The Rus (New Pantheon)

[dorkknight23]

Credit where credit is due: this (as well as the other pantheons) come from Demonchilde on the White Wolf forums. They can be options I might pull from for NPCs, and can be potential PC patrons for replacement or new characters.

Some information on the Rus can also be found in Companion 4 (as noted.)

[dorkknight23]

--History--
(The beginning of the Rus History can be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 144 and 145. However, instead of giving the Rus all of Mount Meru as a reward for their bravery, they were instead given "a piece" of Mount Meru. The Devas had plenty to share with the fledgeling pantheon. For the rest of it...)

Of course, this isn't an easy task easy. For the last nine decades, Perun has been fighting two fronts to achieve this feat. When World War II broke out and the Aesir betrayed their old allies among the Rus by striking at them in their scattered state, taking them prisoner and destroying numerous of their already scattered Axis Mundi it only made things worse. And much easier for the Citizen to cement his hold over the pantheon using the position he gained in the Soviet Pantheon instead. Of course, Veles was among the Rus who evaded the Aesir's assaults and continued to advise and guide the Citizen from the shadows until the war was over. When the war ended and the Soviet Pantheon fell apart from the loss of Baba Yaga and Rodina Mat's disinterest in continuing her alliance with the Citizen, the Rus could finally begin to reform. But by then, the Citizen had proven too powerful to oust and Perun could only join the Rus and serve as a voice of internal dissension.

When the other Titans broke from their prison, the Rus were already fighting their civil war within. Though, they were not attacked by their own Titan (Rod having never been imprisoned after all), they have had to fight off raids from the other Titans. The Rus' former alliance with the Aesir has meant that the Rus face constant threat from Surtur, his Muspel giants and the other forces of Muspelheim, forcing the Rus to try and put their trust in the Aesir again. Additionally, given the Rus' focus on fertility and agriculture, both Terra and Crom Cruach feel threatened by their power. Terra because the Rus try so hard to tame the world around them so they can grow crops. And Crom Cruach because the Rus' focus on agriculture stands against what the Titan of Earth represents. As such, with all the Titan incursions, the civil war between Perun and Veles and the gods who have taken sides has been put relatively on hold. Though, the conflict still continues when the gods have some time between Titan battles.

And yet, regardless, Perun has had at least moderate success. Already, the World is showing signs of the Citizen weakening. Stalin's communist regime was brutal and bloody. Though the Soviet Pantheon had crumbled, the Soviet Union in the World remained. But since the end of Stalin's regime, there have been internal changes in communist Russia. Slowly, the Western world began to catch up with the USSR. Democracy may not be the tool of the gods, per se, but as democracy grew in power, communism gave way. And as communism gave way, the Citizen gave way. Democracy at least meant individuality. It was something that weakened the Titans who would hold the Rus in their grasp. Then, finally, in the late 80's, Perun made a breakthrough. Getting Chernobog alone, Perun finally managed to get through to the other god within him, bringing Belobog to the fore for the first time in almost 70 years. And in the World, Gorbechev approached other nations with his policies of glasnost and perestroika.

Soon after, Marzanna released her bitterness as she always does eventually. She is ultimately a goddess of cycles and while Veles' plot had managed to prolong her anger, it could not make it permanent. With the changes in the World, Marzanna's mood also changed and she relinquished her hold, letting Dievas walk the World again. Though, it's not perfect. Belobog and Dievas will not break their cycles in the same way that Chernobog and Marzanna did. So the dark gods are still active, despite the fact that Perun may wish to break the cycle as well. But at least the gods of goodness are active again, even if the gods of darkness are there as well too.

Some of the Rus and gods of other pantheons whisper that Perun's success, the return of Belobog and Dievas and the fall of communism in Russia of the World to weaken the Citizen may be too little too late. No matter how democratic Russia may become, the damage is already done. Rod's corruption has not been fully removed from the World and even in the Russian democracy the Communist Party is still one of the most powerful political forces in the country. And no matter who rules in the Overworld, Perun or the Citizen, it may all be for naught if the Rus are crushed beneath the onslaughts of Muspelheim, Terra, Crom Cruach and any other Titans who choose to target the Rus.

So, for the moment, Perun has had to set his agenda aside and let the Citizen (and Veles through him) keep the throne and give the orders. To challenge fully now would mean distracting them from the Titan War. Perun knows he has most of the pantheon's support, whether he sits fully on the throne or not. Belobog's and Dievas' return is victory enough for now. More can come when the Titans are back in chains. Furniture can be fought over later. Once they've ensured that there IS a "later".

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--Triglav and Svantevit--

Long ago, the two Titans that served Rod used to be gods. Like Chiyou who serves Hundun against the Celestial Bureaucracy, the "Avatars" of Rod are corrupted gods. Unlike the servants of Hundun, however, the word "Avatar" is still applicable to these unified servants as they are considered to be an extension of Rod himself.

Triglav was once a god who represented the whole of creation. He was the heavens, the earth and the waters below. When he was corrupted by Rod, Triglav was then known to unify those essential parts and to hold them together as a single "Creation." When three-headed Triglav was divided into his component gods, he became Svarog, god of the sun and first ruler of the heavens, Veles, god of death and ruler of the seas below, and an earth god whose name has been lost to the ages but went on to divide again into Dievas and Marzanna, gods of spirit and the earth.

Svantevit, on the other hand, was a god of the people. He was a god who organized humanity for the harvest time, served as the heart of the community and even rallied people together to defend or fight for their homeland. However, after being corrupted by Rod, his warrior aspects were lost as he became the mind of the people to harvest and survive. When he was divided, each of his four heads became a different god. From him came Zislbog, goddess of the moon and protector of the seedling, Sieba, beautiful goddess of love and fertility, Poerewit, protector of the forest and wild places and patron of travellers, and a god of fortune and luck who has since gone on to divide himself into Belobog and Chernobog, gods of good and evil, the summer heat and the winter cold.

In theory, Triglav and Svantevit could be re-created. It would require combining all of the elders among the Rus into their original composite forms. This would entirely decimate the pantheon as only Perun, Jarilo and Krsnik, their children and grandchildren, would remain afterwards. However, if the Storyteller wishes to use that possibility, the near loss of the pantheon and the powers of Unity could make it happen.
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--Cold Wars and Iron Curtains--
The Rus have mixed relationships with the other pantheons. Few of these are openly antagonistic, if only because the Rus are too weakened to be considered actual threats. Never the less, of all the pantheons the Rus seem the most committed to setting aside their differences in order to win the war with the Titans. Perhaps this is because the Rus have seen firsthand how bickering and infighting only serves to further the Titans’ agendas.

In the past, the pantheon’s own internal turmoil shut them off from any relationships with other pantheons, and indeed made them fearful and paranoid of other Gods. Now that the winds are changing and Perun has begun to restore the pantheon’s glory, walls have been torn down and the Rus are slowly opening their doors once more. Still, old habits die hard, and the Rus have a long way to go before they fully trust the Gods outside their own pantheon.

The Rus once held their closest alliance with the Aesir, without whom they would still be enslaved as Avatars of Rod. Despite this eternal debt and the fact that the two pantheons share a similar outlook - a warrior’s outlook, fatalistic yet with potential for great heroism, the two pantheons could never fully reconcile their differences after the betrayal during World War II. However, the constant attacks from Surtr's troops, forces the two together once again, and old alliances are starting to show through again. For their part, the Rus fully intend to stand by the Aesir when Ragnarok comes - provided they can get their act together first - if not for the sake of the treacherous Odin and Loki, then for the simple fact that they wish to show Surtr their true mettle in battle.

Their fights against Crom Cruach have also brought them closer to the Tuatha, another
pantheon with a similar world view. The Irish Gods are brash, boastful, and perhaps even a little naïve when it comes to fate, but they are fierce and loyal warriors, and that is something to be respected.

The Rus have a severe distrust of their neighbors, the Celestial Bureaucracy. Communism has continued to flourish in China even after its collapse in Russia, and even if China’s Gods have done nothing to encourage its spread, neither have they attempted to hold it back. The Rus also dislike the bureaucratic nature of the Celestial Bureaucracy itself, which seems to slow every decision to a crawl. If they are Gods they should act like it, not file paperwork and wait for approval from the chain of command. In the view of the Rus, it’s only the insidious work of Hundun that keeps Rod from completely overtaking the Celestial Bureaucracy.

The Rus have more confidence in the Pesedjet, although not by much. The Egyptian Gods are indeed wise and just and should be respected for that, but their commitment to order and social hierarchy smacks a little too close to Rod’s perfect Unity. They are similarly wary of the Ametsukami and the Devas, with whom their relationships are even more strained - the Japanese and Slavic Gods share a sense of disdain for each other, while the Rus are simply bitter towards the Devas. The Hindu Gods suspect its just jealousy - the Rus in their view are a dying pantheon, while their followers compose the the third largest religion in the world. The Rus conceed maybe they’re partly right, but where were the high and mighty Devas when the Rus began falling apart? Still, like the Aesir, the Rus owe the Devas. Without them, they would not possess the realm of Svarga now and would not have an Overworld of their own.

All three pantheons, however, are still far more trustworthy than the Dodekatheon, who are viewed as vain, arrogant fools - one does not need to be affiliated with Christianity to realize that pride comes before the fall. Anyone who views themselves as infallible is just going to be hit harder when they’re proved wrong - the Rus learned that lesson the hard way. Unfortunately, the encroachment of Terra has forced the two pantheons into an uneasy alliance, so the Rus have learned to tolerate them - for now at least.

Due to the geographic separation of their peoples, the Rus have had relatively little contact with the Atzlanti, or the Loa. Based on their limited interactions, the Rus find the Loa to be the most compatible to their way of thinking for their dedication to individuals and the here and now. Some Rus wonder if Legba hasn’t somehow managed to master the purview of Duality, given his strange connection with his dark twin Kalfu. The Atzlanti, whose mindset and bloodlust are alien to them, remain totally outside their understanding - with the possible exception of Chernobog.

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--Chernobyl--

Speaking of inter-pantheon relations, on pg. 128 of the Scion Companion, the story is told of the Chernobyl disaster as the final result of a knock-down, drag-out fight between Ares and the Slavic war god, Svantevit. But wait a minute, isn't Svantevit also the name of the Avatar of Rod which about half of the original Rus split from?

Why yes, indeed it is.

How can this discrepency be explained? Easy. Most who know the story about the fight between Svantevit and Ares only know half the story.

What few outside of the Rus know is that Svantevit did indeed, return. With the Soviet Union still in power, the entity known today as Big Brother was buried deep within the KGB. Finding the gods with his connections and resources at that time was easy. It's the capturing part that few gods are clear on. But that's exactly what he did. He captured and detained Chernobog, Poerewit, Sieba and Zislbog. Some suspect he had help in doing this, though the Citizen has tried to keep his pantheon from reckless action by pointing out that Big Brother is hardly a pushover.

Regardless of how he caught them, Big Brother then went about doing what many thought was impossible. Using the powers of Rod channeled through him as Rod's vessel, Big Brother was able to re-merge the captured gods into the corrupted Svantevit.

Prior to his corruption, Svantevit and Ares had, indeed, been rivals. It was a bitter rivalry that only grew worse when Svantevit fell to the Titan Rod and begain unifying humanity under his banner. When the corrupted god was split into his component pieces, this rivalry was all but forgotten as Svantevit was gone.

No one's quite sure how Ares learned of Svantevit's return. Some suspect Perun of feeding him the information. Some wonder perhaps if Veles didn't tip him off so that he could destroy Svantevit and take some of the "softer" gods with him. Either way, Ares did find out and went to confront Svantevit.

To hear Ares tell it, the battle was a decisive victory and the eruption of Chernobyl was simply a sign of his battle prowess. Others suspect a different tale, involving Ares near defeat and the destruction of Chernobyl serving as a last minute act of desperation. Likely, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Either way, when the reactor exploded, the chaos unleashed in that event was enough to tear apart the ties of Unity and rend Svantevit asunder. The god was once again split into his component parts, leaving Sieba, Zislbog, Poerewit and Chernobog lying unconscious around Ares feet. Some say Big Brother was caught in the blast as well, and is only now regaining his strength to the previous levels he once held.

Ares did indeed fight the god Svantevit that day. The corrupted god, bound into the service of the Titans and reformed from the captured gods that he once was. Ares won that day, but he has since watched the Rus a little more closely, waiting to see if his old rival will return once more. Others also watch more closely, having seen proof that the magics which separated the Rus can be undone and they worry what that might mean for the Titan War now.
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[dorkknight23]

--The Pantheon--
Virtues: Courage, Endurance, Expression, Valor

-Belobog
AKA: Belbog, Bialbog, Byelobog, Bielobog, Belum, Bylum

Belobog is the "White God" of the Rus. He is the master of light, the source of good, happiness and luck; absolute antagonist of dark, evil and all negative emotions and activities. Belobog is an ancient figure among the Rus, one of the original to be split from the multi-headed avatars of the Titan, Rod. Being one of the gods to achieve true Duality, he is in constant battle with his other half, the god of evil, though as the being of goodness, he can't find it in himself to do away permanently with Chernobog. He can't even justify locking Chernobog away forever as Chernobog nearly did to him. To do so would be an act of destruction and cruelty and such actions are not in his nature. As such, every so often Belobog lets the cycle flow as normal so that Chernobog can serve in his divine role.

However, Belobog has not been active for a long while. He's only now back on his feet. Since Perun freed him from his "imprisonment" he has been trying to catch himself up again. Though, he still shares his ichor with his evil twin. This hasn't stopped him from making efforts to undo the seventy years of pain and suffering that Chernobog inflicted while Belobog was not there to counter his actions. Evil has a head start that good is struggling to catch up on.

He walks the World now in guises that demonstrate his position as a force of good in the world. He may show himself as an Orthodox priest who truly believes in the goodness and charity that he preaches. He may walk as an anti-war protestor who tries to encourage peace in the Middle East. His guises are many and varied, but one thing they have in common is that he always seems truly devoted to bringing peace and happiness to the world.

Belobog's Scions are rare. Any old ones he had before would be eighty years older now. They'd be lost to old age, or have become gods themselves, or at the very least powerful demigods. Or more likely, they've been lost to the Titan War as cannon fodder under the guidance of the Citizen and Veles. What's more, any children that Belobog might have had now would be only teenagers. Fifteen at the oldest, while they may still be Visited and granted power, they would be young and prone to being targeted as weak links in the Rus' forces. Not to mention the fact that his busy schedule to try and catch up on doing his duty has left him little time for romance with mortals. There is one trend that has developed in Belobog's Scion's though: Adoption. Most of Belobog's Scions in the World today, what few there are, were born as children of other gods and adopted by Belobog. This means that there is no single thread which holds them together. They tend to be drawn toward selfless acts of kindness and making the world a better place, but these adopted children bring more variety to the goals of Belobog than perhaps the god of good is used to.

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Perception, Duality, Health, Justice, Sun
Common Abilities: Art, Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Presence
Rivals: Chernobog, Marzanna, Veles, Set, Sobek, Ares, Loki, Tezcatlipoca, Kalfu

-Chernobog
AKA: Crnobog, Czernobóg, Černobog, Zernebog

It should come as no surprise that Chernobog, the Dual aspect of Belobog, is the complete antithesis of everything Belobog stands for. The "Black God" stands for everything dark and evil. Where Belobog is light, Chernobog is darkness. Where Belobog is order, Chernobog is chaos. Where Belobog is life and fertility, Chernobog is death and cold. And, as if that weren't enough, there is also one last secret which Chernobog would never admit to anyone: he does not hate Belobog.

Belobog may stand rigidly against everything that Chernobog stands for, but Chernobog finds their rivalry entertaining. Veles convinced him to do away with Belobog for a time, but ultimately, he found himself bored. Chernobog could have kept the god of light and goodness locked away forever perhaps, as he was careful not to act in such a way as to reawaken his rival. And yet, in the end, he did indeed slip and allow Belobog out once again. Of course, he blamed his slip on Perun, and then the claim that Belobog has grown more powerful, but secretly, he enjoys letting his old enemy come out and try to clean up his messes and he's pleased that Belobog has not changed in his merciful ways and that their old game has continued where it once left off.

Seeing as Chernobog took over their dual form for a time, he has been very much active in the world. He spends his time in the World sewing darkness and death where he can. He's the religious activist who preaches intolerance and racism. He's the arms dealer who sells war to the highest bidder. He's the drug dealer pushing poisoned smack to unsuspecting teens. There are few depths that Chernobog would not sink to.

His Scions tend to serve in similar roles. Though they may not be quite as devoted to death and suffering as their father, they certainly do not do much to make the world a better place. They have their personal reasons whether they be greed, vengeance or some other reason, they serve in positions that allow them to bring pain to those around them, whether it be intentional or not.

Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Perception, Chaos, Darkness, Death, Duality, Frost
Common Abilities: Awareness, Command, Fortitude, Larceny, Presence, Stealth
Rivals: Belobog, Dievas, Perun, Sobek, Horus, Apollo, Odin, Baldur, Quetzalcoatl, Legba

-Dievas
AKA: Dievs, Deiws, Deivas

Worshiped in Lithuania as the god of the sky, peace and friendship, he is viewed as one of the supreme gods of the Rus. However due to the fact that he shares a dual nature with the goddess of reaping souls, he is just as comfortable being referred to as a goddess as he is being called a god. He considers both to be just as true as the other. Until recently, Dievas has been trapped away from the World. Veles' scheming took advantage of Marzanna's bitterness and turned her rage into an iron prison for the god of peace and purity.

Unlike Chernobog and Belobog however, Dievas and Marzanna are not bitter toward each other. Rather, they recognize each other as simply the other half of the cycle and a needed part to the world. It was an unnatural act that Veles engineered to break the cycle, rather than the total opposition that was present in Chernobog and Belobog. And now that he's returned, not only has he been trying to catch up in the things he has lost, he is also attempting to try and re-balance his other half, Marzanna, to ensure that their particular cycle is never broken again.

Dievas is the creator god, who created earth from the water giving the world solid ground. Since then, he has traveled where he would, awarding and protecting the good and righteous in the world. As such, he has found himself in such positions as a member of the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders now that he has returned to the World again.

His Scions would likewise follow similar professions, going out of their way to protect and help the world. But, like Belobog's children, Dievas' Scions are either aged into decrepitude or godhood, lost to the Titan War or obscurity or are too young to join the fight just yet. Relying on adoption in the same way, Dievas is doing his best to ensure that his children follow the path of peace and goodness, but with the variety of the children he's had to choose, such things often find themselves falling by the wayside in favor of winning the war.

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Strength, Duality, Earth, Guardian, Justice, Magic, Sky
Common Abilities: Academics, Athletics, Craft, Integrity, Occult, Presence
Rivals: Chernobog, Veles, Atum-Re, Isis, Dionysus, Hermes, Frigg, Loki, Raiden, Baron Samedi, Kalfu

-Krsnik
AKA: Svarovich

Once a Scion of Svarog, the god Svarovich followed in his father's footsteps and became a god of fire. Serving as his father's agent in the world and allowing his father to channel power through him using high levels of Duality, soon, Svarog and his son were in danger of becoming one. Until finally Svarovich mastered enough Duality to manifest a separate entity of his own similar to the dichotomy of Belobog and Chernobog. The resulting deity was Krsnik, a being similar to Svarovich, but not tied to his father in the same way. Krsnik represented independence and freedom where Svarovich was truly his father's son and loyal to a fault. Svarovich has since been lost to the ravages of Duality as Svarovich continued using him, separating the new fire god fully from Svarog.

Since becoming his own deity, Krsnik has built his own legend. He is both healer and hunter, a patron of the woods who projects his spirit in the form of many animals, but most often the deer. Additionally, he is a skilled shaman and holds a great deal of mystic power. He uses his skill as a great warrior to fight against titanspawn of all sorts.

