brings them to Ginen, many stand human concepts. The Manitou only are. Whereas we
relieved on the shores: They prayed through their lifetimes experience time in a straightforward linear fashion, time
for a return, and now that prayer has been answered. experiences us on multiple levels. The Manitou walk
through time the way we walk through three-dimensional
Apart from the geographical difference (which matters
space — and our fragile brains only experience the Manitou
little to the spirits of either Pantheon once they arrive),
through glimpses, flashes of light and dream, through voices
égún and ti bon anj can and do interact freely. Those who
carried on the wind. Likewise, their Realm is our Realm —
never knew their ancestors in Africa can speak with them
in addition to the spirit world and the dream world. Only
and learn from them, sometimes taking that knowledge
the Manitou truly know the nature of the World.
back across the ocean when they reincarnate. Usually,
however, a ti bon anj’s sojourn in Ginen is a time for healing They walk the World, but not in the same way as
and laying down the pains of their former life. Some of mortals, or even Scions. With their senses unbound by
them choose never to return, instead becoming new Loa fleshly limitations, they see and experience worlds in
to watch over their family across the ocean, but most will ways that lie beyond what mortals are accustomed to.
make the trip back and forth at least a dozen times before The Manitou haven’t withheld this ability from humanity,
that happens. but merely set it in the boughs of a taller tree — one that

Immanent Realms 231

requires wisdom, skill, dedication, and a bit of bravery to Scions may try to seek out one of these Realms and
reach. Those who learn to stretch their perceptions begin claim it as their own. In the case of an Overworld of a dead
seeing the spirits around them. Others begin walking God, especially one of the prehistoric ones whose name and
through dreams. Some of these mortals never set foot in the deeds are now lost to memory, the most difficult challenge
World after doing so, not because of dangers — although is finding a way to enter. Explorers should keep in mind,
those are many — but because they become Aspects of however, that not every dead God is completely dead. Some
the Manitou, taking the form of animals, elements, plant of them are only sleeping, and might take great offense to
spirits, and so on. being woken.
Throw another log on the fire, and see the Manitou Crossing into an abandoned Overworld is more
in the embers, the sparks, the smoke, the ash. Hear the dangerous. There is always a reason why the Gods left it,
Manitou in the wind, the songs of birds, trickle of a brook and unless a Scion is able to right whatever wrong drove
or the breath of a living creature. them out (a quest that could be the culmination of a
We experience these great beings every day — but Demigod’s Apotheosis), there will always be repercussions
only a few of us, perhaps chosen, understand that these to trespassing. Even if the way into such a Realm is relatively
interactions are more than mere overactive imaginations. easy, whatever lurks there is sure to be a threat.

AXES MUNDI NI VELLIR

Moving between the spirit and dream worlds can be Niðvellir, which lies far below the World near where
difficult for mortals, but not impossible, especially not for the dragon Níðhöggr feasts on corpses and sharpens its
Scions. We experience these Realms regularly — as voices teeth on the roots of Yggdrasil, is best described as a work in
from the ancestors carried on the winds or a visit from a progress. Hidden away from the other Realms of the Æsir
loved one in our dreams. in an enormous cavern, it is Fated to become an afterlife
for the race of humans who populate the World after
But truly crossing the thresholds from one Realm to
Ragnarök. At the moment, it is a sprawling construction
another takes practice, knowledge, and care. Dawn and
project overseen by the dwarves, a city made from gold
dusk, full moons and new moons, eclipses, water, mirrors
and cunning artifice that glows with its own light to such
— all these are tools and moments in which someone
an extent that one could be forgiven for forgetting how far
knowledgeable can traverse into the Realm of spirits or
away it is from the sun.
dreams. Once across, the traveler experiences space and
time in the way the Manitou experience them: thousands Under the leadership of Sindri, the dwarves bustle
of visions wash over them, voices and faces bombard about the city to add new buildings, forge decorations,
the traveler — the encounter is extremely dangerous, and lay out its complex infrastructure. Most of them have
disorienting, and frightening for the uninitiated. Many very little time to speak with visitors: They know they
who make it into the spirit or dream world are unable to have a deadline to meet, but none of them know when it
navigate their way back and become lost forever. Some is, so they always work as if Ragnarök could come at any
believe these lost individuals become the horrors and moment. The only thing that slows them down is if they
monsters that haunt our dreams and hunt mortals from the near Níðhöggr crawling around beyond the cavern walls.
darkest of places. When that happens, everyone stops, holds their breath, and
waits for the dragon to fall silent again.
Because of this difficulty, Manitou create Incarnations
and aspects of themselves to travel between the Realms. TAMOANCHAN
Those who master travel between the Realms attune Once, the Teōtl tell, Tamoanchan was the site of
themselves to the Manitou, with deep knowledge of the creation, a green paradise superior in every way to the
stories and origins of their people, as well as things that Tlalocan that humans aspire to reach in death. Mists lay
would be impossible to know — past, present, and future over the land and snaked between its fruitful trees, while
— and sometimes gain one of the greatest gifts — keeping birds with bright and precious feathers darted about
elements of their knowledge and former lives as they through the air. It was in Tamoanchan that the Gods created
return each lifetime. humanity and from there that they sent their creations out

OTHER
into the World, not knowing that they themselves would
eventually have to follow.

OVERWORLDS At its heart stood a great tree, or perhaps four trees

whose trunks were so tightly entwined around each other
that they appeared to be one. Instead of fruit, precious
T here are places that were once the Gods’ that they
have abandoned. In some cases, it is because the God
or Primordial who gave it its form died; in others, because
stones hung from its branches, and through it ran the
forces of creation itself. Creation, as the Gods know well,
must be fed in order to continue, which is why the tree no
the Gods were driven out through their own actions. Other
longer looks like it did, and why they were forced from
Realms stand empty because it is not their time yet, so they
Tamoanchan. One of the Teōtl — they disagree about which
wait silently for their future occupants.

232 CHAPTER SIX: OVERWORLDS

one — cut into the tree and shed its blood. Some call this
moment a defilement that drove them away, but others
describe it as a necessary sacrifice to set the World in
PANTHEONS
motion.
WITHOUT
Whatever the case, while the tree still stands and
still bleeds in Tamoanchan, the rest of the Realm is no
longer welcoming. Powerful, never-ending winds bend the
OVERWORLDS
other trees and scatter the birds. The soft mists have been
replaced by a damp chill that clings to the bodies of anyone U nified Overworlds are not a necessary feature of any
Pantheon. Even Gods who assemble for councils might
each keep to their own personal Realms most of the time,
who enters there. There is no reason for the Gods to return
there, especially since they have made their homes in the preferring the security and authority that rulership of such
skies above the World. a domain grants them. The famously fractious Tuatha Dé
Danann, for example, all have their sídhe-Realms — which they
Still, there will be a time when the current age ends, have been known to take from one another when the mood
the sun dims, and a great sacrifice will be needed in order suits them — without there being any common Otherworldly
to ignite the next one. When that time comes, whatever landscape to connect them. Similarly, the Nemetondevos
Gods remain among the Teōtl will return to Tamoanchan preserve personal Sancta through their nemetons, their
to begin the cycle again. sacred places in the World — although in their case, it may

THE FOUR CITIES be more of a protective measure to ensure that they can never
again be toppled as thoroughly as they were by Caesar. Like
Murias, Falias, Findias, and Gorias are the four cities cells of a resistance movement, one can fall without risking
that were the homes of the Tuatha Dé Danann before they the collapse of the entire group.
crossed northern seas to reach Ireland. It was in those cities,
Unless the creation and sharing of an Overworld is
they say, that they learned all the arts of poetry and magic,
part of the myth of a newly-formed Pantheon, it is far more
as well as the great feats of heroism that they teach to their
likely that its Gods will continue to rule over separate
Scions. It was from them that they brought their greatest
Realms until they decide (if they ever do) to unify them
Relics: Lugh’s spear, Nuada’s sword, the Dagda’s cauldron,
in some form. Players who choose to make Overworld
and the Stone of Destiny that belonged to whomever was
creation part of their process of Pantheon-building can
their rightful ruler.
consider what function it would play for their characters
But the Gods not only left their cities: They never and those who worship them: Is it a meeting place for the
tried to return to them, and they never tried to build a city Pantheon, an afterlife for certain followers, a fundamental
in Ireland. Those who were among the first to arrive in part of the cosmos, or something else? What does it look
Ireland speak of the four cities rarely, and never about what like, and why? How does it connect to the World, and what
happened to make them leave, except to warn Scions never does it take to enter or leave it? All of these questions can
to seek them out. There is a reason, they say, why they prompt deeper considerations of a particular Pantheon’s
burned their ships as soon as they landed in Ireland — to mythology in the same way that backgrounds details in a
keep themselves from ever being tempted to return. film — architecture, lighting, atmosphere — do. They tell a
A few adventurous Heroes have searched for the cities story of their own.
over the centuries, but none with any luck. Most of those
who try find themselves in Mag Mell (see Scion: Demigod,
p. 195, and Realms of Magic & Mystery, p. 110) instead, no
matter what direction they head. It is entirely possible that
Manannán mac Lir, always something of an outsider among
the Tuatha, actively shrouds the location of the cities from
discovery.

Pantheons Without Overworlds 233

 Your rival has ten weak points whereas you have ten strong ones, and,
though his army is large, it is not terrible.
— Gu Ji to Cáo C o

What can challenge the Gods? — a question Storyguides

might ask themselves as they prepare to run a Scion: God
chronicle. Fortunately, this chapter contains rules and ABSOLUTE BUCKETS
examples of the sort of powerhouses arrayed against the OF DICE
divine and their allies. On the following pages you’ll find
new Archetypes, new Flairs, and a rogue’s gallery of new While we provide multiple Archetype options
Antagonists for inclusion in any God-level game. for updating opponents from other books
without having to bust out every single die in
ANTAGONISTS your collection, if your group really enjoys
rolling absolute buckets of dice,
dice, there is nothing
saying you cannot just amp up the numbers on
D emigods face an entirely different class of opponents
than Scions at the Hero or Origin-level, but Gods
fight still different battles with a still more dangerous class
any Antagonist from any other Scion book. We
won’t tell anyone if you want to just go find
the booth of a dice company at your closest
of Antagonists: other Gods, Titans, and the odd unknown convention and just upend it and roll the whole
entity from outside the conception of divinity altogether. The damn thing. (Don’t actually do that, the booth
following updates to the Antagonist system model how you attendants will get very upset.) Do what’s fun
might choose to represent those foes, with new Flairs and for you, if it doesn’t upset the dice booth folx.
Archetypes. Following that, you’ll find example Antagonists
to use in your Scion game.
chosen. Primordials outrank everybody, except when
NEW ANTAGONIST facing other Primordials, whose Tier they may match.
ARCHETYPES
While Heroes and Demigods fight Titanspawn and
GODHEAD
the minions of rival Gods, Gods fight other Gods, their
children, and their allies. These Archetypes reflect that Sometimes Gods send their Avatars to walk the earth
eternal scaling-up; a new God can’t just fight the same old and carry out their bidding. When encountered in their
enemies while he learns to stand astride the world! Realms, or if something has truly gone haywire elsewhere,
however, one may encounter the God in their true,
PRIMORDIAL irreplaceable state. The Godhead’s existence means Gods
The Primordials exist within yet outside of every can die, though this isn’t usually permanent, depending on
Pantheon. They came before the Pantheons; they rose how one defines ‘die’ and ‘permanent.’ Mantles make the
from the deep ocean, spun themselves out of air and earth, whole thing a rather Ship of Theseus situation, after all: If
or embody the night sky, the sun, the World itself. Many you kill Loki and take on his Mantles, has Loki really died?
Primordials eschew the struggles of God against God, A question for the philosophers, to be certain. You can
existing in a sort of divine quasi-retirement. When they certainly try to kill him, in any case.
deign to rise from their resting places to fight, even Gods
pay attention. Primary: 14
Primary: 15 Secondary: 12
Secondary: 12 Desperation: 8
Desperation: 7 Health: 10
Health: 8 Defense: 8
Defense: 7 Initiative: 8
Initiative: 7 Extras: A Godhead in his native Realm rules abso-
lutely: He always counts as a Tier higher than his op-
Extras: When comparing Tiers for any mechanical ponents unless that opponent is a Primordial. Powers
purpose, Primordials always count as one Tier higher which lower the Godhead’s Tier cannot decrease it
than their opponents in all circumstances; powers beyond “one Tier above the highest-Tier opponent.”
which lower the Primordial’s Tier cannot decrease it If this means the power cannot lower the Godhead’s
beyond “one Tier above the highest-Tier opponent.” Tier at all, it isn’t lowered, regardless of the effect in
If this means the power cannot lower the Primordial’s play.
Tier at all, it isn’t lowered, regardless of the effect

Antagonists 235
 capable of annihilating the character with little to no
effort, or targets that are otherwise unassailable. This also
TOP TIER includes targets that are physically or metaphysically not
vulnerable to violence on an interpersonal scale, and can
Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero focus
on Tier 1 and 2 characters, who roll dice even be used to model things like elections or heists that
with target number 8. Scion: Demigod have little or nothing to do with combat at all. In such
ups the ante, introducing Tier 3 characters, cases, Threat represents the degree to which opponents
rolling with target number 7. However, when work to undo progress or achieve their own victory, detect
it comes to chance, Gods (Tier 4 characters) or capture the player characters, etc. It can also be used to
place their thumbs on the scale, and so do model conflict between armies or even entire states, with
their opponents. the player characters taking a leading role in the action.
Scion: God introduces Tier 5 Antagonists, Characters opposing a Goliath must pass a given
who roll with target number 6. That small number of Milestones, equal to the Goliath’s relative Size
change causes cascading differences with + Legend + Threat, to destroy it. The difficulty of each
regards to probability, and the opponents
Milestone is equal to the Goliath’s Scale and represents
which Gods face often exceed 5 successes on
a given roll as a result. This permits Primordials minutes equal to the Goliath’s Size. Failure on Milestones
and Godheads to hit players’ characters may inflict Conditions; Complications on Milestones
without tipping over an entire barrel of dice may include increasing the Goliath’s awareness of the
onto the table, although they might still have characters (and therefore its Threat; if this would exceed
a barrel’s worth of dice. 5, the Goliath is enraged, with suitable consequences).
See p. 171 for how players’ Gods can Success on a Milestone represents focused but significant
temporarily gain access to Tier 5. damage done to the Goliath or actions that successfully
impede the Goliath in some manner.
When all Milestones are passed, the Goliath is
This rule does not apply outside of the Godhead’s effectively destroyed, even if its physical form is intact.
Realm; if he utilizes a power to designate a different
Realm as his Realm, this rule begins to apply at the Use the following template for Goliaths:
beginning of the next turn. Unlike Primordials, this sort Threat: Threat represents the Goliath’s willingness
of absolute investment of power only works within or ability to directly attack the player characters, rated
their home base. from 0-5; 0 represents a Goliath that is unaware of the
GOLIATHS characters’ actions, while 5 represents a Goliath that is both
highly aware of and actively trying to harm the characters.
A Goliath is any target that, reasonably speaking,
If the Goliath takes an action, roll its Threat as a dice pool
a character could not disable or destroy within a scene
and apply Scale (Dramatic against Heroes, Demigods, and
with normal attacks or divine powers. This may include
similar mythic beings; Narrative against anything else).
hardened targets, targets that are too large or dispersed
to meaningfully destroy within the time frame, targets Legend: If the Goliath is divine (likely, but not
required), it has a Legend rating.
Size: The size (in terms of Scale) of the Goliath relative
USING ANTAGONISTS to the attackers; if Sizes vary, use the smallest Size in the
FROM PRIOR BOOKS group and apply Enhancements relative to that Scale. If
the Goliath is essentially a collective (such as an army or a
Whether you want to update another population at large), the Size models their number.
Antagonist for use in a God chronicle —
Narrative Scale: This represents the Goliath’s
perhaps the Big Bad from your Origin
chronicle returns for one last showdown destructive powers relative to the characters and
with the same characters now that they have environment.
achieved Godhood — or just really like one of Extras: If the Goliath has any particularly unusual
the Origin Flairs and want to soup it up for use abilities, list them here.
in your God chronicle, go for it! If Gods had
full immunity from the depredation of lesser Goliaths are most useful, in a storytelling sense, as a
beings, after all, your characters couldn’t way to include conflict without that conflict necessarily
have gotten this far in the first place. Many revolving around interpersonal violence (though it can also
Demigod Flairs and Qualities work equally serve as a big cinematic boss-fight system, as well).
well in God chronicles without alteration. The
example Antagonists provided here make use
of Qualities and Flairs from Origin
Origin,, Hero
Hero,,
Titanomachy,, and Demigod
Titanomachy Demigod;; adjust as
necessary for your table and library.

