The Lóng
over 3 years ago – Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 07:54:07 AM

Hello Heirs!

We're going to follow up on our manuscript section from Tuesday and look at one of the remaining Flights detailed within Scion: Dragon!

It may seem like it's been a long wait this week to learn more about the final flights in our book, but that's only partially correct. Because it's actually been a Lóng wait! 

Because we're gonna look at The Lóng today.

I know, I know. It's been a long year already.

The Lóng

The lóng (or lung) of China. The ryu of Japan. The mireu and imugi of Korea. Thanks to the linguistics and draconic diversity of Asia, the Lóng Flight goes by dozens of names and contains around two hundred still-living dragons, from the rồng of Vietnam to the taniwha of Polynesia. Exact dates are hard to come by, but sometime after the rise of the Huángdì in 2697 BCE, the Dragons of Asia began separating from their nearby pantheons.

Despite the vital role that Yīnglóng played in the creation of the Chinese Han state, the Dragon was relegated to a minor role within the Shén. Adding insult to injury, Huángdì made Yīnglóng teach him how to shape change into the Yellow Dragon, essentially treating the Dragon form as a costume to wear, understanding nothing of the culture of the Lóng. Huángdì’s transformation into the Yellow Dragon could have been the bridge that connected the Gods and Dragons into a strong community, but the Yellow Emperor treated the gift of a Dragon form as a mere plaything, souring relations. Prince Nezha’s crimes against Áo Guǎng drove the wedge further. Across Asia, similar struggles between Gods and Dragons broke out: the feuds between Maui and Kuna, Gōnggōng and Zhuānxū, and even Wùkōng and Ryūjin.

In other areas of The World, Scions and Gods were killing Dragons, and locally increasingly anthrocentrist policies placed humans and humanoids before all other species. Seeing the writing on the wall, the Dragons began a quick exodus from the Shén, Kami, Atua, and other pantheons in the area. By the Kami invasion of The World in 600 BCE, hundreds of Asian Dragons left the Atua, Kami, and Shén behind. The strategic move saved countless lives, though some, such as Yamata-no-Orochi, died at the hands of the Kami before they could all escape properly.

Although they rarely agreed on matters, the Lóng created a network of communities as part of the strategic retreat, ensuring none would ever face the Gods or Titans alone again. Debates over who should rule and what to call the nascent Flight were fierce and extended. They eventually settled on Lóng as a name, due to the Flight having more lóng than any other type of Dragon, thus more votes for Lóng than any other name.

Leadership was a more complicated topic, with everything from direct democracy to anarchism to kratocracy seriously considered. In the end, they did a bit of everything. Major policy decisions are handled through a Flight-wide vote, with irregular Flight gatherings taking place in Ryūgū, Ryūjin’s castle. Voluntary groups formed for mutual aid, creating a grass-roots structure for handling small, regional Lóng issues. And Ryūjin was thrown under the whale, voted the King of the Flight against the wishes of the Dragon who already had his claws full with his kingdom.

The Lóng are the largest Flight, and probably the most organized. They benefit from coming together early which saved a great many of their numbers, which in turn gives them the advantage of a multitude of minds all put toward strategizing their goals. The Lóng remember their time both before Gods and as Gods, and they have never felt easy with their decision to leave that power behind. They have the security to play a long game, which ends as them the supreme rulers of The World, and all humankind.

Thanks to the more recent violent upheavals of the Titanomachy, the Dragons in Asia have learned that there is safety in numbers, not to mention Earth’s deepest seas, where even Poseidon knows better than to meddle. They started accepting stragglers from all over The World, but only if that Dragon was happy with hiding among a democratic oligarchy. They once tried to recruit the Dragons who would later become the Serpents, but at the time those Dragons weren’t ready to leave their pantheons behind.

Despite the general desire for a sense of belonging and unity, it still took over a thousand years to fully establish the Lóng, mainly because there were so many River Lóng who were too embroiled in their own struggles against Titans and Gods to understand that they didn’t have to stand alone. Many of the River Lóng perished in the panic that preceded the unification. But now, they have a home and a family, and they’re not going to give that up.

Factions

Though mortals have tried cataloging all the Lóng, their Flight can largely be broken into four cliques, based on their preferred habitats: Sea, Shallows, Rivers, and Heavens. While the Lóng of the Sea and the Lóng the River both think of themselves as Dragon royalty, the Sea Lóng lean into it, with all the good and bad that go along with it. The more levelheaded, like Ryūjin, cultivate entire cities of magical beings, eager to be kind and just rulers. The more passionate, like Kiyohime, demand their tribute and destroy those who refuse to part with it.