In the modern World, Krsnik has taken such forms as a cop, a firefighter or a gangland enforcer. In many instances, his Scions also follow in his footsteps, serving as protectors of their respective "wilderness" against forces that might wish to destroy them.

Associated Powers: Epic Dexterity, Epic Stamina, Epic Wits, Animal (Deer), Duality, Fire, Guardian, Health, Mystery, Prophecy, War
Common Abilities: Animal Ken, Marksmanship, Medicine, Melee, Occult, Survival
Rivals: Svarog, Chernobog, Veles, Sobek, Ares, Artemis, Vidar, Huitzilopochtli, Ogoun

-Jarilo
AKA: Yarilo, Iarilo, Jarovit, Gerovit

Jarilo, the son of Perun, was taken away at birth and raised instead by Perun's rival, Veles in the Underworld. It is Jarilo in the Underworld who brings spring to the dead and keeps Irij as a bright, vibrant place. However, once a year, Jarilo slips away from Veles and returns to the World, bringing with him spring and everything associated with it. He is the lover of Marzanna, though his habit of infidelity is inevitably what earns him her ire and lands him back in the Underworld. Jarilo is also a skilled warrior, reaping his enemies the way one might reap wheat.

Due to the training of his foster-father, his relationship with his real father, Perun, is rather strained, especially given Perun's new position as outcast from his own throne. Plus, anyone who's smart usually doesn't go out of their way to forge a trusting relationship with Veles. As such, the lack of a father figure in Jarilo's life has left him rather directionless, which shows in his lack of ability to take responsibility for his actions. Still a spoiled child at heart, the god of spring is always on the look out for a pretty face to pass some time with.

Thanks to this fact, the Scions of Jarilo are many and varied, coming from all walks of life. About the only thing they have in common is that their mother could catch the eye of the spring god during their youth. Jarilo himself however prefers mortal guises in the field of agriculture and farming. Whether he is an agricultural scientist, a simple farm hand or even the mechanic of the thresher machine, he's often found near and around farmland. However, he may also occasionally be found mowing down his enemies in various battlefields. Yet even as a soldier, he is always a simple farm boy far from home.

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Animal (Horse), Duality, Fertility, War
Common Abilities: Athletics, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Melee, Science, Survival
Rivals: Marzanna, Perun, Osiris, Dionysus, Hel, Freya, Xipe Totec, Hachiman

-Marzanna
AKA: Mara, Murava, Morana, Moréna

The feminine aspect of Dievas, she is also in many ways his opposite. Where Dievas is the life and the potential of growth from the earth, Marzanna is where the life returns to so that it can once again become that potential. Dievas protects the world and tries to bring goodness, while Marzanna cares more for the dead whose souls she harvests to send to Irij. Yet at the same time, she is also the goddess of the harvest, showing as well the fertility of the earth and the state to which all life returns to when its time is passed.

The ritual wife of Jarilo, Marzanna serves to return him to the underworld each year when she inevitably finds him cheating on her behind her back with some other pretty face. This loveless marriage she seems trapped in has only helped to spur on her bitterness, and given her something of a self image problem. Hardly ugly, it is always Marzanna's beauty which draws Jarilo back to her each year, yet watching her husband lust after others has affected the goddess of reaping's self esteem. It’s something which she readily takes out on others, especially during the harsh winter months when the number of deaths may increase from exposure to the harsh Russian elements.

It is this bitterness which Veles was able to play on in order to convince Marzanna that she was better off without Dievas. Playing on her desire for vengeance toward her husband and all other men who would treat their women so, Veles convinced her that she would have much more time to ensure that Jarilo suffered properly if she did not have to share her time with Dievas all the time. To ensure that her anger would grow to heights enough to keep Marzanna in her rage for decades, he even arranged for Jarilo to find and fall in love with another woman even BEFORE meeting with Marzanna that year. It was a particularly harsh winter then, as the ritual marriage with the two deities didn't occur. For the first time in centuries, there was no love between Jarilo and Marzanna and her rage at this has even now not gone away. However, it has cooled enough to allow her to again restart the cycle with Dievas (much to Veles' annoyance since he could manipulate her). He cannot manipulate Dievas in the same way, and Dievas is most assuredly allied with Perun while Marzanna was malleable.

Marzanna tends to be more occupied with the actual people associated with the land than the land and crops themselves, unlike her husband. She moves among the people as a farmer's daughter, looking for a traveler to show her a good time. Or she could be a prostitute, ready to harvest some cash from a wealthy business man. She may also be found as the lonely house wife, looking for a good time to get back at her cheating husband. Also, like Jarilo, she finds herself drawn to conflict. However, she serves not by killing and reaping, but by harvesting the bodies (and souls) of the people who died. She works as a battlefield medic who's always just a little too late, or in the coroner's office, cleaning up crime scenes and accident sites.

Her Scions tend to be similarly inclined, serving in similar professions, always dealing better with the dead than the living. While they are not adverse to relationships, they tend to fall for the wrong people, letting themselves be used by their significant others, only to find the relationship turning sour fast.

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Dexterity, Epic Stamina, Death, Duality, Frost, Magic, Psychopomp
Common Abilities: Fortitude, Investigation, Medicine, Melee, Occult, Presence
Rivals: Belobog, Jarilo, Anubis, Isis, Hermes, Frigg, Sif, Tlaloc, Hachiman, Baron Samedi

-Perun
(Information on Perun can be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 146)

Associated Powers: Epic Charisma, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Guardian, Justice, Sky, War
Common Abilities: Brawl, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Presence, Thrown
Rivals: Veles, Chernobog, Marzanna, Thor, Tyr, Izanami, Ogoun

-Poerewit
AKA: Borevit, Borewit, Boruta, Prove

Though often confused with Pan (much to their mutual annoyance), Poerewit is the Slavic god of the woods and travelers. Appearing most often as a bearded goat-man, he has the uncanny ability to move through the forest while never being seen. He can modify his height to adapt to his surroundings, being short and unnoticed next to a mushroom, while standing tall and imposing next to an impressive oak.

In the modern world, Poerewit has been many things, from a park ranger on the look out for lost hikers, to a porn star known for his... impressive credentials.

Children of Poerewit come in all stripes, as the fertile god of the woods is not always picky about who shares his bed. One thing his children tend to have in common, however, is that they always have a habit of finding their way out of sticky situations, and serving in positions which allow them to do the same for others.

Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Stamina, Epic Wits, Animal (Goat), Duality, Fertility, Psychopomp
Common Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Command, Larceny, Stealth, Survival
Rivals: Krsnik, Geb, Artemis, Dionysus, Athena, Freyr, Queztalcoatl, Tlaloc, Izanagi

-Sieba
AKA: Šiwa, Šiva, Živa, Żiwia, Razivia

Goddess of love and fertility, she represents the life in everything. She is a creature of sexual passion and desire. Her beauty is legendary among the Rus, and even other pantheons. Unlike most goddesses of love and beauty, however, she also holds dominion over fertility. Not necessarily the fertility of plants and nature, but rather the fertility of women and men, lending her aid in conceiving children and tending to the future of her followers.

In modern times, she can be found as the young nurse in the maternity ward, the marriage counselor helping couples to understand their relationship and reinforce their love for each other. She may also be found as a prostitute, usually with a young child in tow that she's taking care of with the money she makes.

Her Scions may often be found looking for love and passion themselves. They move in fields that let them meet people, hoping to find someone to get close with and express their emotions with. However, as children of the Goddess of Fertility, there's always more than just lust and passion to their relationships. Generally the Scions of Sieba make efforts to bear children of their own, resulting in more potential Scions of Sieba unless her children wait until they, themselves are gods.

Associated Powers: Epic Appearance, Epic Charisma, Epic Manipulation, Duality, Health
Common Abilities: Art, Command, Empathy, Medicine, Politics, Presence
Rivals: Chernobog, Veles, Aphrodite, Hera, Freya, Sif, Tlazolteotl, Amaterasu, Erzulie

-Svarog
AKA: Swarog, Schwayxtix, Svarovich

Once, Svarog led the pantheon. He is the father of Perun and thus the founder of the Rus. Svarog is the sun god, as well as the god of the creative aspects of fire. With this in mind, Svarog serves as the forge god of the Rus. When his son, Perun rose in power and took his place as the king, Svarog stepped back and began to focus on his creations and his work. Svarog has always been a very traditional god, however, focusing on how to make the old ways work better rather than following the wave of modern technology.

In modern times, Svarog has served as a factory worker in an assembly line that's still behind the times, a traditional blacksmith in a rural village in Eastern Europe, and a metallurgist that specializes in finding new uses for materials that most people have passed over as useless.

Scions of Svarog often follow in their father's footsteps, getting into professions that keep them close to industrial work. However, Svarog does not insist that they follow precisely in his footsteps. He learned a long time ago from his Scion Svarovich that too much control over the lives of his children can lead to disastrous results.

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Strength, Epic Stamina, Duality, Earth, Fire, Sun
Common Abilities: Academics, Athletics, Control, Crafts, Melee, Presence
Rivals: Krsnik, Veles, Ptah, Hepheastus, Odin, Loki, Ogoun

-Veles
AKA: Weles, Volos

The great enemy of Perun, Veles is the god of the Slavic Underworld, Irij, and is also the god of trickery and wealth. He's also served as the god of cattle, and many shepherds and ranch owners in the World have been more devoted to him, than they have to the more popular Perun or Svarog. Finally, he is also the god of the waters, specifically the great ocean surrounding the island of Buyan in the Underworld of Irij. However, despite all his power and worship, Veles has always desired more. The battle between Perun and Veles for control of Svarga is truly the stuff of Legends, until finally Perun won. Though, as seen in the Russian Revolution, Veles has the last laugh... for the moment anyway.

Lately, Veles has been busy in Svarga, leaving Irij to fend for itself as he stays behind the throne, whispering into the ear of the Citizen to keep him working as he feels he should. The serpentine Veles has found the Citizen to be a great handful to handle. In fact, he almost wishes at times that he could get rid of his puppet so he could take the throne directly, but he's relatively sure that if he took such a bold action, it would inspire the gods who have not taken sides in the conflict to actually align choose a side and likely join Perun. And with the return of Belobog and Dievas, the last thing that Veles wishes to give Perun is more allies.

When he does find himself in the world, Veles is often found in roles that use trickery or guile to make money. He has been a used car salesman, a black market merchant, a horse trader with some shady animals or a politician using the system to put more money in his own pocket.

Children of Veles have a unique quirk. Either they will follow in their father's footsteps and become shady manipulators themselves, or they may find themselves directly opposed to their father and work with the Rus in such a way that they roadblock the god of trickery's plans and make life more difficult for him. Veles takes all this in stride though. Those that are tricksters like him, he accepts as his own. But it's the others he's actually secretly more proud of. After all, what better way to trick the trickster than to give him heroic Scions?

Associated Powers: Epic Intelligence, Epic Manipulation, Epic Wits, Animal (Cattle, Serpent), Chaos, Death, Duality, Earth, Illusion, Magic, Water
Common Abilities: Animal Ken, Larceny, Occult, Politics, Presence, Stealth
Rivals: Belobog, Dievas, Perun, Osiris, Sobek, Hades, Odin, Loki, Mictlantecuhtli, Susano-o, Baron Samedi

-Zislbog
AKA: Zilsbog, Cislobog, Kricco

Zislbog is not only the moon goddess, looking down upon the world from the heights of the sky, but she is also the guardian of the seed. It is Zislbog who ensures that the seeds that are planted sprout to grow into strong crops. There would be no harvest each year without Zislbog who ensures that the crops have a chance to grow in the first place.

In the mortal World, Zislbog can be found distributing the wisdom she's gained from the experiences and things she's seen. She serves an elderly woman sitting in the park to talk to any who wish to listen to her, or as a pre-school teacher who advises new parents in need on how to take care of their children.

And her Scions, likewise, tend to be well taken care of. More so than any of the Rus, Zislbog is protective and nurturing of her "seedlings". Watching them from afar and ensuring they are taken care of, she's also willing to offer whatever aid she is capable of offering, whether that be in the form of actual help, or in the form of new relics. However, with the conflict in the Overworld, Zislbog is not able to help her children in everything, and this fact pains her more than anything. Each Scion she loses cuts her deeply, and often she blames herself, wondering if there might have been something more she could have done.

Associated Powers: Epic Perception, Duality, Fertility, Guardian, Moon
Common Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Investigation, Occult, Stealth, Survival
Rivals: Marzanna, Chernobog, Bastet, Artemis, Heimdall, Tezcatlipoca, Amaterasu, Tsuki-yomi, Kalfu

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--Scent the Divine--

The Rus smell like freshly turned soil, and are accompanied by the sound of a weeping child when sensed with the Scent the Divine Knack (Scion Companion, pg. 56)
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[dorkknight23]

--Pantheon Specific Purview: Duality--
(Information on the basics of Duality can be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 147)

-Transmute Pain (Duality O)
(Information on Transmute Pain may be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 147 with the following changes...)
A character must actually deal damage to a target in order for this boon to function and the character does not lose the wound penalties until after the damage is dealt. Each source of a modifier must be cancelled separately. If a Scion is suffering from wound penalties, poison and disease, then the Scion must land three separate blows to ignore them all. However, this boon need only be activated once. Since pain can be suppressed but never entirely destroyed, this Boon comes with an additional cost: the next scene, those modifiers return with an additional -1 for each modifier ignored.

-Know Thy Enemy (Duality OO)
(Information on Know Thy Enemy may be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 147 with the following changes...)
This power lasts for one scene after activation and it functions much like the Epic Wits Knack, Perfect Imposter. It plays out mostly without dice rolls as the Storyteller mostly informs the character of what to expect and how their new instincts tell them to react.

-One with the Storm (Daulity OOO)
(Information on One with the Storm may be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 147 with the following additions...)
For the duration of this effect, the character may add his Duality rating to his Stamina + Fortitude dice to resist the Trauma rating of any Environmental Effect.

-Share of Thyself (Daulity OOOO)
Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult
Cost: 2 Legend per target

A heroic Scion may allow himself to take on aspects of others in order to learn how they think and operate. A demigod Scion however, may actually trade part of himself with another within sight. The character rolls Stamina + Occult and for each success on the roll, the Scion may choose to spend 2 Legend and connect themselves with the target. These targets must be willing and the Scion must possess some article of clothing or personal possession of the targets. For the rest of the scene, as a Speed 5, Miscellaneous action, the Scion may choose to move one Health Level worth of damage from one target to another per dot of Endurance the Scion has. The damage need not come from the same source, nor need it go to the same target. Damage on the Scion may be split among different Followers, damage on wounded Followers may be transferred evenly to unwounded Followers or the damage on multiple Band mates may be transferred entirely onto the Scion using the power and any other combinations in between. At the end of this scene, the damage reverts to its "rightful" owners, though in the meantime, it may be healed as normal on whichever target it happens to be on at the time.

-Shelter from the Storm (Duality OOOOO)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: 1 Willpower + [1 Legend per target]

This power extends the power of One with the Storm to others. By using this power, the character allows others to add the activating character's Duality rating to the Stamina + Fortitude ratings of other characters when rolling for the Trauma ratings of Environmental Effects. However, during that time, each other character risks becoming ensnared by the personality of the demigod gifting this power. When this power is activated, each character blessed with protection from their environment must roll Willpower at a difficulty equal to the granting character's Endurance Virtue. Those who fail have their Nature changed to the Nature of the character granting them protection for the duration of this power. This effect lasts a scene. The Scion must be able to see his targets when this power is activated, but need not maintain contact once the targets are so blessed. This may also be stacked with another character's own Duality rating if they too have the One with the Storm Boon or with another character's use of Shelter from the Storm used on the same character, allowing the Rus to combine their powers to protect each other from their environment. If there is a conflict, the character with the higher Legend determines which Nature other characters are in danger of emulating under the protection of Shelter from the Storm. If the characters have equal Legend, then the one with the higher Endurance determines the Nature to be used. If both are equal, then the two characters roll Legend + Endurance and the one with the most successes determines the Legend to be used. Ties are handled as usual in this last case.

-Ride the Wave (Duality OOOOO O)
Dice Pool: Endurance
Cost: None

When faced with the possibility of falling into a Virtue Extremity, one of the Rus at this level of power may actually take advantage of this Extremity by giving into it and trying to ride the wave, potentially gaining benefits. Activating this power is reflexive and the player rolls Endurance whenever a roll would trigger the Extremity. The difficulty is equal to the level of the Virtue the character is about to fall into. It is possible for the character to spend Willpower to channel the Virtue in question for extra dice on the roll, though doing so faces the normal restrictions for channeling a Virtue and only the Virtue of the Extremity in question may be rolled. After all, if you're already guaranteed to fall into the Virtue Extremity, you can at least get a chance to ensure some benefit.

If the roll fails, the Extremity proceeds as normal. If the roll is successful, then the Scion does indeed fall into a Virtue Extremity, however, the Virtue is automatically channeled in his favor. For the duration of the Virtue Extremity, the Scion may add his Virtue rating as dice to any rolls that may potentially benefit from that Virtue without having to spend Willpower and regardless of how many times the Virtue has been channeled otherwise during the story.

If the Virtue Extremity is caused by a power such as Moon 4: Insanity, which bases the Extremities on the Virtues of the Boon user, rather than the target, then the Scion with Ride the Wave may also gain benefit from falling into those Virtues. The difficulty in that case is based on the Virtue rating of the user of the power. Endurance may be channeled for extra dice in the case of the Virtues a Scion may not have, and Endurance also serves as the number of bonus dice the character gains on appropriate rolls.

What's considered appropriate in these cases is based on the Virtue Extremity in question, however. A Scion in the throws of "Morbid Self-Sacrifice" may gain his Endurance as extra dice on Dutiful tasks such as helping those in need or upholding the laws of their community.

-Spirit of the Land (Duality OOOOO OO)
Dice Pool: Perception + Survival
Cost: 10 Legend

The Rus have always been tied to the land. Farming and agriculture formed the basis of life for their worshippers and the gods were considered the soul of the land. Using this power, the Scion may merge with the land surrounding him, extending his consciousness through the local environment. The Scion spends a turn in meditation, during which he spends 10 Legend and rolls Perception + Survival. If successful, his body sinks into the ground, his mind becoming one with the land around him. The power extends a range of miles equal to the Scion's Legend and lasts for the rest of the scene unless de-activated sooner. During this time, the land becomes an extension of the Scion and grants the following effects.

--The Scion is aware of everything which goes on in his land. The Storyteller may require Perception + Survival rolls to notice certain details, especially if someone is trying to sneak through their domain.

--The Scion may extend the use of his Boons through the land. Anyone standing in the area is considered to be "touching" the Scion for purposes of using Boons or other powers. Normal multiple action rules apply for targeting more than one target at a time and Boons that don't require touch are of course also available for use against targets.

The Scion is not completely invulnerable in this state. An attack which does damage over a large enough area equal to the Scion's unmodified Stamina + Fortitude in yards (bombs, earthquakes, creative use of Strength Knacks, powerful Boons) causes the Scion to roll Willpower + Fortitude + Legend, difficulty 8. If successful, he manages to maintain his state and takes 1 unsoakable Health Level of aggravated damage from the attack. If he is not successful, then the Scion is instantly thrown from the earth at the site of the attack, taking 5 levels of unsoakable aggravated damage instead. The Scion is considered prone and may not act until six ticks after the attack which caused him to lose his control.

-Thicker Than Water (Duality OOOOO OOO)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: 1 Willpower + 12 Legend

The Rus claim that everything that exists was split from the Titan Rod. Rod was the source of all creation and the beginning of everything. This power of Duality exemplifies this more than anything, as it allows the Scion to draw upon those connections and bring herself closer to another metaphysically. The Scion must possess an item connected with the person which he wishes to draw closer to. No roll is necessary, though if the target has a Legend rating and does not wish to be connected to the user she may resist by rolling Willpower + Fortitude + Legend at a difficulty of the Scion's Legend to keep from being used. If the target and the Scion share an immediate blood link (parent, child, sibling, etc) then the difficulty of the resistance roll becomes Legend + Endurance instead and the user need not possess a personal item. The blood tie itself is enough, and the target has a harder time resisting when there's already a connection. This power cannot be used on a target with equal or higher Legend than the user.