236 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

 The Antagonist cannot perish unless suffering its last
FLAIRS wound via its Vulnerability (as per the Vulnerability
Quality, see Scion: Origin p. 149). When reduced
This section includes new Flairs for godly Antagonists. to its last Health box, the Antagonist must attempt
to flee until it heals a second Health box or is killed
ATTACK FLAIRS via its Vulnerability; it may not take any other actions
while at 1 Health.
THE HYDRA’S HUNDRED HEADS
Cost: None, or 1 Tension
Duration: Instant SOCIAL FLAIRS
Subject: Self CALLING THE MOB
Range: Close Cost: None, or 1 Tension per target
Action: Reflexive Duration: 10 – Highest Composure rounds; mini-
Cooldown: One scene or the Antagonist is killed mum 1
For every 2 Health boxes lost, the Antagonist gains Subject: Varies
another attack per round, as it sprouts another limb Range: Long
or head, venom sprays from its wounds, or another
manifestation of its nature occurs appropriate to the Action: Simple
Antagonist. For 1 Tension, the Antagonist gains anoth- Cooldown: End of Scene or the targets of the Flair
er attack per Health box lost. do not Take Out any characters
The Antagonist inspires unyielding rage in several
targets, inflicting the effects of the Seeing Red Flair
DEFENSE FLAIRS (Scion: Origin, p. 149). The Antagonist may target
as many characters as half of his Desperation pool,
THE RESURRECTION OF BA’AL rounded down. This resolves at End of Scene or
Cost: 2 Tension upon being Taken Out; for 1 Tension per target, the
Duration: One Scene Storyguide may inflict this effect on players’ char-
acters, causing the Berserk Condition. The character
Subject: Self must make an attack with every action for the duration
Range: Self of the rage — players may choose the targets, but if
only their friends remain, they must make an attack
Action: Reflexive against a valid target regardless of which side that
target falls on.
Cooldown: End of Scene.
By spending Tension before its death, the Antagonist
may ensure that death’s impermanence. As Mot A SEA OF RED HERRINGS
spread the ashes of Ba’al’s body across the desert, but
the Bull God rose again, the Antagonist may resurrect Cost: 1 Tension
after a mythologically appropriate amount of time. Duration: One investigation
For most Antagonists, this takes longer than a single
scene. As with all such decisions, the Storyguide Subject: Investigating characters
determines what constitutes a mythologically appro- Range: Varies
priate time but should permit the characters a means
of discovering the most likely interval. This never takes Action: Reflexive
longer than the duration of a story. Cooldown: One story
Prerequisites: Villain or higher Archetype
SEVEN SMALL DEATHS The Antagonist activates A Sea of Red Herrings in
Prerequisite: Vulnerability Quality response to an investigation into anything she deems
interesting or relevant, or just because it amuses her
Cost: None, or 2 Tension to do so: Unlike Red Herring (Scion: Hero, p. 152),
Duration: One Scene she is not restricted to investigations into her. Trickster
Gods love sending their own Scions into a Sea of Red
Subject: Self Herrings, if only to test their mettle. This Flair imposes a
Range: Self +3 Complication at every interval of the investigation.
Leads don’t dry up, they lead in the wrong direction;
Action: Reflexive evidence disappears, is fouled, or gets destroyed.
Cooldown: End of Scene. When players realize someone or something actively
interferes with their investigation, the investigating

Flairs 237
 character may make an appropriate Skill roll to read unsettle her. Failure to buy off the Complication forces
the clues and figure out who makes her work more the character to choose a different target for their at-
difficult. Her prior use of a Sea of Red Herrings then tacks on the following turn. If there are no other valid
compels the Antagonist to render meaningful aid to targets, they may not purchase the Inflict Injury or
the investigating character. She may send a Guide, Critical Stunts against the Antagonist who benefitted
pass on a critical clue, or return the stolen evidence, from this Flair.
but whatever the Antagonist does must constitute
genuine help, and the characters become aware
the Antagonist somehow compelled herself to help. NO VIP SAYS “ VIP”
Sometimes, Gad outsmarts themself, after all.
Cost: None; or 1 Tension
Duration: One scene
TU QUOQUE Subject: Varies
Cost: None
Range: Short
Duration: Instant
Action: Simple
Subject: An attacking character
Cooldown: End of scene
Range: Varies
The Antagonist blesses his minions with an unerring
Action: Reflexive sense of grace and style; wherever they go, others
Cooldown: The Antagonist evades an attack recognize them as not just members of the relevant
normally. organization, group, gang or club, but VIPs. One
small catch, though: This privilege is contingent on the
When an Antagonist uses this Flair, the attack resolves minions never acknowledging nor requesting their
as usual, using the Antagonist’s Defense rating. VIP treatment. This includes referring to himself as a
After determining the final effects of the attack, the VIP, statements such as “do you know who I am?”, or
Antagonist chooses one Stunt applied to her with a actively requesting preferred treatment. The privilege
cost equal to her Desperation pool or less. She ap- remains regardless of the type of environment the
plies this effect against another target within the scene minion enters or if the environment changes: When a
using the original successes rolled against her. minion passes from the back room of a high-end club
through the Underworld gate hidden behind a curtain
in said room, he continues to enjoy extreme privilege
in that Underworld, according to its rules and laws.
SUPPORT FLAIRS The minute he actively attempts to assert any sort of
LAZARUS RISING superiority, however, No VIP Says “VIP” evaporates
instantly, making everyone aware of exactly how
Cost: None; 1 Tension; or 2 Tension; or 3 Tension dramatically someone hoodwinked them. The minion
Duration: Instant invariably bears the brunt of this.
Subject: Varies Without expending Tension, the Antagonist may grant
this privilege to one minion; with an expenditure of 1
Range: Short Tension per target, he grants it to as many minions as
Action: Simple his Legend. The minion may access the Antagonist’s
Tier and Scale for all interactions. If a player’s char-
Cooldown: The Antagonist takes damage acter attempts to point out the strangeness of the situa-
The Antagonist clears the entire Health track of lesser tion to an affected Storyguide character, they engage
Antagonists (at least one Tier beneath the Antagonist) in a Clash of Wills with the Antagonist, who becomes
equal to half her Desperation pool, rounded down. immediately aware someone attempts to undermine
For 1 Tension, she grants the risen Antagonists +1 to their schemes, though not who without another power
all actions for the Flair’s Cooldown period. Restoring granting this knowledge.
Titanspawn always requires 2 Tension. This can
explicitly bring back Antagonists into fights they were
Taken Out of, as limbs leap across the battlefield to PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE
rejoin with dead bodies, and severed heads fly back Cost: None
to rejoin with torsos scattered across the floor.
Duration: One scene
The use of Lazarus Rising can terrify those unused
to the vagaries of battling with Gods; for 3 Tension, Subject: One subject
the Antagonist inflicts a Medicine or Occult roll on Range: Self or Short
opposed characters. Failure inflicts a +2 Complication
on the opposed character for the remainder of the Action: Simple
scene, as the gory sights of blood schlorping back Cooldown: End of scene
into a once-dead body (which suddenly sits up and
resumes the fight with renewed vigor) frighten and

238 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

The Antagonist increases one type of his own Scale
and Tier in order to face his opponent on equal
footing; he may also choose to use this on anyone
SUGAR--STRUCK
SUGAR
else within Short range. Until the end of the scene, the When affected by Sugar-Struck, the God
target of the Flair’s Scale and Tier increases, along counts as equivalent in Tier to the lowest-Tier
with all linked stats, including health. At the end of individual present, plus one. If the lowest-Tier
the scene, all stats return to the target’s regular stats; individual is Tier 1, the God acts at Tier 2.
the dramatic mythical (and in many cases physical)
collapse causes damage equal to the Antagonist’s Resolution: She may choose to take an
Legend. action which humbles her or matches her
acting Tier in some way: Aphrodite admits
If the Antagonist targets someone other than himself, someone else’s beauty is greater than her
the target believes her sudden increased fortune own; Loki follows instructions from a mortal;
comes by her own merit. Players’ characters may Odin grants that someone else has greater
make a Clash of Wills; on success, they may choose wisdom in this situation. Doing so both shrugs
whether to permit the Flair to affect them. The player’s off the Condition and grants her 1 Momentum.
character likewise becomes aware in vague terms of Otherwise, the Condition fades without
the danger of allowing the Flair to affect them, some- resolution at the end of the scene.
thing similar to “this is going to hurt later, but it might
be worth the risk now.” More than one Demigod has
fallen prey to underestimating just how much the hard Subject: Varies
landing hurts. Range: Short
Action: Simple
UTILITY FLAIRS Cooldown: The Antagonist closes to close range
with any opponent; or three turns
BEAUTY LIKE SUGAR
By screaming, stomping on the earth, or otherwise
Cost: 2 Tension making a dramatic gesture, the Antagonist knocks
Duration: One scene back up to four targets by two range bands.
Subject: Single subject
Range: Long ENTER STAGE LEFT
Action: Reflexive Cost: 2 Tension
Cooldown: End of scene or God wins a Clash of Duration: Instant
Wills and spends applicable Legend Subject: Varies
Beauty in the age of Nymphstagram overwhelms Range: Medium
even the divine; humanity’s efforts to approach the
loveliness of Aphrodite with filters, ring lights, and Action: Reflexive
layers of cosmetics come quite close to success.
This sort of consumption of endless perfection inures Cooldown: Two turns
humanity to the charms of the Gods in much the way A favorite of trickster entities, this Flair allows the
that high-fructose corn syrup amps up a person’s Antagonist to instantly teleport to a location where
tolerance for sweetness on the tongue. someone has just invoked their name. This should be
An Antagonist inflicts Beauty Like Sugar on a God, a deliberate invocation of the entity’s name: Simply
and suddenly feats which the God would normally saying the name “Thor” wouldn’t be enough to invoke
experience as trivial cannot be overcome with a the God of Thunder, but swearing “by Thor’s hammer,
snap of the fingers. This Flair inflicts the Sugar-Struck you shall be avenged!” counts, as would a professor
Condition (see below). giving a long lecture about the entity, or any action or
speech which clearly indicates that specific entity. The
The God may immediately engage in a Clash of professor in question giving a general lecture about
Wills with the Antagonist at the God’s new acting the Æsir which doesn’t directly mention Thor, for
Tier; if she succeeds, she may spend 2 Legend in a example, wouldn’t allow the hammer-toting Thunder
familiar or native Realm or the World, or 3 Legend God to pop into reality next to him on the podium.
in an unfamiliar Realm, and shrug off the effects of
Sugar-Struck.
THE NATURAL ORDER IS VALUE-NEUTRAL
Cost: None
CLEARING SPACE
Cost: None Duration: Instant

Duration: Instant Subject: Realm

Flairs 239
 Range: Long Quality, see Scion: Origin p. 149) to the target,
becoming no longer vulnerable to the circumstance
Action: Simple or item in question for the remainder of the scene. A
Cooldown: One scene or the Antagonist is Taken werewolf may, for example, briefly lose his excep-
Out or killed tional vulnerability to silver, or a vampire her vulnera-
bility to fire or sunlight, while they gain this weakness.
The Antagonist unspins the effects of Gods on a Note that this does not make the Antagonist immune
given Realm or makes said Realm more hospitable to the objects in question: A werewolf stabbed with
to his presence. Enacting The Natural Order Is a silver sword still bleeds, and a vampire set on fire
Value-Neutral negates the effects of a God’s work still burns; they simply do not have the effects of the
upon Realm Conditions, whether those effects include Quality for the remainder of the scene.
adding, modifying, or removing a Realm Condition. If
(as per the section on Divine Rule, see p. 63) a God
has created A Forest In Shadow, using The Natural
Order Is Value-Neutral undoes this effect. If a God A THOUSAND HUNGRY HANDS
removes a Realm Condition, this Flair restores it. The Cost: None
God may choose to spend more Legend in order to
create the effect again, and the Antagonist could not Duration: Instant
counter that until the cooldown expires. In any case, Subject: Varies
this undoing only lasts until the end of the Scene, at
which point one of two things happen: If a God has Range: Medium
not altered the relevant Realm Condition after the Action: Simple
Antagonist used The Natural Order Is Value-Neutral,
it returns to its prior state. If, however, the God reiter- Cooldown: Two turns
ated the Realm Condition chååange or made a differ- The Antagonist moves up to four opponents from short
ent alteration, then the Realm Condition they wished or further range to close range. This may come from
to uphold remains. If the God pays Legend to re-up a magical or mundane effect, such as illusory hands
the Realm Condition, that Legend is not refunded at pulling the opponent closer or the Antagonist using a
the end of the scene. net with uncanny dexterity.

