4. Frequently Asked Questions

Mythics and their Relationship with the Blooded.

As questions about the relationship between a Mythic Patron and his Blooded have arisen a few times, this document is designed to answer some of the most frequent of these questions.

You may think of the Blooded as similar to demigods from Greco-Roman mythology. You are larger than life heroes who have the blood of an immensely powerful creature in your veins, and you serve as an extension of their power upon the world. Unlike mythology, your character is not a biological descendant of such a creature and a mortal, but rather a mortal who was chosen and elevated by one of the Mythic Patrons at the time of your vision quest.

Perhaps you knew that you would become Blooded of World Tree, and during your trials you found and bonded with this Mythic quickly. Perhaps you were wide open to possibilities and set yourself out for whichever would take you. Perhaps you proved something about yourself and one of the Patrons rewarded you with the gift of their blood. Perhaps two warred over claiming you, and you were almost ripped in half between them. Perhaps all others rejected you, and only one would have you. Perhaps it was your determination to see the wicked punished that led Kirin to empower you, or perhaps the empowerment awakened in your heart a burning desire to see justice visited on the unjust. The vision quest is a personal journey and trial unique to each of the people of Talvair. Whatever the reason or the result of your vision quest, you were chosen when many of your fellows were not. You were elevated and became one of the Blooded.

Then what does it mean to be Blooded? It means you have a close connection to one of the Mythic Patrons, but it does not guarantee any kind of power or station. If you are an Ashay Blooded of Garuda who leads unions of tanners and scullery maids seeking better conditions or an Enotar Blooded of Kitsune who finds art in making fine blades you will still likely be looked down upon and have far less political clout than an Unblooded member of a noble House of Lanakova. Like the grizzled sergeant who has served five deployments into war zones you may still have to answer to the fresh-faced Lieutenant who is sent in to command the unit. The Blooded are capable of great things, and are larger than life heroes, but ultimately they are still mortal, and are bound by their place in the world and by the prejudices and jealousies of their Unblooded kinfolk.

The relationship of the Blooded to their Patron is also a fluid one. Like present day religion and worship, some people believe with all their heart, some provide lip-service, some disregard it, and some have no opinion. The Blooded all feel the pull of their Patrons and are subject to their demands and needs. No one who is Blooded can refuse the nature of what they are, or claim to be an atheist when they know beyond any doubt that their Patron is real, but how they act upon it varies from person to person. Not all of the Blooded of Kirin, for example, are fire and brimstone spewing zealots seeking to kill criminals, but all hold the belief that justice is important. Not all of Kitsune are great artists themselves, but all hold to one of Kitsune’s tenants, be it art, inspiration, or sacrifice. Not all of Garuda are leaders, nor are all of Arachne manipulators, or all of Tengu social outcasts, but all will show some aspect of their Patron through their being. All of the Blooded do have a personal relationship with their Patron that defines who they are, and they share this with others Blooded of their Patron. The Blooded are each like a river flowing from a common source, carrying the waters of their Patron across the world, interacting with others Blooded of their and other Patrons, then finally flowing into a single great sea.

Some ask if the Blooded talk to or otherwise communicate with their Patrons. On a day to day base the answer is no, though again an individual Blooded may be different. There are some among the Blooded with have the title of Herald, and this is indicative of their being in direct contact with their Patron, though this communication is not always active. When Fenris wants his Blooded to know his will though it is through the Heralds of Fenris that it is communicated across the world. All of the Blooded generally hold the Heralds in high regard due to their role, but not all envy them or desire the position, for it is a heavy burden to bear at times, especially for a Mythic like mad Tengu or militaristic Kirin. Beyond the Heralds the Blooded can communicate with the Patrons in other ways, most directly through the various information skills that are available to the Blooded PCs through their Mythic Bloodline. There are also stories of those who are not Heralds talking directly with Avatars of their Patrons upon Talvair, but since the days of the Great War Avatars are found only in story, and as time passes the stories pass too into legend.

In short, the relationship of a Blooded to their Patron is a personal one defined by the Blooded in question, but is shaped by and shapes the world around them in many ways, both subtle and overt.