Question: Hello, everyone. First of all, I'm sorry for my English, I´m glad you are working on the new edition of Scion and I hope to see it soon. Now the questions. In your homemade pantheons, where I can find the reference to "Scent the Divine" and "Scent the Titanic" knacks?
Man, these guys need to catch up to the website! So many projects!
If the pantheons have made it to our website - to date, the Anunna and Bogovi - then they're listed as normal on the Scent the Divine and Scent the Titanic tables on the Perception page as usual. For the rest who aren't ready to go yet, however, we keep a master post of all the pantheon-specific details in this post, which I should really find a way to pin as a link so people don't have to ask about it all the time.
Thanks for your confidence. We're glad to be involved, in however small a way, with the new edition of Scion, and we're glad to continue working on and having a blast with the old one.
Oh, and don't worry about your English - you sound fine!. We never want anyone to feel uncomfortable asking because they aren't native English speakers, and if we're not sure what you were asking, we'll ask you to clarify.
Showing posts with label Scent the Divine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scent the Divine. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Smells of the Northlands
Question: The Norse smell like amber, and you can hear the crackle of lightning. Besides the references to Freya and Thor, what do those things have to do with the pantheon as a whole?
Well, these are the Scent the Divine markers for the Aesir from the original Scion line. While we didn't write that and we can't pretend we know what the original writers were thinking, we think your cunningly-veiled inference is probably correct: somebody probably went, "Thor and Freya, bam" and then went on their merry way, having covered the most famous members of the Aesir-Vanir fusion. Let's face it: the average gamer who picks Scion up probably knows Thor as the face of the Aesir thanks to Marvel Comics, and that means that associating the Aesir as a whole with thunder just makes sense for the audience.
But we've kept those around, because while they are specifically tied to Thor, as the god of thunder and lightning, and Freya, whose tears solidify into golden amber, they also do a decent job of referring to the pantheon as a whole. Also, coming up with new sensations for Scent the Divine is surprisingly difficult.
Lightning is Thor's particular bailiwick, but in a more generalized, representational sense, the Aesir are all often considered aligned with the sky. As the celestial gods of things like warfare, civilization and honor, they contrast with the Vanir as the gods of earth, ferility and worldly concerns. It's a pretty well-established custom to consider the Aesir the "sky" pantheon; Thor's certainly in the vanguard as thunder god, but the other gods' ability to fly over the clouds like the valkyries, their status as accessible only by traveling the rainbow and their position high up in Yggdrasil often encourage scholars to believe that they were generally considered a sky-aligned pantheon as a whole. It's fiddly and based on a lot of scholarly theorizing, but then again, that's pretty much everything in Norse myth.
Amber is a more solid link to the Norse gods, actually; it was one of the most precious substances to the ancient Norse, and accordingly it was a favorite sign of wealth and a common choice for an offering made to the gods. Its origin as the tears of Freya certainly links it to her, but it was offered to many of the gods, and was also one of the main things that the Norse were famous for among other cultures, who traded with them for the amber that was much rarer in more southerly lands. It's more of an aspect of their mortal religion and culture than something the gods themselves do, but it's as reasonable as associating the Devas with incense or the Shen with silk.
Could those be tweaked to be a little more appropriate? Yeah, probably, and so could some of the other scents from the original books. But they're not so busted that they don't make sense, so for now we'll let them lie until in some future knack work period we take a look at all of them.
Well, these are the Scent the Divine markers for the Aesir from the original Scion line. While we didn't write that and we can't pretend we know what the original writers were thinking, we think your cunningly-veiled inference is probably correct: somebody probably went, "Thor and Freya, bam" and then went on their merry way, having covered the most famous members of the Aesir-Vanir fusion. Let's face it: the average gamer who picks Scion up probably knows Thor as the face of the Aesir thanks to Marvel Comics, and that means that associating the Aesir as a whole with thunder just makes sense for the audience.
But we've kept those around, because while they are specifically tied to Thor, as the god of thunder and lightning, and Freya, whose tears solidify into golden amber, they also do a decent job of referring to the pantheon as a whole. Also, coming up with new sensations for Scent the Divine is surprisingly difficult.
Lightning is Thor's particular bailiwick, but in a more generalized, representational sense, the Aesir are all often considered aligned with the sky. As the celestial gods of things like warfare, civilization and honor, they contrast with the Vanir as the gods of earth, ferility and worldly concerns. It's a pretty well-established custom to consider the Aesir the "sky" pantheon; Thor's certainly in the vanguard as thunder god, but the other gods' ability to fly over the clouds like the valkyries, their status as accessible only by traveling the rainbow and their position high up in Yggdrasil often encourage scholars to believe that they were generally considered a sky-aligned pantheon as a whole. It's fiddly and based on a lot of scholarly theorizing, but then again, that's pretty much everything in Norse myth.
Amber is a more solid link to the Norse gods, actually; it was one of the most precious substances to the ancient Norse, and accordingly it was a favorite sign of wealth and a common choice for an offering made to the gods. Its origin as the tears of Freya certainly links it to her, but it was offered to many of the gods, and was also one of the main things that the Norse were famous for among other cultures, who traded with them for the amber that was much rarer in more southerly lands. It's more of an aspect of their mortal religion and culture than something the gods themselves do, but it's as reasonable as associating the Devas with incense or the Shen with silk.