PASSING ON THE POISON LEAD ASTRAY

Prerequisite: Vulnerability Quality Cost: None
Cost: None Duration: One scene
Duration: Instant Subject: One target
Subject: One target Range: Varies
Range: Close Action: Reflexive
Action: Simple Cooldown: End of scene, or subject is dissuaded by
Cooldown: One scene or the Antagonist is Taken others from following the lead
Out or killed The Antagonist creates an illusion which invokes the
The Antagonist touches the target and passes on its symbology or markers of the target’s Pantheon, if any,
supernatural vulnerability (as per the Vulnerability or in the case of targets without a Pantheon affiliation,
an illusion which tempts or draws the target specifical-
ly: a pillar of flame in the desert, perhaps, or a green
flame and sibilant voice which lead the target to a
OH, THAT’S spinning wheel. This illusion moves of its own accord,
NOT COOL! either drawing the target toward a pre-determined
location or away from the Antagonist. The Antagonist
Powers such as The Dying and Rising God may not change the location to which the illusion
or Lazarus Rising, which include themes like draws the target: If someone moves the spinning
ritual suicide and the very gory resurrection wheel, for example, the green flame and the voice still
of the dead, may constitute powerful triggers conspire to lead her to the room where it sat when the
for players at your table. Storyguides must Antagonist used this Flair.
review the possibility of these powers coming
up in play and receive consent from the
table to engage these themes before utilizing THE DYING AND RISING GOD
these Flairs. Do not inflict the ritual suicide Cost: 2 Tension
of Antagonists on your players without their
informed and enthusiastic consent. Duration: One scene
Subject: Self

240 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

 Range: Self his household. Whenever Scions that have not made names
for themselves (or have not scheduled meetings with him)
Action: Simple
arrive, he meets them with excessive belligerence. That is,
Cooldown: 3 days of course, what these filthy upstarts deserve, especially for
By undertaking a ritual death, the Antagonist may thinking that they are in any way equal to Sun Wukong or
return with knowledge otherwise inaccessible to him. Nezha.
The death must contain an element of theater as well Áo Guāng no longer holds back. He will fight as he has
as ritual: To use this Flair, the Antagonist must die in fought in the most ancient of days, when the world was
a way permitting the characters to witness its occur- old and new at the same time. When that Nezha fought
rence. The Phoenix explodes into flame, dies, and
against the natural order of things. He will shake his house
comes back wiser; Odin hangs himself on the tree;
Quetzalcoatl burns himself on an altar and becomes and cause tsunamis and earthquakes. He will rise from his
the morning star. None of these things happen without undersea palace and encroach upon the World, should the
witness; dying alone, unseen, the story untold, holds Scions overextend themselves and the Gods think of him
no mythological symbolism. as too pliant.
This death, while ritually enacted, is very real: once he However, Áo Guāng is paradoxically generous, perhaps
successfully dies by suicide (the characters may try to against his will. If a Scion defeats him in combat, in any
heal him or just kill him first, in which case, he just dies: form of struggle, he will reward the Scion with gifts from
the Dying and Rising God must die in the proper way his house. Do not expect Áo Guāng to hold no grudge over
in order to prepare himself for rebirth), the Antagonist this, however.
descends to the appropriate Underworld. The
characters may pursue him if they choose, attempting This is the truth: Áo Guāng has always been impressed
to prevent his return or disrupt the Dying and Rising and captivated by his own power. He will break the heavens
God; Storyguides should permit an appropriate skill with his ability to bring droughts and tsunamis. He has
check for players’ characters to discern the purpose of abused his strength, his own servants. The Jade Emperor
this death. looks upon him in fear of his strength, and he never admits
If permitted to return three days after his death — no or reports his vile actions. Thus, Áo Guāng thrives and
sooner, no later — the Antagonist now possesses a prospers. This is a good reason for Scions to try and attack
significant piece of information or secret about one him, but still. Áo Guāng is tired.
of the characters which it could not otherwise access Archetype: Primordial
or find. If the characters thwart the return of the Dying
and Rising God, however, the Antagonist gains no Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing,
knowledge. The Antagonist’s time in the Underworld Astride the World, Collateral Damage, Dominion
may represent a significantly vulnerable mytholog- (Water), Flight, Interference, Perfected Soldier,
ical moment in which an otherwise undefeatable Unstoppable, Willful
Antagonist finds its end. Flairs: A Thousand Hungry Hands, Apocalyptic
Rain, Calling the Mob, Clearing Space, Lead Astray,
Penetrator, The Natural Order is Value-Neutral

ROSTER Drive: To keep his power.

OF DIVINE Callings: Destroyer, Monster, Tyrant

Purviews: Beasts (Aquatic Animals, Dragons), Sky
ANTAGONISTS (Storms), Water
Primary Pool (15): Enacting violence with weap-

T he following are some examples of divine-level

Antagonists. As always, these are made to be guidelines
for creating your own Antagonists and you are free to take
ons from his household, Protecting his household,
Ordering others around
Secondary Pool (12): Controlling the seas,
these and modify them to suit your game. Conniving, Deception
ÁO GUĀNG Desperation Pool: 7
The Azure Dragon of the Eastern Sea is tired. Health: 8
Year after year, second after second, a new Scion Defense: 7
arrives at his doorstep. Usually ones that haven’t even
made names for themselves! Lowly Heroes and Demigods Initiative: 7
all. Pah! This is all disrespectful to Áo Guāng. Just because
Nezha defeated him does not mean that all Scions can!
ÁO GUĀNG’S HOUSE WARRIORS
So, The Azure Dragon readies his weapons, his
Áo Guāng’s warriors are trained to defend his house:
sorceries, and his command over the water. In modern
a house packed to the brim with servants and princesses.
times, he is not averse to using newer weapons to protect

Roster of Divine Antagonists 241

These guardian spirits fight with the style and skill of kung Archetype: Primordial
fu masters, but unencumbered by tradition. They have
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing,
incorporated guns, harpoons, and other modern weaponry
Dominion (Chaos), Destructive Force, Flight,
into their arsenal, all to better defend Áo Guāng’s house. Indestructible (Weapons blessed by the Sun), Omni-
Archetype: Titanic Minions oracular, Physiological Void, Unstoppable
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, Flairs: Apocalyptic Rain, Death Curse, Divine
Martial Artist (Heroic), Perfected Soldier Command, Dread Gaze, Player of Games, Shadow-
Strike, Transformation, World Shaking
Flairs: Shadow Step, Shadow-Strike
Drive: To bring chaos, and to finally kill the sun.
Drive: To protect Áo Guāng’s house… or else he will
bring drought and pain upon those that I love. Callings: Adversary, Monster, Warrior
Primary Pool (11): Martial Arts, Moving Through Purviews: Beasts (Snakes), Chaos, Darkness
Áo Guāng’s House, Striking With Finesse Primary Pool (12): Sowing Discord, Destroying the
Secondary Pool (9): Communicating, Escaping, World, Attacking minions of Re
Travelling, Speaking With Áo Guāng’s Mantles Secondary Pool (10): Speaking with others,
Desperation Pool: 6 Leading others astray, Encouraging brother to fight
brother
Health: 5
Desperation Pool: 7
Defense: 2
Health: 8
Initiative: 7
Defense: 7
Initiative: 7
APEP
Otherwise known as Apophis, he is chaos itself. Apep,
the great serpent, rushes through light and order to crush APEP WAR CULTIST
it completely. He is the Lord of Chaos and the enemy of The cultists of Apep grow bolder every day. Any
Re. While frequently depicted as a serpent, he sometimes chance they get, they try to incite violence, violating safe
appears a cloud of chaotic darkness, and sometimes with spaces and making sure that no order can protect anything.
a head of flint. Sometimes he is a serpent, sometimes he is Many Apep cultists have infiltrated powerful governmental
a crocodile. Apep cares not for the depictions of mortals. positions, especially ones that might have access to nuclear
Apep is not a primordial being, and he is not mentioned weapons. All part of the plan, they say. May chaos reign.
in any creation myths. Apep’s origin is from Re himself, Death to the sun.
usually his umbilical cord. In many accounts, this might Archetype: Titanic Minion
mean that Apep, as chaos, is born from Re’s actions. In
Egyptian theology, evil is borne from the actions of an Qualities: Darkvision, Imposing Presence
individual. Flairs: Hidden in the Masses, Ritual Magic
Apep is locked in an eternal war with Re. Whenever Callings: Adversary, Warrior
one hears thunderstorms, that is caused by Apep’s mighty
Drive: To follow Apep’s every word and deed, and
roar. When one feels an earthquake, it’s Apep’s movements. to bring death to the sun
In this eternal war, which happens daily, Re almost always
wins. However, Re always has an entourage of protectors Primary Pool (11): Fighting, Following Apep’s
that help him in his daily journey. And he needs protectors orders
to help him — usually those powerful enough to call Secondary Pool (9): Conniving, Stealth, Athletics,
themselves Gods. Weaponry
Apep’s cults have been working hard to find a way Desperation Pool: 6
for Apep to win. Many think that Re is winning not just
Health: 5
because of the concerted efforts of Re and his protectors,
but also because of rituals performed by humanity. Thus, Defense: 2
they try to disrupt these rituals to try to displace Apep’s Initiative: 7
power. In modern times, they resort to trying to obtain
nuclear weapons. If Apep could harness Re’s own power,
then the chaos unleashed will be unstoppable. ATTAR
If Apep could only consume Re. All he needs to do is The morning star of the Phoenician Pantheon, Attar
eat him. Devour him. Finish him off. Swallow him once and rebelled against Ba’al due to his treatment of humanity
for all. and was exiled. Thrown into the outer reaches of space,

242 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

the cold denial of the presence of his Gods, the genderfluid In those times, the night was never dark. There was
Titan — though they deny the title and refer to themself always a light, no matter how much dimmer than the sun’s.
as humanity’s first guardian angel — hangs in the stars The stars were the subjects of each moon, and each moon
with her beloved Ashima, the aylonit priest who prayed had a mansion of their own. In ancient times, star watchers
to him when all seemed lost. Humanity starved, and Attar and astrologers spoke with the moon spirits to foretell the
answered when Ba’al neglected them. future and divine the upcoming days.
While she would like nothing more than to depose Bakunawa was not jealous, no. Bakunawa was not
Ba’al, when Attar returns to the World these days, she does hungry either. Bakunawa was enraptured. She was in love.
so in order to look after his beloved humans. In Attar’s One night, she turned into a giant serpent and flew
mind, no one loves humanity like they do; it is really too across the sky. In love with one moon, she ate it up, mansion
bad that all of the myths which followed paint the Titan and all. She thought she would be content: The moon
of the Morning Star in such a negative light. Those aren’t would flare up and make her heart glow. Unfortunately,
Phoenician myths, they wail: Who could malign him so within her belly, the moon melted. Soon, she was desperate
desperately? to be filled once again.
Anyone who sincerely proposes a method for Still in love, she kept eating more of the moons. Each
rehabilitating Attar’s image in the eyes of humanity might one kept dissipating within her belly, and she could never
find her more than willing to listen to such proposals. It’s be fulfilled. When she reached the seventh moon, the Gods
just so terribly unfair, after all, and more than anything, she of the sky stopped her in her tracks and punished her
wants Ashima and all the humans who rallied to their side forever. She was thrown to the depths of the sea and left
taken down out of the sky. That this would remove every there, tossed out from the sky.
star — or so the myth goes — and bring about the end of the
world, well… sometimes prices must be paid for wisdom However, every now and again, Bakunawa leaps free
and rehabilitation. from the chains of her ocean prison, and she flies high up
into the sky, consumed with love, in an attempt to devour
Archetype: Godhead the last moon. But this time, the mortals are ready. In
Qualities: A Cage of Words, Apocalyptic concert with the Gods, they perform rituals and dances.
Presence, Dominion (Beasts: Birds), Flight, Honor Sometimes it is Haliya, the Moon Goddess Protector, that
Bound, Immortal-ish, Natural Weapon (Claws), fends off Bakunawa; other times it is the loud clanging of
Regeneration, Unstoppable the mortal folk, in concert with the effort of the sky Gods.
Flairs: Beauty Like Sugar, Divine Command, The No matter what, Bakunawa is always fended off.
Dying And Rising God, Eye of the Swarm, Lazarus Until a new set of Gods must defeat them.
Rising, Lead Astray, The Natural Order Is Value-
Neutral, No VIP Says VIP, Sanctification, Selfless That is the truth behind eclipses, they say.
Shield, Share and Share Alike, Touch of Asclepius, GOD FORM
World Shaking
Archetype: Primordial
Drive: To heal, protect, and teach humanity.
Qualities: Collateral Damage, Divine Command
Callings: Adversary, Judge, Leader
Flairs: Apocalyptic Presence, Flight
Purviews: Beauty, Order, Stars
Callings: Destroyer, Lover, Monster
Primary Pool (14): Flight, Healing, Teaching,
Wisdom Purviews: Darkness, Moon, Passion
Secondary Pool (12): Deception, Biting Primary Pool (15): Striking with unforged weap-
ons, Moving across the sky, Consuming
Desperation: 8
Secondary Pool (12): Ignoring Loud Noises,
Health: 10 Stopping attacks, Manipulating the tides and waters,
Defense: 8 Crafting darkness
Initiative: 8 Desperation: 7
Health: 8
BAKUNAWA Defense: 7
Let me tell you a story of six moons. Initiative: 7
In the ancient sky kingdoms, there was a hungry Extras: Bakunawa can be treated either as an
serpent Goddess named Bakunawa. She traveled across the individual or as a narrative threat. Stopping her from
sky and marveled at the glory and luminance of the seven
eating the moon uses the alternative following stat
block. Once defeated, Bakunawa will descend into
moons. Each one occupied a different night.
the depths of the sea once again.

Roster of Divine Antagonists 243

 NARRATIVE THREAT Drive: To eradicate all would-be Scions and Heroes.
Archetype: Goliath Callings: Guardian, Monster, Warrior
Threat: 0 (Only seeks to eat the moon) Purviews: Sky, Sun
Legend: N/A Primary Pool (14): Controlling Shadows, Seeing
Size: 5 Through Darkness, Running in Sunrise, Fighting Bare
Handed
Narrative Scale: 5
Secondary Pool (12): Evading Through Dawnlight,
Extras: Apocalyptic Presence. Defeating the Flying Through the Dawn
Bakunawa will take a combination of loud noises
and the proper rituals performed to Haliya, the Moon Desperation Pool: 8
Protector. This is a seven-day long ritual performed at Health: 10
the foot of a spirit tree. During this time, Titanspawn
from all cultures will try to stop the ritual. Once the
ritual is performed, Bakunawa will be forced out of
her serpent form, and she can be defeated in her
humanoid God form.

