Dragonish Delights

Question: I know you've only just begun your Birthright project, but I thought I'd ask anyway. What are some Birthrights that Ryujin might give to a Scion? I had an idea of a Tide Jewel Birthright Relic.

Tide jewels are indeed a perfect place for a relic from the irascible old dragon of the deeps! They're traditionally owned and parceled out by him, and while they might have famously appeared in the pockets of other august Japanese personages, there's no reason he might not have more to bestow on his lucky Scions. It might be especially cool to hand down tide jewels that have figured in other myths (such as the one used by Jingu/Himiko to conquer Korea, for example).

I'm especially fond of the idea of Ryujin giving his children jellyfish; having terrorized the poor jellyfish into doing his ill-tempered bidding for time out of mind, he doubtless has plenty of them and they make a fun and unique Creature Birthright that you don't see every day. They are a bit more difficult to work with due to requiring water to function, but I defy anyone to think of a maliciously stinging Nemean jellyfish without shuddering at least a little bit. For a Creature Birthright more able to get around and function outside of water, a giant sea turtle might also be a good option, bringing to mind Japanese myths of heroes carried out to sea or rescued by the creatures.

Hoderi's fishhook, an object of much contention in the myths of Ryujin, Hoori and his daughter Toyotama-Hime, might also be a cool idea for a relic - or if not Hoderi's specifically, a magical fishhook that recalls his. Magical scales from Ryujin's own hide or perhaps a writhing, dragonish whisker might also be badges a Scion could wear with pride to represent his or her father.

As for what those relics would do, it would have to depend on the character him- or herself and what kind of things the player envisioned for them, but the dragon-god has plenty of options for exploration no matter what your preferences.