When this power is active, the Scion may extend his senses through the body of the target. He is aware of everything that the target is aware of however he faces a -2 distraction penalty for as long as this power lasts as his attention is split between the target's surroundings and his own, unless he has the Multitasking Knack. Additionally, the Scion may use his Boons through the target, allowing him to channel his powers from a distance and letting the user gain the power of the gods during that time. The user may also channel his Epic Charisma, Manipulation and Mental Attributes, though his Epic Physicals and Appearance cannot transfer. Legend may also be channeled for automatic successes and to reroll failed or botched rolls. The Scion may also channel his Virtues through the target. Finally, the two are able to communicate mentally during this time, allowing the user of this power to let the target know his desires and may use his Epic Charisma or Manipulation via this mental link to exert some control over the target.

However, any powers he channels through this vessel are treated as if the user has a Legend equal to the average of the target and the user, rounded up. If a Legend 9 god channels his power through a mortal with no Legend, he's treated as having a Legend 5 for all powers. A Legend 12 god that channels his power through a mortal then he's treated as having a Legend 6. If a Legend 9 god channels his power through his Legend 5 Scion, then he's treated as having a Legend 7. Any Fatebinding that results from using these powers bind the target that the Scion is working through, rather than binding the Scion himself. This power lasts for a scene but can be cancelled sooner if the user desires.

Each time this power is used on a target, willingly or not, the target must roll Willpower + Integrity + Legend at a difficulty of the user's Legend (or Legend + Endurance if there is a blood connection already). If this roll is not successful, then the target loses a Permanent Willpower. When his Willpower becomes less than the user's Endurance in this way his Nature permanently changes to match that of the user, starting to become a copy of the Scion using this power on him. If the target should lose all his Willpower in this manner, then he ceases to exist and his essence merges instead with the god who was working through him.

The target of this power does not lose his free will during this time and is still free to act on his own (unless under the effect of Epic Charisma or Manipulation as discussed above), though when his Willpower degrades to the pont that his Nature matches the user of the power, he will steadily find himself wanting the same things that the user of the power wants and often acting on the same interests. It was the use of this power which caused Svarovich to be subsumed within Svarog.

-Between Two Points (Duality OOOOO OOOO)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: 20 Legend (Optional 1 Permanent Willpower)

At this level of power, the god is now capable of connecting two locations to form a permanent passage between them. The Scion must first find two locations that are already similar in some fashion. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what constitutes as similarities and it may be something as vague as both of them being wooded glens to something as specific as both locations containing reproductions of the Venus De Milo made by the same artist within the same week and marked in the same hidden location with his signature. These places that are tied together need not be in the same spiritual realm and places within the World, Overworld and Underworld may all be tied together if they are similar.

The use of this power forms a Touchstone connection between the two areas, allowing Scions aware of the connection to take the appropriate steps and spend a point of Legend to travel between the locations instantly. This connection lasts for one scene, or may be made permanent with the expenditure of a Permanent Willpower. Additionally, one location may be tied in this manner to multiple other locations; however the power must be used again for each individual connection of this manner. Thus, a Scion could use the statue example above to travel between his room in the palace of Svarga in the Overworld, a rancher's cottage on the Island of Buyan in the Underworld, a secret room in the bedroom of his wealthy mortal lover and his own personal terra incognita by casting this power on the same statue four different times. Assuming of course that the statue he's using exists in all of the locations.

The Scion need not have visited the locations he forges the connections to in this manner, however, he must at least know for an absolute fact that the similarities he is taking advantage of exist. Guesswork and rumor won't provide the power necessary to fuel this Boon. The Scion must be actively aware of the connections he's manipulating or the power cannot be used.

-Dichotomy (Duality OOOOO OOOOO)
Dice Pool: None
Cost: 1 Permanent Willpower + 1 Permanent Legend

This is the ultimate expression of Duality, as upon learning this power, the character splits their personality into two separate deities. Belobog and Chernobog have done it. Dievas and Marzanna have done it. Krsnik did it, splitting from Svarovich in order to preserve his own individuality from his father, Svarog. When this power is learned, the character may choose during downtime to spend a permanent Willpower and a permanent Legend forcing his ichor to reshape, re-aligning in such a way that there are essentially two deities sharing the same ichor. Any powers that the character no longer has access to thanks to this lower Legend are lost and must be repurchased with experience points afterwards.

The new persona is formed by transferring dots on the sheet to the new gods. No points may be lost or gained, but may only be moved for both sides of the new dichotomy. Use the following steps to create both entities:

1) With your Storyteller, decide on new concepts to represent the new gods. The new deities should represent some sort of opposing concept which was represented in the original god, though the two gods need not be entirely antithesis to each other. Belobog and Chernobog are complete polar opposites, light and dark, good and evil, order and chaos. And yet, they are both known to hear the prayers (or curses) of mortals and respond to them, which is why they both have Epic Perception. Dievas and Marzanna are both tied to the earth, representing the cycle of life and death and its passage through the earth, though Marzanna's power thus is represented through Frost rather than Earth, demonstrating the cold, lifeless grip upon the earth during her reign. However, both of them are known as powerful magicians, giving them both power over Magic. Krsnik and Svarovich were perhaps the closest of dual gods, with Svarovich, like his father, representing the creative and constructive aspects of fire and Krsnik representing the untamed, wild and destructive aspects. Discuss the possibilities with your Storyteller and determine what sort of dichotomy between the gods you wish to represent.

2) Choose two Natures for the gods. These Natures need not be different from the original god; however, they should be different from each other. They should be opposites of each other, though again, need not necessarily be opposed. The Storyteller is the final judge of what's appropriate.

3) Total up the god's Attribute points (not counting free dots in each Attribute) and distribute that same number of points to the new deities. These new distributions need not be different from the original god, or technically even from each other.

4) Total up the god's Ability points and distribute that same number of points to Abilities for the new gods. Again, these need not be different from the original god, or from each other, but may be.

5) One of the new gods has the same Virtues as the original with no changes. The other god has the same Virtues with a single exception: Courage and Valor are inverted. Endurance and Expression remains the same, though they are often viewed through a different lens. One new god tends to be the opposite of the other in terms of acts of Courage and acts of Valor, preferring the opposite to what his other half prefers.

6) For each god, the player may choose a number of Epic Attribute points equal to the characters' Endurance rating to transfer into another Epic Attribute based on the stats of the original god. Each Epic Attribute that's chosen transfers fully into another Epic Attribute (except for the Epic Physicals and Epic Appearance as one dot in each is permanent and does not transfer). These Epic Attributes still can't exceed the appropriate Legend rating or the mundane Attribute levels and any excess points are lost. New Knacks are chosen for the new levels of Epic Attributes as appropriate and extra Knacks purchased with experience points or bonus points may transfer into new Knacks along with the lost points. Each new god makes opposite choices and their choices should coincide with each other. If one god moves the original's Epic Intelligence points into Epic Strength points, then the other god has to move the original's Epic Strength into Epic Intelligence. The choices of opposites may not always be obvious, however. Belobog has Epic Charisma while Chernobog has Epic Manipulation, though Epic Charisma may also be opposite to Epic Intelligence as one side becomes a socialite and the other a bookworm. Epic Attributes that are not chosen remain the same as the original god's and thus are the same on both new gods.

7) For each god, the player may choose a number of Purviews equal to the characters' Endurance rating to transfer into another Purview based on the stats of the original god. Each Purview that's chosen transfers fully into another Purview of the character's choice that the original had access to. The Purview must transfer fully and each boon transferred provides a number of points for purchasing new boons in the new Purview. If the character is unable to spend all his points in the Purview in this way, excess points are lost. Each new god makes opposite choices and their choices should coincide with each other. If one god transfers the original's Fire boons into points for his Water boons then his opposite must transfer the original's Water boons into his Fire boons. The choices of opposites may not always be obvious, however. One god may specialize in Darkness and Sun may be the obvious choice for the other god, though Illusion may also work as it represents the manipulation of vision and therefore light. Water and Fire may be the obvious opposites, though Sky and Earth may also be appropriate opposites for Fire as wind and rain may also snuff out fire or earth may smother it. Purviews that are not chosen remain the same as the original god's and thus are the same on both new gods.

8) Both gods receive the same level of Willpower and Legend to start with, equal to the Willpower and Legend that the original had. If the Scion that used this power had Willpower 7, Legend 10 (after spending the permanent points) then our new gods both have Willpower 7 and Legend 10.

Example: Viktor, a Scion of Chernobog has achieved godhood. He has been serving as the God of Lies until now, but he has finally chosen to purchase Dichotomy and use it. Sitting down and discussing the situation with his Storyteller, he determines that he wishes to expand on the God of Lies idea, creating two gods, one the God of Blissful Ignorance (protecting someone from the truth, lies told to prevent pain, etc.) and one the God of Deception (using dishonesty to further one's own goals, lying to hurt someone, etc.). With the Storyteller's approval of the concept, Viktor's player then moves on to begin creating the new gods.

The first step is to choose their new Natures. His original Nature as the God of Lies was a Trickster. However, he feels that Caregiver might be more fitting for the God of Blissful Ignorance, as it's his role to protect people from the painful truth. Whereas, he might pick a different nature for the God of Deception, he decides instead that the Trickster Nature is still appropriate and choose that.

Next, he totals up the original stats on Viktor, finding that he had Strength 2, Dexterity 3 and Stamina 3; Charisma 6, Manipulation 9 and Appearance 6; Perception 7, Intelligence 5 and Wits 6. This adds up to 38 points of Attributes (not counting free dots in each). For the God of Blissful Ignorance, he chooses to give Strength 2, Dexterity 3, and Stamina 3; Charisma 10, Manipulation 8 and Appearance 4; Perception 6, Intelligence 6 and Wits 5, which again adds up to 38. For the God of Deception, he assigns Strength 3, Dexterity 3 and Stamina 3; Charisma 5, Manipulation 10 and Appearance 4, Perception 8, Intelligence 2 and Wits 9, which again adds up to 38 without counting the free dots in each.

He then adds his Abilities together and comes up with a total of 41 Abilities. He then distributes 41 points of Abilities freely to each god in a manner similar to distributing his Attributes.

Virtues come next and the original God of Lies had Courage 3, Endurance 3, Expression 5 and Valor 1. He chooses for the God of Deception to have the original Virtues, which means the God of Blissful Ignorance will have the Virtues of Courage 1, Endurance 3, Expression 5 and Valor 3.

Now things get interesting as Viktor's player reaches the Epic Attributes. The God of Lies possessed Epic Strength 1, Epic Dexterity 2, Epic Stamina 1, Epic Charisma 4, Epic Manipulation 8, Epic Appearance 3, Epic Perception 5, Epic Intelligence 3 and Epic Wits 5. With an Endurance of 3, Viktor's player has 3 Epic Attributes he can choose to transfer into others. For the God of Blissful Ignorance, Viktor's player wishes for him to be a very charismatic and charming individual, without losing any of his Manipulative talent. However, he doesn't quite see the new god as being particularly Witty. So for his first choice, he chooses his Epic Wits, moving them into Epic Charisma for a total of Epic Charisma 9. He also sees the God Blissful Ignorance being more Intelligent than he is Perceptive, choosing to transfer his Epic Perception into Epic Intelligence for a total of Epic Intelligence 8. Finally, looks count for more than speed with the God of Blissful Ignorance as he transfers his Epic Dexterity into his Epic Appearance, for a total of Epic Appearance 4 and he's still left with an Epic Dexterity of 1. The final totals then for the God of Blissful Ignorance: Epic Strength 1, Epic Dexterity 1, Epic Stamina 1, Epic Charisma 9, Epic Manipulation 8, Epic Appearance 4, Epic Intelligence 8.

Now, the God of Deception should do just the opposite. First, for the God of Deception, his Epic Appearance should transfer into his Epic Dexterity giving him a total of Epic Dexterity 4; however he's still left with an Epic Appearance of 1. Next, he transfers his Epic Intelligence into Epic Perception, for a total of Epic Perception 8. Finally, the Epic Charisma transfers into Epic Wits for a total of Epic Wits 9. The final totals for the God of Deception are Epic Strength 1, Epic Dexterity 4, Epic Stamina 1, Epic Manipulation 8, Epic Appearance 1, Epic Perception 8, Epic Wits 9. The player then chooses Knacks for both of the new gods appropriate to their new levels of Epic Attributes.

It's now time to do the same with Viktor's Boons. Viktor had access to Chaos 1, Chaos 2, Chaos 3, Chaos 4, Chaos 6, Chaos 9, Darkness 1, Darkness 3, Darkness 4, Darkness 5, Darkness 7, Darkness 8, Guardian 1, Guardian 2, Guardian 4, Guardian 5 and Guardian 6, Illusion 1, Illusion 3, Illusion 5, Illusion 8, Mystery 3, Prophecy 4. The Guardian and the Illusion had been learned in advance as Viktor prepared for his Dichotomy. Now, for each new god, Viktor's player may choose 3 Purviews that transfer into other Purviews since he has Endurance 3. First, for the God of Blissful Ignorance, he decides that his role as a protector of people from the truth fits with Guardian more than Chaos. So he chooses his Chaos to move into Guardian. Since the God of Lies had 25 points put into Chaos, the player now has 25 points to divide into Guardian boons. First he chooses to fill in some gaps, getting Guardian 3, Guardian 7 and Guardian 8 which leaves 7 points. Not enough to buy Guardian 9, but luckily there are alternate levels to Guardian 1 and Guardian 6. This now gives him ALL available levels of Guardian up to level 8. Next, he chooses to change Illusion into Darkness. Though it may not be obvious, the God of Blissful Ignorance would make a habit of obscuring the truth, which is the Purview of Darkness. So the 17 points worth of Illusion Boons may now be used to purchase Darkness Boons. The player again, fills in the blanks first, purchasing Darkness 2, Darkness 6 and Darkness 9, which again, is just enough. Finally, he decides that Prophecy might be more appropriate for the God of Blissful Ignorance, as it helps to know what's coming so that you may protect your charges from it, moving Mystery into Prophecy and giving him a Prophecy 7. The final total for the God of Blissful Ignorance is Guardian 1, Guardian 1, Guardian 2, Guardian 3, Guardian 4, Guardian 5, Guardian 6, Guardian 6, Guardian 7, Guardian 8, Darkness 1, Darkness 2, Darkness 3, Darkness 4, Darkness 5, Darkness 6, Darkness 7, Darkness 8, Darkness 9 and Prophecy 7.

The player then does the same with the God of Deception as everything switches in reverse. Obviously, the easiest is going to be the Prophecy going into Mystery which is going to become Mystery 7 as the God of Deception should know what's going on so that he can better manipulate those around him. Next, the God of Lies' Guardian Boons are going to be put into Chaos instead. The God of Lies had 18 points of Guardian boons and the player chooses to purchase both the Chaos 5 from Demigod and the alternate to Chaos 5, leaving 8 points. He then purchases Chaos 8 with those, giving him all Chaos boons up to 9 except for Chaos 7. Finally, the God of Deception receives all of the God of Lies' Darkness Boons transferred into Illusion as Illusion is more deceptive than Darkness. The God of Lies had a whopping 28 points of Darkness boons and those now go into Illusion. The player starts by filling in the blanks, taking Illusion 2, Illusion 4, Illusion 6, Illusion 7 and Illusion 9. This adds up to exactly 28, giving the God of Deception all Illusion Boons up to the 9th level. So the final total of Boons for the God of Deception are Chaos 1, Chaos 2, Chaos 3, Chaos 4, Chaos 5, Chaos 5, Chaos 6, Chaos 8, Illusion 1, Illusion 2, Illusion 3, Illusion 4, Illusion 5, Illusion 6, Illusion 7, Illusion 8, Illusion 9 and Mystery 7.

Finally, the player determines the new Willpower and Legend for the two gods. Before his Dichotomy, Viktor had been smart enough to wait until Legend 12 before making the change. This means that both the God of Blissful Ignorance and the God of Deception now have Legend 11. Additionally, he had a Willpower 7 before making the change. Now both the God of Blissful Ignorance and the God of Deception have a Willpower of 6.

And the two characters are now done. Once, he was Viktor, God of Lies. Now he has split into two separate deities, the God of Blissful Ignorance and the God of Deception.

Once this power is invoked, it may never be invoked again so long as the two characters exist. Only after the actual death of one of the gods may the remaining god create a new Dichotomy. Doing so costs another permanent point of Willpower and Legend. It is also possible to spend the experience to purchase this power and never spend the permanent points to use it, preferring to hold it in reserve should they ever need it or wish to try it later once the Titan War is dealt with. Or maybe they already tried it, the other god died, and they never bothered to spend the points again to make a new Dichotomy. Many might consider this a waste though some of the Rus feel more comfortable with the fact that they -could- use the ultimate expression of Duality then they do with actually using it.

As noted above, the new deities have different Natures. The characters gain Willpower based on both of these Natures, regardless of which one is dominant. However, should the character regain Willpower based on the Nature of the persona that is dormant at that time that character risks that persona taking charge. When this happens, he must roll Willpower + Fortitude + Legend at a difficulty of his alternate's Legend + Endurance. If the roll is not successful, then he switches to his alternate personality without wishing to. It is also possible to switch personas at will if the dominant persona chooses to do so. Whenever the two deities switch during play, it requires two Speed 5, Inactive Actions. The first action represents either the dormant taking over forcibly, or the active god choosing to surrender control. The second action is the period of disorientation as the now-active god adjusts to being in control of the ichor again. On the first tick after the change, the now-dominant god possesses a Legend of 1. For each tick thereafter he gains one Legend and regains access to appropriate levels of his powers until he once again reaches his full power. At the beginning of each story, the player may choose which persona is active, though should provide a downtime explanation.

While the initial change requires that the character simply re-assign dots or transfer powers, after the initial split, the two deities purchase different things with their experience points. Also, they must gain experience points separately. If the deities switch between who's in charge mid-scene, then the experience points given are divided between both deities as the Storyteller deems fit. That means that if they are to progress at the same rate, then they need equal time in play to gain experience. But this also slows down the rate at which both gods advance. If a single side is to advance at the normal rate of other deities, then the other god will be neglected. And of course, if one deity loses a point of Willpower or Legend or other similar stats, the other deity does not.

Despite the danger of creating a persona that might end up out to get you, can become more powerful than you and has the potential to take over your life at the worst possible time, there are advantages to making a new deity from your own ichor:

--A god who has manifested an Avatar need not surrender that Avatar when the other god takes over. So, a god may take over the Avatar that his other half already manifested so that he does not have to spend the Legend again to create another one.

--If the gods switch personalities while a Boon or Knack is still active, then the power remains active until the duration is over. The new god cannot take advantage of them or control them, only gain the remaining benefits. In the case of powers that create copies of the character (Shadow Bodies, Army of One, Co-Location) the copies change into copies of the now dominant god, though unless he also has the power, he is unable to create new copies using those powers and once the powers fade, they're gone. Using Co-Location, though all of the copies change into copies of the now dominant god, the now dominant god cannot act through more than one at a time unless he too possesses the Co-Location Boon, even if he does have the Parallel Attention and Multitasking Knacks.

--Any Fatebindings which might have been laid on the original god do not apply to the new gods. Likewise, other connections no longer apply. Krsnik is no longer considered to be the son of Svarog, for instance, and even if Svarog had a personal item of Krsnik's other personality, he could not use that personal item to gain power over Krsnik. From then on, new Fatebindings apply only to one god, not both. A Fatebinding on Belobog has no effect on Chernobog. This however cuts both ways as the new gods are not considered to be the children of their original parent. Therefore, nothing is associated with them. This is not an issue for Epic Attributes which all take on a cheaper cost at the god level anyway, however it means that both of the new gods will be paying the higher cost to raise all abilities and to purchase new boons until the new gods are, themselves, associated with certain powers.

