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Chapter 3

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Titanic Stories
“W e everlasting gods… Ah w hat chilling blow s
w e suffer – thanks to our ow n conflicting w ills.”
— The I liad , Homer
Titanic characters face a range of foes including Fate, their own natures, and the forces arrayed against
them in the Titanomachy.

Storyguiding Titans
The World looks very different to a Band of Titans — or even a Band including a Titan’s Scion. The
children of the Gods might squabble and scheme against one another, but the conflict between Gods and
Titans is cosmic in scale. Titans want to undo, disfigure, ruin, and destroy the work of the Gods. Some do
it through brutal violence, others through subversion or subjugation, but every Titan embraces their
Calling as Adversary, Destroyer, Monster, Primeval, or Tyrant. That doesn’t mean their offspring do, and
Titanic Scions’ stories are about deciding what sort of World they want to make or remake.
The Second Titanomachy is upon the World and the latter half of this chapter covers how to lead a Band
of Titans or a mixed Band through that conflict. But the Second Titanomachy isn’t the only Titan-based
storyline. Like any divine being, Titanic Scions are more than a role in a conflict mapped out by others.

Storyguiding by Calling
Every Titan has at least one Titanic Calling, and those Callings have a profound effect on the direction
their stories are likely to go.
Adversaries need something as powerful as they are to rail against. Keep their chosen foe growing in
power no matter how the Titan undermines or assaults it. Set obstacles that challenge Adversaries’
relationship with their foe: What happens if someone else is poised to destroy them before the Titan can?
Who is the Titan when their nemesis, their foil, is gone?
Destroyers are simple. Give them increasingly powerful and cosmologically symbolic stuff to smash.
Unlike Adversaries, there’s nothing holding them back from becoming a nigh-omnipotent cosmic
wrecking ball. So ask them what collateral (or Collateral, if you’re using the optional rules from Scion
Players Guide: Saints & Monsters) they’re prepared to accept. Let them destroy until they’ve destroyed
everything they cared about and the only thing left to destroy is themselves.
Monsters don’t want to destroy, only to hurt, corrupt, or follow animalistic instincts. They pick their
targets, but you can make them question whether the end justifies the means. You can also show them
who they are through other people’s eyes. Touchstones flinch away from them, and people the Monster
needs run in fear.
Titanic Scions tend to burn away weak, human traits as they grow more powerful but those with a
Primeval Calling open themselves to concepts older than life and more universal. Storms, fire, earth, or
time don’t care about petty human sentiments or rules. Set up challenges where it’s easy and appealing for
a Primeval Titan to simply rip through layers of bureaucracy or legality. Or, more seductively, situations
where it makes sense to play humanity’s games and adhere to their traditions. See how long they let
themselves be bound by such trivial frustrations.
Tyrants are empire builders. They need structure and order to operate. Give them opportunities to build
their own power bases and undermine or subvert other people’s. Utilize grand, dramatic seizures and
conquests and slow burning schemes to show the multiple paths to a Tyrant’s power.

W e Do Bad T hings
Titanic Scions can be heroes or antiheroes but some of them will act in accordance
with their Callings: plan for destructive, monstrous, tyrannical behavior. Plan for
inter-Band conflict too, as no two Titans have the same agenda.
This is challenging content to handle, and you should discuss your players’
boundaries with them in advance. Subjects they don’t want to address (e.g.,
cannibalism, incest, bigotry, player vs player betrayal) stay firmly off the table.
“But it’s what my (monstrous, evil) character would do!” is no excuse for hurting
other players.

All-Titan Bands
How do things work in a Band entirely composed of Titanic Scions? What do they do? Who opposes
them? Titanomachy and Saints & Monsters already offer a lot of advice on this, and their Storyguiding
chapters are both good reads. What you’re getting here is both a refresher course and a deeper dive into
how to make Titanic stories big and dramatic by tackling some appropriate mythic themes.
A lot of the options Titanomachy presents for Titanic enemies work equally well for Bands of Titanic
Scion player characters. Leading Titan cults becomes keeping cults in line or subverting them for the
characters’ own purposes. Accumulating occult lore is a great storyline, completely unchanged. Titans
escaping from Divine enemies into Terra Incognita becomes a chance to defend a Realm from Divine
pursuers.
When you’re dealing with an all-Titan band you have two competing opportunities. You can zero in to
focus on a couple of complementary pantheons, which encourages copasetic in-character agendas.
Alternatively, you can zoom out and cover a whole range of pantheons, in which case you’re implicitly
expanding the definitions of what Titans are, what they want, and therefore creating more opportunities
for characters’ ambitions to come into conflict. In some ways a limited focus is easier: the Titans oppose a
specific pantheon, or a couple of pantheons, and it’s easy to adapt mythic material — locations,
characters, leitmotifs — to your story. On the other hand, a broader focus can be richer. Those mythic
symbols mean different things in different cultures, which introduces new layers of meaning to your
story.
If you want a straightforward “Gods versus Titans” storyline, a narrow focus on a pantheon or two is your
friend. If you want more opportunity for shifting alliances and grey areas, widen your frame.
As Titanomachy already discussed, Titans make Scions for a reason (and Titanomachy also goes into
several of those reasons). Titans don’t usually take much interest in individual mortals. That means many
— most, even — Titanic Scions started out as tools their parents made for one specific job. As any mortal
parent would wryly observe, that’s not how kids work. They mature, they rebel, they use those annoying
human concepts of free will and self-determination. It’s rare any child grows up obediently following the
course their parents chart for them, and Scions have big egos and the momentum of Fate at their backs.
Incidentally, if you want to tell stories about obedient groups of servants enforcing Titans’ wills, try a
game of Denizens from Titans’ Realms, or mortal cultists. That’s where the struggle with doing terrible
things for justifiable reasons lies. These stories are also a great opportunity to play on the evergreen
mythic theme of borrowed power, the price paid for it, and whether a mere human or Denizen is really
strong enough to wield Titanic power without it changing or destroying them.
The story of a Band of Titanic Scions discovering their parents’ intent, comparing it to their own
ambitions and Paths, then deciding if, where, and how to turn away from their parents’ agenda is
compelling and emotional. It builds in big character beats around self-realization, and it sets up a Titans
versus Titans antagonism that’s very in keeping with Titans’ big personalities — and the theme of
generational revolution found in stories like the Theoi’s battle against Cronus and the Tuatha de Danann’s
overthrow of Bres. Having Titans do the overthrowing inverts the trope, which is always an interesting
and Scion-appropriate twist. It also asks the players to consider what they do with power once they have
it: how characters whose Callings bend towards destruction handle being heroes, protecting and
preserving the World.
Taking a storyline in this direction also gives the Storyguide the tremendous destructive power of Titans
for their Antagonists. Titans aren’t the type of parents who take an insult like their children disobeying
them lying down. You can run an espionage-style storyline of Scions attempting to escape from under
their controlling, tyrannical parents’ thumbs — developing power bases, making allies, and gaining in
strength — and escalate to open warfare when they make their move. Remember that a Titanic Scion’s
assets very likely came from their parents originally, or at least the Titan had to invoke their parent’s
name and authority to obtain them. When the children turn on their parents, think about what happens to
their supposedly loyal followers, magical items, and more: make players work to retain control of the
advantages they took for granted.
Titanomachy talks about creating Titanic Scions as foils for Divine Scion characters: holding up dark
mirrors, or just exploiting the opportunity for intelligent enemies. Storyguides have the same opportunity
for Bands composed of Titanic Scions. It’s a perfect opportunity to use Divine Scions as Antagonists and
turn the players’ favorite tricks and Knacks against them. It’s also a chance to show Divine Scions as self-
righteous, overconfident, supporters of the status quo. It’s not a view players often get to see from their
in-character perspective as children of the Gods. This doesn’t just mean portraying Scions as boring,
stuck-up vainglorious paladins, although it absolutely can, but poking holes in the Gods’ philosophy.
Show them, and their agendas, as self-serving and aimed only at propping up their own power. Make
players question whether there’s really a ‘good’ side to be found in the conflict between Gods and Titans.