In contrast, the River Lóng see themselves as the people’s leaders, desperate to aid their subjects in times of crisis or rescue them from danger. Thanks to the nature of rivers and human civilizations, the River Lóng have plenty of chances to perform their self-appointed duties. They try to keep a low profile like the rest of the Lóng, but if any group is likely to slip up and get spotted, it’s them. Although originally a Heavenly Shén, Yīnglóng’s passion for the people is one of the clearest examples of a River Lóng. He put away his entire life in order to save the people.

Shallows Lóng come in a variety of flavors, perhaps because they were born that way or possibly because many of them are shapeshifters. No matter what the reason, they’re some of the toughest Dragons around, having had to grow up fending off the predators both in the sea and on islands. As a result, they tend to be more aggressive, often finding fights that could have been avoided, simply because they couldn’t risk being the second to attack.

Rarely seen in The World, Heaven Lóng define inscrutability, their behavior shrouded in an air of nobility, often pondering problems that only they can see. Their contemplative behavior should not be seen as weakness or an unwillingness to act, though; the dead Gōnggōng and the scars The World bears because of him are proof enough of that. Why the Heaven Lóng still live among the Gods is anyone’s guess, but subterfuge is a distinct possibility.

Characteristics

Generally speaking, the Lóng have lengthy, serpentine bodies, giant heads, antlers, and a set of claws or two, with relatively minor variation from region to region. As an example, Chinese lóng and Japanese ryu have a different number of toes, five and three, respectively. Korean imugi typically lack antlers and claws, at least until they mature into fully grown mireu. River Lóng tend to appear more snakelike, although they can grow claws if the need arises.

Completely changing things up, Shallows Lóng are shapeshifters who don’t care about maintaining the status quo Dragon look. Instead, they adapt their bodies to suit their environments. Among these are the bakunawa of the Philippines, the taniwha of western Polynesia, and the mo’o of eastern Polynesia. Between each of these major species, the Shallows Lóng can look like pretty much anything aquatic or reptilian, with the bakunawa preferring to look like sharks, turtles, and crocodiles. Taniwha and mo’o are closely related, generally appearing in a reptilian form, lizards, eels, and such. Taniwha are nearly always in the form of a large predator, while mo’o have more flexibility in their size, becoming as large or small as a they want to be, even things as small as geckos.

With a lifespan far older than most everything in The World, Gods included, the Lóng have developed two traits that are nearly universal throughout the Flight: patience and a stubborn attitude. They generally shrug off human stupidity and spontaneity, assuming time and a draconic nudge or two will set things right. This is generally a good thing for Heirs going through a rough time of transition, although some might wish their Dragon had more of a hands-on approach when they come face first against a violent Scion or God.

While they know that time causes all things to shake out for the best, many Lóng can’t help but put a claw on the scales to make things work out a little better and a little faster. The River Lóng are especially guilty of this, arranging circumstances so that a human can’t help but make better choices. To be fair, their lairs are surrounded by people at all times, so it’s not like they don’t have a personal stake in humanity getting things right.

We'll be able to read all about the Lóng, the Naga, and the Serpents in next Tuesday's manuscript preview! All backers will be able to download the remaining half of Chapter 2 detailing the Flights, and we'll have the entire draft manuscript available for review before the campaign ends!

#ScionDragon

#ScionSecondEdition

Backers Only – Scion: Masks of the Mythos Manuscript Preview #2
over 3 years ago – Fri, Jan 29, 2021 at 04:30:50 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

An Unlikely Alliance
over 3 years ago – Thu, Jan 28, 2021 at 07:20:15 AM

Hello Heirs,

Today, I've got a second dragon tale from Lauren Roy, but before we dig in to that, I'm happy to share one of my favorite bits of Scion Second Edition. If you're like me, you love looking at the pantheon symbols from the book, picking up the little details and mythology worked into the various images. 

Since we're talking about Scion: Dragon, and since we've read the first half of the Flights chapter, let's dive into The Draq!