--A dual god is much harder to permanently destroy, at least partially. If one god is destroyed and lacks Ultimate Stamina, the other personality still exists and reforms from the ichor. The dead personality is dead forever but the other one remains. However, the remaining single deity is considered to have lost 2 Permanent Legend from the pain of literally losing a piece of himself. Powers that do not match this new Legend are not able to be accessed, but do not need to be repurchased in this instance; they simply regain access to them when they reach the appropriate Legend again. Once the character reaches the appropriate level, he may once again spend the requisite Legend and Willpower to create another Dichotomy with Duality 10. If the dead god does possess Ultimate Stamina, then he is not truly considered dead for purposes of this power and nothing really changes.

--If one of the gods is lost to higher level Duality Boons due to the loss of Willpower, only the one god vanishes from existence, not both of them. Unlike the loss caused by death, this does not cause a loss of Legend in the other god as the first one is not gone, simply irrevocably lost to the concept of Duality. However, this does cause the loss of a permanent point of Willpower on the part of the remaining god. Duality 10 is still considered used; however, the remaining deity cannot regain another personality with it. The lost god is considered to still exist and therefore cannot be replaced.

--The dominant persona can contact the other god via silent, mental communication by spending a temporary Willpower point. This allows the dormant personality to talk with the active one mentally and lets the dormant one to be aware of what's going on around them. This does come with risk, of course, as the deities may still use their Charisma and Manipulation against each other (and Epic Charisma and Manipulation, if applicable) to convince the other deity to switch places with him or trick him into committing an act which gives the other a chance to take over potentially. Also, during this time, the dominant personality is considered to be facing a -2 distraction penalty unless he also possesses the Multitask Intelligence Knack.

Finally, the player should remember that the new gods generally represent some form of cycle. They are not necessarily opposed to the each other's overall plans and both sides should be role-played accordingly. Dievas and Marzanna represent the cycle of life bringing something from the earth and death returning that something to it. Belobog and Chernobog represent the struggle between good and evil. In both cases, one cannot exist without the other and both should have an equal chance of being active. However, this doesn't make them friendly. Chernobog may be convinced to help Belobog if it suits his purposes, but ultimately they don't get along. Marzanna and Dievas are friendlier toward each other, though they do have differing goals which interfere with their efforts. If the Storyteller feels that the player is not portraying this dichotomy properly, then he may take charge and play one of the gods during times when he would take over and may narrate what that persona does during downtime.

[dorkknight23]

--Birthrights--

Followers:
-Bogatyrs (Followers OOO to OOOOO)
In the early days of Russia, the bogatyrs were considered to be the noble knights and heroes of the Russian people. To the mortal world, the bogatyrs were considered to serve the tsars and other great rulers of Russia, but that was simply the tsars emulating the gods. The true bogatyrs served the gods of the Rus. These soldiers enforced the will of their divine patrons and served as vessels for the heads of the Slavic pantheon to channel their power among their human worshippers. However, with the fall of the tsar regime, the mortal practice of bogatyrs fell with it. The divine practice of bogatyrs is another story. War gods such as Krsnik, Jarilo and Perun, along with other interested gods, continued to train and empower divine bogatyrs. Some have even trained their Scions as bogatyrs to ensure they had the best training possible to confront the Titans. Bogatyrs in the modern days are often to be found in the form of private mercenaries, former-Soviet soldiers, and military personal from other countries who the Rus may have touched in some way.

Often armed with modern artillery, the modern bogatyrs may be represented with the stats for experienced soldiers (Scion: Hero, pg. 283). Add to that five dots worth of Virtues of the Rus, typically favoring Courage and Valor. The use of Duality boons are easier to perform on the bogatyr represented by a Scion's Birthright points. When using Duality boons on a Scion's own bogatyrs (the ones bound to them by oaths and Fate) all Legend costs are reduced to half (round down) and the Scion need not possess a personal item of the bogatyrs. When using Duality on a bogatyr sworn to another Scion or god, this benefit is not available and Duality functions with the normal costs and limits. Note, these stats represent mortal bogatyrs who serve the gods and Scions. Scions who just happen to have been trained as a bogatyr are represented with the normal rules for Scions and would serve as Guides to younger, less-experienced Scions as normal.

Guides:
-Dhampir (Guide OOO)
Dhampir are the children of a vampir (see Antagonists) and a mortal woman. They are born human, but some of the vampiric blood of the undead has filtered into their systems. While one might think that the vampir may take these children and turn them into their personal servants, this is never the way it works out. Mainly because dhampir are born with an instinctual hatred of their vampiric parents and this hatred often grows all the more as they age and begin to see the depredations of the vampir. Vampir, in turn, fear their half-breed children. Not because of their power, but rather because of their knowledge. There is no hiding from the dhampir as they have an instinctual understanding of the undead nature and how to identify it on sight.

They all seem to automatically know the weaknesses of fire, sunlight, garlic and holy symbols which threaten the undead. While the skills of the individual dhampir varies, the Legendary nature that their half-undead bodies give them allows them access to Epic Attributes and makes can make them skilled heroes in terms of humans. Though since a dhampir will never have a Legend higher than 4 and their Epic Attributes are capped accordingly, they will not be able to go toe-to-toe with most undead. Finally, regardless of their Epic Stamina or their Legend, all dhampir who reach maturity gain the Extended Youth Stamina Knack (Scion: God, pg. 65). Many dhampir also have at least one dot of Epic Intelligence with the Blockade of Reason Knack to protect them from the manipulations of the undead.

With all the advantages they're given, the dhampir rarely fight the undead directly. Though some very few are potent enough to stand against a vampir in a physical confrontation, that typically comes through the application of Legend and Virtues, centuries of training to get their bodies to the peak of human perfection (time which many dhampir don't have) and powerful magical weapons which they pawn off Scions or other divine beings. The rarity of physically capable dhampir makes this the exception, not the rule. Typical dhampir tactics involve finding the undead's hiding place and burning it to the ground, rousing villagers to fight alongside him and overwhelm the undead with numbers, weakening and restraining them with holy symbols or even tricking the undead out into the sunlight.

The dhampir often have their own agendas and do not travel in groups, making poor Followers for a Scion. But one of the Scions of the Rus, especially those born of Krsnik who has a particular hatred of the undead, may find a Guide among the dhampir. These Guides can teach them much of the undead and aid them in hunting vampir. It is also possible that these dhampir have encountered other titanspawn during their time and may have developed personal grudges against them as well. The dhampir's innate hatred of the undead will always take precedence should a Scion’s Guide have to make a choice on which threat to deal with.

Duschev, Vampire Hunter
Duschev is old for a dhampir. He was born to a young woman in rural Russia while the Soviet Union was still in the thick of the Cold War. Though, out in the middle of nowhere, politics weren't a particularly large concern. Soon after he was born, his mother died in her sleep, and Duschev was taken as a ward of the state and taken to Moscow to be raised in a run down orphanage with countless other forgotten children. When he was old enough, he left the orphanage to return home, finding the town in the throws of a strange plague that was taking the lives of the town at night. But Duschev was not fooled. He found the vampire, tracking it to its hiding place despite its attempts to hide.

During the day, he surrounded the hiding place with garlic, forming a barrier between the vampir and the outside world. With the sun blazing above at high noon, he set fire to the cabin the vampire was hiding in. Flames burning around him, the garlic blocking his passage and Duschev armed with a cross, the vampir attempted to fly away as a bat, but the sunlight caught him and burned him, forcing him to the ground. Weakened and dying, Duschev tracked him and removed his head, before throwing the body parts into the raging fire so they'd burn separately.

Since then, Duschev has wandered the Russian countryside. He travels from village to village, staying away from the major cities when possible. He tracks the stories of vampir infestations and brings with him the knowledge to destroy them. He's lasted this long thanks to his knowledge and quick thinking. If his luck holds out, he may indeed last longer.

Nature: Judge

Courage: 2, Endurance: 3, Expression: 4, Valor: 3

Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2
Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4

Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Brawl 4, Command 4, Control 3, Fortitude 3, Integrity 4, Investigation 4, Larceny 1, Marksmanship 2, Medicine 3, Melee 4, Occult 5, Presence 3, Stealth 4, Survival 3, Thrown 2

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes: Epic Strength 1 (Crushing Grip), Epic Dexterity 2 (Untouchable Opponent, Cat's Grace), Epic Stamina 2 (Self-Healing, Damage Conversion, Extended Youth), Epic Perception 2 (Predatory Focus, Subliminal Warning), Epic Intelligence 3 (Blockade of Reason, Know-It-All, Well-Read Virgin), Epic Wits 3 (Opening Gambit, Psychic Profiler, Instant Assessment)
--Sense the Undead: Dhampir have an innate ability to sense the undead in the area. Regardless of the use of Epic Appearance, Darkness Boons, or other concealment powers, the dhampir automatically sense any vampir that might be trying to hide from them. Against the vampir, this power is automatic. However, against other breeds of undead such as the vrykolakas or the camazotz this requires succeeding in a contested roll of the dhampir's Perception + Awareness versus the undead's Wits + Stealth.
--Hatred of Monsters: Dhampir are born with an instinctual hatred of the undead. Against vampir, this hatred makes it harder to sway their erstwhile children to their side of the conflict. When the target of mind-controlling effects used by vampir, a dhampir may double the bonus he gets from the Blockade of Reason Knack when rolling Willpower + Integrity + Legend. This also means that the dhampir will never accept aid or comfort from the vampir. Even if hanging from the edge of a cliff with a vampir attempting to pull the dhampir to safety, the dhampir will refuse his aid and would rather fall to his death. A dhampir must roll Willpower at a difficulty of 3 in order to accept the aid of a vampir in such situations (rare as they may be). Other types of undead are not affected by this power. Blockade of Reason is treated as normal with other undead, and yet the dhampir are also free to make up their own minds regarding them (though most apply their same natural logic regarding the vampir to other undead as well).

Join Battle: 7

Attacks
Clinch - Accuracy 7, Damage 4B, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy - Accuracy 6, Damage 7B, Parry DV 5, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light - Accuracy 8, Damage 4B, Parry DV 6, Speed 4
Sword - Accuracy 8, Damage 8L, Parry DV 6, Speed 4
Crossbow - Accuracy 6, Damage 3L, Range 30, Clip --, Speed 6
H&K MP5 - Accuracy 5, Damage 4L, Range 30, Clip 30, Speed 5, P

Soak: 1A/3L/6B (Armor: Biker Gear - +0L/2B, -1 Mobility Penalty, Fatigue 0)
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap

Dodge DV: 8 (10 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 7
Legend: 4, Legend Points: 16

-Gamayun (Guide OOOO)
The being known as Gamayun is from a race of titanspawn called the Sirin. The Sirin are a race of birds with the heads of women who are gifted with prophecy and foresight. Often, however, the Sirin are malevolent and use their knowledge and insight to lead people astray. Only the wisest of Scions were able to take the knowledge of the Sirin and decipher it in such a way that they could actually make the knowledge useful. All others heard the words of the Sirin and were inevitably led to their doom with false hope and exaggerated reward.

But that was not Gamayun. The woman-headed-bird known as Gamayun looked upon humanity and the World and felt a genuine desire to aid it. She is one of only a few of the Sirin that can actually be trusted to deliver true prophecies and decipher her visions in an understandable manner. In this way, she has become a favorite of Scions of the Rus when looking for someone to guide them. She is both trustworthy and loyal to humanity and those who would look out for their interests.

Physically, Gamayun has the stats of your average raptor-sized bird, save that all of her Mental Attributes are raised to 6 and she is gifted with the ability of human speech (though she is also unable to perform a bite attack). Gamayun has the Virtues of the Rus in the form of Courage 2, Endurance 3, Expression 5 and Valor 4. Additionally, she has a Legend 6 with Mystery and Prophecy both equal to her Legend - 1. Finally, she has Epic Perception 4, Epic Intelligence 5 and Epic Wits 4 with all Knacks available from Scion: Hero, Scion: Demigod and the Scion Companion: Part 2 - Manifestations of Ichor.

There are others like Gamayun who have left their titanspawn nature behind and choose to serve the gods, but none are as powerful as Gamayun herself. Alkonost is another example, though her stats are significantly lower, having only a Legend 4, with Attributes, Epic Attributes and Boons capped accordingly. Alkonost and others like her would only be level 3 Guides. These stats may also be used to represent an antagonistic Sirin, and some may even be more potent than Gamayun and have higher levels of powers. Titan aligned Sirin lack the Virtues of the Rus, instead using the Dark Virtues of Ambition 3, Malice 5, Rapacity 4 and Zealotry 2. A titan aligned Sirin will offer advice and guidance as well, though her prophecies will always be misleading and designed to guide the Scion into danger or corruption. Only the foolish take an unknown Sirin at face value, and only those wise enough to decipher their riddles actually use the knowledge that's given out.

Sudice (Guide OOOOO)
The Slavic face of The Three (Scion: Hero, pg. 291), the Sudice serve as the Fates for the Rus. When a child was born, it was the Sudice that meted out fortune, destiny, judgment and, in some cases, fatality. They appear invariably as old crones, clustered together and muttering amongst each other, as if gossiping over the child they are studying at that moment and determining through rumor what the fate of the child will be in the future. As a Guide, the Sudice follow the standard rules of The Three in Hero.

Creatures:
-Cikavac (Creature OO)
The cikavac is a type of bird in the Slavic mythology. While not capable of speech, the large bird with a long beak is quite intelligent and quite capable of using tools and other devices. They are often depicted as carrying a sack in their claws, though modern cikavac may be just as likely to carry a laptop case, purse, briefcase or any other sort of satchel that allows them to carry things on behalf of their Scions. This satchel is not something that is inherently part of them; it's simply something they pick up in order to do their jobs. The cikavac is born from an egg laid by a black hen, which is then carried under the armpit of a woman for 40 days, during which time the woman does not confess, cut her nails, wash her face or pray to any god. These acts of unseemliness and sacrilege then give birth to the unique type of bird that is quite good at running errands for the owner, especially errands of a more sinister nature. They are known for stealing honey from the beehives of others and milk from others' cattle and bringing it back in their satchel. Now they may be used to steal gold or jewels, steal important financial documents from others or any number of other tasks on the owner's behalf. No task is really beneath the cikavac as they are quite loyal to their Scion masters. While the creation of these creatures does need to be intentional, the cikavac does not age naturally and does not die a natural death, so once created, they can be passed on to new masters by the Scion's parents.

Virtues: Courage 2, Endurance 3, Expression 3, Valor 1

Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4
Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 2
Perception 3, Intelligence 5, Wits 4

Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Brawl 3, Investigation 3, Integrity 3, Larceny 4, Presence 2, Fortitude 2, Stealth 4, Survival 4

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes: Epic Strength 1 (Uplifting Might), Epic Dexterity 1 (Untouchable Opponent), Epic Intelligence 1 (Perfect Memory), Epic Wits 1 (Don't Read the Manual)
--Flight: The cikavac may fly at a speed of 70mph outside of combat. In combat they move at three times their normal movement rate.

Join Battle: 8

Attacks:
Bite - Accuracy 6, Damage 5L, Parry DV --, Speed 5
Talon - Accuracy 8, Damage 6L, Parry DV --, Speed 5

Soak: 2L/4B
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap

Dodge DV: 5 (6 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 6
Legend: 2, Legend Points: 4

Notes: Though it's not necessary, many Scions keep the shell of the egg from which the cikavac hatched and keep it in a safe container. This egg allows the Scion to summon the cikavac when it's needed as well as giving its own benefits (see below).

-Firebird (Creature OOOOO)
The firebird is perhaps one of the most famous of creatures in Slavic mythology. They are also one of the most difficult to catch and the most difficult to tame. However, for those that do manage to gain the firebird as an ally, they find themselves blessed with an impressive streak of good luck and their enemies threatened with an equally impressive streak of bad luck. The firebird looks like a peacock or pheasant, but it glows with a radiant light like the sun itself. These magical birds are often found by young princes or other would-be heroes at just the right time that their presence is needed in the hero's life, making some Scions suspect that perhaps Fate plays a hand in the firebird's appearances. This is not difficult to believe as the firebird seems to possess an innate talent with rudimentary magical abilities.

The firebirds themselves are rare, though many Scions may find themselves in possession of one of their tail feathers (detailed below). The possession of a firebird itself is always the result of an epic quest which must be undertaken to prove the Scion's worth of possessing the creature. It is not unheard of to make this quest for the firebird part of the Scion's Visitation, proving not only that the Scion is worthy of the firebird but also worthy of being a Scion of their god-parent. It is also possible for a god to bestow a firebird onto his child, though most of the Rus who are in possession of such birds went on epic quests themselves to get them and feel rather strongly that their children should do the same work to earn their firebird rather than simply have it granted.

Firebirds may also appear as antagonists of a Rus Scion, though typically, this is during the quest itself, when the Scion must overcome the bad luck which the firebird directs at its enemies. When the Scion does finally get his hands on the firebird (or rather if he does), this bad luck switches to the Scion's favor instead.

Virtues: Courage 3, Endurance 3, Expression 4, Valor 3

Strength 5, Dexterity 6, Stamina 5
Charisma 5, Manipulation 4, Appearance 6
Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Academics 1, Animal Ken 1, Athletics 5, Awareness 4, Brawl 3, Fortitude 3, Integrity 3, Investigation 2, Occult 3, Presence 4, Survival 3

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes: Epic Strength 1 (Uplifting Might), Epic Dexterity 4 (Cat's Grace, Divine Balance, Untouchable Opponent, Lightning Flier), Epic Stamina 3 (Damage Conversion, Inner Furnace, Devourer), Epic Appearance 4 (Come Hither, Meet Me Backstage, Blinding Visage, Lasting Impression)
--Boons: Penetrating Glare, Divine Radiance, Healing Rays, Magic 3
--Spells: Ariadne's Thread, Evil Eye, Bona Fortuna, Trading Fates, Deus Ex Machina
--Flight: A firebird may fly at a speed of 100mph outside of combat. In combat a firebird may fly at 5 times its normal movement rate.

Join Battle: 7

Attacks:
Bite - Accuracy 7, Damage 9L, Parry DV --, Speed 5
Talon - Accuracy 9, Damage 6L, Parry DV --, Speed 5

Soak: 3A/7L/9B
Health Levels: -0x10/Incap

Dodge DV: 15 (22 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 7
Legend: 5, Legend Points: 25

Relics:
-Fern-Flower (Relic OOO - 1 Purview [Health], 2-Dot Unique Power)
A flower sacred to the goddess Sieba, the fern-flower is a magical flower that is said to open to the moonlight on only a single night of the year. On this night, young couples would venture into the woods hand-in-hand in search of this sacred flower. Many might say that "looking for the fern-flower" is just a euphemism for sex. Such people are half right at least. The fern-flower is indeed more than just a euphemism, and the plant holds many mystical properties associated with the act of sex and reproduction. It is a symbol of great fertility and is said to bring luck, wealth or even bestow the ability to speak to animals. What it really does however, is ensure that the couple who finds the fern-flower will be blessed with children and that those children will be born healthy. This power is only usable by mortals once when the couple first finds the flower and plucks it together, after which copulation typically ensues immediately afterward. Legendary beings may use this power multiple times simply be spending a Legend when holding the flower before having sex with someone of the opposite sex. Additionally, the fern-flower may serve as a Birthright Relic that gives access to the Health Purview.

-Waters of Life or Waters of Death (Relic OOOOO - 1 Purview [Death or Health], 4-Dot Unique Power)
The Waters of Life and the Waters of Death are both mystical waters which flow in rivers from the roots of the World Tree to the ocean which surrounds the island of Buyan. These waters possess mystical properties and feature in many of the Slavic legends as being used to restore life to great heroes who have been killed and dismembered by their enemies.