The Devil’s in the Details

Alternatively, any story featuring Titans as player characters and Divine Scions as supporting cast or
opposition is a chance to show that the difference between Titanic and Divine is partially a matter of
propaganda. Titans and Gods have strong points of conflict. In some pantheons the Titans did monstrous
things; in others the Gods forcibly disenfranchised them. The situation’s not as black and white as
characters might initially think. A Band of Titanic Scions might find they have more in common with
certain Divine Scions than they do with Titans and their servants.
On that note, Titanic Scions aren’t, or don’t have to be, evil. They’re people. They know how to work
with others to get what they want and they know how to compromise. Titanic Scions, especially at Origin
and Hero levels of play, can be ambiguous figures. By the time they progress towards Apotheosis their
Deeds have defined them more clearly, and cast them in the role of hero, antihero, or villains but at these
early tiers of play their destiny is still malleable. There are also powerful narratives to be made from
Titanic Scions resisting their Titanic Callings. Run a Jekyll and Hyde storyline of Titans resisting, or
eventually giving in to, their worst urges, or have Titanic Scions fully reject their heritage, with all the
resulting fallout of angering their parents and fighting for acceptance amongst other types of Scion.
Most of all, the questions of what Titanic Scions do and how to challenge them come down to what the
players want. The Paths they choose, the Deeds they strive for, and the Legend they accumulate shape
their stories, as they do for any Scion character. The actual best way to guide an all-Titan Band of
characters is to ask the players what they want. If they decide to fight for the freedom and dignity of their
culture’s people against invaders or colonizers, that’s a great story. If they want to rip World landmarks
off their foundations and smash them into the sea, that’s badass. Whatever players are interested in is
automatically the best story you can tell, so if they’re up for playing a Band of Titanic Scions ask them
why, and then write to those desires. This chapter provides some ideas for possible ways to play children
of the Titans, but there’s really no wrong way.

Mixed Bands
With every advancing year and every book release, the World expands. Players can now approach the
game as Scions of Gods or Titans, or Heirs to Dragons. They can also be Saints, Prophets, Denizens, and
Sorcerers. They can be the offspring of things from beyond the stars, outside time and space, that defy
categorization by feeble human minds. A Storyguide’s perfectly within their rights to ask their players to
stick to one faction or another — but it’s exciting, challenging, and fun to tell stories that open up
opportunities for players to see the World from a multitude of perspectives. Plus, games where people get
to play what they want and tell the stories they’re passionate about tend to last longer in the face of busy
schedules, competing hobbies, and other pressures.
On the surface, the main problem with mixed Bands — especially when they mix more than two factions
— is that there’s no clear agenda. The Titanic Scion wants to destroy the works of the Theoi; the Scion of
Zeus wants to make daddy proud; the Draconic Heir straight up doesn’t care about the works of puny
deities. The slightly lesser problem, because it can be overcome by players agreeing not to screw each
other over, is that in theory different factions’ goals are in opposition. So what does a mixed Band do?
How do you make the characters coalesce into a functioning group with a complementary set of goals?
Most Storyguides have already tackled this in games involving multiple pantheons. You just need
something bigger than the players’ characters for them to fight. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is
a perfect goal for a mixed Band to unite behind. And Titans make great Antagonists, even for Bands with
other Titans. Yes, the Titanomachy presents a coalition of Titans… but entities this powerful and
antagonistic don’t play well with others, and a Titanic Scion of Apep might hate a cult of Echidna even
more than Scions of the Netjer. Or they might have close, mortal bonds with a Divine Scion from their
mortal Paths. Those bonds could easily take precedence over faction allegiances if the players agree.
In fact, any faction not represented among the players is fair game for a campaign Antagonist. Ancient
Dragons make Gods and Titans extremely nervous with their long-term agendas and raw power. The alien
entities of the Mythos want to change the World in ways no other faction is comfortable with.
If your group is comfortable with inter-Band politics, betrayal, and aggression, the stories for mixed-
faction Bands write themselves. The more powerful a Scion (or other character that draws the focus of
Fate) grows, the more individual their agenda becomes and the less likely it is that they’ll want exactly
the same things as the rest of their Band.
If you want inter-Band conflict to shape your story, set some ground rules for how players can and should
interact. For example, you may want to exclude combat between player characters and insist they work
through proxies. You may also ask players to make their schemes known to other players, though not
characters, to create the impression of a level playing field — and also to encourage open communication
between players, which helps keep feuding and conflict firmly within the fiction, not around the game
table. You’ll definitely want to ensure characters have sufficiently different motives and agendas that they
don’t consistently split into the same factions in every conflict, especially if that consistently leaves one
or two players at a disadvantage. Throw in external pressures that encourage players to vary their
alliances: offer a weak or out-of-favor player character a powerful ally or advantage that makes others
consider a temporary alliance.
Remember, too, that some players are just better at politicking and handling shifting alliances than others.
The Storyguide shouldn’t take sides but they definitely should champion their players. If someone’s
getting outclassed by another player’s scheming, pause play or arrange a time between games to talk
about how all players involved want a plotline to play out. Roleplaying is not a competitive hobby, it’s a
collaborative one, and while playing to find out how a story shakes out is great in theory, a storyline all
participants get an equal say in is one in which everyone wins.
Any Scion character is about more than faction allegiances. Origin and Hero level play do a great job of
bringing a group together. Finding common cause in facing an Antagonist the players all love to hate is
one option to unite them. Human bonds are another, equally powerful, tool. Characters who have things in
common, whether it’s an upbringing that gives them a shared outlook on the World or a shared traumatic
experience, have more holding them together than just a sense of being special or a quest they feel
obliged to complete.
At these low-powered tiers of play it’s easy to find problems that bind the characters together, whether
it’s hunting a monster preying on their neighborhood, working together to return from an Underworld, or
struggling with the revelation of their place in the World while they try to finish up their PhDs. Those
bonds last, and once a Band’s formed real friendships they’re likely to transcend faction politics and keep
the group working together as their individual Legends grow.
Remember, too, that if there’s one thing you can rely on in any roleplaying game, it’s that the players’
characters will be exceptional — and in Scion, Fate wants that too. Expecting them to neatly conform to
the stereotypes of their faction is a recipe for disappointment. They’re not only individuals, but they’re
individuals explicitly concerned with their own advancement. They’re going to do their own thing, and
stepping into some gray areas in their choice of appropriate allies is the least of the chaos they’ll cause.
Even beyond the evergreen get out clause of “we’re all individuals!”, pantheons don’t have a single view
on how Titans should be treated, or even what makes a Titan. The Gods versus Titans dichotomy is a
classically Hellenic paradigm. Most pantheons would agree the Theoi are a bellicose bunch, inclined to
fight anyone and anything that looks sideways at them. They are (for once) a convenient midpoint on the
scale of how Gods see Titans. As Titanomachy already pointed out, the Devá see Titans (or Asura, a
term they use interchangeably) everywhere and they’re pretty flexible about their definition. A God who
stands against the Devá can easily find themselves labeled Asura; a Titan they see as doing the right
thing, or doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, might be an antihero, a kind of honorary God,
whether they want that position or not.
The Orisha and Loa reject the category of Titan altogether. As Èshù Èlégbara explained in Titanomachy,
calling a category of intelligent beings monsters is how you make it A-OK to eradicate them. This is just a
single example of pantheons treating the “Titans bad” line as pure propaganda. The Devá believe, based
on their experiences, that the children of any ancient power should be judged by their deeds, not their
parentage, and even if a pantheon’s party line is that Titans are irredeemable monsters, individual agents
of the Gods may hold a more nuanced view.
The framework of the Second Titanomachy assumes that while there are a lot of shades of gray between
“God” and “Titan”, the differences between the two groups are more than purely ideological; that Titans
are possessed of ancient, powerful Callings that pose a danger to the Gods’ status quo. But there’s no
reason that assumption has to be true. Playing the child of a Titan doesn’t have to mean playing an
antisocial villain. There’s also no reason the Gods’ status quo should be preserved without questioning or
challenging it. Who says the Gods are fitting custodians for the World? Yayael of the Zemi, amongst
others, would argue the Gods did a pretty poor job of making and managing the World and he has some
compelling evidence on his side.
Running games for mixed Bands is a great opportunity for a Storyguide to treat the myths they know as
examples of history written by the winners. The Titans have another perspective on events, and there’s no
cosmic law saying they have to be wrong.