An Unlikely Alliance

By Lauren Roy

Jakob sat at a table in the all-night diner, waiting for Ambrosia to arrive. It was damned late, but the place was packed. He nursed a cup of coffee and watched the crowd. Lots of kids here, in their late teens and early twenties. He’d been coming here since he was that age himself, almost 30 years ago. Clothing and hair styles had changed, but the food and the decor hadn’t. That was all right by Jakob, who spent a lot of his time on the road. Sometimes it was nice to come back to someplace familiar, when you didn’t really call anywhere home.

Ambrosia came in, shaking rain from a bright red umbrella. The storm had hovered for hours with no sign of letting up. She gave the restaurant crowd a practiced once-over before joining Jakob.

“How’d the job go?” he asked. He’d been two states away when Mitch put out the call.

“Eh, fine. Mitch only went a little off book. Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“And what’s this one going to entail?”

She frowned. “Not sure yet. I had this dream about a woman made of fire, and knew I should help her. Next day, I get a phone call from some daughter of Brigid, asking me to meet her and a friend of hers to talk over a job offer.” The bell over the door jingled, and a stocky woman with a bright red undercut stepped inside. “Speaking of.”

She spotted Ambrosia waving and navigated her way to their table. Ink peeked out from her collar and sleeves, and she nodded approvingly at the runic tattoos winding around Jakob’s arms.

“Rhiannon Jernigan,” she said. “Our straggler’s on the way. He texted to tell me he got a little lost.” She shook their hands and reached for a menu.

“Ambrosia Cook. And this is my friend Jakob Lukasson. The omelets here are amazing.”

The waitress came along with the coffee pot and took their orders: omelets of the day for Rhiannon and Ambrosia, an egg-and-cheese sandwich for Jakob. Rhiannon waited until she was out of earshot before she asked, “Shall we get down to business? Eric can catch up when he gets here.”

“Let’s,” said Ambrosia. She stuck a coffee stirrer in her mouth and nibbled on its end while Rhiannon spoke.

“A long time ago, an item that belonged to my mother went missing. I’ve been trying to track it down, but it changed hands several times. It ended up out here.” She chewed her bottom lip, choosing her next words carefully. “I think it’s in an old lair. Not a Dragon’s, as far as I can tell, but something that won’t be too happy with me just walking in and taking it.”

“So, you need backup.”

“Backup, muscle. Whatever you want to call it. Getting this back will help people. Or, more specifically, will help me help people. That’s all I want out of this. Anything else we find there, it’s yours.”

Jakob had some opinions on a Scion granting them — both heirs to draconic lineages — permission to take things from another creature’s hoard, but this was Ambrosia’s operation. He kept quiet.

Ambrosia didn’t say anything for a moment, as she turned the proposal over in her mind. Rhiannon, to her credit, didn’t push. At last, Ambrosia nodded. “I’m in. Call it a gut instinct, but this is something I need to do. Jakob?”

Jakob didn’t always get the same uncanny feelings other Heirs did. The Flight’s agents had long since stopped contacting him, and if Ní∂höggr ever bestirred himself to speak in dreams, Jakob wasn’t listening. But he trusted Ambrosia and her instincts. She was his brood-mate, after all. That meant having each other’s backs. “Yeah,” he said. “Count me...”

The door opened again, and a tall red-haired young man stepped through.

Eric can catch up when he gets here, Rhiannon had said.

Jakob hadn’t realized she meant Eric fucking Donner.

They’d never met, but it was hard not to recognize the son of Thor on sight. Several videos of him had gone viral over the last couple years: Donner fighting a serpent, Donner drawing lightning from a clear sky. The pictures of the Band his buddy Donnie Rhodes posted on social media got millions of likes. If you were online at all, he was hard to miss.

In fact, Jakob wasn’t the only one who’d spotted the minor celebrity in their midst. Other customers nudged one another and not-so-surreptitiously pulled out their phones, either in the hopes some epic godly showdown was about to start, or to snap selfies and caption them with Look who’s in the background! Donner seemed a bit embarrassed by all the attention, even while he stood and waited for its initial flurry to die down. Necks craned as he noticed Rhiannon and headed for their table.

“Eric,” she said, as he slid into the seat beside her, “this is Ambrosia Cook and Jakob Lukasson. Ambrosia and Jakob, meet my friend Eric ... Eric, what is it?”

He stared at Jakob as though trying to remember where they’d met. His furrowed brow gave way to an unsubtle gasp and a deepening frown as some gears in his brain clicked into place.