The names of the Waters are misleading, however. For one thing, the Waters of Death are used to restore dismembered bodies to their natural and livable state. They do not restore the soul, but they can restore a semblance of life to a corpse. Meanwhile, the Waters of Life are actually used to bring a soul back from death and place it once more within a body to bring life back to the body. As such, a vial of the Waters of Death will actually grant access to the Health Purview, while a vial of the Waters of Life will grant access to the Death Purview.

Additionally, both vials have another unique power. But emptying the contents of a vial of the Water of Death onto a dismembered corpse, the body may be reconstituted, regenerating all limbs that might have been lost, even undoing decapitation or replacing body parts that may have been burnt, chewed up or otherwise completely destroyed. Even if the body is chopped into tiny pieces, it may be reformed. These waters restore the body to its complete state in all forms. Emptying the contents of a vial of the Waters of Life, on the other hand, will draw a spirit from the Underworld and replace that spirit in the body, granting life to the dead once again.

However, using these powers consume every drop of the vials. The vials have already contained the powers of Life and Death and as such the vials themselves still grant access to the appropriate Purviews, but the character will not be able to use the body restoring or life restoring powers of the vials until they have been refilled with the Waters of Life and/or Death. In most cases, this is going to mean a trip to the Underworld, Irij, in order to get a refill on magical water. Though, this could also be accomplished through negotiations with Veles or one of the other gods of the Underworld which may itself lead to an epic quest through the World. Regardless, the vials are not usable until such time as the character has undertaken some task to restore them.

Note that a vial of the Waters of Life and a vial of the Waters of Death are two separate relics. In order to have the Waters of both Life and Death, a character must have two separate level 5 relics.

-Dobrynya's Spear (Relic OOOO - 1 Purview [Earth], 3 Item Ehnancement)
Dobrynya Nikitich was one of the great bogytyrs, or knights, of the Russian people. He served his tzar faithfully and was known as a musician, a master chess player, an archer and a wrestler. His most famous talent was his skill with his spear. What most didn't know, however, was that Dobrynya was also a Scion of Dievas. A noble and just warrior, he was a skilled monster slayer, battling more than his fair share of titanspawn.

The most famous story surrounding Dobrynya was his slaying of a dragon that had kidnapped the niece of Prince Volodymir. After battling the dragon for three days, he was considering giving up and fleeing the fight. Though a voice from the heavens, his father, Dievas, spoke to him and told him to continue the battle. Finally, after three hours more, the razor-edged tip of the spear pierced the beast's heart and slew the beast. Dobrynya then used the spear to crack open the ground so that the pooling blood of the beast could drain away, allowing him to move freely and rescue the princess.

Though Dobrynya died before joining the ranks of the Rus, his spear was salvaged from his funeral pyre by his father and placed in a place of honor within Svarga. Since then, however, many Scions of the Rus have wielded the spear. That changed when Dievas was lost to Marzanna's control and was unable to grant it to others. The spear has been gathering dust for a long time in Svarga. But now that Dievas is free, he is looking for a new warrior who might wield the spear again. He'd prefer one of his own adopted children, though ultimately, he's not picky.

The spear has a +2 Damage on top of the basic template for a hasta and is granted the Piercing quality. Additionally, the spear serves as a Birthright to channel the Earth Purview.

-Firebird Feather (Relic OO - 1 Purview [Sun], 1-Dot Unique Power)
Feathers harvested from the sacred firebird, they are generally found laying on the ground right after a firebird escapes from being grabbed by a would-be captor. They are much easier to get than the firebird itself, the feathers of the firebird may be used to light any room better than a fire or electrical light source. These feathers illuminate a 100 x 100 yard area unless the feather is completely covered and concealed. This does not serve to blind those who might look at the feather, nor can it be used offensively to burn or disorient anyone. The soft white glow simply provides illumination to a large area. Generally these feathers are kept indoors and may serve to replace the need for paying the electric bill for Scions that may be low on cash. Finally, there is one more bonus in that the feathers of the firebird grant access to the Sun Purview.

-Cikavac Eggshell (Relic OO or OOO - 2-Dot Unique Power, Optional Birthright Connection)
A shell of the egg used to give birth to one of the Cikavac, the shell is kept in a small pouch which is kept sealed and secure to ensure that the shell is at least kept together in one place (keeping it in one piece isn't a requirement). Possession of a shell used to give birth to a Cikavac grants the character the ability to speak to any animal. This functions like the Animal 1 Boon, Animal Communication (Scion: Hero, pg. 139) save that it has no restriction on which animals it may be used on. All animals are fair game. It is also possible, for Scions who have a Cikavac as a Creature, to use the eggshell to summon their Cikavac. Though, the Birthright Connection isn't required and many Scions simply carry around the eggshell for the power to speak with animals.

[dorkknight23]

--Cosmology--
Similar to the Norse, the Slavic pantheon places the world around the trunk of a great tree. The World Tree (a great oak in the case of the Rus), has its roots in the Underworld, its trunk runs through the World and the Overworld is situated in the branches at the top. Both the Underworld and Overworld are referred to as Nav, or the spirit. While the World, the material realm is referred to as Yav. They are bound together by Prav, or the law which governs both Nav and Yav.

Baba Yaga's Cottage in the Dark Forest:
(Information on the Dark Forest can be found in Scion: Ragnarok, pg. 97 - 99)

Perhaps the most common reason to enter the Dark Forest in Slavic mythology is to find one particular resident: the witch Baba Yaga. Even in the Dark Forest, there are places where the troll-wives, trolls and other monsters which call it home refuse to go. And wherever Baba Yaga's cottage happens to be on any given day is one of those places. The house hardly ever sits still, however, as the house itself is set upon stilts made of chicken legs. The house moves.

If a traveler wanders the forest with the destination of her cottage in mind, then he will inevitably stumble upon the three riders of the forest, Day, the Sun and Night. These riders appear at their appropriate time on the second day of travel: Day in the morning, the Sun when near or around noon and Night as the sun sets. These riders use the stats of normal humans and their horses use the same stats as mundane horses. They do not attack, and may not be killed. Should they be attacked, such attacks will merely pass harmlessly through the riders. They serve only as signs that you're drawing close to Baba Yaga's home (and some say as her eyes and ears to alert her that someone is seeking her).

Once past the rider, Night, the traveler has left the Dark Forest proper and is now within a sub-realm which serves as Baba Yaga's domain. Baba Yaga has tied her Fate to this domain and ensures that within that area, she holds power. She tends to avoid the other troll-wives and other powers of the Dark Forest. She doesn't have the patience to deal with other denizens of the forest raising a fuss over her domain extending into their own and has found it better simply to avoid the matter. And when she does need to enter their territory, she is generally prudent enough to send advance warning, usually in the form of the riders Day, Sun and Night, the last of which is always just outside the border of her realm. When entering the boundaries of her domain, a character with the Terra Incognita boon may sense the change in the environment.

Soon after leaving behind Night and entering her domain, he will then stumble upon the house of Baba Yaga. As stated before, the cottage moves on its own power. Rarely does it happen when anyone is watching, unless Baba Yaga is travelling with a specific destination in mind. When left alone, her house will walk upon the chicken legs and move daily to another part of the forest. Only when Baba Yaga has guests does her cottage stay in a single place for more than a day. If left in one place for more than a full day, then Baba Yaga's house will also have a fence composed of human bones with skulls topping the posts which encircles the entire cottage.

The house itself has no doors or windows, only a large chimney which rises from one side of the house and seems to have a constant but thin stream of smoke which curls from it. Baba Yaga herself uses this chimney to enter and leave her home. It is possible to create a door on Baba Yaga's home however, using one of many magical phrases which the house is empowered to accept. There are multiple phrases which work for these purposes, though the one that is best known, perhaps, is: "Turn your back to the forest, your front to me." Baba Yaga is well aware that the magical phrases to get into her home have become common knowledge, and honestly, she prefers it that way. For it is a treat for her to return from her flights around the world and find a lost traveler in her home. Such unfortunate travelers serve to entertain (and sometimes feed) the witch. Saying the phrase causes a single door to appear on one side of the house that wasn't there before as well as causing stairs to appear that lead up to the door.

Inside the house, the quaint little cottage is kept immaculately clean. Though it is not apparent at first just how this is accomplished, a traveler who sticks around long enough sees invisible servants which operate the broom and mop and clean the dishes. The exact mechanics of these servants are unknown to many, as Baba Yaga refuses to reveal the secret behind them. Additionally, any uses of the Mystery Purview automatically fail to determine their true nature.

Some unwary travellers have been known to stumble upon the cottage while wandering, especially those tied to the Slavic pantheon. As always, the Dark Forest decides what an unwary traveller encounters, and usually will not cause a random encounter with Baba Yaga unless the traveller is actually capable of besting her in some way.

-Baba Yaga (Guide OOOOO)
Baba Yaga is probably the most famous creatures associated with the Slavic pantheon. As one of the most famous denizens of the Dark Forest, Baba Yaga is an aged hag of unusual proportions. Not quite a giant, at her full height, Baba Yaga stands at over seven feet tall, though she is often shown hunched over and stooped. Her features are heavily wrinkled, leaving her face in a perpetual scowl as her beady eyes glare over a hooked nose and tangled white hair hangs down her back. She is often seen riding in a flying mortar, using the pestle to propel herself forward as she uses a broom made of a silver birch branch to sweep away her tracks so that she cannot be followed.

The origins of Baba Yaga are shrouded in mystery, though many suspect some tie to the jarnvidjur, or troll-wives, which the Aesir are more familiar with and which also live in the Dark Forest. If such a connection is true, neither Baba Yaga, nor the troll-wives themselves will confirm such a theory. She is a skilled master of the winds and weather. Baba Yaga is also known to heal those who she can find some use in, and destroy with plagues and pestilence those who anger her. But what makes Baba Yaga most dangerous is her magical skill. She is one of the most powerful sorceresses in existance, easily matching and surpassing Circe, the White Snake or Utgard-Loki. In fact, even Angrboda, the queen of the troll-wives shows a healthy respect for Baba Yaga as a rival in terms of magical power. Which says something since Angrboda typically respects no one.

The witch is known to be a cannibal, having a habit of kidnapping children, bringing them back to her home and then devouring them. She is also known to harass the heroes of the Rus, cursing them and making their lives miserable, if not killing them outright herself. However, just as many heroes have also gone to her for aid and come away as some of the most powerful Scions in history. Those willing to go through hell and back to please Baba Yaga gain a powerful guide whose blessings can mean the difference between surviving to demigodhood and godhood and dying in the empty wastes. Baba Yaga is a selfish creature. She serves only one person: herself.

She has never sided with titanspawn or god, yet she's been known to aid both of them. The key is whether helping them will also help her. Baba Yaga can also be tricked into aiding someone, as Vasilissa the Beautiful once did when she was tasked by her evil stepmother to bring back light from Baba Yaga's hut. Though doing so may only be done once, as you often gain an enemy of the witch thereafter should you again set foot in her domain. If she can get no benefit from the character, or the character attempts to outsmart her and fails, then she will attempt to kill him and eat his remains. Many would-be epic quests have begun with the hero attempting to outsmart Baba Yaga and ended with their failure and roasting.

For those that do find themselves in Baba Yaga's favor, or rather, those that find themselves in such a position that their continued success also benefits Baba Yaga, the witch will serve as a continuous Guide at a rating of 5. Though the moment you are no longer beneficial to her, she will cease aiding the Scion and may easily become a dangerous foe.

Nature: Cynic

Virtues: Courage 2, Endurance 4, Expression 4, Valor 1

Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5
Charisma 6, Manipulation 9, Appearance 8
Perception 7, Intelligence 10, Wits 9

Academics 4, Animal Ken 4, Athletics 2, Awareness 4, Brawl 2, Command 4, Craft (Herbalism) 5, Empathy 5, Fortitude 4, Integrity 3, Investigation 3, Marksmanship 2, Medicine 5, Melee 3, Occult 5, Politics 4, Presence 5, Stealth 3, Survival 4, Thrown 3

Supernatural Powers:
--Boons: Animal Aspect (Chicken), Animal Command (Chicken), Animal Communication (Chicken), Animal Feature (Chicken), Animal Form (Chicken), Antidote, Assess Health, Blessing of Health/Curse of Frailty, Bolster, Cloud Body, Cloud Sculptor, Control Aging, Cradlesong, Crawling Chaos, Create Air, Create Animal (Chicken), Divine Threnody, Epic Enhancement (Chicken), Eye of the Storm, Heal/Infect, Holy Font/Epidemic, Hornet's Nest, Human Clay, Human Hybrid, Hybrid Chimera, Insanity, Instant Riot, Levin Fury, Magic 9, Mystery 7, Paralyzing Confusion, Prophecy 7, Recurring Distraction, Restore/Wither, Ride Animal (Chicken), Sabot, Shuck Fate, Sky's Grace, Storm Augmentation, Tornado Tamer, Virility/Muliebrity, Weather Witch, Wind Grapple, Wind's Freedom

--Epic Attributes: Epic Strength 2, Epic Dexterity 3, Epic Stamina 3, Epic Charisma 4, Epic Manipulation 7, Epic Appearance 8 (negative), Epic Perception 5, Epic Intelligence 9, Epic Wits 7, Due to her extreme age and power, she has access to all the Knacks in Scion: Hero, Scion: Demigod, Scion: God and the Scion Companion. Rarely does she engage in physical combat with her enemies, though if backed into a corner when magic and manipulation don't work she isn't opposed to violence.

--Invulnerability: Though she may be killed, her magics have made it that should she die within the confines of her cottage or the area surrounding it within the Dark Forest, it will never be permanent. If she is killed within a mile of her cottage's current location, she will regenerate fully within an hour. If she can be caught outside that area then she can be killed fully.

--Potions: Her mastery of herbalism allows her to use many of the mystical plants within the Dark Forest to create potions which mimic any non-pantheon-specific Boon. When making the potion, the appropriate roll (if any) must still be made for the Boon in question and this roll applies to the entire batch. To affect a target, the potion must actually be drunk and if the target has a Legend rating he rolls Stamina + Fortitude in a resisted effort against the potion's activation roll. If successful, then he is immune to effect. In the case of potions that had no activation roll, the target only needs a single success. Targets without a Legend rating who drink the potion are affected at full power.

--Spells: Baba Yaga is in possession of every single spell available to her from Scion: Hero, Scion: Demigod and the Scion Companion, the god-level spells of Birthright Bond, Steal Birthright and Heart of Mine as well as any other created spell the Storyteller may rule her able to have.

--Flying Mortar: The mortar lets Baba Yaga add her Legend to her movement rate while flying with her Wind's Freedom boon, letting her break speeds that would normally be beyond her.

--Steering Pestle: Her pestle allows Baba Yaga to add her Legend rating to any Dexterity based rolls to maneuver while flying in her mortar with Wind's Freedom.

--Silver Birch Broom: Her broom made from a branch of silver birch may be used to cover her tracks and prevent being chased. Targets who wish to track her automatically add her Legend rating to the difficulty of Perception rolls to follow her trail.

Join Battle: 12

Attacks:
Clinch - Accuracy 7, Damage 6L, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy - Accuracy 6, Damage 9L, Parry DV 7, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light - Accuracy 8, Damage 6L, Parry DV 8, Speed 4
Broom/Pestle - Accuracy 10, Damage 9B, Parry DV 9, Speed 6

Soak: 3A/7L/9B
Health Levels: -0x10/Incap

Dodge DV: 12 (16 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 9
Legend: 10, Legend Points: 100

Trophy: There is no inherent trophy in killing Baba Yaga. However, as a sorceress of such extreme age and power, she has managed to gather a few magical items and stash them within her cottage. Should she be destroyed, a Scion would have full access to whatever items she left behind upon her death.

Other Notes: The mortar, pestle and silver birch broom are are parts of Baba Yaga's inherent nature. If she is ever destroyed, those items lose power and so long as she lives, the items cannot be destroyed. They may be taken from her, however. Should that happen, she is denied their power and a Scion may use them so long as the witch still lives. In addition to their magical powers, the items can also be used for mundane purposes. The mortar also serves as 30% cover while she's flying, making it harder to hurt her. The pestle and broom can serve as a decent clubs when she needs to bash people over the head. Use the stats for a typical bo when the either is used as a weapon.

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--Baba Yaga - Goddess?--

Some gods, especially those who took part in World War II, remember a time when Baba Yaga had the strength to claim herself a goddess. They also point out that though Baba Yaga had always had a bitter streak, that a sense of national pride had developed within her as the people told stories of her while the ancient Rus were forgotten.

As her origins are shrouded in mystery, some suspect perhaps that Baba Yaga was in fact a young, neutral goddess who did indeed rise to power during WW2. Her reputation in some circles as a great spirit rather than a monstrous creature would seem to support this. Others suspect that she underwent some transformation during this time, changing from titanspawn to goddess and assuming her place in the Soviet pantheon.

Whatever occured during this time, she is most certainly flesh and blood now and not composed of the ichor that divinity would imply. Most notably, she has also lost any access to the powers of the Civitas Purview. A number of theories surround this change and none are really sure which it is.

Some suspect, that the Aesir, still bitter with Baba Yaga for her interference with their attacks on the Soviet godrealm, turned their most powerful sorceries against the hag, changing her from goddess to titanspawn with powerful spells. The Aesir and their allies deny this, pointing to the fact that the Aesir's support of the Nazi party was misguided. It doesn't make sense that the Aesir would compound their error and dwell on the mistake by seeking vengeance against the goddess who stopped them. Then again, gods like Odin, Frigg and Loki have been known to be exceptionally vindictive.

Another theory involves the Sino-Soviet split that occured some years later in the World during the 50's and 60's. The Celestial Bureaucracy may not have wished to encounter the same obstacles that the Aesir did should conflict have broken out between the Soviet and Chinese people. If war had occured, the Celestial Bureaucracy would have encountered the same threats in attacking the Soviet Godrealm that the Aesir did and those knowledgable of the Purview of Taiyi suspect that the crippling of Baba Yaga may have been a pre-emptive strike designed to ensure a Chinese victory. But like the Aesir, the Celestial Bureaucracy greets this theory with denial.

Finally, some theories suspect that perhaps Baba Yaga's loss of power may be associated with a titan plot. Baba Yaga was a wild card before World War II. And then she chose sides when she joined the Soviet pantheon and the Allied powers. Some suspect that the change in Baba Yaga may be the result of a titan plot designed to return Baba Yaga to "wild card" status.

Regardless of which theory (if any of them) are true, Baba Yaga is most certainly not a goddess any longer and with the Soviet pantheon gone the way of the Soviet Union, Baba Yaga's ancient ties with the Rus have re-asserted themselves.
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-The Grey Wolf
Technically, the Grey Wolf is not a true resident of the Dark Forest. He was in fact a fenrir that was tracking his prey and his enemies fled into the Dark Forest to escape him. Though his tracking skills were as exceptional as any fenrir's, the powers of the Dark Forest caused him to get lost. He was also young at the time, and unaware of what he'd gotten himself into and how to get out.

Once in the Forest, the fenrir acted as you might expect for him to. He stalked the forest, looking for prey and making enemies of the woodland creatures. Though as the other animals made his life miserable, he slowly began to come to accept his new home. He found it peaceful, and considers it perhaps to be an untapped resource. He's found his way out of the Dark Forest since, but has always returned, considering it his rightful domain now.

Some of his favorite meals do still include Scions and children that wander into the forest, however. One of his most memorable meals was dressed in a bright red cloak that just drew the eye as if asking to be eaten. Though, the Grey Wolf is not entirely evil. In fact, since setting up home in the Dark Forest, he's decided there are better things to focus on than the Titans and their war. And he may even be found aiding Scions in times when the Wolf has an interest in the results. Ivan Tsarevitch, who managed to capture the firebird, was aided in his quest by the Grey Wolf who was allowed to eat Tsarevitch's horse in exchange.