F ree W ill and the T itan

Titanic Scions possess a powerful, all-consuming nature that blooms inside them
as they grow in power. That’s one story, but in Scion all the myths are true. It’s
possible, though not easy, for a Titanic Demigod to reject their nature altogether
and replace their Titanic Calling with a divine one. Chapter One has more
information on the process. Rejecting one’s Titanic origins is a powerful,
fascinating story: what draws a Titanic Scion to a role as hero or antihero, how do
they assume the role, and at what cost? A mixed Band is a great place for to explore
those questions thanks to the range of reactions such a choice will provoke.
In many ways, the more factions and origins you include in a Band and in the framework for a storyline
— the Antagonists you present, the local power structures the Band work with and around, and even the
background characters — the easier it becomes to break down faction allegiances. A Band of Scions and
Titans might struggle to find common ground but once you throw in a Saint, a Denizen of an Overworld,
and a Dragon, the characters’ goals and philosophies become points along a scale rather than polar
opposites.
Titanomachy made a strong point about Titanic Scions, and as the hostilities move from a cold war to a
hot-as-the-center-of-the-Sun one it still stands: Titans may want to utterly destroy the World, but Titanic
Scions usually have a strong attachment to it. It’s their World. They grew up there even if childhood was
difficult, which it is for a lot of Titanic Scions. If you really, really need a mixed-faction Band to play
nice together, threaten to end the World — or change it until they don’t recognize it anymore. God-level
Titans might grow beyond the need for the World, but at the very least they’re going to need to build their
own Realm before the World is no more. The Keepers of the World (see Scion: Demigod) have some
really idiosyncratic ideas about what the World should look like, and exactly which Gods and Titans
should be around to rule over it. Conspiracies like theirs are exactly the kind of powerful Antagonist who
can unite any group with an attachment to the status quo. On the other side of the coin, Titanic Scions
might find they have a lot in common with those conspiracies — or with other groups who want to
substantially change how the World works. Mythos entities and their spawn might delight in a World that
truly knows fear, and certain Titans (e.g. Ba’al Hammon or Hurkaway, for very different reasons) would
absolutely enjoy that too.
The divisions between Titans and other members of their Band are relatively easy to gloss over at low
Tiers of play. The more a Titan’s Legend grows, the more of an agenda they’re likely to develop — just
like any Demigod- or God-Tier character. When the Band’s ambitions diverge the Storyguide has two
choices: roll with it and let the players thrash out a direction, with in-character conflict taking center stage
(just establish your Safety Tools early); or find an external threat significant enough to keep the Band
pulling together. Both have the capacity to create an unforgettable storyline.

Play N ice
 However respectful and communicative the players are, in-character conflict has
the potential to cause emotional bleed (i.e., the spillover of emotions from
characters to players). Mixed Bands will, at some point, have to navigate in-
character conflict. So get your safety tools in place early. Decide how you’re going
to identify when the game’s getting heated, how you’re going to de-escalate in the
moment, and then how you’re going to get the players to talk out their
disagreement, preferably away from the audience of their fellow players. There’s
a world of safety tools on the internet; take the time to peruse some and decide
what’s likely to work for you.

True Titans
Once a Titan achieves Apotheosis there’s an entire tier of play left ahead of them. What replaces a Titan’s
personal struggles with their nature and the arduous labor of building their Legend and grasping their full
power? The same thing that plagues all God-tier characters: other God-tier characters.

Take Your Place

Newly minted Gods step into place in their pantheon of origin or one of their own creation, celebrated by
allies and followers and closely watched by enemies. New Titans arrive having conquered immense
opposition from an array of sources. Their battle’s not over. To become accepted as an essential part of
the World — to be battled and opposed, but ultimately acknowledged as having a right to exist — they
must make a statement. Destroy an enemy, steal a Mantle, threaten a Realm or save one. A Titan who
doesn’t show the other powers they’re not to be taken lightly risks the other beings at their level of power
dismissing them, belittling them, or thinking they’re an easy target.
A new Titan would be wise to make a dramatic, unforgettable, and preemptive move that establishes,
even more clearly than the Legend established along the path to Apotheosis, their strength and agenda. A
Storyguide doesn’t need to do much work to set up this story arc. It’s unusual for any long-standing
character regardless of parentage to reach this end-game stage of play without enemies. Even a Titan
who’s positioned themselves firmly as a hero or antihero has scores to settle.

Control the Narrative

There’s a valid argument that Titans are misunderstood, stereotyped, or judged too harshly. History’s
written by the winners, as the saying goes, and in the World that primarily means the followers of the
Gods. Full-fledged Titans, at this highest tier of play, have a major advantage over less powerful entities:
Their actions can not only change the future but rewrite history.
If a new Titan wants to erase any harm they’ve done on their ascent, either by erasing certain Deeds from
memory or just erasing their victims, they can. Like any other God-tier character their actions in the
present can ripple back through time, becoming the way the World has always been. It’s an incredibly
potent tool for reputation management: A Titan can, with enough careful manipulation, quite literally turn
themselves into the hero of a story whether their Deeds justify that or not. Their Titanic Calling might
undermine those efforts, leading them towards tyranny or destruction that defies the story they try to tell.
As noted in several other Scion supplements, Fate despises these temporal Butterfly Effects. It’s resigned
to a certain amount of ongoing change, but actively opposes gross, unsubtle transformations. Titans are
fully capable of being their own worst enemy, but Fate’s a much worse one. A Titan may find Fate
quietly undermining or reshaping to a form it prefers.
A storyline like this requires a certain amount of preparation from the Storyguide. Drop hints earlier on —
during difficult choices and sacrifices on the path to Apotheosis, for example — that a decision doesn’t
necessarily have to haunt a Titanic Scion forever. Give them examples of ways other beings have
rewritten the history of the World, and let them entertain the possibility they could change it in turn. Any
Scion with regrets, or who regrets getting caught, is a viable focus for a story arc such as this.