Could those be tweaked to be a little more appropriate? Yeah, probably, and so could some of the other scents from the original books. But they're not so busted that they don't make sense, so for now we'll let them lie until in some future knack work period we take a look at all of them.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
All the Fiddly Bits
Question: Well, now that the Inca gods are up (all hail the Apu!), I Gotta ask one simple question. What scent and sound does Scent the Divine register for them?
Oops, sorry. We talked about this in the comments of the post announcing the Apu, but it probably should be up here where everybody can see it. I tend to forget to include Scent the Divine/Scent the Titanic/Code of Heaven/Vestiges of a Distant Past information for new pantheons in their supplements - or not really forget as much as say, "Oh, well, that'll just get added to the table for that power on the site, not here," and then later John will say, "They're not in play yet, don't add them to the table," and then here we all are.
So! Here, the specifics not just on the Apu but on the Alihah, Anunna, Bogovi and Elohim as well, for anyone who missed them!
There we go. All caught up!
Oops, sorry. We talked about this in the comments of the post announcing the Apu, but it probably should be up here where everybody can see it. I tend to forget to include Scent the Divine/Scent the Titanic/Code of Heaven/Vestiges of a Distant Past information for new pantheons in their supplements - or not really forget as much as say, "Oh, well, that'll just get added to the table for that power on the site, not here," and then later John will say, "They're not in play yet, don't add them to the table," and then here we all are.
So! Here, the specifics not just on the Apu but on the Alihah, Anunna, Bogovi and Elohim as well, for anyone who missed them!
| Pantheon | Scent the Divine |
| The Alihah | Sweet dates and the distant cry of an owl |
| The Anunna | Cedar wood and the sudden crack of thunder |
| The Apu | Rich cocoa beans and the distant rumble of an earthquake |
| The Atua | Sea salt and the calling of ocean birds |
| The Bogovi | Rain and the sound of a turning wheel |
| The Elohim | Cooling ash and the sound of clashing weapons |
| The Inue | Blubber oil and the gnash of glaciers |
| The K'uh | Warm honey and the cries of jungle animals |
| Titan | Scent the Titanic |
| Emamu (Anunna) | The breath of a predator on your neck |
| Pakiy (Apu) | The sensation of being torn apart by many hands |
| Paroro-Whenua (Atua) | The brief certainty that the sky is crashing down on you |
| Sedeq (Elohim) | The impression of unyielding barriers surrounding you |
| Stvaranje (Bogovi) | A sudden flash of morbid inspiration |
| Ukiuq (Inue) | The sudden sensation of intense, frostbitten cold |
| Whedh (Alihah) | A sudden sensation of the world rushing toward you |
| Xibalba (K'uh) | The sudden stopping of heartbeat and breath |
| Pantheon | Code of Heaven Crimes |
| The Alihah | Betrayal, breach of hospitality, violation of religious customs |
| The Anunna | Abuse of authority, disrespect toward the gods, rebellion |
| The Apu | Destruction of sacred places or objects, laziness, theft |
| The Atua | Cannibalism, familicide, violation of a taboo |
| The Bogovi | Interference with mortals, murder, wanton destruction |
| The Elohim | Conspiracy, disrespect toward the gods, trespassing |
| The Inue | Disrespect toward the gods, environmental damage, incest |
| The K'uh | Disrespect toward the gods, murder, theft |
| Pantheon | Vestiges of a Distant Past Abilities |
| The Alihah | Art, Control, Fortitude, Stealth, Survival |
| The Anunna | Academics, Art, Craft, Politics, Presence |
| The Apu | Athletics, Awareness, Fortitude, Occult, Survival |
| The Atua | Athletics, Command, Control, Presence, Survival |
| The Bogovi | Awareness, Empathy, Integrity, Occult, Survival |
| The Elohim | Brawl, Command, Fortitude, Melee, Presence |
| The Inue | Animal Ken, Control, Fortitude, Integrity, Survival |
| The K'uh | Athletics, Craft, Empathy, Politics, Thrown |
There we go. All caught up!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Sights, the Sounds, the Smells
Question: I love the write ups you've done so far but I was wondering, if a character used the Scent The Divine knack on a Scion of the Anunna, Elohim, or Bogovi, what scent or sound would you get? I ask because I read all three write ups and I couldn't find their scents listed.
You didn't miss it - the scents aren't in there. I originally didn't include them because I intended to just add them to the table for the Scent the Divine knack, but then didn't get them up on the website and somehow managed to forget all about it. Sorry!
The Anunna are the most elemental and ancient of gods; I would suggest the sound of a sudden crack of thunder accompanied by the scent of cedar wood.
The Elohim, on the other hand, demand harsher sacrifices and are more temperamental than their northern neighbors. For them, the scent is most likely the reek of cooling ash, and the brief sound of clashing weapons.
The less volatile Bogovi are much more connected to the natural cycles of the world and the rhythm of its harmonies, so I'd suggest something like a smell of rain and the sound of a turning wheel.
You didn't miss it - the scents aren't in there. I originally didn't include them because I intended to just add them to the table for the Scent the Divine knack, but then didn't get them up on the website and somehow managed to forget all about it. Sorry!
The Anunna are the most elemental and ancient of gods; I would suggest the sound of a sudden crack of thunder accompanied by the scent of cedar wood.
The Elohim, on the other hand, demand harsher sacrifices and are more temperamental than their northern neighbors. For them, the scent is most likely the reek of cooling ash, and the brief sound of clashing weapons.
The less volatile Bogovi are much more connected to the natural cycles of the world and the rhythm of its harmonies, so I'd suggest something like a smell of rain and the sound of a turning wheel.
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