Ambrosia touched Jakob’s arm. He hadn’t moved since Donner walked in — not out of fear, but in cold calculation. Donner had half a foot on him, but Jakob was solid and quick; he could get in at least a couple of good haymakers if it came to blows. Anything more than that would put customers in danger, and a lot of the kids in here were part of the communities he’d dedicated the last few decades to defending. If Donner decided he wanted a fight, they’d have to take it outside.

“Is there a problem?” Jakob asked. He kept his voice quiet, in case anyone close by was recording.

Eric matched Jakob’s tone and made an effort to return his expression to neutral. “I’ve heard your name before. And some other things,” he said. There was no judgment in the way he said it. A little caution, maybe.

“I figured as much. Some of your relatives might take issue with us sitting at a table together, let alone working the same job.”

Rhiannon shot Ambrosia a what the fuck? look.

“We’re a package deal,” Ambrosia said. She knew about the Æsir’s beef with Jakob. “If you can’t work with him, we both walk.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” said Rhiannon. “Someone clue me in.”

“Later.” Eric cut his eyes toward the table of twenty-somethings to their left, whose occupants were pretending to have an intense conversation to demonstrate how they absolutely weren’t eavesdropping.

That made Jakob relax a little — Donner wasn’t going to make him admit in a crowded restaurant that he’d murdered one of the All-Father’s children. “For now, let’s say I did something that ruffled a whole lot of Ásgarðian feathers.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

Jakob shrugged. “I’d do it again.”

Rhiannon studied them both. “Is this ... whatever it is ... going to be an issue?”

“Not unless Mr. Donner’s a Nazi,” said Jakob. He said it a little louder, so any mics recording nearby might pick it up.

Eric full-body recoiled at the statement. “What? God, no. Fuck those guys.”

Let that get out on social media,Jakob thought. He smiled at last — more at the thought of how Donner’s disavowal would get up some bigots’ noses than at Donner himself — but the kid was from the Midwest. If someone smiled at you, you smiled back.

“I think we’ll be all right,” said Jakob.

“Yeah, we’re cool.” Eric stuck his hand out for a shake, and Jakob accepted.

“Excellent,” said Rhiannon. “Let’s talk details.”

***

Three days later, they headed into the Hoh Rainforest. Heavy logging throughout most of the 1900s had devastated areas of the rainforest, but in the last thirty years or so, trees had begun growing again. Ambrosia was sure there was a metaphor in there somewhere, something about the old growth gone forever, but the new taking root. She tucked it away to muse over later, maybe run by her partner, Caroline, when she got back to the office.

A couple hundred years ago, perhaps, the creature they were tracking had trusted the thick forest to make finding its lair’s entrance near-impossible. In the aftermath of clear-cutting, however, it was almost too easy to find. The new growth hadn’t had time to cover it over completely. Roots tripped them all on occasion, but never entirely impeded their progress. A few hours in, and they found it: a stone arch carved with runes too faded to read.

Passing beneath it, the air grew immediately sweeter. Beyond was the rainforest as it once had been, with ancient trees towering overhead and long-extinct animals rustling about in the underbrush. Rhiannon led the way, consulting a map sketched in an old journal. Jakob and Eric trailed a little behind, keeping an eye out for threats.

At last, they came to an outcropping. At its base was a small clearing, with a simple stone altar in its center. An opening was carved into the rock wall behind it, just about human-sized.

“You might have to turn sideways and crouch a bit,” Ambrosia said to Eric. The rest of them could fit through just fine.

“Wait,” said Jakob. “Why don’t you two go in? Eric and I will wait out here.”

“Something wrong?” She’d seen that look on his face before, like he’d heard a sound no one else picked up on, or spotted something out of place.

“Not sure. We’ll keep an eye out. Shout if you need us.”

Eric didn’t argue. They each moved off into the trees, Donner with his hand hovering over his revolver, Giantsbane; Jakob with fists clenched, ready for a fight.

Rhiannon watched them go, then headed into the cavern. Ambrosia followed. Inside it was cool and musty, and when Ambrosia flicked her lighter, the walls gleamed wetly with the flame. It was larger in here than it had seemed outside, easily big enough for a dozen people to move around. The space was completely empty, the ground covered in bootprints.

“Others have been here,” Ambrosia said. “Recently, I think.”