Rain Down Devastation

If there’s one thing Titans do better than anyone, it’s an apocalypse. Devastation calls to them; their
Callings incline them to oppose, to thwart, to rend asunder. So let them. This is the maximal tier of
power. There’s nothing greater than this. It’s time to let petty vendettas spiral. Titans don’t have to make
the first move to cause an apocalypse. If they have a Realm or a little patch of Terra Incognita they call
their own, it’s a natural target for enemies to strike at. Why develop this tremendous destructive capacity
then hold it in reserve as a deterrent? It feels good to exercise these powers, and the Monstrous Urges
described in Saints & Monsters (p. 93) are a useful Storyguiding tool to lead players in that direction.
The two key components of an apocalypse story are overreach and consequences. There’s no such thing
as a minor apocalypse. The Realm it affects might be small or overlooked, but it’s still the Denizens’
entire world. Keeping an apocalypse running to plan is like taming lightning. It threatens to burst free at
every twist and turn and have devastating effects far beyond what the instigator foresaw.
Even if an apocalypse goes entirely as planned, the consequences are still vast. What effect does it have
when a Titan fundamentally damages a concept or Purview they’re closely connected to — when a Moon
or Storm Titan boils the seas or scorches the skies? What happens if a Titan regrets their actions? Can
they mitigate or heal the damage? Or will someone equally powerful step in and try to undo everything
they’ve wrought?

Build a Network
Many Titans find they can’t retreat from the World as much as they’d like. They have enemies as
powerful as they are. That includes the ever-watchful Gods of their pantheon, and the enemies they made
during their ascent to power. The unfortunate part of crossing expressions of eternal concepts is that a
conflict is rarely, if ever, completely at an end (see “Destroying Realms” p. XX). Those enemies have
agents, and they operate both in the enemy’s own Realm and in the World. Observing their actions there
gives a Titan advance warning, which makes it much easier to oppose those who move against them. For
the most part, that means building a cult.
Striking fear or awe into the hearts of mortals isn’t a story arc at this tier of play. Fatebinding, a couple of
grandiose marvels, or the occasional clearly expressed threat should suffice. A show of power makes an
interesting scene, though. It’s a rare opportunity for a full-fledged Titan to interact with mortals who are
now as comprehensible and relevant to them as ants. It’s essentially an opportunity for a Titan to flex for
an entire scene.
A cult is a Birthright. When a Scion calls on their followers, it’s at most a dice roll. Investing in and
running these assets is a downtime experience, calling for the expenditure of a few XP. If a Titan decides
to take another entity’s cult, that’s a story. Why should a Scion of Áo Guāng scratch-build their own cult
of storms and shipwrecks, when Poseidon’s (or Áo Guāng’s, if they’re feeling spicy) is right there for the
taking? Stealing assets from another God-tier entity automatically results in God-tier reprisals. Those are
the scenes worth playing out. Conversely, if another entity muscles in on a Titan’s cult, or moves against
it, it’s worth the Titan getting personally involved.
Founding a cult or other order of followers needs the Titan’s player to instigate it. However, once they
have one — in fact, if they have anything they value, from a favored Birthright to a Realm — the
Storyguide should feel completely empowered to have some upstart God try to take it from them. They
don’t need a strong reason, even: myths are rife with Gods stealing and plundering simply because their
whims dictated it. Don’t actually steal a player’s treasured investment though. It’s fun to scare them. It’s
just unfair to strip away a character feature a player loves.

Break the Cycle

When a Scion reaches Godhood they’re capable of creating Scions of their own. That’s not at all
exclusive to Titans — but mythic storytelling loves a ring structure, and if Titanic Scions had a fraught
relationship with their own progenitors, there’s a perfect opportunity to do experience that parent and
child relationship from a different perspective. A Titan might start out with the best of intentions only to
find their Scion is as willful and independent as they were. Alternatively, a Titan might create a Scion
reluctantly, out of necessity, then either eliminate the threat or constantly wrestle with the possibility
they’ll need to do so. If they get really lucky or work incredibly hard they might turn out to be a better
parent than their own progenitor.
While a Storyguide can suggest a plotline like this to a Titan’s player the choice is ultimately up to them
and everyone else in the group to decide whether it’s something they want to explore. Creating and
rearing (or abandoning) a child is a difficult and traumatic subject for many. This is especially true when
portraying creatures of immense, primal passions that flow through them and — by this tier of play —
largely define them.

The Second Titanomachy

So far this chapter’s largely set aside the subject of the Second Titanomachy, but it’s coming. Or already
here. And it’s very difficult to carry out without Titans’ active participation. You might say they’re the
stars of the show.

W hat’s a T itanomachy?
Titanomachy can mean several things in the multi-faceted history of the World. It
could be one conflict that’s raged since Zeus overthrew Cronus. Or that conflict
might have ended only to be replaced with another one at a later stage, or one
that’s about to erupt now. The Titanomachy in your version of the World might
be about to intensify, escalate, or start afresh. It might just refer to the ongoing
backdrop of conflict between Gods and Titans. As always, do what’s right for your
game. The advice in this chapter applies to a variety of circumstances.

How It Starts
The roots of the conflict go back to the creation of the World and the origins of the Gods. The Theoi
overthrew their Titans. The Tuatha de Danann exiled the Fomorians to an island somewhere the Gods
could forget about them. The Teōtl reclaimed the ruined World from their Titans no fewer than four
times. Eons ago the Titanomachy was a literal, hot war. Titanomachy and other Scion books have
described its current state as by default a cold war that’s persisted across ages.

W ar Stories
Scion is first and foremost a modern fantasy game. For as often as war happens in
fantasy stories, the genre’s not great at handling it. Fantasy tends to overlook the
cost of war except when it’s poignant and romantic to glimpse it. Destruction of
 civilians’ homes, ways of life, and the displacement of populations aren’t fantasy
tropes, they’re very current news stories. Before you start running Second
Titanomachy-focused storylines, discuss comfort levels and triggers with your
players. If they don’t want to confront all the horrors of war, keep the action on
the battlefield and engineer your conflict so the consequences fall on the Gods and
Titans, not the people of the World.
To turn it into a focal storyline, something has to happen to shake up the status quo. Either the Gods or
the Titans have to make a move so jaw droppingly brazen and disruptive the other side can’t tolerate it.
There’s no singular Scion metaplot, but there are plenty of possible inciting events.
• Kill a God or a Titan. This is the kind of action that not only demands retribution but can unite a
bunch of squabbling pantheons long enough to get it. Especially if the murderer’s someone the pantheons
think is stepping out of their rightful place.
• Destroy a Realm. This is as close to an apocalypse as a Storyguide can get without a lengthy
storyline to build up to it. Destroy a God’s Realm. Obliterate it and scatter all the Legendary Creatures
that called it home. It should go without saying that apocalypse and the destruction of entire populations
is an unforgivable act; even Gods and Titans without a stroke of compassion don’t like other beings
breaking their toys.
• Destroy the World. Time and causality don’t have to be linear where Gods are involved. Start a
storyline with the biggest bang of all time: destroying the entire World. Most pantheons have a foretold
end time state to work with. Start there, then wind back and give the Band a chance to prevent it. Nothing
sets the stakes higher than knowing you’ve already lost once. If unspooling the timeline is a little too
outrageous, burden the Band with prophecies of the impending end of the World.
Whether you attribute this inciting incident to a single Titan (or God), a group of Titans (or Gods), or a
broad alliance of Titans (etc.) affects the kind of war that results.
A single instigator creates one enemy and maybe a cross-faction alliance to punish them. Gods and Titans
can start on the same side of this conflict, acknowledging the instigator went too far. That agreement
slowly unravels as some divine figures — or third parties looking to engineer or exploit a war — push for
punishment to extend to the instigator’s allies or entire pantheon. Alliances break down, slowly or fast,
until the Second Titanomachy takes its traditional form of Gods versus Titans.
A small group of instigators, especially if they’re from different pantheons, can imply a conspiracy; it
looks like the tip of an iceberg. Now the war starts with witch hunts, assumptions, and investigations that
either turn up old information or allow the Gods to force-fit facts to the narratives they already believe:
All Titans are monsters, and it’s only a matter of time before they destroy the World. War becomes
inevitable.
A visible alliance of Gods or Titans from numerous pantheons starts an immediate hot war. There’s
nothing else for it: the threat’s too great for patient maneuvering.
However you start the Second Titanomachy, do it in style. The more jaw-dropping the power on display,
the harder it is to dismiss, diminish, or overlook the inciting incident.