BUYUNG SARAGNAYAN
In the great Hinilawod, one of the longest pieces of
epic poetry in the Philippines, Buyung Saragnayan was the
God that lived where the sun rises. When Labaw Donggon
traveled to the Eastern Sky where the sun rose to win the
wife of Buyung Saragnayan, Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling
Diwata’s, hand in marriage, Buyung Saragnayan laughed
him off. That was when Labaw Donggon challenged the
Buyung to a duel. They fought for years, wherein Labaw
Donggon eventually got tired, being a mortal, while the
Buyung would never die. Labaw Donggon even submerged
Buyung Saragnayan’s head under water for 7 years, but
Buyung Saragnayan would not die.
Eventually, Labaw Donggon weakened, and Buyung
Saragnayan kept him in his pig pen. His sons, Asu Mangga
and Buyung Baranugon, arrived in the Eastern Sky to save
him. Saragnayan summoned minions from the underworld
to fend them off, but Labaw Donggon’s sons beat them
easily. They fought Saragnayan but Saragnayan was
immortal. It was only when they asked Alunsina, one of
the Balahala, to help them, did they find out that Buyung
Saragnayan’s breath, or ginhawa, was kept within the body
of a boar in a place called Paling Bukid. They slew the boar,
ate the heart, and soon slew Saragnayan.
But such Gods live on. Buyung Saragnayan, the Lord
of the Eastern Sky, with power over the Underworld, has
another boar with part of his ginhawa in another, secret
place within the Philippines — or maybe in Borneo. He
returns, and he will enact revenge upon all Heroes.
Archetype: Godhead
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor-Piercing,
Dominion (Sunrise and the Underworld), Unstoppable
Flairs: A Thousand Hungry Hands, Enter Stage
Left, Knockout, Clearing Space, Lead Astray,
Shadow-Step, Shadow-Strike, The Natural Order Is
Value-Neutral

244 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

 Defense: 8 lancers for the rebellion of Coyolxāuhqui, and they would
gladly help decapitate the sun and moon should the need
Initiative: 8
arise. The greatest of the Centzonhuītznāhua have become
Extras: To kill the Buyung, the Gods must first locate Titans in their own right, no doubt powerful weapons in
the boar in a secret grove within the Philippines, kill the hands of Coyolxāuhqui.
the boar, and eat their heart. Before that, the Buyung
is immortal. Archetype: Primordial
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing,
Martial Artist (Heroic), Perfected Soldier, Willful
CENTZONHUĪTZNĀHUA
Flairs: Penetrator, Shadow Step, Shadow-Strike
The 400 Stars of the South burn with an evil hunger,
and they unerringly follow the commands of their sister.
Drive: To finish sister Coyolxāuhqui’s rebellion!
Like the stars surrounding a moon, they act as warriors and

Roster of Divine Antagonists 245

 Primary Pool (12): Enacting Violence, Protecting Purviews: Darkness, Health, Moon, War
Coyolxāuhqui, Spreading blood and chaos
Primary Pool (14): Enacting Violence, Moving the
Secondary Pool (10): Running across waters, Tides of the Sea, Summoning Light from the Moon,
Moving in step with other Centzonhuītznāhua Commanding her Star Brothers
Desperation Pool: 7 Secondary Pool (12): Bounding from Continent to
Continent, Striding across the sea, Destroying moun-
Health: 8 tains and rivers
Defense: 7 Desperation Pool: 8
Initiative: 7 Health: 10
Defense: 8
COYOLXĀUHQUI Initiative: 8
Coyolxāuhqui’s rage can be felt. She awakens once
Extras: Killing Coyolxāuhqui requires the following
again. conditions: She must be dismembered and bound
Once in the ancient of days, Coyolxāuhqui scorned with powerful magic. If she begins the ritual, she
her mother Cōātlīcue for becoming pregnant. When she and the moon must both be defeated to end it. If
tried to kill Cōātlīcue with her brothers, the stars of the only Coyolxāuhqui is killed, the moon continues to
south, Huitzilopochtli burst from Cōātlīcue and fought descend. If the moon lands on earth, Coyolxāuhqui’s
Coyolxāuhqui. The raging daughter was dismembered and
moon half arises and acts with all pools reduced by 4.
If Coyolxāuhqui successfully unites with her other half,
thrown from Coatapec Mountain. Godly magics bound her. she sets herself to Scale 6 for all actions.
However, the unearthing of the Coyolxāuhqui stone
Whenever she goes into battle, Coyolxāuhqui sum-
in Mexico unraveled the magic that bound her to death. mons a Centzonhuītznāhua to fight alongside her.
Now, she returns, signaled by superstitions and disasters:
wildfires, tornadoes, sinkholes in the middle of cities. Her
rage has had a few eons to fester, simmer, and ferment. DYĒUS
It grows and grows: like a rushing river being dammed,
In the most ancient of days, the oldest incarnation of
inevitably to break through.
Zeus and Jupiter was known as Dyēus. Dyēus Pater, the
Coyolxāuhqui is the moon, sister to Huitzilopochtli, Father Daylight Sky God. This was so long ago that even
the sun. Parts of her body are spread over the Coatapec Zeus has forgotten this ancient incarnation, this primordial
Mountain, but other parts were hurled so far that they form.
became parts of the moon.
The only way people learned about Dyēus is through
When Coyolxāuhqui returns, she will return half- the reconstruction of this ancient incarnation, some of it
formed. Her half body is not her full power, but she will bits and pieces from Zeus, Jupiter, and ancient stories from
be able to fend off all kinds of God-level threats with a the Rigveda and Dyaus Pita. The sun is his eye, his sons are
nonchalant wave of her hand. With her half-formed body, the Horse-Riding Twins, and he gave cattle to man so that
she will travel to the ice clad peak of Pico de Orizaba, where they may sacrifice to him.
she will raise her hands and perform a ritual.
When asked, Zeus or Jupiter will recall a little about
That night, the moon will burst. The other half of Dyēus, about the oldest of days, but they never truly
Coyolxāuhqui will erupt from the moon like a chick remember. Dyēus now is a completely separate deity, one
from an egg, sending debris down upon the earth. Then that has been away for a few eternities. Now he returns,
Coyolxāuhqui will summon the moon down upon the threatening the authority of Zeus himself, calling to the
World, and in so doing, complete her transformation. Then, sun and the dragon-slaying lightning to aid him in his battle
she will finish her vengeance: She will slay the sun and against the Theoi and the Devá in an effort to reconquer
moon in an apocalypse. what is rightfully his.
Archetype: Godhead He is wrong, of course. Oh so wrong. Dyēus is an
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, artifact of the past, an echo calcified into myth. The Theoi
Collateral Damage, Dominion (Moon), Perfected and Devá are their own people now, their own Gods. They
Soldier, Willful do not belong to an ancient version of Zeus, one that Zeus
does not even completely remember.
Flairs: A Thousand Hungry Hands, Calling the
Mob, Clearing Space, Penetrator, Shadow Step, Dyēus proclaims himself as the Sky Father, the Daylight
Shadow-Strike God, the Brightness Long Ago. He walks upon the earth,
Drive: To enact my vengeance. To kill the sun and and it trembles with his remembered power. His Pantheon
earth. is now long gone, their corpses becoming the Gods of the
Theoi and the Devá (or so Dyēus believes). He reaches for
Callings: Adversary, Leader, Warrior Zeus and proclaims Deicide.

246 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

 Dyēus uses the lightning as his spear, the clouds as Desperation Pool: 8
his sword, and the sun as his chariot. Whatever the sun
Health: 10
touches, he can travel to with ease. His remembered power
is tremendous, able to level entire cities and fracture Defense: 8
continents. He will reconquer the world that he says he Initiative: 8
created and populated, and he will prove his might in doing
so. He has killed a great number of both titanspawn and Extras: When Dyēus uses The Dying and Rising
Demigods, now. It is only a matter of time before the Gods God, he performs a ritual wherein he sacrifices
himself, as the first twins sacrificed the first primordial
will fall to him as well.
cattle. Thus, he reenacts the act of creation, recreating
Dyēus has returned, and the World shall tremble. himself. He descends into the Underworld of the Theoi
Archetype: Godhead or the Devá, sometimes a strange mixture of both.
Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing, Dyēus can teleport to any place that sunlight touches.
Dominion (Sun), Dominion (Sky), Perfected Soldier, That does mean that he cannot teleport to a place
Willful, Astride the World, Indestructible (Legendary where it’s night, but he can teleport to a part of the
Weapons), Interference, Flight, Unstoppable, world where the sun is. He loses this power during a
Collateral Damage solar eclipse.
Flairs: A Thousand Hungry Hands, Apocalyptic
Rain, Clearing Space, Calling the Mob, Penetrator, JŐRMUNGANDR
The Natural Order is Value-Neutral, Lead Astray, The
Dying and Rising God A B-level Titan, a dragon, the child of Loki and
Angrboða: Jörmungandr wears many metaphorical hats
Drive: To kill Zeus/Jupiter, and to bring the Theoi and wraps himself in many Mantles. Whichever name
and Devá to heel. I shall reconquer the world. he assumes, the Serpent Encircling the World hungers,
Callings: Adversary, Destroyer, Tyrant always. Sometimes he hungers for secrets, or Mantles, or
the gold of Fafnir; sometimes he really just wants to take a
Purviews: Sky, Sun, War
bite out of Thor’s ass for all the times the God of Thunder
Primary Pool (14): Enacting Violence, Summoning went fishing for him with the corpse of a cow. He spends
Lightning, Using The Sun most of his time lurking in the ocean, resting his head in a
Secondary Pool (12): Riding across plains, distant cave and taking long naps. Every so often, however,
Speaking, Persuading, Destroying Inanimate Objects

Roster of Divine Antagonists 247

someone manages to wake up the dread serpent and start a KURITA
chain reaction fit to end in Ragnarök.
He who has innumerable limbs! Tremble, o tremble!
Nidhoggr claims a more prominent place with the Æsir Neither the land nor the sea will stop them. They walk
Titans, and this makes Jörmungandr cross. More people upon multiple appendages, unbarred by anything! They
like Fenris than Jörmungandr, and this makes Jörmungandr are the Kurita, and they will arise to break the world! They
cranky. Loki turned him into a cat once and challenged haunt the Mountain Where Rattan Grows and will not stop
Thor to pick him up, and that made Jörmungandr cranky. until all have been cut down before them.
Pretty much everything except dinnertime and naps makes
In the legends of the Philippine people, particularly
Jörmungandr cranky… and when he gets grumpy, well…
the Maguindanao people, the Kurita was a giant, multi-
The ouroboros uncurls himself and sprays venom as limbed monster. He was cut to pieces by the hero Sulayman
he climbs to land, and while he remains fixed on his goal in the past, but those thousand pieces have grown into
of devouring the God of Thunder, a suitable sacrifice might more Kurita that continue to terrorize the lands of the
send him back to slumber, or act as a means of delivering World, unimpeded by land or water. Kurita usually make
poison and explosives to his insides. Just don’t think you’ll mountains where rattan grows into their haunts, their size
fool him with another cow: He’s heard that one before and being occluded by the dense thick jungles and the clouds.
has lost his taste for beef. A very crafty Scion might find a Archetype: Titanspawn
way to earn the World Serpent’s allegiance, but that would
be quite the feat indeed. Maybe if they feed him Thor… Drive: Destroy Scions
Archetype: Goliath Qualities: Armor Piercing, Apocalyptic Presence,
Unstoppable, Indestructible (can only be harmed by
Drive: Eat Thor, end the World, take a nap. swords), Sure Footed, Stand Tall, Heavily Armored,
Threat: 5 Natural Weapon (Innumerable Claws)
Legend: N/A Flairs: Long Arm, Penetrator, Second Wind, World
Shaking, Clearing Space
Size: 6
Primary Pool (13): Many-Limbed Strikes, Striding
Narrative Scale: 5 (x200) Across the World, Terrifying Presence
Extras: Apocalyptic Presence, Natural Weapon Secondary Pool (11): Senses, Rapid Growth,
(Fangs, Claws), Unstoppable, Venomous, can only Stealth
be damaged by war hammers or lightning
Desperation Pool: 7

248 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

 Health: 10 dealing with an unknown creature. It is rumored that
they fear divine fire, and that they may have been ancient
Defense: 4
titanspawn that slipped the annals of time. There are only
Initiative: 1 six of them in the world, and their white upper-side means
Extras: Kurita have size Scale 4. they are almost impossible to see from above.
Archetype: Goliath
MOLECH
Maybe Molech was something else, once upon a time. Threat: 3
Whatever he used to be, whether he used to have a place Legend: N/A
within the Phoenician Pantheon, Ba’al expelled him during
Size: 5
the Bull-God’s quest for complete control of the children
of the Divine Mothers. Resentment grew like a low-stoked Narrative Scale: 4
fire in Molech’s belly; it rose through his chest and singed Extras: Apocalyptic Presence. The Ningen cannot be
his brain for a thousand years before finally setting fire to damaged by any weapon. Only attacks from Gods.
him entirely. Nuclear weapons interestingly do not affect it.
As close to an image of a demon as the old Pantheon
contains, Molech rises from the earth with the head of a
bull on the broad shoulders of a muscular man. More
RĀVA A
than one Scion has mistaken Molech for an Avatar of Ba’al Rāvaṇa is reborn.
himself, much to their distress when they realize the truth. Rāvaṇa ruled as demon king of the island of Lanka, and
Above anything else, Molech wants. He wants to overthrow he was painted as the main antagonist of the Ramayana
Ba’al, but only as a means to an end: He wants to devour. and its many adaptations. He abducted Rama’s wife Sita
What? Yes. Everything. If Molech had his way, he’d serve and took her to Lanka, where she was held prisoner in
up the World on a platter and take it down in two bites the Ashok Vatika. Rama struck Rāvaṇa later on, with
as a main course, after devouring all the World’s children the support of the Vanara King Sugriva, and Rama killed
as sacrifices in the way of the Carthaginian temples of Rāvaṇa, rescuing Sita.
Ba’al, and just before he chews on the bones of his seventy
siblings and their seventy-by-seventy children. In his ten heads, he knows perfectly the six Shastras
and the four Vedas, and he is a fierce devotee of Shiva. In
His mothers and itinerant father will make the very his knowledge, he authored the Rāvaṇa Samhita, a book on
best of desserts, just as soon as he works his way through Hindu astrology, and the Arka Prakasham, a book on Siddha
everything else. medicine and treatment. Within his belly is the nectar of
Molech’s cult perseveres, hiding in the corners of immortality, a celestial boon granted to him by Brahma.
the World, under the metaphorical rug and inside the It is true that Rāvaṇa is dead, killed by Rama in his epic.
allegorical closet. However, Rāvaṇa’s power is too great to lie dormant. One
Archetype: Godhead of his Scions has achieved Apotheosis, claiming Rāvaṇa’s
Mantle and personal Sanctum. Like most Godsrealms, this
Drive: Consume.
Realm is a private place of refuge, but unlike most, he’s
Primary Pool (14): All-consuming hunger, Seizing flung the door wide open to all rakshasa. Tens of thousands
and Devouring have already traveled to his doorstep, with many more on
Secondary Pool (12): Inspiring terror, fear, and their way. So far, his invitation has aspired a peaceful calm
panic among the rakshasa in his Realm.
Desperation Pool: 8 No one knows what this Rāvaṇa’s true goal is, and
rampant speculation has only further obscured his
Health: 10 plan. Some see it as a humanitarian mission or Rāvaṇa
Defense: 8 surrendering the World to the Devá. Indra has his own
Initiative: 8 theory; he believes Rāvaṇa is marshalling forces for war.
That’s probably untrue, but Indra’s suspicions and planned
armed scouting mission might trigger a new war between
NINGEN the Devá and Asura nonetheless.
The Ningen is a giant, whale-sized creature that Archetype: Godhead
inhabits the deepest shores of the subarctic. Their name Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing,
translates to “human,” and they are so called because they Destructive Force, Flight, Martial Artist, Unstoppable
look like giant whales with the torsos of humans. They’re
Flairs: Apocalyptic Rain, Calling the Mob, Clearing
eyeless and navigate the world through echolocation.
Space, Hall of Mirrors, Lead Astray, Shadow Strike,
A Ningen’s mysterious nature is the reason why they The Hydra’s Hundred Heads, World Shaking
are so feared; only the Gods can afford to mess up when