To generate the stats of the Grey Wolf, begin with the stats for a fenrir, adding two Legend and +3 Intelligence, +3 Epic Strength, +3 Epic Dexterity, +3 Epic Stamina, +1 Epic Wits and +1 Epic Perception to represent the Scions he's managed to consume before now. Additionally, the Grey Wolf has begun to leave behind the Virtues of the Titans and instead adopted some of the Virtues of the Rus giving him Ambition 3, Endurance 3, Rapacity 4 and Valor 3

Underworld - Irij:
AKA: Peklo, Buyun

In the Slavic mythology, the Underworld is not a dark, dismal place. Rather, due to the presence of Jarilo during half the year, the Underworld is a vast, vibrant island paradise of Buyan, full of eternal spring, and surrounded on all sides by a great ocean which is under the rule of Veles the Lord of the Underworld. Or at least, he was the Lord of the Underworld before he abandoned it to maintain his power in Svarga. It is from the island of Buyan which the World Tree springs forth, growing up to the world and beyond. Around the roots of the tree on the island, spreads large, sprawling fields where cattle beyond number roam and feast on the lush grass. In this verdant paradise, nobody wants for anything. For the most part, "life" continues in the Underworld as it always has in the World.

Once, when the dead died, they were sent to Veles and given the chance to be put in charge of a herd of Veles' cattle. Those who tended the cattle were under Veles protection. His shepherds did their duty to take care of his herds and were, in turn, taken care of by Veles. Occasionally, Veles would trust one of his shepherds with a task back in the world, giving them a chance to return and carry a message for him to the living or one of the other gods. Those who didn't tend to Veles' cattle were simply left wandering the fields of Buyan but in this paradise life was not so hard that Veles' way of life was the only way to go. However, Veles did not allow them to return to the world, and coiled about the base of the tree, his refusal was final. And the specters in the old days were run off into the ocean and dragged below to be imprisoned with their Titan masters in the depths of Irij's ocean. The swirling waters and oceans under Veles' control served to bind the specters as firmly as any iron chains could have held them. And bound in their chains of water, the specters were cut off from the World forever.

Quite obviously the situation has changed. Veles is no longer coiled about the base of the tree, instead he's up in Svarga, leaving the rest of the gods of death to try and keep the Underworld in check. Jarilo has tried to take charge of this, seeing as he is forced to remain there during half the year. His role as a warrior god and a god of relative goodness has aided him in keeping the dead in check, but ultimately, the fact that he's not a god of death has limited his ability to act. What's more, during the half of the year that he has to leave and return to the land of the living to bring spring to the world, he is unable to fill this role and there are other gods which take charge in Irij.

Marzanna has also attempted to maintain order. It is Marzanna who is responsible for seeing the dead are safely taken to Irij. This is a job that she does not take lightly and even her bitterness and anger did not stop her from performing it. So, she is not simply going to allow another to harm those she took such effort to get there. As she brings the dead to Irij, she tries to do her best to ensure that what they find is a place where they can at least survive and make new lives for themselves after death. However, she cannot stay in Irij full time. Her love/hate relationship with Jarilo does not make her job any easier since it's him she's found herself dealing with rather than Veles.

The greatest threat to the dead however, comes from Chernobog. Responsible for many of the deaths which led the dead to this Underworld in the first place, the god of evil does not believe that his role as the bringer of darkness is over just because the lives of his targets are. His power over death itself has given him a great avenue of entry into Irij and his goal is to ensure that the suffering of the dead is as great, if not greater than the suffering they endured under his attentions in life. Jarilo and Marzanna both would try to keep his evils in check, though neither of them can be there at all times. During the spring, when Jarilo is above in the World and while Marzanna runs back and forth to carry the souls of the dead (and when Chernobog has nothing better to do), the god of chaos can be found in the winter of the Underworld spreading his evil to the dead. He does not give much trouble to the shepherds of Veles (they are still technically under his protection), but the vast numbers of roving dead in Irij are fair game for the god of evil.

And then of course there are the specters. Once they were run into the ocean and imprisoned beneath the waves. But when the Titans broke free, great tidal waves broke against the shores of Buyan and the specters rode those waves to the surface once more. Now they are once again free to roam the lands of the dead, developing active homes and shelter in the great paradise of Irij. But most of all, they want to get to the World. With Veles gone from the base of the Tree, there is little stopping them from getting up its trunk. During the winter of the World, Jarilo stands and tries to keep them from escaping, but he is not perfect. When Marzanna finds a specter, she grabs it once more and drags it kicking and screaming back to the Underworld, but she is not perfect. More so than any other Underworld, the old chains keeping the specters in check are broken and they are using Irij as a staging ground to get to the World again. They are checked by ghostly militias among the shepherds of Veles, though they still wait eagerly for divine intervention to save them from these creatures.

With all that's changed in Irij, the dead no longer consider this place their paradise anymore. On the surface it may be green and lush, but beneath that visage lurks the rot, decay and chaos that the Titans would spread to the rest of the World if given a chance. The dead pray every day that the gods can bring order to the World and Underworld again. But in the meantime, they just settle in to these new hard times, like those they dealt with while they still lived. And those who feel they should take matters into their own hands simply take to the World Tree now that Veles is no longer coiled around the base to guard it. These dead return to the World now in great numbers, perhaps more so than the dead of the other pantheons are doing.

-Passages to Irij:
Tombs and Funerary Architecture - Many traditional Slavic cemeteries may still be found in Eastern Europe and across Russia. Here, a number of tombs and mausoleums may be found. Entering into the central mausoleum in the area and spending a point of Legend, allows the user to cross into Irij, appearing at the base of the World Tree in the center of the Buyan.

Natural Features - Finding a natural feature to Irij is perhaps one of the easiest ways to get there as there are actually two choices that are acceptable. First, like Helheim, one need only find an appropriate tree and dig beneath its roots and spend a point of Legend. Then, the Scions find himself digging his way back out the other side of the World Tree at the center of the island. For the Slavic pantheon, this tree must be an oak of sufficient age and size. Perhaps easier than using an oak tree however, is finding your way to the island of Buyan by boat. A Scion in possession of a boat (the boat is important) may row or sail his boat out into any body of water as the sun sets. They must always be sure that they are sailing their boat to the East, however. Once they have lost sight of the shore (being in bodies of water that are too small to accomplish this means it won't work) the Scion may spend a point of Legend to make the transition into the Underworld. When Buyan is approached in this manner, the island appears on the Eastern horizon and the Scion may then row or sail his boat to the island's shore and then work inland.

Rituals - Modern Russian funerals still bear many similarities to the ancient Slavic funeral rites. It is traditional to prepare for your own funeral, making yourself a bundle of items to take with you into the afterlife, including clothes, religious items and other necessary items. The funeral itself, generally involves a funeral march with the body as a band plays dirges. A Scion, who places himself within the coffin with an appropriate bundle before allowing the coffin to be marched to a cemetery and buried, may spend a Legend to cross into Irij at the base of the World Tree.

Times - The festival for the new year in the Slavic calendar takes place generally in the second week of March. This time lasts an entire week and it's during this time that Veles once uncoiled from the tree, allowing the dead this one time during the week to return to the lands of the living and visit their loved ones. It was also a time when specters and other horrors might roam the world once again. Regardless, it was a time when the way to the Underworld was open and unguarded, and any time during this week, a Scion may spend a point of Legend, appearing at the base of the World Tree.

Overworld - Svarga:

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--Where's the Real Svarga?--

Astute readers with access to the Scion Companion and the Devas might note that not only do the Devas still possess Mount Meru, but Indra's home in that Overworld is also called Svarga. So why the confusion? Essentially, the Devas only gave the Rus a small, inconsequential section of Mount Meru. An island in the sacred sea of milk they had no use for.

As the Slavic worship grew and the Rus shaped their Overworld in their own image, this island actually transferred to the Underworld to become the Isle of Buyan and the great World Tree grew from its center to support the palace of Svarga in the Overworld above. The name "Svarga" came to mean "House of Svarog" among the Slavic people. This name was also given, however, in honor of the pantheon which had given them this home in the first place. Especially in honor of their ruler at the time they were given it, Indra, whose house now shares the same name. It was his decision to give them the Overworld piece in the first place. And Svarog wished to honor him in their Overworld.

Some might also note that an astute wielder of Duality who has achieved the 9th level Boon, Between Two Points, may take advantage of this connection to forge a Touchstone between the two Svargas. Assuming one hasn't already been formed, or may have even been part of the reason the name was given in the first place. Perhaps Svarog himself formed a connection to keep ties strong with the former king of the Devas just as he's the former king of the Rus. Or perhaps a connection was formed as a possible fall-back position in case of invasion. It's even possible that The Citizen has realized this use and has ordered Veles or Chernobog to form a connection there for some yet-unknown purpose.
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-Axis Mundi - The Great Oak
The Axis Mundi for Svarga is again, similar to that of Asgard. Any oak tree which has been used to travel from Svarga in the past may be found again by another god and used to travel up into the branches of the World Tree and to Svarga. A Scion need simply find one of these oak trees that qualify and then climb it, spending a point of Legend to travel to the branches outside the gates of Svarga. Similarly, a god may leave the palace and find those branches spreading through the ground and begin to climb down them, again spending a point of Legend, and will find they are descending from the branches of any oak tree which they are already aware of in the World.

-The House of Svarog
Not much is known of Svarga. It is the house of Svarog, built when he led the pantheon in its earliest days. And later when Perun took the throne, the name was kept in honor of his father. Those who find themselves in Svarga, first find themselves at the large gates to a sprawling Russian-style palace, complete with intricate spires and detailed towers. Nestled in the branches of the World Tree and covered with perpetually falling snow that never seems to pile high enough to become a bother, this great palace seems to reach high into the sky. Even despite its great height, Svarga is even bigger within, holding space enough for all the gods and more to make their homes within the great palace.

The most important room in the palace is the great throne room. Here, the great throne of the Rus sits on a tall dais. Once, Svarog sat here. And after that, Perun took over. But now, only a single being sits upon the throne: The Citizen. He sits there, dressed in his fancy suit, with his strong gaze peering about over the room with a critical eye. Though he rarely leaves the throne, his dictates are enforced throughout the palace now that he sits there. And naturally, his dictates are colored by the whispers of Veles who can often be found behind the throne to give his most trusted advice.

Each of the gods has their own room in the palace, though there is no room that is considered to be personal property. It all belongs to the Citizen now. Those who serve him well are given the best rooms of the palace. Veles naturally has been granted the best rooms, at least three that he has claimed as his own; especially the room that once belonged to Perun. Chernobog and Marzanna, for their aid in taking the throne, have been given lavish rooms of their own, though nowhere near as wealthy as the ones that Veles has claimed.

The gods which have stood against the Citizen, of course, have been granted what might once have been called servant's quarters. Perun, Svarog and Krsnik may as well be sleeping in closets should they actually choose to stay in Svarga. It's for this reason that Perun and Krsnik choose to spend their time in the World rather than the Overworld. Though with the war against the Titans, Krsnik at least has found himself having to travel there more often and stomach the changes that have happened in Svarga in order to do his duty against the Titans.

Additionally, when Belobog and Dievas are in charge, they do not spend much time in Svarga. Both of them feel that they have much to catch up on in the World. They wander the World in new mortal guises, familiarizing themselves with that they've missed. However, when they return, to Svarga, they take the large rooms that Chernobog and Marzanna are not using at that time. After all, they reason, the rooms are technically theirs as well. And meanwhile, it puts them in a key position to aid Perun when the time comes.

While Svarog, himself, may have a tiny room, there is one place that the Citizen cannot touch: his forge. Svarga belonged to Svarog long before it was given to Perun. Deep in the bowels of the palace, in the farthest basement, that is where Svarog keeps his forge. There, his tools and machines of war and creation are made. The forge is powered by fire stolen from the bound dragon, Zmey, and constant stoking keeps the fire burning eternally.

As for the gods that have done their best to remain neutral, they have been given rooms of average quality, ensuring that they are at least taken care of and have a place to go. Though, as always, the rooms are not truly considered theirs. These rooms are not sub-realms; they are simply rooms in Svarga. Any sub-realms the gods may still have possession of, have likely been severed from Svarga and drifted to the earth to become terrae incognitae since the Citizen took over and declared his law to be final.

Finally, there are the servants which operate Svarga. Many of these are lesser immortals, serving drinks and keeping the rooms of Svarga clean. However, since the Citizen has taken over, it is clear that much of Svarga is in disrepair. More so than the servants can hope to keep up with. Rooms have been left unused and dust gathers on them. The silver is beginning to tarnish. Cobwebs form in the corners which the servants miss. Seeing as they are part of the realm itself, the servants have also begin to only do what needs to be done rather than going the extra mile for the palace that they used to.

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--Since the Siege - Chaff from the Wheat--

Many of the Rus know that Rod is still an active Greater Titan. They know that the Titan no longer possesses any active Avatars as they themselves used to be those Avatars. However, they know that he still exists. And what they do not know is that Rod has begun to simplify the palace of Svarga. Rooms that used to be there simply aren't anymore. The number of servants that used to serve the gods seems to be dwindling. Some of the gods who have begun to notice are whispering that something strange is going on, but no one knows for sure what it is. Though if Rod has his way, then eventually, Svarga may be reduced to just a simple room. And after that... well once all things were simply a part of Rod, after all.
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[dorkknight23]

--Antagonists--
-Indrik
(Information on the Indrik can be found in the Scion Companion, Part 4, pg. 148 to 150)

-Rusalki
One part nature spirit and one part undead minion, the rusalki are the spirits of women who died before their time either by violent means or by suicide involving water. However, upon their deaths, they should have gone to Irij, but were snatched by the Titans and sent back to earth to live out their remaining time on earth as a rusalka. Many are associated with the water in which they died and their circles tend to include a number of the same women who died in the same body of water.

The nature of their transformation gives rusalki a watery appearance, with pale, almost translucent skin and hair that shines a vibrant green or gold. Their eyes are the most striking, glowing like green fire and with no visible pupils. Often the rusalki can be found in the water itself, or dancing in their circle upon the shore, though they can sometimes be found among the branches of nearby trees in the forest or playing in the fields surrounding the body of water they're linked to. However, if a rusalka strays too far from their associated body of water, they will die. Their hair must be kept perpetually wet and if allowed to dry for a period of 24 hours, the rusalka will die regardless of health levels or other factors. Rusalki have been known to carry magical combs which allow them to create water and keep their hair wet.

Rusalki spend their free time playing and dancing, trying to lure men and children to join their circle. However, joining this circle always means being dragged into the water and drowned. Women may then be taken into the circle as they too have now died violent deaths associated with the body of water in question. Male victims are simply out of luck as they go on to the Underworld and simply join the every day ghosts.

Rusalki tend to have the stats of normal motals, but are granted the seven dots of Dark Virtues with one free in each, typically favoring Malice above all others. Physically, they are much like zombies since they are the dead returned to earth, and as such treat firearms like bashing damage, soak lethal damage with their full stamina and face no wound penalties. Additionally, they are granted the Water Breathing Boon and are given a Legend rating of 1. Finally, rusalki have the unique ability to draw mortals to their circle and lure them to their deaths. The rusalki roll (Charisma + Presence) and those who witness their dancing or hear their singing or humming roll (Willpower + Integrity + Legend) to resist the effect. Additionally, for each rusalki beyond the first who is participating in the dancing the rusalka which makes the roll (usually the one with the best Charisma + Presence) gains an automatic success to lure the victim to them. The rusalki then overwhelm their target and drag him into the water, sucking him down and letting the water do its work from there to drown the victim.

The rusalki may be servants of the titans, but that does not make them irredeemable. An individual rusalka may be redeemed by avenging her death and setting her soul free to actually enter Irij this time. This is best left to role-play and determining when the rusalka has been avenged, if it is possible at all.

Trophy: The prize for a rusalka is the large river stone, roughly the size of a man's fist, that is left behind upon their death. The body dissolves away into water, freeing the soul to go on to Irij, and left in the water is a small, black, perfectly smooth river stone. When this stone is held in a Scion's hand, it grants the benefits of the Water Breathing Boon, allowing the Scion to operate under water without fear of drowning or freezing in the water. However, this takes up one of the Scion's hands, preventing the use of that hand for any fine manipulations or using a weapon. Many rusalki also carry magic combs which are used to keep their hair wet should they be forced to leave their watery home for some length of time. If a Scion gets possession of one of these combs, it may be used as a Birthright for the Water Purview.

-Vila
Vila are not a single creature, but rather a category of a number of different creatures. In many ways they are like the nymphs and the alfar presented in Scion: Hero (pg. 296 to 300) or the aes sidhe (Scion Companion, Part 1 - The Tuatha de Danann, pg. 28 to 30). They are nature spirits who are tied to their surroundings and seen as protectors of the natural world. However, unlike the nymphs or the alfar, the vila are much more malevolent. They are known to kill, maim and otherwise inconvenience innocent passerby simply for being in the area that the vila is associated with. A vila associated with a certain river may have a reputation for drowning anyone who comes near one particular area of the river. Forest vila may cause wanderers in the woods to disappear if they go near a certain glade or certain tree in the forest.

To represent a vila, use the basic stats for a nymph (Scion Hero, pg. 299) and use Purviews appropriate to that particular vila. The most common Purviews associated with the vila are Earth, Fertility, Frost, Sky or Water, though other variations are certainly possible. Additionally, they face the same weakness the nymphs do, as they cannot leave their area of influence without taking damage. However, the vila do not entirely have the Virtues of the gods. Some are fully loyal to the Titans and those vila use Dark Virtues. Some vila may instead take a neutral stance in the war and may be simply focused on their ties to the natural world rather than the Titans and the gods. These vila use a mix of Virtues, typically Courage, Endurance, Malice and Rapacity.

No vila are fully loyal to the gods and as such, none of these lesser immortals will serve as Guides for the Scions. At best you may find one who is neutral and may offer a moment of advice, but they will never do more than that.

The vila are numerous and plentiful and in addition to the basic stats for the nymphs, Storytellers may also add other abilities depending on the vila in question. Some examples may include, but are not limited to:

-Vodyanoy: Appearing as a naked old man with a greenish beard and long hair with his body covered in algae and muck, usually with a layer of black scales beneath that, and rides down the river on a half sunk log. He pulls himself along with his webbed hands and fish's tail and his eyes burn like red-hot coals in the night. Though many may simply be called mischievous, most of the vodyanoy are loyal to the Titans and are known to be some of the most ruthless vila in existence. They tend to focus on Epic Manipulation and Epic Strength and have a penchant for the Water and Fertility Purviews. Additionally, they have the ability, when merged with their element, to direct their anger at individuals or free-standing structures like dams and mills. This allows them to attack these structures using their normal stats.

-Paludnica: The Paludnica appears as a beautiful woman, dressed in white. They tend to specialize in Epic Appearance above all other powers and are associated with the Purviews of Fertility and Earth. Almost the opposite of the Vodyanoy, the Paludnica are more playful and mischievous than they are malevolent. Though not allied with the gods, the Paludnica are usually ambivalent of the Titans. They are found wandering the fields, looking over the crops and the grounds they grow in. They are known to pull the hair of the workers and to lead children astray into the tall grass or cornfields. Those few Paludnica who are allied with the Titans are known to do worse, as children they lead astray may never return to their parents alive.

-Shishiga: Considered a sort of wood-goblin, the shishiga are female and appear with pale white skin, are often found nude and have a tousled, feral look. They tend to focus on Epic Appearance and Epic Manipulation and are known for their mastery of Fertility. Considered to be almost completely neutral, the shishiga avoid both Titan and god and are even known to keep their distance from their fellow vila. Poerewit, the god of the forests, is particularly interested in these creatures, but even he has proven unable to convince them to come to amiable terms with him. Their focus is entirely on their domain. They are known to harass travelers through their particular realm and have a particular attraction to drunkards. They have the ability to project illusions into the minds of people who have imbibed alcohol and may seemingly manipulate reality. Use the system for the Jotun's Illusion power, however, the shishiga's target must first have drunk something alcoholic within the last hour otherwise the power automatically fails.