The Doomsday Clock

It’s up to every individual group to determine what type of Titanomachy suits them. The conflict exists
along a scale from a tense, cold war on the point of eruption to an out-and-out, all-consuming conflict that
leaves visible scars on battlefields across the World and every Realm.
Cold War
A cold war between Gods and Titans is the default state of the Second Titanomachy and the default state
of Scion as a whole. Titanomachy discusses this cold war as default setting, and its advice largely still
holds true. The ways the cold war manifests in stories — battles against cults and titanspawn, for example
— are still accurate too. But you’ll get the most mileage out of a cold war storyline by considering why
the war stays cold and how long that can last.
Our own world’s (small w) cold war didn’t erupt into open warfare between superpowers in the 1970s
mostly because it would have been irrecoverably destructive to both sides. It was safer to work through
intelligence agencies and proxy wars. Considering Gods and Titans can destroy entire Realms with only
slightly more effort than a mortal punches a hole in a paper bag, that principle definitely also applies to
the Second Titanomachy. There’s a constant threat of cold war turning hot, and either stopping or
encouraging that (depending on the players’ and characters’ degree of bloodthirstiness) is the background
tension of any cold war storyline.
Preserving life and ways of life is likely to matter more to Heroes and Demigods than to God-tier
characters, so a cold war framework for the Second Titanomachy can position them as agents working to
keep their more powerful progenitors from getting directly involved, maybe even keeping them from
noticing there’s a war going on. God-tier beings probably don’t want the World destroyed, but their
tolerance for change could be a lot higher than that of characters who are still entangled in the lives of
individual humans.
Plenty of third parties have an interest in turning a cold war hot. Dragons have simmering, eons old
resentments and making their enemies destroy one another satisfies draconic minds accustomed to
playing a long game. Human sorcerers see an opportunity to siphon away power for themselves. While
the entities of the Mythos are as uninterested in war as they are in most human and human-adjacent
concepts, their offspring and cults know a useful cover for their own activities when they see one — and
they’re often not overly concerned with collateral damage. A cold war framework therefore provides
room for protagonists to engage with a variety of foes, not just the Gods or Titans on the opposing side of
the conflict. It also allows protagonists to be representatives of those third-party forces, exploiting the war
for their own ends.
Other third parties aren’t interested in getting involved in the war at all and find themselves as unwilling
tools in proxy wars. See Actions and Alliances (p. XX) for more on the storytelling opportunities of
characters in that position.

Hot Zones
A cold war with hot zones is a carefully balanced compromise between the default cold war and all-out
open warfare. Hot zones might refer to proxy wars, or to a détente that confines actual fighting to specific
parts of Terra Incognita or far-flung Realms. Escalating the Second Titanomachy to this level gives a
Storyguide all the powerful drama of war stories, with only a limited risk of changing their entire version
of The World to a form they no longer want to play in.
As a Storyguide, resist the temptation to let players treat this as a ‘safe’ way of waging the war. It’s
difficult to contain a conflict on the scope of the Second Titanomachy to specific theaters of war. While
Gods have an interest in maintaining the status quo, Titans have less to lose.

W hat Proxies?
In mortal wars, “proxy wars” refers to great powers jostling for power in third-
 party nations. The divine equivalent is making mortal nations or even their
various cults and followers fight (think about the Trojan War, but with modern
weapons) or controlling or manipulating neutral territory — like Terra Incognita
not claimed by a God or Titan — and other mysterious corners of the World.

War to End All Wars

If and when the Second Titanomachy escalates to this point, the entire World is in dire straits. When
Titans battle Gods across every Realm, Terra Incognita, and the World itself, nothing and nobody is safe.
Open warfare is a chance to bring massive scale (and Scale) battle to the World. It feels good for players
to use their Boons and Birthrights to their full potential, and especially for characters approaching or
following Apotheosis it’s a chance to fully flex powerful new God-tier muscles.
The Second Titanomachy’s a chance to throw titanspawn off mountains, smite Gods with their own
weapons, and carve bloody swathes through armies of Denizens. It’s also a chance for strategic thinking,
sabotage, defensive action, and other types of play outside of smashing things, but there’s no denying
blasting enemies to smithereens is a big draw.
While it feels good to throw lots of dice and shout out big numbers, a good Storyguide sets those things
against the stakes and consequences of the Second Titanomachy. Battles happen for a reason: one God or
Titan has a specific vendetta against another, one side needs to destroy an asset or resource, or undermine
an enemy before they strike at the other side’s territory. Very rarely is the goal of a battle simply to shed
more blood than the other side. Give players a reason for every fight, to keep them thinking.
Make sure they see the consequences, too. In the heat of battle thrown lightning bolts and falling stars are
dramatic. Afterwards, they leave scars that won’t fade until the whole World forgets their story. Contrast
the adrenaline rush of battle by putting players on cleanup duty, attempting to repair or mitigate the
damage caused by a battle, or heal the civilian casualties who happened to be in the vicinity. Especially if
the players were on the winning side. Remember, too, that Fate sometimes takes a hand, recasting
glorious heroes as killers and ravagers without having to change a single fact of what happened.
Every battle is an opportunity for players and/or SGCs to realize the Second Titanomachy is apocalyptic
and attempt to stop it before it completely destroys the World as they know it. But do remember that
sometimes one side’s plan to end a war involves developing a weapon more powerful than any the World
has seen before.

Escalating and De-Escalating

Titanomachy suggests dialing up the temperature gauge and moving from cold war to hotter-than-the-
surface-of-the-Sun war based on characters’ power level, and that’s the default way to handle it. It’s a
very natural progression: Characters get tougher and stakes get higher. But it’s not the only option.
War is exhausting. Big battles get boring, no matter how high the stakes or how dynamic the staging.
Equally, cold war gets staid if there’s never any real threat of it flaring up. A narrative needs peaks and
troughs, and moving between cold war, hot zones, and all-out war provides those tonal shifts to a Second
Titanomachy storyline.
• The protagonists or other diplomats might be able to engineer peace talks, and cool hostilities to a
stand-off or some low-key maneuvers in the shadows for a time. Both sides can use this opportunity to
improve their positions, ready for the inevitable resumption of war.
• A crisis might force a pause in overt action while both sides band together to deal with something
worse than one another. Incidentally, that’s a fantastic opportunity to build relationships between the
players’ characters and the other side, then put them to the test when the conflict resumes.
• A single agitator can drag the temperature up again with a single action (time to assassinate
another archduke. It’s been a while.).
Just make sure that when you repeatedly change the heat of the Second Titanomachy, you don’t burn out
the players. You can only afford so many reversals and resets before they feel arbitrary, and overall the
storyline should trend in the direction of player characters getting what they want, albeit with significant
obstacles. There’s a fine line between making a situation feel volatile and making it feel like nothing the
protagonists do has any impact. The key with a narrative as complicated as the Second Titanomachy is to
make sure the players influence it but not control it. If they work hard to broker peace, make sure they get
a chance to stop it collapsing again. Conversely, if they’re putting in the hard work to bring about an
apocalypse, don’t have every other God and power determined to stop them; give them cracks to exploit
and alliances to forge, and let them absolutely ruin the status quo.