Roster of Divine Antagonists 249

 Drive: To take back Lanka and to lead a war against plunge the world into eternal darkness, before consuming
the Devás. it at last.
Primary Pool (12): Fighting with weapons and The Ancient One will be the only one left.
martial arts, Warring, Commanding rakshasa Archetype: Primordial
Secondary Pool (10): Moving through the World, Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor Piercing,
Persuading others to follow his cause Dominion (Fire), Astride the World, Collateral
Desperation Pool: 7 Damage, Flight, Interference, Perfected Soldier,
Unstoppable, Willful
Health: 8
Flairs: A Thousand Hungry Hands, Apocalyptic Rain,
Defense: 7 Calling the Mob, Clearing Space, Clearing Space,
Initiative: 7 Create Spawn, Divine Command, Lead Astray,
Penetrator, The Natural Order is Value-Neutral,
Transformation
THE DRAGON OF KANLAON Drive: To be the only one alive.
On the island of Buglas stands the tallest mountain in Primary Pool (15): Controlling Lava, Creating
the entire Visayan region: the great Kanlaon, which means Steam, Summoning Fire, Bringing Darkness
“the ancient one.” This great volcano houses a terrible,
terrible creature. The greatest dragon — which in the
Secondary Pool (12): Moving Across The Sky,
Causing Earthquakes, Destroying Vegetation
Philippines, resemble serpents — lived within the pyres of
this great volcano, of this giant mountain. It is not known Desperation Pool: 7
by any name other than simply the Dragon of Kanlaon. Health: 8
In the ancient of days, in times now forgotten, the Defense: 7
Dragon of Kanlaon held the destiny of the islands in its
fulminating maw. It exploded from the volcano’s mouth Initiative: 7
when not appeased. Every harvest, an offering of young Extras: Apocalyptic Presence. The Dragon of
children was needed to appease the Dragon. A maiden Kanlaon still stays within the grand holy mountain
would usually be trained to climb up the forests of Kanlaon of Kanlaon, an important pilgrimage site in Visayan
and then be sacrificed there. Some harvests, though, the religions. If they leave, they will summon smoke and
fickle Dragon of Kanlaon returned the maiden, signaling fire, similar to the Pinatubo explosion of 1991.
that he had decided to be benevolent for that particular
harvest.
TIAMAT, GENESIS OF GENESIS
Eventually, however, all the maidens had been
sacrificed, and there were only the great royal princesses Tiamat is the primordial salt ocean. Living in that
left. The datu, however, would not allow it. This spelled twilight state of both alive and dead, she is eternal, and
certain doom for the island, and no doubt for the entire she is the World. She is neither the Dragon Tiamat whom
archipelago. Marduk slew (Scion: Dragon, p. 42) nor the Tiamat who
reincarnated herself. She’s not even the Titan Tiamat who
However, a Demigod from the far lands of Bharat then sends her Titanspawn children to harry Marduk (Scion:
arrived. A Scion of some Devá, he said that he was not Demigod, p. 58), nor the Titan Tiamat who mourns Abzu.
afraid of the dragon and decided to save the lands. As the Those Tiamats were nothing more than reflections in tide
first dragonslayer, he traveled up the Mountain, and along pools.
the way he made friends with the eagles, the bees, and the
ants. Each of them pledged to attack the Dragon as well. This Tiamat is the sea.
And so he went, with an army of eagles, bees, and ants, and She is vast and indestructible, incomprehensible in her
they slew the great Dragon of fire within Kanlaon. size. Her body comprised the entirety of the World before
When he descended, he married the local princesses, the sky or the earth existed. She was the one who brought
and thus the settlements in Buglas became grand the Anunna into existence, and there’s every chance that
principalities of Demigod blood. Thus was the story. she’ll be the one who erases them from existence, dragging
them beneath the waves to be forgotten. Each time Marduk
It has been millennia since that happened. And repeats his cyclical battles, he’s gambling that he’s facing
Kanlaon grows restless once again. Within, an ember was one of her lesser forms. The day he’s wrong is the day the
left unsnuffed. This ember is enough for the Dragon’s Anunna drown in floods and storms.
hatred and ferocity to grow once again.
For now — her waters are calm.
The Dragon returns, after millennia. Earthquakes are
becoming more frequent in the Philippines. The Dragon
Archetype: Primordial
prepares to ascend to the sky and block out the sun, and Qualities: Apocalyptic Presence, Armor
Piercing, Dominion (Sea), Destructive Force, Flight,

250 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANTAGONISTS

 Indestructible (Weapons blessed by the Sun), Omni- meters tall — and that’s only their torso! Their eyes are like
oracular, Physiological Void, Unstoppable dewdrops, and their skin like liquid waters of the night.
Upon emergence, it will break ships in twain. Sometimes
Flairs: Apocalyptic Rain, Clearing Space,
Create Spawn, Death Curse, Divine Command, they have arms like a human, other times they have octopus
Transformation, World Shaking tentacles underneath the waves.

Drive: To destroy those who oppose her and return They do not come alone. The sea monks come in
to her slumber. swarms. They shriek out, yaa, yaa, as they swim, louder and
louder as they get closer.
Primary Pool (15): Controlling the saltwater,
Swimming through saltwater, Bringing destruction Whenever they arise from the sea, they stay for three
upon her foes days. Eyes unblinking. Mouth in a placid smile. If they have
hands, they are always clasped together as if in prayer. They
Secondary Pool (12): Speaking, Coercing,
are repelled by tobacco smoke, but only for a short while.
Protecting her brood
Legends say that umibōzu are fallen dragon Gods,
Desperation Pool: 7
still demanding sacrifice after their fall from grace. The
Health: 8 umibōzu attack indiscriminately, despite appearing to be
Defense: 7 Buddhist monks. Another popular legend for their origin is
that they were the souls of Buddhist monks that died at sea.
Initiative: 7
Archetype: Goliath
Extras: Tiamat summons the monsters of the Anunna
whenever she Creates Spawn. Threat: 5
Legend: N/A
UMIB ZU Size: 3
When the skies clear and the water becomes Narrative Scale: 3
miraculously placid, turn around. Extras: Apocalyptic Presence. The umibōzu cannot
The tranquility felt is brought about by the presence leave the sea. It is repelled by tobacco smoke.
of an umibōzu, a sea monk or sea priest. Breaking from Weapons covered in tobacco smoke deal aggravat-
the placidity of the sea, rises a shadow of a man a hundred
ed damage to the umibōzu.

Roster of Divine Antagonists 251

 Here is a secret the Gods never speak of to
I. music played gently from unseen speakers, leaking
mortals: They, too, dream of becoming something out through the balcony doors. Chalchihuitlicue
other than what they are. They stand on the wind- would be over for dinner tonight; it had been some
whipped summits of divinity with all of existence time since last they spoke, and Xiuhtecuhtli was
before them, and they think, I want more, or, I want to excited to catch up. His water snake servants busied
change, or I regret what I have (or have not) done. Not themselves preparing a fine banquet.
all; but some. Enough. He smiled, adjusting the cuff links on his
Because they are mighty Gods — adored, feared, fashionably tailored, charcoal gray suit, and pulled
worshiped by many — their quiet introspections out a pair of designer sunglasses. Xiuhtecuhtli didn’t
remain just that: quiet. They stand above and need them, of course. He just liked the way they
apart, denied the ability to express these feelings. looked.
Subjects made into objects through worship, with One o’clock in the afternoon: his time, the hottest
responsibilities to their followers to be all they are part of the day. Sunlight’s bright spears pierced the
thought to be. smears of smog, and the heat-haze shimmers rippled
To be a God is to bear the heaviest burdens with through the air to bake the city in dry heat. The God of
the greatest joys. Fire’s sharp brown eyes saw easily down to the streets
Xiuhtecuhtli leaned on the balustrade of his below, watching the mortals go about their lives.
Mexico City apartment’s penthouse on the Paseo de Mexico City felt alive, more than any other place
la Reforma. The high-rise was ritzy even by a Teōtl’s in The World that Xiuhtecuhtli knew. It lived and
standards, one hundred thirty stories up, rising above struggled and changed, dying and being reborn in a
the skyscrapers that surrounded it like a thicket of thousand ways large and small, every day. It was a
metal and glass. complex, shifting, difficult place, full of warmth and
The view was to die for. Below, Mexico City laughter, heartache and toil. He loved it ferociously.
sprawled out across the basin, irrepressible, a riot If Mexico City weren’t already the center of the
of architectural styles. Stepped tēcpans jostled for universe from the perspective of the Teōtl, he would
space with modernist buildings; holy rivers ran believe it was anyway.
perpendicular with thoroughfares before plunging Their ethos was his own, after all. As befits the
through grates into the excavated undercity, personification of life after death, Xiuhtecuhtli was
stretching across artificial islets on subterranean something of an expert on rebirth. Over the centuries
Lake Texcoco. he grew old, died, shed his divinity to be reborn as a
The interior was huge: plush red couches, indoor mortal. He lived a life among them until he came of
fountains made from turquoise bricks, scented age and remembered who he was. Then he climbed
candles and ferocious braziers. 1990s Tejano pop the ladder of divinity and reclaimed what was his.

252 SCION: GOD

Reducir, reutilizar, reciclar, back to business as usual. Xiuhtecuhtli needed to figure out what was
Just without the wrinkles or gray hairs. Xiuhtecuhtli eating at him. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to do
had done it more times than he could remember it up here.
without issue. He sighed, turned around, and leaned his back
But something was different this time. against the railing. Fished out a cigarette, lit it with
Xiuhtecuhtli had been back less than a month, and a flick of his fingers, and took a long drag. For a long
sometimes he would get a feeling. While watching moment, the God just listened to the music and the
his worshipers, listening to prayers and amaranth- wind and let gravity tug at him. Physical forces were
and-clay action figure sacrifices, while dunking his more like suggestions than laws to someone like him,
head in sacred pools to wet his hair, while standing but he still felt it. He imagined what it would be like
his candescent midnight vigil as one of the Lords of to let it grab him by the back of the neck and pull him
Night. At first it happened infrequently enough that to the earth.
he could forget about it, but lately it was happening “Convey my apologies to Chalchihuitlicue. I will
more and more. be unable to make our appointment,” Xiuhtecuhtli
It scratched roughly against the inside of his announced to his servants. “I’ll be out for some time
skull, like smoke drifting up from some lower and don’t know when I will return.”
part of his divine consciousness. Something half- “Yes, my lord. What should we tell the Queen if
remembered, half-forgotten leaking out of wherever she asks where you are?” asked one of his servants, a
it was supposed to be. massive cobalt snake dressed in a sleeveless tuxedo.
It wasn’t bad, exactly. But such niggling aches did His nametag read Mr. Happy.
not suit Xiuhtecuhtli. They were a distraction from Xiuhtecuhtli smiled an obsidian-sharp smile,
his duties. And that was unacceptable. then gestured down.

II.
A God is like a mighty spider tangled within their focused on what he wanted to be out in The World:
own web: sovereign while inside, yet wrapped tightly. someone who would be left alone to his thoughts,
Fate wraps and binds the Gods to their Realms, their who wouldn’t be noticed unless he wanted to be. Not
worshipers and duties. For all their mighty power Xiuhtecuhtli-the-lord, or Xiuhtecuhtli-the-mighty.
— because of it, really — they are subject to Fate’s The Xiuhtecuhtli who dwelled in negative spaces and
demands in a way no others are. When Fate’s strings brought to them that which they lacked. Life after
tug, the Gods come along without resisting or risk death, warmth in cold, day in night, highs in lows.
being torn apart. When the elevator door opened into the lobby
While escape from Fate is not possible, its death with a ding!, a handsome young man in a fancy
grip can be made to slacken for a time. green ulama jersey (Club Tenochtitlan, of course),
Xiuhtecuhtli, Lord of Volcanoes, God of fire, embroidered waistcoat, and bright blue shorts walked
the day, heat, life after death, and a whole lot more, out. In his pocket was a wallet with a limitless credit
stepped into his suite’s private elevator. The door slid card. He still had his sunglasses on.
noiselessly shut, and the elevator plummeted. Xiuhtecuhtli walked out of the high-rise’s front
With every floor that raced past, Xiuhtecuhtli doors and let his feet lead him where he was headed.
left more and more of his greater self behind. He

As it turned out, he was headed to Polanco.