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--By Any Other Name--

Slavic mythology is rife with many more spirits than simply the vila. While the vila make up the vast majority of nature spirits, similar to the alfar and the nymphs, there are other minor spirits which roam the Slavic lands.

For one, the dwarves (Scion: Hero, pg. 318) have never limited themselves to just the lands of Northern Europe where the Aesir make their home. Dwarves go where ever the gems and mines are. And Russia is no different. In the Slavic lands dwarves are called karzelek and the mines and tunnels where they could be heard working served as passages to the Primal Cavern (Scion: Ragnarok, pg. 99 - 100) and the dwarven land of Nidavellir (Ragnarok, pg. 106).

There were also many of the hidden folk (Scion: Ragnarok, pg. 117) to be found in Russia. House spirits such as the domovoi and kikimora serve the same role as the nisse. Lesser spirits of water served in bathhouses and other such areas and were known as bagiennik or bannik. The stuhac lived in high, barren mountains where they used human ligaments for climbing. However, unlike the hidden folk of Northern Europe, in Russia, nature was usually uncommonly cruel, as shown by the vila. The kind fairies are less common and most of the minor spirits are malicious toward humans and the gods. Still, it's not entirely unheard of for a Scion of the Rus to learn the Fairy Troop Boon or have hidden folk as followers or a guide. It's just less common than it is among the Aesir.

Finally, the Slavic pantheon has an actual name for the pawns of Fate (Scion: Hero, pg. 290), specifically when the pawn took the shape of an animal. In Russia, such animals were perhaps more common than they were in other lands, to the point that the Slavic people had an actual name for these creatures. To the Slavic people, pawns in the form of animals were known as "dola".
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-Vampir
The most dominant of the undead in Eastern Europe and Russia is actually the Greek vampire, the vrykolakas (Scion: Demigod, pg. 258). As stated, these creatures are in fact the origin of many of the modern myths surrounding the vampire and vampirism. But, there is another type of undead, associated with the Slavic pantheon, which is much older than the vrykolakas. Though not as common as they once were in the ancient days (a particular hatred held by Krsnik and his Scions have vastly reduced the numbers of the vampir) these undead are more subtle than the vrykolakas and in some ways a great deal more dangerous. The vampir are known for their association with darkness and shadows as well as being considered "living vampires". This name is misleading of course, as the vampir are just as much corpses as any of the other undead. However, there are many key elements which make the vampir seem somewhat more "alive" than your typical undead.

Vampir use the standard template for the undead (Scion: Demigod, pg. 256 - 257), with the added bonus of having access to all Boons of the Darkness Purview equal to their Legend - 1. Additionally, the vampir is said to be boneless and to appear as perfectly human otherwise, gaining a +2 Epic Dexterity (and the Escape Artist and Roll With It Knacks) and +3 Epic Appearance (and the My Eyes Are Up Here and Doin Fine Knacks and one other Appearance Knack of the Storyteller's choice). They are also known to be more seductive than your average vampir, gaining a +1 Epic Charisma with the Engender Love Knack. Some vampir may have other powers and some are known to change into animals of various sorts, though these typically represent a vampir of excessive age.

A vampir regains Legend by sucking the life from his victims in their sleep. Many of them have been known to also take advantage of their victims sexually while they slumber, though this is not required for them to regain Legend. If their victim wakes before being killed, however, then they gain no benefit from killing that individual.

Finally, though they regain Legend from slaying their victims, the vampir are still known for their enjoyment of sex and their attraction to members of the opposite sex. A vampir may use the Cursed Blood power of every undead via the act of intercourse rather than needing to feed blood to their victim. This grants their partners extra strength and imbues loyalty within them without having to blow their cover and feed their victims their blood to create thralls. This does not work on creatures of Legend obviously, though there is another side effect and that is that the mortals that the vampir has sex with may become pregnant or get the vampir pregnant with a child. These children are called dhampir in the myths and many vampir fear their creation as they are known to be knowledgeable vampire hunters.

-Koschei the Deathless
Koschei the Deathless is one of a kind. Some might call him one of the Undead like the vampir or the vrykolakas. But if he is a vampire, then he breaks all the rules of being one. For one, he is not uniquely vulnerable to fire or sunlight. Yet, neither is he required to drink the blood of his victims. Nor, does his blood carry any special powers to grant strength to his minions. He is rotted and corpse-like in appearance, a skeletal man wearing the ceremonial robes of a boyar or king. Yet, despite his rotting body, he is still quite full of life and lustful. He is a walking contradiction, and yet one thing is certainly true: he is seemingly impossible to kill.

He did die once. No one is entirely sure of his exact history, except perhaps for Koschei himself, but they do know that once, long ago, Koschei did indeed die. And then the Titans granted him life anew. But, it was only partial life. His body continued to rot and age until he was left only a skeletal husk. As his body dwindled, his passions for life only grew. He was not above the kidnapping and rape of young women. Nor, was he above the violent destruction of those that might stop him. His reign of terror over a small, now forgotten terra incognita and the World around its location are the stuff of legends... literally.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. He knew that eventually there would be those who would be powerful enough to stop him. The Titans hadn't made him truly immortal, only given him a new lease on "life". And even this decaying life of unquenchable desires was better than death in his eyes. So, he went to the witch, Baba Yaga, to request a way to keep his body from dying once more. Using her powerful magic, Baba Yaga actually pulled the soul from Koschei's rotting body, placing it instead with the head of a needle. But Koschei went further. This needle with his soul he then hid within an egg. And this egg he then hid within a duck, which was then hidden within a hare, and the hare hidden within a chest. And just to ensure that no one would find it, the chest was then taken across the ocean to the island of Buyan in the Underworld. There, it was hidden beneath the roots of one of the many sacred oaks which grow on the island (though not the roots of the World Tree itself). Even if someone found the chest, the hare within will run away. Even if the hare is caught, the duck will fly away. If the duck is caught and killed, then the egg will be all that's left and only then with the egg, can Koschei truly be killed, but only by breaking the egg upon his forehead. Though, even without breaking the egg, possessing it gives power over him, as what happens to the egg (or more specifically the needle within it) happens to Koschei.

Many Scions have tried to destroy Koschei. Prince Ivan, a Scion of Perun, came the closest. After saving his beloved princess Marya Morevna from Koschei's lecherous clutches, the magic steed he had stolen from Baba Yaga kicked Koschei in the head and crushed it, after which Prince Ivan burned the body. But the egg was still intact and the next day, Koschei's body reformed from the ashes. He isn't called the Deathless for nothing, after all. But after that, he decided to lay low for a while. Abandoning his lost castle and letting it fall into disrepair until finally the terra incognita it was located within broke off from the world and faded away. His activity was kept a secret to all but the most knowledgeable of the Rus and their Scions as he operated in the shadowy underworld of the human World. He's served as gun runner, drug supplier, black market connection and, his favorite, human slave trader. The last is a position he found most appealing as it allowed him to slake his own desires as well as control his customers. Always his activities were carried out behind a curtain of secrecy and intermediaries.

With the release of the Titans, Koschei has come out of hiding once more. Not exactly ruling from a castle in the middle of his own private realm, he is still wandering the World. But he operates more openly now. He is setting himself up as an enigmatic Eastern European business man. He uses the human streroetype of a recluse who never takes personal meetings to his advantage, preferring to do his business via intermediaries and the marvels of this new digital world. He is not necessarily loyal to the Titans. Only loyal to himself, he is still a powerful agent of the Titans' overall agenda. And Scions may rest assured that whatever it is Koschei is plannign, it bodes no good for the gods.

Nature: Libertine

Virtues: Ambition 5, Malice 4, Rapacity 5, Zealotry 2

Strength 6, Dexterity 7, Stamina 7
Charisma 8, Manipulation 8, Appearance 6
Perception 6, Intelligence 7, Wits 6

Academics 3, Animal Ken 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 4, Brawl 4, Command 5, Control (Horse) 3, Empathy 4, Fortitude 4, Integrity 4, Investigation 2, Larceny 3, Marksmanship 3, Medicine 1, Melee 5, Occult 4, Politics 5, Presence 5, Science (Computer) 2, Stealth 3, Survival 3, Thrown 2

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes: Strength 6 (Crushing Grip, Divine Wrath, Disfiguring Attack, Titanium Tools, Holy Rampage, Divine Rampage), Dexterity 6 (Cat's Grace, Lightning Sprinter, Monkey Climber, Divine Balance, Untouchable Opponent, Whirlwind Shield), Stamina 6 (Damage Conversion, Divine Damage Conversion, Self-Healing, Regeneration, Solipsistic Well-Being, Skin-Shedding), Charisma 7 (Charmer, Engender Love, Crowd Control, Benefit of the Doubt, Unimpeachable Reference, Borrowed Credibility, Boys Will Be Boys), Manipulation 7 (Overt Order, Instant Hypnosis, Implant False Memory, Mass Hypnosis, God's Honest, Takes One to Know One), Appearance 5 (Dreadful Mien, Do Not Want, Perfect Actor, Lasting Impression, Inescapable Vision), Perception 2 (Scent the Divine, Unfailing Recognition), Epic Intelligence 6 (Perfect Memory, Axiom, Language Mastery, Instant Translation, Multitasking, Telepathy), Epic Wits 3 (Opening Gambit, Monkey in the Middle, Don't Read the Manual)
--Invulnerability: Koschei can not be killed through normal, physical violence. Unless the character takes the appropriate steps to kill him (as detailed above), Koschei will not die permanently. After a 24 hour period, at the same time as he was killed, his body will reform, no matter how much damage was done to it. Smashing the egg upon his forehead, takes away this power as it restores his soul to its rightful place. Koschei must still actually be killed afterwards.

Join Battle: 10

Attacks:
Clinch - Accuracy 11, Damage 8L, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy - Accuracy 10, Damage 11L, Parry DV 21, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light - Accuracy 12, Damage 8L, Parry DV 22, Speed 4
Iron Sword - Accuracy 14, Damage 15L, Parry DV 23, Speed 4

Soak: 6A/23L/23B
Health Levels: -0x22/Incap

Dodge DV: 26 (42 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 9
Legend: 8, Legend Points: 64

Notes: Due to his rotted, undead nature, Koschei treats damage from firearms as bashing damage and uses his full Stamina to soak lethal damage. Additionally, anyone who is in possession of the magic egg (or at least the needle from within the egg) may use it as a Fateful Connection (Scion: Demigod, pg. 97). This functions exactly like the spell, whether the person in possession of the egg possesses the spell themselves or not. His sword has +2 Accuracy and +3 Damage in addition to the normal spatha template. Additionally, he possesses a round shield which grants +5 to all of his DVs (the numbers listed above are without the shield).

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--Dragon's Fire--

Some Storytellers may wish to use the Radegast story hook from Scion: Demigod, pg. 123 to 125. This story hook features the dragon Zmey who was imprisoned within the terra incognita of Radegast beneath Palona Peak.

This story is a great hook for Scions of the Rus as they may take a much more personal interest in Zmey's freedom. However, the stats presented for Zmey don't quite capture the creature of legend as he presented in Slavic mythology. Zmey was said to have three heads and he had wings and was capable of flight.

The normal stats for Nidhogg as suggested in the book are a great start and changing the Entropy Breath to the Fire Breath of the Xiuhcoatl is also appropriate. In addition, give Zmey bat-like wings and grant him the Tatsu's flight ability. Obviously, if the fight with Zmey takes place in the cavern where he was once imprisoned, he won't have much room to use this power. Should he escape and enter the forests surrounding Palona Peak, however, Zmey may very well spread his wings once more.

For the multiple heads, give Zmey the Extra Heads power of the Hydra, with each head being capable of taking an independent action (including independent use of the dragon's Fire Breath) and having its own 10 level Health Track like the Hydra. Zmey's body is considered able to take actions separate from its heads in the form of claw based attacks. Zmey lacks a "primary head" and each one is considered equal in that regard. Severing all three heads (by doing 10 lethal or aggravated damage to each) will result in the death of the dragon's body and thus the death of Zmey. Or, the dragon may simply be killed by going for the body in the first place and ignoring the extra heads, though this leaves the dragon with all of its independent actions in the meantime. Zmey lacks the Hydra's dreaded regeneration powers and if a head is lost, it will not spawn two in its place, but Zmey's Regeneration Knack may regrow a lost head AFTER the damage that severed it has been healed, assuming at least one head is left attached to his living body at the end of the battle.

There is a benefit to capturing Zmey as well. Or rather, a benefit to capturing his fire. By capturing some of the dragon's flame, the fire may be used to fuel a furnace or forge. This fire must be kept lit and if it ever goes out, the fire is lost and must be reclaimed (hence why Svarog, the Slavic forge god, kept Zmey trapped rather than killing him). While using a forge fueled by Zmey's fire, the craftsman may double the number of successes achieved on each roll of the appropriate Crafts Ability.

Zmey was more than an individual dragon, however. Like Nidhogg, Zmey had children. Smaller beasts which went on to become a race of dragons. When using an individual zmey dragon, use the stats for a Xiuhcoatl with the addition of the Tatsu's flight capability. Zmey do not possess multiple heads like their proginator. Additionally, their fire is no more special than normal dragon's fire and does not bestow any special benefit to Crafts rolls.

Oddly enough, in Slavic myth, some zmey did have the capability to transform into a human guise, much like the Xiuhcoatl. So retaining that capability in the zmey stats is more than appropriate, however, not all zmey need possess that power.
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[dorkknight23]

--Rod - Greater Titan of Unity--
AKA: The Overlord, The Collective, Ouroboros, The One

Rod is known as the Titan of Unity. He was said to be the protector of blood-ties and clan relations, the patron of kinship and clan unions. Rod was an expert at simplifying the multitude into the single unity. "Mother," "father," "brother" and "sister" may all be simplified into "family." People can be simplified into races, classes, genders. They belong to nations and political parties. And each grouping into a single concept serves to simplify the world into a single unified thing. And that is what Rod is. He is the world reduced to a single thing. Once, there was only Rod and everything came into being by splitting away from him.

If Greater Titans can be said to have goals, then Rod's is to return the world to that unity of singularity. However, with no active Avatars since the creation of the Rus, Rod lacked an active hand in the Titan War. Until Veles' scheming gave birth to the Citizen.

Similar to Hundun, Rod was never truly bound. How do you bind something that is unity itself? Especially after Rod's two primary Avatars were both split into the Rus? With no Avatars to contain and no real form to bind, Rod was never imprisoned in Tartarus. When Veles' plans came to fruition and the Citizen was given birth, Rod was there. The ideals that Veles had given to Lenin fit perfectly with the ideals of Rod. The whole of the society comes before the individual person. The group is more important than the unit. That is what Rod exists for.

Since Rod uses corrupted gods rather than a true Avatar, even if his Avatars were to be bound into a new prison, Rod would not be bound in the same way that the other Titans may be bound. So long as he has his way, he shall continue to bring the world together. Simplifying people and lives into the simple concept of the state. And from there, existence shall be properly unified.

Favored Purviews: Animal (hive-dwelling animals), Guardian, Justice, Mystery, Psychopomp
Banned Purviews: Chaos, War

Prominent Features:
Unlike other Greater Titans, Rod HAS no features. To have features would mean that there is actually something other than Rod. And to have something more is the antithesis of Rod's unity. Rather, Rod exists without form. More so than Hundun, Rod is simply everything. He can be found in any of the Titan realms and in any of the Overworlds. Rod's "realm" does not exist separate from anything else, but instead rests within parts of the other realms. It's here that Rod's creatures may manifest in other Titans and where Rod may touch other beings with his power. Rod's presence is felt in the depths of Aten's palace where he ensures that all of the Hands of Aten continue to serve Aten without question as extensions of him. Rod is in Ehekatoyaatl along the jet streams which bind the realm into one great single storm. Rod is felt in Terra where he ensures that the Titan of the World is kept in the proper order with family, ecosystem, biosphere and ultimately the "World" itself as a single entity. He may also be found in the Overworlds. Where the Amatsukami meet to pay homage to Amaterasu, or where the offices of the Celestial Bureaucracy all touch Rod and may be touched by his influence. No Overworld is more touched at the moment by Rod than Svarga, where the Citizen ensures the unity of function it was made to create. However, this existance within, around and throughout other places, allows Rod to do something which no other Greater Titan can do: Touch the World directly. The hearts of mortal government facilities, the center of scientific labs and complexes, any place in the World that seeks to turn the many into the whole and unite the World may hold a secret passage through Rod within it.

Passages:
Rod is nowhere and yet touches everywhere as his power of unification touches everything. But rather than travel to Rod since Rod has no form, travelling through areas that are touched by Rod allows the traveler to go to other places that are touched by Rod. Travelling from a termite's nest in Terra via the connections of Rod may take the traveler to the halls of Aten's palace. A traveller may then travel again and find himself in the Office of Homeland Security. In order to use these passages, the user must find a place where these concepts of unity are demonstrated and powerful. A roll of Perception + Awareness, difficulty 3 allows a character to sense when they've found a place where Rod ties realms together. There, the user must make an Intelligence + Fortitude roll at a difficulty of 10. Doing so in combat is considered a Speed 5, Miscellaneous Action that requires a character's complete focus (cannot be part of a multiple action). Each time a character fails the roll trying to travel via the paths of Unity they lose a point of Willpower. If the user is successful, then they enter the paths of Unity. Here, the being gets one of the few glimpses of what might be considered a "shape" to Rod. Once on the paths of Unity, the character witnesses EVERYTHING. Every sight, sound, smell, sensation that ever was, is or will be, all flooding the character's mind at once. No mind has ever been able to comprehend this mad cacophony of pure existance, not even the gods. The most they have ever been able to do is to drown it out long enough to find their way out once more. Even time seems condensed into a single point and becomes meaningless here. Combat is impossible as everything happens simultaneously. The character must now make two rolls. The first is a Willpower + Integrity + Legend roll at difficulty 8 to drown out the flood of sensations. If the character fails this roll he loses a temporary Willpower point and rolls again. Once the roll succeeds, the character then makes a Perception + Awareness roll, difficulty 10. Again, on a failed roll, the character loses a temporary Willpower. Success allows the character to sense where the paths of Unity exit and use one of the exits to escape. Getting out does not require a roll and the character emerges. It's also possible to exit the paths of Unity in a place that Rod does not touch directly. Since Rod is everything, he technically touches everywhere, though not as strongly in some places. Doing so is the same Perception + Awareness roll at difficulty 20 and the character emerges anywhere he chooses. However, in doing so, he creates a new Path of Unity, giving Rod a foothold in that location and serving to further his goal of Unifying the World. If at any time in this process the character is reduced to 0 Willpower, then he disappears, fading into the essence of Rod and merging into his Unity.

While using these passages may seem child's play for a being with Epic Intelligence and Perception, many Scions do not risk these passages as they are usually the site of some of Rod's greater hives. And they open again into another location that is likely guarded in a similar manner. Unless the Scion uses the other method of exit which furthers the goal of the Greater Titan and brings the World closer together. Whether they be guarded by multiple teams of Agents in the World, Unified Hands of Aten in Akhetaten, or other beasts, these shortcuts generally require great effort to get to.

The only place that Rod cannot touch is Hundun. Likewise, Hundun does not touch Rod. The ideas of Chaos and Unity are antithesis of each other. And though both exist in all realms, they never interact, never touch and cannot be used to travel via each other. Any place touched by Rod cannot be accessed through a dreamrealm of Hundun. Nor can the chaos of Hundun be accessed through the ways of Unity via Rod. In fact, a Path of Unity may be closed and sever Rod's connection there should a creature with the Chaotic Template attempt to use the path. The Chaotic creature disappears in the same manner above but does not re-emerge. The path there, however, is closed unless it should be re-formed. Chaotic creatures do not seem to mind this act of self-sacrifice in the name of their Titan master.