Action and Alliances

Every faction, at every tier, has a role to play in the Second Titanomachy, whether they want to or not.
It’s an all-consuming upheaval, and it’s difficult to stay neutral. The following overviews are by their
nature short and generalized. In this, as in every matter, individual Gods, Titans, Dragons, and others have
their own perspectives and agendas. Use these notes as guidance, not manifestos.

Gods and Titans

Gods and Titans are, obviously, the key players in the Second Titanomachy. They’re the ones making the
decisions about what grievances and ambitions are worth fighting over, and where and how those battles
take place. Whether those decisions are based on solid strategic thinking or a tangle of messy
interpersonal motives depends on the temperament of each God and Titan, and is likely to shift towards
the latter as the Second Titanomachy drags on. After a certain point the participants aren’t fighting for a
cause so much as fighting out of habit, because they believe the enemy must be destroyed. Both sides are
also fighting because they can’t afford to stop. If they do, the other side will destroy them.
In its default state of cold war, the Second Titanomachy keeps actual Gods and Titans off the battle lines.
They’re behind the scenes, calling the shots. As the war gets hotter these powerful entities make more
personal appearances. That’s terrifying for every other being in their presence, but also fun for players,
especially if their characters are fully empowered Gods and Titans: direct action is usually more
satisfying for players than carefully arranging proxies and playing pieces on a figurative game board. It’s
also an opportunity to confront these momentously powerful characters with individual beings who can
go toe-to-toe with them.
There are plenty of stories beyond Gods or Titans rocking up in the World or at the gates of an enemy’s
Realm to wreak havoc. Titans and Gods tend to assume every other being in the World is subordinate to
them. History pretty much supports that claim because Gods, Titans, and their supporters wrote it. They
expect the Scions, Denizens, worshippers, and other beings on their side of the war to do what they’re
told. That may not hold up once these troops and agents experience the Second Titanomachy’s
devastating consequences. Then the central theme of the story becomes how Gods and Titans wield their
power: Do they use it to rein in ‘their’ people and force them into line? Or do they listen to their concerns
and moderate their own behavior?
The answer’s different for every God and Titan, of course. Titans are by nature more likely to lean hard
into destruction. It’s their Calling. But nature doesn’t fully define a Titan any more than any other being.
Scions
After their progenitors, Scions are the most powerful beings in the Second Titanomachy and the war’s the
backdrop for their growing Legends. The Second Titanomachy throws many of Scion’s central themes
into sharp focus: understanding who you are and what you’re capable of, and making conscious choices
about who you want to be. Combat is character. Choosing to kill or spare an enemy is a formative
experience. Deciding whether to raze a city in revenge for a personal loss, or to swallow the pain and
move past it, shapes a character’s path and moments like those are so common in the Second
Titanomachy they’re almost daily. The Iliad is an excellent model for one side of this story — cycles of
fighting and revenge that become entrenched and habitual.
Scions aren’t usually obedient to their progenitors. Stories about claiming independence and agency are
easy to tell when Gods and Titans make regular, taxing demands for Scions to oppose.
Working to make a life and Legend that isn’t solely shaped by war is also a valid and moving story.
Seizing the power to say no and force Fate and the Gods to bend to your will is one hell of a road to
Apotheosis.

Dragons
Dragons and their Heirs sit outside the framework of the Gods and Titans’ age-old war. They operate in
secret, avoiding the notice of the divine beings and their servants. In some ways the Second Titanomachy
is business as usual; in others, it’s a rare opportunity to come out of the shadows.
Draconic characters are uniquely well-placed to navigate an increasingly tense cold war. Discreet,
untraceable action that shifts the course of a conflict is their stock-in-trade. Smart Gods and Titans who
become aware of Dragons and their offspring might realize this and entice a Dragon or their Heir to work
alongside them, learning from their expertise. Dragons are rarely allies and they make dangerous enemies,
so getting out of that relationship without the possibility of blackmail or assassination is a tangled,
sensitive storyline that can be a refreshing alternative to battling ever more powerful titanspawn.
Alternatively, while Gods and Titans are hammering away at one another, they have no spare resources to
turn against Dragons and very little chance of noticing Draconic activity. Escalating hostilities are a
perfect cover for Dragons to strike against their enemies on both sides of the Second Titanomachy. It’s
therefore in their interest to make sure hostilities do escalate in order to cover their own schemes.
Dragons sometimes find their interests align with a God or a Titan towards a specific goal. If it benefits a
Dragon to have their Heir support — or oppose — a God or a Titan for a time, working as a mercenary or
an ally of convenience, they apply pressure to that end. With that justification it’s completely possible to
add a Draconic character into a mixed Band. If you have a Band composed entirely of Draconic Heirs,
there’s a whole story arc in the ways they alter the World while the Gods and Titans are distracted.

Prophets
Prophets are the Second Titanomachy’s early warning system. Before the first chain is broken and the
first blow struck, prophets know what’s coming. For once, Cassandras aren’t the worst affected; at least
they’re used to being disbelieved and disregarded. Most Gods and Titans — and others — accept the
Second Titanomachy’s coming but that’s the whole problem: They’ve accepted it. They think they’re
ready. They think they know just how bad things are going to get.
They don’t. Knowing the theoretical potential of the Second Titanomachy isn’t the same as seeing it
unfold in prophecies. While the Second Titanomachy’s still a cold war — or just the seed of an idea in a
vengeful Titan’s eye — prophets might take the opportunity to try and stop it with small nudges. If there’s
a divine equivalent of teaching Hitler’s parents about contraception, a prophet-focused storyline could
focus on that.
Once the war begins in earnest, prophets become a vital asset. Every side wants their vision, and they’ll
sink to any depth to obtain their services — whether the prophet’s willing or not.

Denizens
Denizens’ goals and motivations are as varied as the forms they take. They might take any position in the
Second Titanomachy from loyal agents of their divine being to vocally anti-war activists. The majority of
Denizens have one thing in common, however: they have homes to protect. The Second Titanomachy
puts Terra Incognita and Realms under threat and while devastating an enemy’s home turf is merely one
action in a longer campaign to a God or Titan, it’s everything to the Realm’s Denizens.
Playing Denizens in a Second Titanomachy-focused storyline, especially if the conflict escalates to open
war, is an opportunity to scrutinize the effects of war on those caught up in it through no fault of their
own, and in many cases probably against their will. Denizens don’t get a say in whether a God goes to
war, they just happen to live on the battlefield. This type of story gives players an opportunity to defend
and resist, instead of playing proactive and glorious heroes. Protecting their home Realm, possibly in the
absence of greater powers, against invading forces is a framework for an entire story arc, either as the
central feature of a game or as an interlude from the sweeping actions of deities.