At the back of the cavern, a passageway led deeper into the earth. Ambrosia took point and led them down it, her gun drawn. The passage twisted and sloped downward, coiling like a serpent. No noises echoed from below, aside from dripping water and their own footfalls bouncing back to them. Ambrosia lost track of how long they’d been traveling before the walls at last opened up into a tiny round chamber. A miniature version of the altar above sat in its center, but otherwise...

“Empty,” breathed Rhiannon. “It’s all gone.”

“No, not all of it. There’s something hidden.” Ambrosia shifted her gently aside, drawn by a sense of heat close by. She smelled molten rock and burning incense, and followed it to the back of the tiny room. Rock flowed away from her outstretched hand to reveal a tiny alcove. At its center, a white flame burned around a marble figure. “Is this what you’re looking for?” she asked.

Rhiannon reached inside. The flames didn’t burn her as her fingers closed around the statue. “It is. How did you find it?”

But Ambrosia couldn’t hear her anymore.

The sight of the flames dredged up a memory.

She soared over burning lands, forests and farmlands consumed by fires she herself hadn’t set. Below, the people she protected were suffering. Many had already died in the swift-spreading blazes; others had fled, and watched from afar as their entire lives and livelihoods turned to nothing more than ash climbing into the sky. Rage and pity filled her heart.

Spiraling down closer, she skimmed along the rooftops and breathed deep, drawing the flames away from crops and houses, pulling them into her own searing lungs. She caught an updraft and climbed up higher, searching for those who dared bring her people harm.

There.

From her vantage point in the sky, she saw the wicked men who were setting the blazes, how they used fire to terrorize the weak. They sat astride barded horses, holding torches in steel-gauntleted hands. The sun glinted off helms and breastplates and greaves — armor that might protect them from blades and arrowheads, but did nothing against her molten breath and powerful jaws.

She dove again. The earth shook as she landed in their midst. With a huff, she extinguished their pitiful torches. The horses bucked and fled, and she let them go. The meal in front of her was far more delectable. The men’s screams rang in her ears, and her mouth filled with the taste of their fear. Oh, how their bones had crunched between her teeth.

When Ambrosia opened her eyes again, the idol’s flames had guttered out. Rhiannon watched her with concern. “Are you all right? You went away for a moment there.”

“This all made me remember...” She frowned. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Try me. I’ve probably heard weirder.”

“Maybe over dinner. I could really go for a burger right about now, and we’ve got a long walk out of here.”

As she turned for the doorway, something crunched beneath her boot. Ambrosia bent to pick it up. She brushed off the dirt and immediately recognized what it was: an ID badge from Lonergan Industries. “I think I know why this place was empty,” she said. “But how did they know to come here?”

Far above, Giantsbane thundered.

#ScionDragon

#ScionMasksOfTheMythos

Awareness!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 07:29:50 AM

Squamous Salutations!

As you may be aware, today is Wednesday, which makes it a Mythos Day! And, if you weren't already aware, it's time to talk about being aware, as we look at Awareness in Scion: Masks of the Mythos.

Before we dive into our sneak peek, I've got another treat!

For me, what's even more fun than reading these early drafts of the book are seeing the game in action! Today, we've got the first session of Vorpal Tales' Scion: Mask of the Mythos actual play! Check it out!

The Cosmic Horror aspects of Masks of the Mythos should always be close at hand regardless of the investigation. Those who dwell in this world are subject to unexpected understanding of how the universe works and their place in the cosmos. This sudden Awareness can occur at any time and is unsettling at best. If a Scion achieves 4 or more successes over a roll’s difficulty during a Mythos investigation, he’s granted a glimpse of a fraction of the universal truth, just a sliver of a droplet. That droplet blesses or curses the Scion with a single point of Awareness.

Awareness

Awareness is the quality and measure of Mythos influence on Scions. It also includes the Scions’ distinct influence on the world, as well as the toll it takes. Awareness represents an opening of the mind and body to hidden realities that lurk just beyond human and non-Mythos Scions’ senses. Contact with the Mythos changes people. It opens doors. It shifts one’s point of view. It disrupts one’s core understanding of how the universe works, and humanity’s place in that miasma. The disruption of the Mythos is beyond labels of good or bad, of evil or righteousness. The effect is expansive. The mind can adapt to these new understandings in a range of ways, but the resulting transformation can rarely be reversed.