The Paths of Unity may also be severed by a God using the Avatar of Chaos. Once he finds a place of Unity, the God may become the Void and sever the connection. So far, no God has been crazy enough to try entering Rod's paths first and then becoming the Void WITHIN Rod. Some speculate that this sort of attack could sever ALL of the paths of Unity. Some speculate it could also destroy the Greater Titan and give the World to Hundun to be torn apart and scattered into the Chaos of non-existance. But it's this fact that keeps Rod from completely taking the Overworld. Many pantheons have places where Paths of Unity might pop up naturally. Those sites in the God realms are generally kept under careful watch until chaotic gods may find them and tend to them. Even such "ordered" pantheons as the Celestial Bureaucracy, Amatsukami and Pesedjet do not wish to be Unified and gods such as Sun Wukong, Susanno-o and Set are invaluable for dealing with this problem when they pop up. The only Path of Unity kept active in the God realms is the Throne of Svarga where the Citizen sits. The Citizen, himself, serves as its "guard" and keeps the existance of the path a secret from the gods who might have Veles or Chernobog sever the connection to Rod.

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--Unified Template--

Rod does not create creatures of his own. Creating servants of his own would again imply a separation from Rod and that does not fit with the Titan's purpose. Rather, Rod corrupts other creatures, whether they are normal creatures of the World, or even other creatures in service to other Titans. When creatures are touched by Rod and granted his power, then they gain a hive mind which allows the creatures of Unity to operate as a single entity. Creatures with the Unified Template are never found individually, instead always operating in a hive. The hive is always composed of a distinct number of members and Scions never just fight one of them, they must always fight the entire hive. Whether they be gang-bangers touched by Rod who gather in a building and operate as one, Hands of Aten who have been stolen from their purpose and are now hiding out in the mountains of Akhetaten or even nemean bees in Terra.

Creatures so touched automatically gain a Coordinated Attack bonus when attacking on the same tick as another Unified creature of the same hive since the hive mind allows the creatures to instantly know what each other is thinking and operate as a single entity. Additionally, in order to kill creatures of Unity, you must kill the entire hive in question. Members of the hive will continue to fight on regardless of wound penalties or other disabilities until the last member of the hive has been killed. While they face wound penalties as normal, the Incapacitated and Dying Health Levels do not take effect until all members of the hive are either Incapacitated or Dying. Disabling a creature with the rules for a Crippling Attack (Scion: Hero, pg. 199) will keep an individual from being a threat, but even that doesn't kill the unit, simply takes it out of the fight.

There is a way to disrupt this power, however. When a unified creature is targeted by a boon from the Chaos or War Purviews, they must roll Willpower + Integrity + Legend to resist the dice pool of the Boon. If the roll fails, then that creature is cut off from the hive mind for five ticks per net success on the roll. During this time, the creature does not count toward the Coordinated Attack bonus that the hive might receive and that creature does not benefit from that bonus. Additionally, if during that time the creature is killed, then it may die individually rather than being kept alive by the hive.

Unified beasts are immune to any Boons from the Justice Purview deployed by someone with a lower Legend rating. Attacks and powers based on the Chaos and War Purviews, however, are considered to have the Piercing quality against unified creatures and unified creatures are considered to be -2 Legend for purposes of resisting them, including when rolling the above roll to stay connected to the hive. Finally, beings who use the Mystery Purview on Unified creatures they are Fatebound too, gain a number of automatic successes on the roll equal to the being's Legend, minimum of 1 in the case of unified creatures without Legend.

It should also be noted that creatures that are given the Unified Template do not lose access to other Templates they may normally have. Rod does not sever ties, only creates new ones, until all is tied together into a single entity. The exception of course being the Chaotic creatures of Hundun. That which is by its nature chaotic, cannot be unified and vice versa.
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-The Citizen - Avatar of Rod
When the Citizen was first born, he was the incarnation of every dream which Veles had put into the mind of Lenin. He became the head of a new pantheon, which for a time ruled over Russia's divine realms. Alongside Baba Yaga and Rodina Mat, the Citizen maintained power in the Overworld in the name of the Soviet Union. But eventually Baba Yaga lost her godhood, and Rodina Mat left behind such grand designs as the Soviet pantheon. But the Citizen still remained. And he had already succeeded in supplanting leadership of the Rus. And in that position he has remained. But the Citizen has never been exactly what everyone thought he was. Even before his transition to the role as Titan Avatar, the Citizen was Rod's puppet. Upon his creation, Rod reached out and touched upon the mind of the Citizen, beginning a slow process that started to wipe the mind of the Citizen and remove everything that was deemend unncessary. That included quite a lot. The Citizen embodies the ideals of socialism and communism on the most basic level. Rod took advantage of that concept and the concepts of the whole before the one to corrupt this young god. Though he did indeed begin as a god, and Veles maneuvered him into a position of power while he was sitll a god, by the end of World War II, he had become fully and completley unified, taking his place as the first Avatar of Rod since the dissolution of Triglav and Svantevit. All may not be lost, hoever. There's more going on in the mind of the Citizen than anyone is aware. The empty space left by Rod could not have been left empty forever and, if left unchecked, the process that turned the Citizen into an Avatar may reverse itself and turn him once more into a true god. The Citizen is tied to Russia as surely as any deity can be. As the country changes, so changes the god. Slowly, the ideals of democracy, Perun's talk of free will, Belobog's and Dievas' actions of good and peace and even the trickery and creativity of his "teacher" Veles are starting to bleed into the Citizen. He is not yet separated from Rod, just as Russia has not yet let behind its communist ideology, but if "ununified" concepts continue to be absorbed by the young god, then Rod may yet lose control of him. Whether the Citizen becomes a benevolent or malevolent deity should he regain his freedom, however, is a result left only to Fate right now. For now, he plays his cards close to his chest. Trying to act as the God in charge of the Rus as Veles' puppet, while at the same time, attempting to further Rod's agenda through that position. He plans to let the attention stay on the conflict between Veles and Perun with the Citizen just the dupe caught in the middle. He tries to make sense of the non-unified things he sees while unifying in the name of "social order" at the same time.

Ambition 4, Malice 3, Rapacity 1, Zealotry 5

Dice Pool: 24

Supernatural Powers:
--Avatars: The Abyss, The Arbiter, The Sentinel, The Way

--Boons: Every one- to eight-dot Boon from every Purview -except- Chaos and War, which are forbidden to him. The Citizen also has all Boons from the Civitas, Darkness, Guardian, Justice and Psychopomp Purviews.

--Epic Attributes: Epic Socials at the 10-dot level (with all appropriate Knacks). All other Epic Attributes at the eight dot level (with all appropriate Knacks).

Join Battle: 24

Attacks:
Clinch: Accuracy 24, Damage 13L, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy: Accuracy 23, Damage 16L, Parry DV 40, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light: Accuracy 25, Damage 13L, Parry DV 42, Speed 4

Soak: 8A/35L/41B
Health Levels: -0x39/Incap

Dodge DV: 47
Willpower: 8
Legend: 12, Legend Points: 144

Note: Though he is no longer a member of the National Pantheon for the Soviet people, the Citizen still maintains use of the Civitas Purview and uses it admirably in his role as the unifier of the World in Rod's image.



--Lesser Creatures of Rod--
-Agents of Rod
While it's true that Rod does not CREATE new minions of his own, there is one particular type of target that Rod is known to convert more than any into his minions in the World. There have always been humans in the world that would persecute others for being "different". They would have the World at large think that there is only a single way of doing things and those who disagree have varying opinions and think differing thoughts are the heretics who do not belong. To be different was a crime. To be one with the unified populace was the way to be. And this unity of thought has served as a breeding ground for Rod's corruption of the humans. Especially since the headquarters and gathering spots of such humans tend to also serve as places where the Paths of Unity can manifest.

The Agents of Rod have been torturers of the Inquisition, agents of the KGB, agents of the CIA and most recently of Homeland Security. They have found their place most assuredly in state-sponsored organizations, where their power comes not only from their belief in unity, but also in their support of the government and their mutual support of the government in turn. In the modern days, they are most often found as the stereotypical MiB, serving at the "thought police". The exact kind of unity doesn't really matter. What matters is that they enforce their unified way of thinking above all else. When an appropriate mind is found, something of Rod manages to touch the World for just a brief instant. During that time, the minds of the Agents are changed, becoming simpler, and embodying the unity of Rod.

All of the Agents of Rod have the unified template, centered on their individual cell of operatives. What's more, the more members there are in that group of Agents, the more power that group itself has. Agents of Rod are generated statistically by starting with the stats for experienced soldiers and gain a +2 to their Charisma and a +3 to their Manipulation. And for large cells, each member gains a +1 Manipulation more for each member past five. So a cell with six members has members with Manipulation 6. They gain the following Virtues: Ambition 1, Malice 3, Rapacity 2, Zealotry 5. Additionally, each individual Agent has a Legend equal to total number of Agents in the cell. In a cell with three members in the group, each member has a Legend 3. A cell with seven members has individuals with Legends of 7. For each member of the cell past the first, each member also gains a level of Epic Manipulation, with Knacks focusing on controlling other people such as Overt Order, Instant Hypnosis, Mass Hypnosis and Implant False Memory. Finally, for each point of Legend beyond the first, the Agents also gain a single point of an additional Epic Attribute of the Storyteller's choice to meet the needs of that particular cell.

It is rare to find cells larger than four members in the World. There is talk of larger cells that are used to try and infiltrate terrae incognitae but most who have encountered them, don't really get a chance to talk about them. If there are such things, then they would most certainly be matches for demigods and maybe even young gods when operating together.

Average Cell (3 members)
Individual Stats:

Virtues: Ambition 1, Malice 3, Rapacity 2, Zealotry 5

Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3
Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4

Academics 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Brawl 4, Command 3, Control 3, Fortitude 3, Integrity 3, Investigation 1, Larceny 1, Marksmanship 4, Medicine 2, Melee 4, Presence 2, Stealth 3, Thrown 1

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes - Epic Charisma 1 (Benefit of the Doubt), Epic Dexterity 1 (Trick Shooter), Epic Manipulation 2 (Overt Order, Instant Hypnosis)
--Unified Nature - Each Agent has the Unified Template which applies to their cell of other Agents.

Join Battle: 7

Attacks:
Clinch - Accuracy 8, Damage 5B, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy - Accuracy 7, Damage 8B, Parry DV 4, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light - Accuracy 9, Damage 5B, Parry DV 5, Speed 4
Beretta - Accuracy 9, Damage 4L, Range 20, Clip 15, Speed 4, P

Soak: 4L/6B (Bulletproof Vest, +2L/2B)
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap

Dodge DV: 7
Willpower: 6
Legend 3, Legend Points: 9

Experienced "Terra Incognita" Cell (6 members)
Individual Stats:

Virtues: Ambition 1, Malice 3, Rapacity 2, Zealotry 5

Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Charisma 5, Manipulation 6, Appearance 3
Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4

Academics 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Brawl 4, Command 3, Control 3, Fortitude 3, Integrity 3, Investigation 1, Larceny 1, Marksmanship 4, Medicine 2, Melee 4, Presence 2, Stealth 3, Thrown 1

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes - Epic Charisma 1 (Benefit of the Doubt), Epic Dexterity 4 (Trick Shooter, Shot to the Heart, Cat's Grace, Untouchable Opponent), Epic Manipulation 5 (Overt Order, Instant Hypnosis, Mass Hypnosis, Implant False Memory, Return to Sender)
--Unified Nature - Each Agent has the Unified Template which applies to their cell of other Agents.

Join Battle: 7

Attacks:
Clinch - Accuracy 8, Damage 5B, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy - Accuracy 7, Damage 8B, Parry DV 10, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light - Accuracy 9, Damage 5B, Parry DV 11, Speed 4
Beretta - Accuracy 9, Damage 4L, Range 20, Clip 15, Speed 4, P
M16 - Accuracy 8, Damage 6L, Range 150, Clip 30, Speed 5, P

Soak: 7L/12B (Riot Gear, +5L/8B)
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap

Dodge DV: 13 (20 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 6
Legend 6, Legend Points: 36

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--Elite Agents--

Not all Scions who go to serve Rod meet this fate. Many in fact just go on to serve as normal Scions, in service to Unity much like Kane Taoka in Scion: Hero (pg. 306), Demigod (pg. 296) and God (pg. 278). These corrupted Scions in many ways, may be considered lucky.

Rod has another option for dealing with Scions who wish to serve him as well. For those few who fit Rod's needs, they are taken into the ranks of the Agents. These Elite Agents serve as the backbone of the Agents of Rod, providing power and resources that the average Agent does not have access to.

Systematically, these Elite Agents function exactly like corrupted Scions. However, they have the Unified Template on top of their other traits. Additionally, though they don't benefit from the power of other Agents in the normal manner, they do add to the power of Agents assigned to them in their unit.

So a unit which has five regular Agents of Rod with an Elite Agent is considered to have six members for purposes of determining the Legend and stats of the lesser members and the Elite Agent will not die until all of the lesser Agents are also dead though she gains no further benefits.

While other servants of Rod may become gods in their own right and go on to spread Unity through the Overworld, Elite Agents meet a different fate. When an Elite Agent reaches Legend 9, the Scion dissolves into the essence of Rod, its energy going to feed the power of the entity known as Big Brother. Big Brother's Legend rating increases by one and he gains more power as appropriate to an Agent of Rod with that level of Legend.

Elite Agents reaching the ranks of godhood is the only way that Big Brother can increase his permanent Legend.
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-Big Brother
Sometime long ago (as Rod has never been imprisoned), one of the cells of the Agents of Rod grew to such a level that they reached the power of the gods. However, due to their unified power and the unique nature of the Agents, the cell merged into a single entity.

And such is the fate of all Agents who are placed in cells large enough to match the gods. When cells grow to include nine members their consciousnesses are subsumed into this composite entity that serves to coordinate and maintain the different cells of the Agents of Rod. This entity has appeared differently over the centuries. Once, he wore inquisitorial robes. Then he wore the uniform of the KGB. Now, he most assuredly wears a black suit with mirroshades and an earpiece. He has had many names over the centuries, but now he is known simply as Big Brother.

Since Rod does not have a Titan Realm of his own, Big Brother may most often be found in the World. However, due to the powers of Fatebinding, he stays hidden and communicates with his fellow Agents via telephone, email and telepathy. His current whereabouts are unknown, and due to his ability to travel the roads of Rod, and his habit of sticking close to their entrances, he is difficult to keep track of.

The gods have encountered him, however, as he has also been known to enter the Overworlds and move among the Titan Realms, coordinating more than just his fellow Agents. He serves as Rod’s front man to the other Titans as well.

His stats are presented below and do not alter as he connects with other Agents of Rod as his role as a single entity is secure. Even so, his true power is made most evident when he operates with other creatures of Rod. Even as the coordinator and manipulator, he is not meant to operate as an individual. His stats are generated in the same way as the normal Agents of Rod, with his power levels based on his overall Legend.

As discussed in the "Elite Agents" sidebar, Big Brother's Legend increases each time a corrupted Scion reaches the level of power that it merges with the composite entity. The stats below represent Big Brother as he is now. If another corrupted Scion merges with him, then his power will go up. If he is killed and forced to reform, his Legend will return to 9, his Epic Attributes change to match and he will have to wait for more corrupted Scions to merge with him before his power increases again.

Nature: Fanatic

Virtues: Ambition 4, Malice 3, Rapacity 3, Zealotry 5

Strength 7, Dexterity 7, Stamina 7
Charisma 5, Manipulation 11, Appearance 3
Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4

Academics 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Brawl 4, Command 3, Control 3, Fortitude 3, Integrity 3, Investigation 1, Larceny 1, Marksmanship 4, Medicine 2, Melee 4, Presence 2, Stealth 3, Thrown 1

Supernatural Powers:
--Epic Attributes - Epic Charisma 2 (Benefit of the Doubt, Hapless Cool), Epic Dexterity 6 (Trick Shooter, Shot to the Heart, Cat’s Grace, Divine Balance, Perfect Partner, Untouchable Opponent), Epic Manipulation 10 (All Knacks) Epic Stamina 2 (Self-Healing, Regeneration)
--Unified Nature - Big Brother has the Unifi ed Template which applies to all other creatures with the Unified Template within 100 yards of him.
--Teleconnection - Big Brother is in constant contact with all other Agents of Rod. He may use his cell phone or any computer to send a message to any other Agent of Rod who will receive it in the most appropriate manner, as immediately as possible. Generally, due to Rod's ties to the modern communication age, this take the form of such advanced technological methods. However, if no such communication methods are available, he may communicate telepathically with any Agent he wishes.
--Hive Immortality - So long as the Agents of Rod exist, Big Brother can never be destroyed. If this body is destroyed (which would also involve killing every other creature with the Unified Template within 100 yards of him before he can use Self-Healing and/or Regeneration to repair the damage), then nine other Agents will be called to form a single cell which will then gain enough power to match the gods once again. When this happens, the Agents will merge into a single entity and Big Brother will be reborn once more as if he was never killed. This process, however, takes a full year once the Agents are gathered and Big Brother returns with a basic Legend 9. Further increases in Legend require corrupted Scions to join his collective.
--Hypertech Stockpile - In addition to the power of his Epic Attributes and Knacks, Big Brother has also been stockpiling relics in the form of "hypertech" (see sidebar). Assume that he has a relic in this form which can mimic any necessary Boon the Storyteller might have need for him to replicate (except those of Chaos and War of course).

Join Battle: 7

Attacks:
Clinch - Accuracy 11, Damage 8B, Parry DV --, Speed 6, P
Unarmed, Heavy - Accuracy 10, Damage 11B, Parry DV 21, Speed 5
Unarmed, Light - Accuracy 12, Damage 8B, Parry DV 22, Speed 4
Beretta - Accuracy 12, Damage 4L, Range 20, Clip 15, Speed 4, P

Soak: 2A/13L/19B (Spectra Shield; +7L/10B)
Health Levels: -0x12/-2/Incap

Dodge DV: 27 (38 with Untouchable Opponent)
Willpower: 8
Legend 11, Legend Points: 121

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--Hypertech--

Ask an average Scion what hypertech is and he'll stare at you blankly. Ask a Scion with Epic Intelligence what hypertech is and he'll explain that it's his next big project he's working on. Ask an Elite Agent or Big Brother about hypertech and it means something completely different.

An unfortunate side effect of the nature of the World today is that some of the most likely places for Rod's influence to manifest are also some of the most advanced scientific facilities on the planet. Government run facilities, private labs that strive to keep their work top secret and other strongholds of scientific progress serve to further the development of the world's sciences. However, they also strive, many times, to bring the world together, define it, structure it and unify it.

This allows Rod to touch these places directly and form Paths of Unity there. It's no coincidence that many Agents of Rod in the modern world take the form of government agents or lab technicians.

And with these scientific servants come many scientific advancements as well. As well as advancements touched by Rod. Systematically speaking, "hypertech" in this instance is no more different from a normal relic. It's created with the same systems and everything. However, it's formed by taking mundane items which Rod can touch (which typically manifest as advanced scientific technology) and having his power channeled into it.

Hypertech, then, is just a collection of normal relics which happen to take the form of advanced technology since that's what Rod has the easiest access to. Naturally, then, these relics do not gain powers associated with Chaos and War as Rod cannot grant such power.

It's also possible that some of these hypertech toys manifest as "star" level relics as they are touched directly by Rod. Such relics may simulate "star" level powers or may replicate Boons of a level higher than five. Such things as teleportation devices, earthquake generators or other similar devices.

Items of this power are exceedingly rare. While they may be loaned out to Elite Agents from time to time, they most often can be found in the possession of Big Brother who takes charge of them almost immediately and uses them for his own purposes to supplement his lack of natural access to Boons (as per the Hypertech Stockpile ability he possesses).

Lower level items, however, may often be found in the hands of general Agents of Rod and Elite Agents, as well as other servants who may warrant their use.

Again, these are just normal relics which happen to take on a super-science appearance due to Rod's particular interests.
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