Saints
Saints are quintessentially human and they speak for, and stand up for, human cultures and communities.
That doesn’t mean they’re nice or even good, but a passionate desire to keep existing is a common trend
amongst human cultures. No Saint would shrug and say “if a God wants to wipe us out with one strike
from her mighty thunderbolt, that’s cool.” They’re out to preserve the World.
Saints might start the Second Titanomachy broadly aligned with their pantheon’s goal; foes of the
pantheon, including Titans, should be smote and slain. When the conflict starts to damage the World,
whether that means rampaging titanspawn, ruined Axes Mundi, or miracles that leave scars, Saints dig in
their heels and resist for the sake of humanity. And since Saints can get very powerful indeed, with some
of them rivalling Demigods, they’re significant opponents for divine characters at most tiers of play.
When Saints face powers they can’t resist alone, Gods or Titans could send agents to offer help, or Saints
might intentionally court them.
Players can portray Saints attempting to undermine, sabotage, divert, or deescalate the Second
Titanomachy, or at least divert its worst impacts away from their own regions of the World. Storyguides
can use them as a wrench in literally any divine plan — Antagonists for players’ characters to overcome,
or obstacles to negotiate around.

Sorcerers
When most human beings look upon the works of Gods, they tremble. When they see the chaos and
destruction wrought by open war between Gods and Titans, they cower. Sorcerers are built differently.
When sorcerers look at the ruins left on battlefields and the overwhelming dedication of divine beings to
the cause of strife, they see an opportunity. Sorcerers come in two broad categories: those who Fatebind
themselves to a God, or a Titan if they’re brave enough, and those who strike a deal with Fate.
Sorcerers reliant on divine patronage can work the Second Titanomachy to their advantage. Their patron
needs loyal, skilled servants willing to take huge risks. While doing as their patron commands puts the
sorcerer in grave danger, throwing them up against foes immeasurably more powerful than they are, it
also shifts the balance of power in their favor. Their patron needs them. They can ask for more than ever
before; more power, obviously, but also gifts, allies, and anything else they need. A bold sorcerer finds
they can push the relationship with their patron further than they previously thought possible.
For sorcerers who trade their power for prohibitions, the Second Titanomachy is less of an open goal:
Fate doesn’t bargain. For these sorcerers, the Second Titanomachy may be more a matter of holding onto
power and making sure there’s a World left to enjoy when the divine forces are done with their battle.

Story Ideas
The rest of this chapter’s made up of story ideas you can borrow, hack, remix, adapt, and plunder to tell
Second Titanomachy-based stories at your table. These story ideas come in two forms:
1. Story Hooks. These are (usually) one-act prompts and come complete with a way to get the Scions
involved (Pulling Fate’s Threads), snags, and character write-ups. A story can easily serve as an
adventure for several sessions depending on your group’s approach.
2. Story Tracks. Story tracks work in a similar way as plot hooks but span multiple acts. A story track
can easily serve as an entire story arc. One track might be written to run consecutively across multiple
sessions, while others allow you to break them up — run act one first, then return to another story, then
run act two, and so forth. Many of them don’t need you to play every act, letting you jump in and play act
two onwards, or act two then act four. Each act also comes with its own Pulling Fate’s Thread section to
get you started, and includes concrete actions the characters could or should take to help you plan scenes.
Whether you’re using story hooks or tracks: Change the details to work for your group. For example, the
Myth of War Movement hook features a Titanic disinformation campaign run by a Scion of Māra. It’s far
from the only disinformation campaign in the World and if you’ve already featured a different one, use it.
If for some reason your Band wouldn’t cross a Scion of Māra, change the Antagonist’s progenitor.
Customizing details makes it easier to get the Band involved as well as making the story feel more
personal to the characters.
Pulling Fate’s Threads provides ways to get the characters tangled up in the story. The details are set
dressing; there’s a universal appeal at the heart of each — getting one over on a rival, shifting the balance
of power in the Second Titanomachy, or scoring a favor from a potential ally can draw in almost any
Band. You can also flip the script. For example, the Myth of War Movement is aimed at divine Scions
disrupting a Titanic disinformation campaign. You could just as easily run it for Titanic Scions
maintaining the campaign in the face of divine resistance.
Each act in a story track comes with its own Pulling Fate’s Threads. Continuing from the previous act is
usually an option but not the only one. As before, don’t hesitate to change this to suit your needs.
Snags are curve balls that complicate a storyline. They’re not natural consequences of the storyline itself
but extra obstacles to throw at the Band. If the Scions are shepherding a pack of psychopomp dogs to their
intended recipient, someone kidnapping a dog is a snag. So is one of the dogs bonding with someone in
the Band and refusing to be separated. Snags are often third parties with their own agendas, which don’t
have to be directly connected to the plot. For example, someone steals one of the dogs to use as a stud
animal; they don’t care where the animal’s going or who owns it, they just want the doggo. If you see an
opportunity to use a recurring character from your game as a snag, go for it. If you can introduce a
character from one of the Band’s backstory as a snag, do that too. Everyone loves a recurring villain, a
frenemy, or that one Gods-damned liability of a friend.
Snags come in a mix of physical, social, and wits-based problems so you can tailor them to your group.
Use whichever snags you like and ignore the others. You can also link snags on the fly —the Band
rescues an innocent bystander during an action scene, who then turns out to be a Trickster God looking to
mess with them.
Characters are included at the end of each story hook and story track. These short descriptions focus on
who they are and what role they play in the plot. Characters usually recur in multiple acts of a story track
so the Band get to build more of a relationship with them and thus care more when they appear. You can
absolutely drop characters you like into different hooks or tracks. For example Eleni Pappas, the Scion of
Eris from A Golden Apple could have a great time messing with stuffy, status-obsessed Gods at Ludwig
the Mad’s ball in Dance Floor Diplomacy.
Feel free to change the name, pronouns, and even divine parentage of SGCs to suit your needs. We also
encourage switching out the premade SGC for existing characters from your campaign — if the Band
already knows a child of Eris, or another Trickster Scion, use them instead.

Story Hooks
These standalone story hooks are suitable for one-off games or to drop into longer storylines.

I Hear He Paints Houses

NOTE TO DEVELOPER AND EDITOR: THE TITLE OF THIS PLOT HOOK REFERS TO JIMMY HOFFA
SAYING “I HEAR YOU PAINT HOUSES” AS A EUPHEMISM/CODE FOR KILLING PEOPLE
Honolulu, Hawaii. The stevedores’ union is locked in a tense strike while negotiations continue between
shipping corporations, union leaders, and politicians. Accusations of crimes and misconduct flood the
Hawaiian media as people on both sides claim to be victims of assault and violence. Behind the scenes,
Erlik Khan of the Tengri pulls the strings, bringing the conflict to a boiling point. Erlik Khan’s Scion
Mehmet Zorlu acts as union leader in the open but at night takes on guises to do violence on both the
opposition and his own followers to intimidate them to stay in line. As the violence becomes public
Mehmet insists the corporations and police are framing his faction and asserts the violence against his
own people comes from their hands.
The situation’s gone on long enough the frustration, lack of consideration, and strife have started to anger
Rehua — yes, that Rehua, the kindest and most compassionate of the Atua. If the situation’s not resolved
soon, the old man’s going to lose his temper and get into a fight with Erlik Khan over his offspring’s
behavior.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

News outlets cover the strike across the United States due to its effects on international shipping and other
labor movements declare support. Mehmet’s name features prominently in news reports, as does his status
as a Scion. To other Scions watching the news, that alone might make the strike a story worth watching.
Nobody wants to see Rehua get involved directly but the other Atua respect him too much to shut him
down. They or their agents could call on the Band to get involved and resolve the strike before it drives
Rehua to do something drastic.