III. lot was an enormous and sprawling hacienda, stucco
Xiuhtecuhtli wandered around the neighborhood for walls painted canary yellow. Its gardens were filled
a time, enjoying the restaurants spilling out onto the with a riot of flowers in vibrant hues: feverish yellows,
sidewalks and streets, the people dining and smoking lurid reds, bruised purples. An iron fence, taller than
under the shade of umbrella tables. He walked into Xiuhtecuhtli and tipped in barbed wire (and security
fancy boutiques selling clothes and jewelry, spent cameras), sent a clear message: stay out.
a while listening to live music, got a burrito from a Xiuhtecuhtli couldn’t stop looking at the door. It
street vender with a delightful smile full of crooked felt familiar, important. This was where he had to be,
teeth. Eventually, he found himself standing on a no doubt about it. For some reason, he felt nervous.
street corner wrapped in green. Occupying the corner

For Emanuel 253

 Shaking his head to clear it, he walked to the gate retirement age — in another life, when last he was
and pressed the intercom. “Hello,” he said. Incarnated as a mortal.
Silence was all that greeted him. Xiuhtecuhtli Xiuhtecuhtli reached into himself to draw upon
sighed, pressed the button again, and said, “Excuse the memories of his last life, tracing the shape of
me, is anyone there? I was wondering if I could talk to Emanuel Montero’s story, and…
you about something. It’s important.” He couldn’t remember it. All that he had was a
The intercom crackled to life with an old woman’s profound, deep sadness, and fragments of memory,
voice. “Please, go away,” she said tiredly. “I don’t want shredded and indistinct. Like a beautiful quilt torn to
visitors.” pieces then tossed into the air.
The sound of her voice made him feel sick to his Why couldn’t he remember? This wasn’t
stomach. “But—” supposed to happen. This never happened.
“Especially,” the old woman cut him off, “ones “Shit.” The God ran his hands through his hair.
that look like him. Ay, Emanuel… I miss you mijo. The ‘why’ of it aside, he needed to get his memories
Good day sir.” back. He needed to retrace his steps. To follow that
The intercom clicked off. unspooling feeling in his guts, walking the path of
man who fell into the volcano of his own divinity and
Emanuel. Emanuel Montero. was swallowed whole.
Understanding flooded Xiuhtecuhtli like cold He pulled his iGjallar out of his pocket, punched
water. This was a home he purchased for the woman in a number.
as a “thank you” for being his maid when she hit
“Hello. Yes, I would like to rent a car.”

IV.
The black sedan was splattered in mud all over by vultures. There were thirteen of them, tired, hungry,
the time it pulled off the dirt road, wheels crunching scared, and angry. A few bore injuries, and not one
over creosote plants. Brown earth and parched plants of them looked healthy. There were a few adults, but
stretched out leisurely in the early May sunlight, the most were teenagers or even younger. How far had
earth rising sharply ahead of him to the left and to they traveled? Emanuel wondered.
the right to form mesas, sticking up here in the in- The Free Boys jeered, fingering weapons and
between of the Chihuahuan Desert that demarcated handcuffs, American flags waving on poles behind
the United States and Mexico. them. They hadn’t noticed Eric’s truck yet. Good.
Xiuhtecuhtli got out of the car, closed the door, Eric had a hand on Giantsbane’s grip, the
planted his not-even-slightly-desert-appropriate enormous pistol in its holster. Rashmi cradled her
shoes on the ground where they’d get covered in rifle; Rhiannon cracked her knuckles loudly. Hassan
him-damned mud too, walked out into the desert, and grimaced, adjusting the medical bag over his shoulder.
remembered another time.
“Alright,” Eric whispered. “What’s the plan?”
A contact of Emanuel’s had tipped him off that
there was going to be a border crossing in an area Whatever plans they might have had went out the
watched by fanatical cultists of Columbia, one of window when they noticed that Emanuel was already
her darker Mantles. He had called up the Band — his running, and that was that.
friends Eric, Rhiannon, Hassan, and Rashmi — with It was messy, it was chaotic, but the Band had it
a manic energy in his voice, a lit match-intensity handled. They always did. Emanuel went right for
as he filled them in on what these gun-toting Free the people who mattered, the ones who needed a
Boys (“That is a stupid name! It does not even make hand. He dove past the angry white supremacists and
sense!”) had been doing to refugees just trying to shouted, “over here!”, his words filling the refugees
make a better life for their families. with new energy, warmth like sunlight spreading
That’s just how he was. He cared with everything through their bodies. They ran, and he ran with them,
he had, and his Band loved him for it — even grumpy feet slipping in the dry earth.
Rashmi, who once said, in her matter of fact way, Emanuel took a bullet then, one meant for a kid
“It’s a wonder that you get anything done with your half his age, but he got everyone to the safety of the
heart on your sleeves like that. One day it’ll catch on other side of Eric’s 4x4, and he smiled. Pain couldn’t
something and pop.” do anything to diminish that smile, the vast gentleness
They got there just in time to see thirty-odd it conveyed; against his regal bearing, the idea of it
angry men on ATVs circling a group of refugees like seemed almost absurd.

254 SCION: GOD

 Afterwards, Hassan tended to the wounded and Xiuhtecuhtli felt sick to his stomach as the
Rhiannon called in a favor to get some more cars out memory finished playing out. It didn’t seem real, in a
here to bring these people to safety. Rashmi got to way, that Emanuel wasn’t there anymore.
work figuring out how to make sure la migra stayed The God shook his head to clear it, as if he could
far away, and Eric played football (they would not leave his feelings in the desert like a dog shedding
let him get away with calling it soccer) with the kids. water, but it didn’t work; he got back into the car and
Emanuel stood apart and just watched them. He hid drove away.
his wound; Hassan could look at him once everyone
else had been tended to.

The God stood in a Nibbleheim parking lot on the

V. been on their phone all shift until this bullshit started,
edge of Kansas City. The block was a mix of run-down slowly began to pull back from the counter. “We don’t
brownstones and empty houses, and at night all was pack ‘em anymore. Sorry.”
quiet; Xiuhtecuhtli had gotten himself a bite to eat “Always something,” Hassan muttered. He and
from the place, munching on some brand of candy he Emanuel exchanged looks, then he gestured to get the
had never heard of. Like any good off-brand junk food cashier’s attention, a silent c’mere kid.
from the Midwest, it tasted like depression and heart
disease, and he washed it down with a plastic bottle “BULL!” The troll slammed his fists on the
of water. counter. It began to shake. “I WANT MY SHWOMPZ!”
Emanuel had stopped by here with Hassan once, “Excuse me.” Emanuel tapped the troll on the
the two men wanting some coffee and a bite to eat back.
after hours on the road. They had driven to meet each The troll whirled around, huge fists swinging like
other, from Mexico and New York City; bad traffic wrecking balls.
on both sides delayed what was supposed to be an
And stopped inches from the imperious stare of
evening meeting into a midnight one. They did this
Emanuel, whose eyes shimmered with heat.
a couple times a year, no matter what — they always
made time to catch up, talk about life, history, politics, “Are you throwing a temper tantrum because
everything. they don’t have the snack you want here in this
fine establishment?” He stepped forward. The troll
They had an easy camaraderie with each other,
backpedaled, sputtering excuses. “Really? All this
easier in some ways than they did with the rest of their
power and you’re using it to bully someone? Where
Band. Hassan said Emanuel “had an old soul.” When
is your shame? Where is your honor! Where is your
the doctor talked about everything he left behind
basic morality! What’s wrong with you!?”
and lost in Iraq — his wife, his daughter, practicing
medicine, his home — Emanuel listened. He hadn’t Hassan led the cashier outside while Emanuel
had to struggle with not having the right papers and did his thing. They shot him a thumbs-up, and asked,
needing to get out (he went to boarding school in “Helluva guy. Jeez. Should I be worried?”
America), and he was less than half his companion’s Hassan shrugged. “Nah. Don’t be. He’ll be fine.”
age; but even if Emanuel didn’t get it, he still treated He pulled out a cigarette, lit up, hit it, then offered
listening like it was his sacred duty. Like it was the it to the cashier. “We might be out here for a minute
most important thing he could do, and his friend was though. Emanuel likes to take his time when he’s
the most important person alive in that moment. preaching. I’m sure that troll’s going to walk out of
Hands shoved in their jackets, smiles on their there with a new life purpose and donate all its money
lips, the two Scions walked into the store only to find to charity.”
a troll yelling at the cashier. The mood peeled away “This kinda thing happen often with you two?”
like old paint. The cashier took the cigarette, breathed in, breathed
Eight feet, nine-hundred fifty pounds of bad out, passed it back.
attitude, and bulging gray muscles strained against “Only whenever someone trips Emanuel’s
khakis and a coral-pink polo shirt, bent angrily over immorality detectors.” Hassan smiled, avuncular.
the counter to jab a finger the size of a stick at the
“I’m gonna take that as a yes.”
hapless minimum wage worker. He yelled with a
voice like gravel breaking teeth: “What do you mean “Yeah. Guess so.”
you don’t have it!?” The two watched Emanuel through the glass, like
“I mean we don’t have the Shwompz.” The a TV with the sound turned down, listening to the
cashier, a red-eyed 20 year old who looked like they’d hum of the electric wiring and the city night.

For Emanuel 255

 “Helluva guy,” said the cashier, again.
On another night, in another time, Xiuhtecuhtli felt that
feeling again, that scratchy feeling like smoke, but worse.
Hotter, scorching him from the inside out.

VI.
It was in Delaware that the last memory caught up to
Xiuhtecuhtli. The memory arrived as he stopped for gas in a
sleepy resort town with a name he hadn’t caught, drowsy in
the tourist off-season.
Emanuel had passed through here once, on his way to
New York City. He was in the springtime of his divinity, well
into his path to apotheosis. Upon his arrival he was fêted by
the inhabitants of the town, for word of Emanuel Montero’s
great deeds had spread far, and his divinity was evident — and
because it was the most exciting thing that had happened in
this town in decades.
As Emanuel went among the people, his eyes were bright
with fire, he was dressed in the manner of the Teōtl, and
upon his head sat a helmet of shining topaz. He was regal to
behold, mantled with glory and bright like the noonday sun.
And just like the sun, he passed through the town, leaving it
soaked with his radiance.
And several times during this day, Emanuel had been
called by his name only to respond:
“Who?”
As Emanuel drew closer to Godhood, the part of him
that was Emanuel fell inward into the volcano of his own
divinity, leaving only Xiuhtecuhtli behind.
Xiuhtecuhtli knew that. He had known that all along,
before he set out on this journey.
But until now, he hadn’t realized how much the fact
actually hurt.

VII.
The feeling, Xiuhtecuhtli knew as he walked through
New York City, was grief. Here at the end of his long journey,
he could say that. It took over two thousand miles to admit
that to himself, that within him churned that black cocktail
swirled from regret, from rage and sadness. Is it such a
strange thing, to mourn the person you were?
Xiuhtecuhtli had lived countless lives, been countless
people, but in all that time he had never been so bothered by
an Incarnation as he had Emanuel. He didn’t know how to
handle it. So he didn’t.
He did not want to accept that Emanuel was gone,
and so he chose not to think about it. Which was the real
problem, the reason it took so long to face things. Not that
he felt sad, but that he disrespected Emanuel’s sacrifice with
his avoidance.

256 SCION: GOD

 That was truly unacceptable. Xiuhtecuhtli lit up, took a puff — then realized Xiuhtecuhtli was
understood sacrifice in a way few other beings ever there and asked if he’d like a hit with a smile.
could; he was a Teōtl. Sacrifice meant sacred. It His name was Luis, Xiuhtecuhtli knew, and he
needed to be honored, somehow. worked two jobs to make rent for himself, his little
So Xiuhtecuhtli let Fate tug at him, leading him sister, and his boyfriend. Luis liked video games,
to a heart that was so soft it bled at the slightest prick. poetry, sappy love songs and baseball. He dreamed of
He took the subway into the Bronx then walked, until being a singer and having enough money to take care
he found himself outside a street corner bodega that of his whole family. He would give the shirt off his
leaked reggaeton and the scent of grilling meat. back for a stranger in a heartbeat, and he had given
People spilled across the street, on foot and on away his only good shoes the week before.
bike, laughing and chatting in the morning light. “You know,” Xiuhtecuhtli said, passing the joint
Birds gossiped in the trees and on porch railings. back with a smile, “you remind me of someone.”
Xiuhtecuhtli smiled and sat down on the curb, just Luis perked his head up. He was having trouble
taking it all in — only to be joined a moment later by staying awake. “Who?”
a young man.
“Oh, just a guy. But he’s had his time.”
He looked tired, with food-stained black pants
and shoes, and a robin’s egg blue polo on. His Luis felt something begin to burn in his chest,
eyes were bloodshot, nestled in dark hollows of impossibly hot yet painless.
sleeplessness. He fished out a joint from his pocket, “Now it’s your turn.”

For Emanuel 257

A Aliases, 106 Obligation, 103
Absolute Dominion 171, 186 Callings, 109 Other Pantheons, 103
Alacrity, 186 Pronunciation, 105 Pantheon Path Skills, 103
Blessing, 186 Purviews, 108 Principal Members, 93–101
Enduring, 186 Attack Flairs, 237 Pronunciation Guide, 96
Farsight, 186 The Hydra’s Hundred Heads, 237 Purview, 103, 212
Supremacy, 186 The Resurrection of Ba’al, 237 Relationships, 103
Achinao, Coromo, Racuno, and Seven Small Deaths, 237 Relics,102–103
Sobaco, The Star Quartet, 140–141 Attar, 42, 112–113, 200, 228, 242. See Religion, 102–103
Callings, 141 also Divine Antagonists: Attar. Scent the Divine, 90
Pronunciation, 141 Callings, 113 Signature Purview, 103, 212
Purviews, 141 Purviews, 113 Virtues, 103
Adlaw, 100 Awilix, 117–118 Weakness, 103
Aliases, 100 Aliases, 117 Banner
Callings, 100 Callings, 118 Blue, 57
Purviews, 100 Purviews, 118 Green, 57
Adversary Knacks Axis Mundi Others, 57
Another Price to Pay, 184 Bifröst, 220–221 Red, 56–57
Inside Their Heads, 184 El Yunque National Park, 223 Banwanun, 99
Lovely Plans and Wicked Plots, 184 Mount Heng, 227 Aliases, 99
Amihan, 58, 93–94 Mount Hua, 227 Callings, 100
Aliases, 93 Mount Kagu, 226 Purviews, 100
Callings, 94 Mount Olympus, 223 Barangaw, 96
Purviews, 94 Mount Song, 227 Aliases, 96
Anacacuya, 141–142 Mount Sumeru, 133 Callings, 97
Aliases, 141 Mount Tai, 227 Purviews, 97
Callings, 142 Onogoroshima, 226 Bayamanaco, 142–143
Pronunciation, 141 Overworld. See specific Overworld. Callings, 143
Purviews, 142 Re’s barque, 230 Pronunciation, 141
Anat, 109–110 Underworld. See specific Purviews, 143
Underworld. Beasts Boons
Aliases, 109
Callings, 110 B Aspect of the Apex Predator, 188
Pronunciation, 105 Ba’al, 110 Beast Avatar, 188
Purviews, 110 Aliases, 110 Beast Calling, 188
Antagonists. See Divine Antagonists. Callings, 110 Tooth and Claw (Warrior Specific:
Antagonist Archetypes, 235–236 Pronunciation, 105 Chimeric Strike), 207
Godhead, 235 Purviews, 110 Beauty Boons
Goliath, 236 Bakunawa, 101 All Else Falls Away, 187
Primordial, 235 Callings, 101 Express Your Truth, 187
Apotheosis, 43–45, 72, 76–79, 86, 136, Purviews, 101 Lasting Impression (Tyrant
160, 171, 176, 232 Balahala, 89–90, 92–103, 151, 178, 180, Specific: Steel Wrapped in Silk),
212, 222, 244 207–208
Artistry Boons
Birthrights, 102 Painful to Behold, 187–188
Aesthetic Improvement, 186–187
Community, 103 Behique Boons
Enthralling Performance (Leader
Specific: Stirring Speech), 207 Cosmology, 101 Form Follows Spirit, 211
Esoteric Interpretation, 187 Creatures, 102 Imbue Idol, 211–212
Living Tradition, 187 Followers, 102 Birthright
Asha Boons Guides, 102 Creatures. See Creatures.
Founding Knowledge, 214 Innate Power, 212 Creed. See Creed.
Asherah, 106–108 Motif, 212 Cult. See Cult.
Followers. See Followers.