Most mortals function better when these alien forces remain mercifully, conveniently out of view. To the unprepared, a shock of sudden revelation can take a toll on mental and emotional states. Some doors are meant to stay shut. But a few, exceptional people who encounter Mythos entities can harmonize and integrate this opened perspective into a new emergent understanding. Scions transcend the mundane world to reach these new levels of insight. But grasping the weight of the Mythos is a one-way trip.

Awareness follows Mythos Scions like a cloud of flies. It can disrupt the world around them in ways that are beyond the Scion’s control, and it can also bend to the Scion’s will as they grow in power. Matter, mind, relationships, and the tapestry of reality itself may transform under these alien influences. As Scions deepen their Awareness they also gain the ability channel eldritch forces through their Boons and Knacks. They may perform certain deeds in service to Mythos forces to grow their influence.

Mechanics

For most pantheons, stories about various Gods and their deeds make up the Legends surrounding them. These Heroes, Demigods, and Gods embroil everyone near them into their Fates as they express their Legend. The Mythos has a similar pervasiveness, but it works a bit differently. The Mythos itself is its own set of myths and legends, one that subsumes the bearer and embroils them into its own Fate. So instead of a Scion binding people into her Fate and Legend, the Mythos binds the Scion into its story. In this way, Awareness parallels Legend, though it does not subsume the Scion’s Legend.

A character’s Awareness rating generates a pool of Awareness points equal to the character’s Awareness dots. Just like Legend, these points may be imbued or spent. Awareness is rated 1 to 10, and a Scion’s Awareness rating does not change her divine quality. For example, a Scion with Legend 3 is still a Hero, even if her Awareness is 5.

Mythos Scions must still fulfill their own Fates and Legends to advance to Demigod or Godhood, just like any other Scion.

Awareness Trait Effects

Having a single dot of Awareness allows a Scion to learn Awareness Boons from her Purviews and allows her access to the Awareness Innate Powers of a Purview. Otherwise, Awareness acts as a pool from which a Scion can spend points for various effects.

A Scion can imbue or spend an Awareness instead of Legend to activate Boons, perform Marvels, or enact Feats of Scale. In the case of Feats of Scale, the Scale bonus is still based on the character’s Legend rating.

A Scion may imbue or spend an Awareness to activate an Awareness Boon.

A Scion may spend an Awareness to destroy a single Fatebinding on another person. The Role Condition from the Fatebinding ends immediately. While she remembers her time Fatebound to the Scion, she has no emotional attachment to it, and wonders why she took the actions she did. A Mythos Scion cannot destroy her own Fatebindings.

Raising Awareness

Raising Awareness requires the Scion to complete one set of Deeds, replacing either the Short-term Deed or Long-term Deed with a Mythos deed. Remember that the character can take on a Mythos Deed in addition to a Long-term or Short-term Deed but does not have to complete all four Deeds to raise Awareness. Just like raising Legend, put a mark beside the Deeds as they are completed. Once a set is used to raise either Awareness or Legend, erase the marks and start over. In this way, a player must choose if she wishes to increase her Legend or Awareness with a completed set of Deeds once the Band Deed is completed.

A character may gain additional dots in Awareness from special Mythos Relics. These raise her Awareness pool as though she had raised her Awareness through Deeds, but if she loses the Relic, either because it is lost, stolen, or destroyed, she loses those dots in Awareness. If this happens, she also immediately gains a Mythos Fatebinding.

Regaining Awareness

A Scion may only regain Awareness by accepting a special Mythos Fatebinding. The energies generated by acting in accordance with the Mythos’ desires replenishes a single point of Awareness.

Purviews

The Great Old Ones have been here a long time. They didn’t need to take their authority over The World to make it bend to their will like the other Gods. Their very existence has shaped The World around them, the elements bending around their forms and oozing from their skins. Even as the King in Yellow waits, its people make art in its name. Nyarlathotep’s hidden form carries messages with just a thought. Chaos oozes forth from Azathoth wherever it goes. And Yig’s serpent spawn enjoy its blessing even as it slumbers.

Awareness Purviews

Scions of the Great Old Ones have access to their Purviews in the same way as other Scions, but those who have Awareness find their claim becomes less of a mastery and more of an inheritance as the power oozes from them.

Mythos Scions can choose to take the Awareness Innate Power that comes with a Purview instead of the normal one. They will only ever have one Innate Power, and once the Awareness Innate Power is chosen, they cannot go back.

