Themes in The New Gods | World Anvil

Themes

Scion depicts the titular Scions, human beings who are the children of Gods, whether literally or metaphorically, who inhabit a World of divine symbolism and mythic resonance. The World is modern, full of technology and a rich mixture of culture that past societies could scarcely dream of, yet the ancient mores and stories hold immortal truths to those who would listen and relive them. The more power and Legend Scions build, the greater their Boons and Birthrights, divine miracles and Godly gifts, build alongside them. The more the Scion grows in might, the more esoteric their existence becomes, until they choose to plateau within mortality or leave their humanity behind entirely. Scions venture alongside Legendary Creatures, centaurs and kitsune and stranger Denizens, exploring their World, reliving the stories of their parents, and creating new stories.

Belief in the old Gods still runs strong in The World. In The World, the old Gods are still here, in spirit and in fact. Their religions were never overtaken by monotheism to the extent they were in our world, though some weathered the storm better than others. Cults and temples hold a far smaller place alongside prayer groups and churches, but they’re there, in greater numbers and with greater acceptance. Stranger things persist in the cracks of The World, lurking ever within humanity’s collective peripheral vision: colonies of satyrs in the mountains of Greece, fighting for territory with the centaurs who still lope across the plains of Thessaly, where there are so few cameras. Tengu nestle among Japanese skyscrapers, conducting secret business with the select few they admit to see them. In the American West, a different kind of centaur rides the highways on two wheels, chrome where human legs should be and oil pumping in their hearts. The World of Legend exists alongside The world of humanity, creating a continuous line from ancient to modern mythology.

A Greek woman, an Amazon, calls up her Nordic valkyrie and Dahomean warrior-woman best friends, and the three tear up the New York bar scene.

You can still go to a library and read the ancient stories about the Gods. You can research them on the internet. Scion’s World is one of manifest myth.

In ancient times, the Gods interfered in human lives more directly, letting verdant fields and victory in battle voice their blessings upon mankind… while rampaging beasts, natural disasters, plague, and famine spoke of their displeasure. The spawn of the Titans, dread progenitors of the Gods and cruel embodiments of the nature of The World, often lurked just outside civilization, ready to devour hapless mortals who stopped at the wrong spring to drink or took the wrong paths through the dark, deep woods.

It was to Scions that humanity looked for protection from supernatural predation, and it was Scions who often interceded with the Gods on humanity’s behalf. Scions flattered their parents, moved them to feel pity, or offered their services if the divine would spare their wrath. In the modern day, humanity has tamed all but the most remote or dangerous areas of the mortal World, but even now The World holds great power. The Titans stir in 1,000 prisons, agitating for their return and the unleashing of their monstrous titanspawn. Together, they represent a threat beyond the ken of modern man. Only the Scions are equipped to deal with such threats, and are again filling their ancient role of guardians of man and human civilization.

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