258 SCION: GOD

 Guides. See Guides. Previous, 207–208 Purviews, 120
Pantheon. See specific pantheon. Prosperity, 202–203, 209 Coatrisquie, 148
Ready-Made Character. See specific Qut, 216 Callings, 148
ready-made character. Shuilá, 216 Pronunciation, 141
Relics. See Relics. Sky, 203–204, 209 Purviews, 148
Boinael, 143–144 Stars, 204, 209 Conditions
Aliases, 143 Sun, 204–205 Cowardly Deeds, 174
Callings, 143 Tianming, 216–217 Decimation, 205
Purviews, 143 Tzolk’in, 213 Destiny Declared, 198
Boínayel, 143–144 Universal, 186 Dire Warning, 197
Aliases, 143 War, 205–206, 209 Fatebinding. See Fatebinding
Callings, 144 Water, 206–207, 209 Conditions.
Pronunciation, 141 Wild, 207, 209 Imperiled. See Fatebinding
Purviews, 144 Wyrd, 217 Conditions: Imperiled.
Boons. See also each specific Calling Yaoyorozu-No-Kamigami, 217 Kinship with the Night, 190
and Purview’s Boons (e.g. Artistry Yidam, 210–211 Monstrous Urges, 185
Boons). Yógá, 217 Painful to Behold, 187–188
Artistry, 186–187, 207 Bulan, 100 Passion, 201
Asha, 214 Aliases, 100 Role. See Role Conditions.
Beasts, 188, 207 Callings, 100 Satirized, 214
Beauty, 187–188, 207–208 Purviews, 100 Self-Destructive Fervor, 202
Behique, 211–212 Buluc-Chabtan, 118 Sugar-Struck, 239
Chaos, 188–189, 208 Callings, 118 Cosmology
Cheval / Gún, 214 Purviews, 118 Axis Mundi. See Axis Mundi.
Darkness, 190–191, 208 Overworld. See Overworld.
Death, 191–192, 208
C Pantheon. See Specific pantheon.
Cabrakan, 125
Deception, 192, 208 Underworld. See Underworld.
Callings, 125
Dodaem, 214 World. See World.
Purviews, 125
Dvoeverie, 214–215 Creator Knacks
Caguana, 144–145
Earth, 192–193 Diwata’s Hospitality, 180
Aliases, 144
Epic Dexterity, 193–194, 208 Durant Works, 180
Callings, 145
Epic Stamina, 194, 208 Eternity’s Atelier, 180
Pronunciation, 141
Epic Strength, 194–195, 208 Rhapsodic Whirlwind, 180
Purviews, 145
Fertility, 195, 208 Creatures
Callings. See Calling-specific Knacks
Fire, 195–196, 208 Aluxo’ob, 176
and Boons.
Forge, 196–197, 208 Asherah’s Snake, 114
Chac, 118–119
Fortune, 197–198, 208 Ghost Bats, 177
Aliases, 118
Frost, 198, 208 Hounds of Opiyelguabirán, 150
Callings, 119
Geasa, 215 Kambal, 102
Purviews, 119
Health, 198–199, 208 Kapok Hounds, 177
Chaos Boons
Heku, 215 Laughing Falcon, 126, 177
Butterfly Effect, 189
Journeys, 199–200, 208 Sacred Rams, 177
No Masters (Judge Specific: Barred
Marzeh, 209–210 Serpent Of Asherah, 114, 178
from Office), 208
Metamorphosis, 215 Sleipnir, 23
Reworked Relic, 189
Moon, 200–201, 208 Swallows of Ra Mayyu, 114, 176
Rising Chaos, 189–190
Nemeton, 215–216 Swallows, 114
Cheval / Gún Boons
Nextlahualli, 216 The Eight Legions, 137–138
Paths Of Èshù, 214
Order, 201, 208–209 Xan, 126
Cizin, 119–120
Pachakutic, 216 Yaksha, 178
Aliases, 119
Paganito, 212 Creed, 81–82
Callings, 120
Passion, 201–202, 209 Brand, 82

INDEX 259
 Image, 82 Divine Antagonists 241–251 Faster than the Eye, 193
Rites, 82 Áo Guāng, 241 Pocketing the Moon, 194
Tenet, 82 Áo Guāng’s House Warriors, The Falling Star (Guardian Specific:
Cult, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 50, 60, 77, 79, 241–242 I’ll Be There), 208
81, 83–84, 161–164, 166, 173, 175, 215. Apep War Cultist, 242 Epic Stamina
See also Religion. Apep, 242 Adamant Body (Healer Specific:
International Order of Attar, 242–243 Herd Immunity), 208
Firesoothers, 31 Bakunawa, 243 Hale of Spirit, 194
IPR Staff, 27 Buyung Saragnayan, 244–245 Skin Blunts the Sword, 194
Stateless Doctors, 23 Centzonhuītznāhua, 245–246 Tireless Efforts, 194
The Torch Bearers, 35 Coyolxāuhqui, 246 Epic Strength
Thunder Kitchen, 19 Dyēus, 246–247 Breaking Bounds, 194
D God Form, 243 Gift of Lift, 194
Dagon, 110 Jörmungandr, 247–248 Heavy Lifter (Warrior Specific:
Aliases, 110 Kurita, 248–249 Ten-Ton Hammer), 208
Callings, 111 Molech, 249 Strong of Heart, 195
Pronunciation, 105 Narrative Threat, 244 F
Fatebinding, 46, 63, 66, 71, 73–74, 76,
Purviews, 111 Rāvaṇa, 249–250
78, 80–81, 84, 164, 172–174, 186, 215.
Darkness Boons The Dragon of Kanlaon, 250
See also Fatebinding Conditions and
Blinding Veil (Trickster Specific: Tiamat, 250–251
Role Conditions.
Smothered Senses), 208 Umibōzu, 251
Avoidance, 173–174
Kinship With Night, 190 Divine Rule, 53–75, 84–86, 180–186,
Doomed, 173
Nightmare Manifest, 190 240
Effects of Scale, 172
Shadow Spies, 191 Divine Wound, 19, 27, 31, 35, 54, 67,
Strength, 173
Death Boons 70–71, 73, 74, 82, 86, 173–174, 186, 192,
Fatebinding Conditions 173. See also
Claim Soul, 191 198
Conditions.
Opening the Gates, 191 Dodaem Boons, 214
Imperiled, 173, 184, 213
Orphic Reunion, 191–192 War Medicine, 214
Fertility Boons
Unquiet Dead (Liminal Specific: Donner, Eric 18–21, 34
Bigger Problems, 195
Vessel for the Dead), 208 Background 18
Grounds for Discussion, 195
Deception Boons Birthrights, 18–19
Favor of Nature (Destroyer
Doppelganger, 192 Character Play Sheet, 20–21
Specific: Rot at the Roots), 208
Ephemera (Creator Specific: The Description, 18
In Vino Veritas, 195
Next Best Thing), 208 Dragons, 84–87, 89
Fiction
Illusion of Life, 192 Dvoeverie Boons
For Emanuel, 252–257
Perfect Replica, 192 Hidden Worship, 214–215
Rhiannon, 152–157
Deeds, 17, 43 46–47, 50, 59–62, 63, 74, E The Visitor Before The Dawn of a
162–164, 166, 212, 214, 216. Earth Boons World, 8–11
Deminán, 144–145 Earthen Creation, 192 Fire Boons
Callings, 145 Earthen Transformation 193 Fire Manipulation, 195–196
Pronunciation, 141 Molten Earth, 193 Heaven’s Fire (Primeval Specific:
Purviews, 145 Effortless Victory, 171 Spreading Fire), 208
Destroyer Knacks Ek Chuaj, 120 Living Flame, 196
Apex of Ruin, 184–185 Aliases, 120 Rain of Fire, 196
Craters for Footprints, 185 Callings, 120 Firesoother, Rhiannon, 17, 30–33, 34
In a Black Flash, 185 Purviews, 120 Background, 30
Devout Lands, 80–81 Emmanuel. See Xiuhtecuhtli. Birthrights, 30–31
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, 130 Enhancements, 18-35, 175-217 Character Play Sheet, 32–33
Aliases, 130 Epic Dexterity Description, 30
Callings, 130 Escape Artist, 193 Fiction. See Fiction: Rhiannon
Purviews, 130 Followers

260 SCION: GOD

 Ah Cannul, 126 The Wadi, 112, 227–228 Aliases, 120
Behiques, 150, 178 Guabancex, 148–149 Callings, 121
Draugar, 23 Callings, 149 Purviews, 121
Gandharvas, 178 Pronunciation, 141 Hunter Knacks
Ghost Bats of Coaybay, 150 Purviews, 149 Between Disasters, 182
Qadeshtu, 114 Guacar, 145 Fell the Mountain, 181
Rashmi 2, 27 Aliases, 144 Hackles Rise, 182
Seventy by Seventy, 114 Callings, 145 Wild Expanses, 182
Shamans, 126 Pronunciation, 141
I
Shàolín Monks and Nuns, 138 Purviews, 145 ibin Luki, Hassan, 17, 22–25, 34
Tattooed Raiders, 178 Guardian Knacks Background, 22
Warrior Servants, 102 The Fastness 180–181 Birthrights, 22–23
Forge Boons The Heart, 181 Character Play Sheet 24–25
Breach the Wall, 196 The Watchtower, 181 Description 22
Durable Finish, 196–197 Adamant Astonishment, 181 Iguanaboína, 145
Reclaim from Ruin (Healer Guatauba, 149 Aliases, 144
Specific: Swift Recovery), 208 Callings, 149 Callings, 145
Storied Objects, 197 Purviews, 149 Pronunciation, 141
Fortune Boons Guides Purviews, 145
Charmed Life, 197 Aes Sidhe Muse, 31 ‘Ila, 105
Dire Warning, 197 Acan, 178 Aliases, 105
Destiny Declared, 197–198 Ancestors, 114 Callings, 106
Nine Lives (Adversary Specific: Cemí Caciques, 150 Purviews, 106
Best Enemies), 208 Ek Chuaj, 178 Ilhm, 89–90, 104–115, 176, 178, 182,
Frost Boons Fire by Day, 114 209–210
Cooler Heads (Judge Specific: Ice Parawali, 102, 178 Birthrights, 114
Cold Consideration), 208 Priests, 126 Cosmology, 112
Frozen Moments, 198 Qadeshtu, 178–179 Creatures, 114
Living Ice, 198 Sacred Rams, 114 Followers, 114
Whiteout, 198 Thor, 19 Guides, 114
G Vimalakīrti, 138 Inclusiveness, 115
Gad, 111 Xoloitzcuintle, 35 Innate Power: 209
Aliases, 111
H Kinship, 115
Callings, 111 Habagat, 94 Motif, 209
Pronunciation, 105 Aliases, 94 Other Pantheons, 115
Purviews, 111 Callings, 94 Pantheon Path Skills, 115
Geasa Boons Purviews, 94 Primordials, 112
Blistering Satire, 215 Healer Knacks Principal Members, 105–112
Godsrealms, 219–228 Complete Medical History, 181 Pronunciation Guide, 105
Ásgarð, 220 Excision, 181 Purview, 209–210
Hanan Pacha, 220–221 Operating Theater, 181 Relationships, 115
Kan, 123, 221 Health Boons Relics, 114
Kahilwayan, 222 Divine Intervention, 198 Religion, 113–114
Olympus, 222–223 Flawless Diagnosis , (Healer Scent the Divine, 90
Pico El Yunque, 148, 223 Specific: Comprehensive Exam), 208 Titans and Titanspawn, 112
Prav, 223–224 Resurrection, 198–199 Virtues, 115
Svargaloka, 224–225 Unholy Plague, 199 Weakness, 115
Takamagahara, 225–226 Heku Immanent Realm
Teteocán, 226 Animate Effigy, 215 Crom Cruach, 230–231
Tian, 226–227 Hunahpu and Xbalanque, 120 Inen, 231

INDEX 261
 Koke Mongke Tengri And Etugen Purview, 213 Callings, 101
Eke, 231 Relationships, 126 Purviews, 101
Manitou, 231–232 Relics, 126 Lover Knacks
Incarnations, 26–27, 34, 45–50, 53, 55, Religion, 125–126 A Place of Joy, 183
58–63. See also Path: Incarnated. Scent the Divine, 90 Hearts in Sync, 183
Avatar, 171 Signature Purview, 127, 213 Impossible Allure, 183
Creation, 62–63 Virtues, 127 Lotan, 113
Itiba Cahubaba, 145–146 Weakness, 127 Callings, 113
Aliases, 145 K’uk’ulkan, 122 Purviews, 113
Callings, 146 Aliases, 122
Pronunciation, 141
M
Callings, 122 Makanduk, 96
Purviews, 146 Purviews, 122 Aliases, 96
Itzamna, 121 Knacks Callings, 96
Callings, 121 Adversary, 184 Purviews, 96
Purviews, 121 Creator, 180 Mana Boons
Ix Chel, 121–122 Destroyer, 184–185 See Me As I Am, 215
Aliases, 121 Guardian, 180–181 Mantle, 15, 22–23, 39, 43–44, 54, 60–65,
Callings, 122 Healer, 181 67, 71, 73, 83–87, 108, 110, 123, 138, 161,
Purviews, 122 Hunter, 181–182 169, 171–176
J Judge, 182 Usurpation, 71–73
Journeys Boons Leader, 182 Māra, 134–135
Emergency Exit, 199–200 Liminal, 182–183 Aliases, 135
Here Be Dragons (Hunter Specific: Lover, 183 Callings, 135
Hare in the Brambles), 208 Monster, 185 Márohu
Safe Travels, 200 Primeval, 185 Callings, 146
Wrong Turns, 200 Sage, 183–184 Pronunciation, 141
Judge Knacks Titanic Calling, 184–186 Purviews, 146
A House of Law, 182 Trickster, 184 Maroya, 146
Interlinking Roots, 182 Tyrant, 185–186 Aliases, 146
Pardon and Parole, 182 Warrior, 184 Callings, 146
Universal Inspection, 182 Pronunciation, 141
L
Juracán, 149 Lalahon, 98 Purviews, 146
Aliases, 149 Aliases, 98 Marzeh Boons
Callings, 149 Callings, 98 Roll of Lineage, 209–210
Pronunciation, 141 Purviews, 98 Shared Banquet, 210
Purviews, 149 Layang Sukla, 97 Maquetaríe Guayaba
K Aliases, 97 Callings, 146
K’uh, 89–91, 116–127, 180, 182, 213, 221 Callings, 98 Pronunciation, 141
Birthrights, 126 Purviews, 98 Purviews, 146
Cosmology, 123–124 Leader Knacks Mawayen, 99
Creatures, 126 Abiding Presence, 182 Aliases, 99
Dominion, 127 Amid the Intrigues, 182 Callings, 99
Followers, 126 Halls of Power, 182 Purviews, 99
Guides, 126 Unmistakable Dynamism, 182 Molech, 113. See also Divine Antagonists:
Innate Power, 213 Legendary Title, 65–66 Molech.
Motif, 213 Liminal Knacks Callings, 113
Other Pantheons, 126 Everybody’s Trail, 183 Purviews, 113
Pantheon Path Skills, 127 Nobody’s Path, 183 Pronunciation, 105
Patience, 127 Universal Conductor, 182–183 Monster Knacks
Principal Members, 116–123 Lisbusawen, 101 Ravenous Force, 185