Additionally, they gain the ability to learn Awareness Boons: specific powers that come from their association with the Mythos. Characters must invest or spend Awareness to utilize Awareness Boons.

Mythos Scions can enact Marvels (Scion: Hero p. 236) in much the same way as any other Scion, though they draw from the Mythos Pantheon Motif.

Mythos: Arcane and esoteric inscriptions and intoning unspeakable words draw the Gods attention and request their blessing.

Chaos

This Purview belongs to Great Old Ones who embody disorder, disruption, and unknowable motives.

Innate Power: Chaos follows you wherever you go, rippling away from you and upending normally ordered things. Electronics tend to malfunction when you’re near, cars backfire, engines fail, and people trip on sidewalks — all creating a +1 Complication for anyone attempting to act while in close range of you. You are, of course, immune to your own chaos.

Walking Disaster

•  Cost: Imbue 1 Awareness
•  Duration: One scene
•  Subject: All characters
•  Clash: Awareness + Cunning vs. Resolve + Legend
•  Range: Short
•  Action: Reflexive

You create a field of chaos that you can tap into if people around you aren’t extremely careful. Everyone within range suffers a +3 Complication to physical actions. As a consequence of failing to buy off the Complication, you can do one of the following (chosen when the Boon is activated): toss someone one range band, disrupt all electronics they are carrying, or knock them prone.

Order

The Order Purview doesn’t just concern civilizations and societies, but also the natural laws of physics in which materials and elements order themselves.

Innate Power: You embody entropy, sapping useful energy from spaces and creating randomness and disorder. You can drain any battery (phone, car, flashlight, etc.) within a short range of its charge, or short out an electrical outlet in the same range without a roll. The lost charge dissipates and becomes useless.

Lawful Trespass

•  Cost: Imbue 1 Awareness
•  Duration: One scene
•  Subject: Self
•  Action: Reflexive

The normal laws of the land don’t apply to you anymore. For the duration of this Boon, there is a single law, either civilian or of physics that no longer applies to you. If you break this law, those who would normally oversee dealing with it simply ignore you and let you pass. This can’t apply to a law or rule you broke before the Boon was activated; it must happen while the Boon is active. Once the Boon ends, so does your immunity to the law, and any laws you broke that were overlooked may come back to bite you.

You'll be able to read more from Scion: Masks of the Mythos when we share our next draft manuscript preview on Friday! All backers will be able to download Chapters 2 and 3 as we move through the campaign and share the complete draft manuscript before the end! See you then!

ScionMasksOfTheMythos

ScionSecondEdition

Fly in more Stretch Goals!
over 3 years ago – Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 09:03:11 AM

Hello Heirs!

Well, we looked at some Flights this morning, with our latest manuscript preview! And now, it's time to use those new wings and fly in some more Stretch Goals!

It's a strained metaphor, I know, but I'm in the middle of a snow storm and all my good analogies are yet to deliver!

It's a Dragon Day today, so no random funding targets for us! Dragons keep it organized!

[DRAGON] At $123,000 funding – Scion: Dragon Jumpstart – A starting scenario will be added to the 6 Ready-Made Characters, expanding the Ready-Made Character supplemental PDF into a full Scion: Dragon Jumpstart PDF supplement.

[MYTHOS] At $127,000 funding – Scion: Masks of the Mythos Companion – Elderian Home Planet – A new kind of Terra Incognita, the home planet where the Elder Things reside, will be detailed and added to the Scion: Masks of the Mythos Companion PDF.

[ALL BACKERS] At $130,000 funding – Scion: Masks of the Mythos Digital Wallpaper – Dress up your monitor with an unsettling scene from Scion: Masks of the Mythos. This will beadded to the rewards list for all backers.

We're just into the second week of this campaign, and with our success today have unlocked 15 Stretch Goal achievements! With this next flight, if we manage to continue along our trajectory, we'll expand the Scion: Dragon Ready-Made Characters we've already funded into a full-on Jumpstart supplement, built to kick off a brand new campaign. We'll also travel deep into the stars and learn more - at our peril - about the home of the Elder Things. And then we'll look to bring that dark knowledge to our computer desktops with our second wallpaper reward.

We've come so far already, and still have so much potential! Let's keep smashing Stretch Goals and see what may await us in the upcoming weeks!

#ScionDragon

#ScionMasksOfTheMythos

#ScionSecondEdition