262 SCION: GOD

 Source of Doom, 185 Primordial Realm. See Primordial Living Font, 185
Zenith of Creatures, 185 Realm. Personal Territory, 185
Moon Boons P Rising Tide, Falling Sky, 185
Lunar Palace, 200 Pachakutic Primordials, 57–58. See also Antagonist
Moon’s Shadow, 200–201 World Revolution, 216 Archetypes: Primordial and Primordial
Phase Cloak (Monster or Hunter Realms.
Paganito Boons
Specific: Ghost Stalker), 208 Atabey, 149
Ancestral Guidance, 212
Purification, 201 Eretz, 112
Guardian’s Vigil, 212
Mortal Roots. See Fatebinding: Mortal Kaptan, 101
Pālas, 128–139, 210–211
Roots. Mawayen, 102
Birthrights, 137–138
Mot, 111–112 Shamayim, 112
Compassion, 139
Aliases, 111 Xmucane, 125
Cosmography, 133–134
Callings, 112 Xpiacoc, 125
Creatures, 137
Pronunciation, 105 Yam, 112
Followers, 138
Purviews, 112 Yaya, 149
Guides, 138
Munsad Buralakaw, 97 Primordial Realms
Innate Power, 210
Aliases, 97 Anu, 229
Motif, 210
Callings, 97 Garö-Demánæ, 229–230
Pantheon Path Skills, 139
Purviews, 97 The Body of Nut, 230
Principal Members, 129–133
Mythic Relics. See Relics: Mythic. Prosperity Boons
Purview, 210–211
Blessed Wealth (Creator Specific:
N Relationships, 138
Making Money), 209
Nemeton Boons Relics, 138
Dirty Money, 202
Purging Bath, 215–216 Religion, 135–137
Knowing the Price, 202–203
Nextlahualli Boons Rigor, 139
Midas Touch, 203
Mask of Duality, 215 Scent the Divine, 90
O Signature Purview, 139, 210–211 Q
Virtues, 139 Q’uq’umatz, 122
Opiyelguabirán, 147
Weakness, 138 Aliases, 122
Callings, 147
Pandaki, 100 Callings, 122
Pronunciation, 141
Aliases, 100 Purviews, 122
Purviews, 147
Callings, 101 Qut Boons
Order Boons
Purviews, 101 Interrogate Spirit, 216
Divine Right (Leader or Tyrant
Specific: Undeniable Claim), 208–209 Pantheon R
My Will is Law, 201 Balahala. See Balahala. Raḥmayyu, 108–109
Order from Disorder, 201 Creation, 160–169 Aliases, 108
Pattern Recognition, 201 Ilhm. See Ilhm. Callings, 109
Other Overworlds K’uh. See K’uh. Pronunciation, 105
Niðvellir, 232 Mantles, 161 Purviews, 109
Tamoanchan, 232–233 Pālas. See Pālas. Rashmi, 17, 26–29, 34, 68
The Four Cities, 233 Paths. See specific pantheon. Background, 26
Overworld Zemí. See Zemí. Birthrights, 26–27
Godsrealm. See Godsrealm. Passion Boons Character Play Sheet 28–29
Immanent Realm. See Immanent Impotence, 201–202 Description 26
Realm. Self-Destructive Fervor, 202 Ratī, Aratī, and Tṛṣṇā 135
Kahilwayan, 101 Supreme Determination, 202 Callings, 135
Other Overworlds. See Other Tugging at Heartstrings (Lover Purviews, 135
Overworlds. Specific: Love Blazes Bright), 209 Ready-Made Characters, 17–37
Pantheon. See specific pantheon. Path Dr. Hassan ibn Luki, MD. See ibn
Pico El Yunque, 148, 223 Incarnated, 63 Luki, Hassan .
Primeval Knacks Eric Donner. See Donner, Eric.

INDEX 263
 Rashmi. See Rashmi. Quantum Rifle, 26–27 Feats of, 22, 31, 171, 174
Rhiannon Firesoother. See Scalpel without Borders, 22 Si Siburanon, 101
Firesoother, Rhiannon. Sun-Eating Lighter, 23 Callings, 101
Xiuhtecuhtli. See Xiuhtecuhtli. Suryastra, 27 Purviews, 101
Realms Thread of Loki, 23 Sidapa, 98
Euphoria, 31 Three-Point Cemí, 151 Aliases, 98
Ilhuicatl-Teotlatlauhco, 35 Vajra, 138 Callings, 99
Mists of Helgafjell, 23 White Dagger, 126 Purviews, 99
Tranquil Waters, 19 Xiuhcoatl, 34–35 Shuilá Boons
Realm Conditions, 65–66, 67–69, 71–73, Xiuhuitzolli, 35 Ordained Purpose, 216
75, 87, 180–185, 240 Xoloitzcuintle, 35 Sky Boons
Realm Condition Stunts. See Realm Xolotl’s Lowrider, 35 Cataclysmic Hurricane, 203
Condition Stunts. Your Own Personal Buddha-Field, Concealing Clouds, 203
Usurpation. See Mantle: Usurpation. 138 Flight (Guardian Specific: Rise Up,
Realm Condition Stunts Religion, 53, 82–83. See also Cults. Together), 209
Dire Hazard, 67 Anito, 102 Life-Giving Rains, 203–204
Endless Reach, 67 Buddhism, 135–137 Social Flairs, 237–238
Personal Aura, 67 Costumbre, 125–126 A Sea of Red Herrings, 237–238
Sow Power, 68 Coven, 78 Calling the Mob, 237
Worldly Aims, 68 Ending, 84 Tu Quoque, 238
Relics Family tradition, 78 Stars
Algiz Ring, 19 Guild, 78 As You Wish, 204
Anat’s Rib, 114, 179 Historians, 78–79 Crossed Stars, 204
Backdraft Bunker Boots, 31 Marzeh, 113–114 Occluded Skies, 204
Brocade Wasps, 126 Mystery Society, 79 Starry Path (Liminal Specific: Light in
Bronze Fae-Shot Revolver, 31 Reliquarians, 79 the Dark), 209
Ceremonial Kampilan, 102 Social club, 78–79 Stunts
Chaíomh Solais, 31 Zemíism, 150 Batter, 184
Chameleon Cab, 23 Role Conditions Echo, 173, 189
Dagon’s Compass, 114, 179 Balm, 173 Enervation, 69
Deminán’s Crotch Rocket, 150 Boon Companion, 173 Harm, 189
Entry Saw, 31–32 Disciple, 173 Impress Upon Worlds, 65
Flying Axe, 102 Jinx, 173 Incite, 189
Flying Shields, 102–103 Mortal Roots, 55 My Name Echoes, 65–66
Ghaṇṭā, 138 Nemesis, 173–174 Pin, 189
Golden Ganesh, 102 Paramour, 174 Raze, 189
Golden Stag, 175 Rival, 174 Realm Condition. See Realm
GTO, 19 Worshipper, 174 Condition Stunts.
Halligan Bar, 31 Rift, 173, 189
Hurricane Jar, 179
S Seek Advantage, 69
Safety Tools, 39–42
iGjallar, 27 Slaying Force, 69, 186
Sage Knacks
Inhabitation Mask, 150 Walk in Silence, 65
Eternal Lectern, 183
K’uk’ulan’s Feather, 180 Sun Boons
Maps Beyond the World, 183–184
Kampilan, 180 Center of the Galaxy, 204–205
Transcendent Mastery of Works, 184
Lightning Axe, 180 Solar Rebirth, 205
Sanctum
Lightning Weapons, 126 Sun’s Glory, 205
Institute for Plasma Research, 23, 27
Mjolnir, 174–175 Support Flairs, 238–239
Thunder Kitchen’s Heart, 19
Moonlight Bow, 150, 180 Lazarus Rising, 238
Scale, 63, 74, 180–186, 193, 195, 210, 214,
Mythic, 174–176 No VIP Says “VIP,” 238
216–217, 236, 238–239
No Self, 138 Pick on Someone Your Own Size,
Extreme, 171
Obsidian Knife, 35 238–239

264 SCION: GOD

T Xibalba, 118–120, 123–124, 126–127, Nature’s Due, 207
221 Overgrowth (Primeval Specific:
Tārā, 130–131
Universal Boons Green Maelstrom), 209
Aliases, 130
Eminence Of [Purview], 186 World, the. See Cosmology under specif-
Callings, 131
Utility Flairs, 239–241 ic pantheon.
Purviews, 131
A Thousand Hungry Hands, 240 Kab, 123
Temple, 80
Beauty Like Sugar, 239 Wyrd Boons
Terra Incognita
Clearing Space, 239 Runic Cham, 217
Cacibajagua, 147
Enter Stage Left, 239 X
Tianming Boons
Lead Astray, 240 Xiuhtecuhtli, 17, 34–37
Inner Balance, 216–217
Passing on the Poison, 240 Background, 34
Titans, 55–58, 89–91. See also
Titanomachy. The Dying and Rising God, 240–241 Birthrights, 34–35
Titanic Calling Knacks. The Natural Order is Value-Neutral, Character Play Sheet, 36–37
239–240 Description, 34
Adversary Knacks. See Adversary
Knacks. V Fiction. See Fiction: For Emmanuel.
Destroyer Knacks. See Destroyer Vaiśravaṇa, 129–130
Y
Knacks. Aliases, 129 Yayael, 149
Monster Knacks. See Monster Callings, 130 Callings, 149
Knacks. Purviews, 130 Purviews, 149
Primeval Knacks. See Primeval Vajirapāṇi, 130–131 Yidam Boons
Knacks. Aliases, 130 Become Manifest, 210
Tyrant Knacks. See Tyrant Knacks. Callings, 131 Yógá Boons
Titanomachy, 55–58. See also Titans. Purviews, 131 Transformative Siddhi, 217
Title, 66, 71–73, 75, 82, 173, 181–183, 185, Vimalakīrti, 132–133
216–217. See also Legendary Title. Yúcahu Bagua Maórocoti, 147
Aliases, 132 Callings, 147
Stealing. See Mantle: Usurpation.
Callings, 133 Pronunciation, 141
Tohil, 122–123
Purviews, 133 Purviews, 147
Callings, 123
Vucub-Caquix, 124
Purviews, 123
Callings, 124
Z
Trickster Knacks Zemí, 140–151
Purviews, 124
Always in the Way 184 Birthrights, 150
Better Things to Do Anyway, 184 W Cosmology, 147–148
Come Listen Here, 184 War Boons Creatures, 150
Tyrant Knacks Decimation, 205 Followers, 150
I Am That Which Is To Be Obeyed, Grand Army Invocation, 205–206 Guides, 150
185 Herald of Victory (Warrior Specific: Innate Power, 211
Might’s Prerogative, 186 The Decisive Blow), 209
Motif, 211
No Balm for Terror, 186 Warlord Mein, 206
Other Pantheons, 151
Tzolk’in Boons Warrior Knacks
Pantheon Path Skills, 151
A Dolorous Day, 213 Eternity’s Barracks, 184
Principal Members, 140–147
As Was Foreseen 213 Path of Blades, 184
Pronunciation Guide, 141
The Heavy End of the Hammer, 184
U Purview, 211–212
Water Boons
U K’ux Kaj, 123 Relationships, 151
Anodyne Waters, 206
Aliases, 123 Relics, 150
Otherworldly Reflection, 206
Callings, 123 Religion, 150
Reborn in the Depths (Monster
Purviews, 123 Scent the Divine, 90
Specific: From Beneath the Sea), 209
Underworld Virtues, 151
Torrential Cascade, 206–207
Pantheon. See specific pantheon. Weakness, 151
Wild Boons
Coaybay, 148 Zipacna, 124–125
Acclimate, 207
Nāraka, 133 Callings, 125
Green Flesh, 207
Sulad, 101 Purviews, 125

INDEX 265
 Academics: Medicine:
Athletics: Occult:
Close Combat: Persuasion:
Culture: Pilot:
Empathy: Science:
Firearms: Subterfu e:
Inte rity: Survival:
Leadership: Technolo y:

MENTAL PHYSICAL SOCIAL

Intellect Mi ht Presence
Cunnin Dexterity Manipulation
Resolve Stamina Composure

EFFECTS:

SHORT
LONG
BAND

LEGENDARY/
BIRTHRIGHT TYPE MYTHIC

Movement Dice: Defense Roll:

INNATE INNATE INNATE
INNATE INNATE INNATE
INNATE

FATEBINDING TYPE STATUS STRENGTH

REALM CONDITION EFFECT OWNER INVESTED TRAIT DURATION

PROBLEM RATING TYPE CONSQUENCES DURATION

 Welcome to the final stage of your journey. After
all this time, your hero becomes a God.
Scion: God brings Scion stories to their final
chapter with all-new rules for players and guidance
for Storyguides. This completes the trilogy with
Scion: Hero and Scion: Demigod.
Demigod. Gods face the
impossible balance between a desire to interfere with
The World and their duty to protect the Overworlds.
It presents all the rules and lore Storyguides and
players need to craft the thrilling finales of their Scion
chronicles.
• Brand new Pantheons including Buddhist, Diwata,
Maya, Phoenician, and Taíno.
• New rules for God-level play at the Incarnation
and Overworld levels.
• Terrifying antagonists to threaten and challenge
godly player’s characters.
• Guidance for play at levels beyond mortal
conception.