Snags
• Various figures within the corporations and police already know Mehmet is responsible for the
violence attributed to one side or another, they just don’t have evidence. Once they get hold of evidence
they can present to the public they intend to expose him and shatter the union.
• Someone within the stevedores’ union realizes Mehmet’s behind all the violence on both sides.
They threaten to expose or blackmail him.
• A local politician (Hiroyuki Mishima) is trying to prolong the strike to prevent a story about his
history of bribe-taking from breaking. He pushes to suppress any evidence and ties up attempts to resolve
the strike (in either side’s favor) with bureaucracy. If need be, he plants agents provocateur in both
factions to keep tensions high.
• A tropical storm gathers out at sea and is set to strike Hawaii within a week. It’s going to rage for
days and all ships need to be out of Hawaiian ports before then or risk severe damage to ships and cargo.
• Mehmet’s actions harm the environment or cause widespread difficulties for worshippers of
multiple Atua. The strike turns into a flashpoint of violence between supporters of the Tengri and Atua.

Characters
Blessing and Curse of the Union: Mehmet Zorlu (he/him), Scion of Erlik Khan. Long time union
organizer and leg breaker for Erlik Khan. Mehmet truly believes in the Union and sees the violence he
does against opposition within and without as part of the greater good. If the money men weren’t so
greedy then no one would believe they’re the ones hurting the workers.
Meddling Bureaucrat: Hiroyuki Mishima (he/him). State Representative, human, politician running for
office and trying to make negotiations stretch out as long as possible to keep his own bribery scandal out
of the news.
One Good Cop: Noelani “Lani” Jones (she/her). A mortal detective from a long line of dock workers and
is sympathetic to their cause. The commissioner assigned her a handful of the assault cases on the union
side. She knows people aren’t telling her everything. She knows who to ask but not how to make them
talk.

The Myth of War Movement

Silicon Valley, San Francisco, California. The Myth of War Movement (MOWM) began as a small
internet movement on fact-checking websites and social media communities. It claimed the greater
conflict of the Second Titanomachy is an exaggeration, reporting individual conflicts as full-blown war to
keep the World fearful and compliant with the Gods’ agenda. Māra, God of Lies, instigated these rumors
and transformed the reports into the full-blown movement and website mythofwar.org. This propaganda
effort delegitimizes the Scions and Gods’ calls for aid and responses to Titanic action in the war by
deceiving worshippers, and even some Scions, as to the true scope of the conflict. Māra’s Scion Vital
Efflux commands a multi-million dollar start up running the website and funneling money and supplies to
Titanic Scions and groups worldwide.
NOTE TO THE DEVELOPER: TYPO IN “100 TIMES WE WERE LIED TOO ABOUT SECRET WARS” IS
INTENTIONAL.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Regardless of how the Band discovers MOWM, money and propaganda supporting the Titans present a
clear danger to divine Scions and their allies. Computer savvy Scions might discover or be recommended
the website by a friend or be forwarded the list “100 Times We Were Lied Too About Secret Wars” by an
incensed elderly relative. After encountering a suspiciously well-funded Titanic operation the Scions may
dig deeper into who supported the actions and discover MOWM behind the scenes.
Titans aren’t a unified force. Any other Titan could decide to wrest control of MOWM from Māra, or
decide this organization impedes propaganda work another cult is carrying out.

Snags
• Any interactions with MOWM employees, online or in their offices, are recorded. Expect them to
be edited and shared with the internet or law enforcement to present the movement’s opponents in the
worst light possible.
• MOWM’s campus boasts the best in modern internet security as well as the in-person presence of
the minor Devá Lokre, a demon dedicated to Māra. Lokre appears as a long-haired programmer with pop
culture t-shirts perpetually asleep on the break room couch, preventing anyone else from using it. Behind
their eyes their senses and spirit patrol the grounds seeking out magical intruders.
• DebunkR, the newest app from MOWM launches in one week with a live kick-off event. The
office campus opens to the public, but security will be at an all-time high.

Characters
C-Level Scion: Vital Efflux (he/him), Scion of Māra, founder & CEO of MOWM, manages the day-to-
day operations of the website as well as monitoring divine threats. His favored approaches are
meaningless platitudes and big checks — since modern money is made up Māra has a ton of it. With
enough notice he can call in favors of various titanspawn and Titanic Scions who have received funding
from MOWM.
Supreme Sceptic: Kwame Jones (they/them), mortal sceptic influencer and vlogger, famous in the
sceptic community. A recent fan of the site who attacks critics of MOWM. Kwame’s a true believer and if
the Scions convince them MOWM is lying, they could gain an ally.
Original Mover: Darva Mayflower (she/her), human activist, public relations, Darva began the MOWM
movement online after her sister died in an altercation between a titanspawn and a Scion. She sought to
bring the Scion to justice via the courts but found her crusade stymied at every turn. Eventually she
learned several key players in the court case served a war God and protected the Scion as a vital asset in
the Second Titanomachy. Darva bristled at the idea of some secret conspiracy as an excuse for mayhem
and sought to shed light on this issue. Vital Efflux contacted her shortly before launching the website and
keeps her on the payroll, lending MOWM credibility as a movement born from the search for truth. If she
learned MOWM funds Titanic violence rather than compensating victims, she would quickly turn on
Vital Efflux.
Double Agent: Missouri Pratt (she/her), Scion of Maudjee-Kawiss, fell out with her progenitor, who cast
her out saying she questioned the Gods too much. She now quietly aids the Titans while seething with
resentment. She works for MOWN knowing full well their mission and seeking to cover their tracks from
other Scions.

Spoils of War
Ifẹ̀, Nigeria. The British Empire stole many treasures from across the World and carried those looted
Relics with them on subsequent campaigns. Sir Sebastian Fredericks was one such plunderer amongst
many. He came to Ifẹ̀ in the late nineteenth century, bringing with him a great stone tablet he acquired in
Mesopotamia, which he believed was the source of his family’s good fortune. In truth, the stone was
nothing less than the Mesopotamian Tablet of Destinies, stolen long before by the Titan Imdugud.
The Fredericks family left Ifẹ̀ early in the twentieth century, called away to support the British occupying
army in another colony. They left the stone and their other stolen treasures hidden in an isolated cave
outside the city. If they intended to reclaim them later, they were never able to do so. Cut to the present
day. Local Scion Obioma Oparah recently learned of the stolen treasures’ hiding place during an oracular
trance. He passed the tip along to a contact — who subsequently delegated retrieval to the players’ Band.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

If one of the players’ Scions has an Annuna progenitor, their divine parent hears rumors the Tablet of
Destinies is in Ifẹ and requests they investigate. Alternatively, another Annuna Scion who is unable to
make the trip to Ifẹ̀ themselves contracts the players to act on their behalf. If the Band has no Annuna
connections, change the Relic’s rumored origin to one more relevant to a player character’s pantheon —
the rumor can be completely baseless, it just has to get the Band to Ifẹ. William Fredericks plundered
numerous countries in his travels. A Scion’s growing Legend might also come into play here – if
restoring or returning something lost could be part of their Legend this is an excellent opportunity for a
Deed.
Titans aren’t inclined to finally let the Annuna get their lost treasure back; it’s the basis of Enlil’s
authority to rule, and keeping it out of his hands annoys him and may even prevent him from accessing
the full scale of his power. They can dispatch Scions to do just that.

Snags
• The power of the Relic drew legendary pythons (children of Eke Njaba) to this site and they
refuse to part with the tablet, which they consider their property. Harming Eke Njaba or any of his
pythons is prohibited, and likely to anger the Orisha.
• The Titan Apep, always on the lookout for weapons both magical and mundane, sends a handful
of his mortal operatives to investigate and claim the treasure. Substitute Apep for Thoth to oppose a
Titanic Band.
• Protesters gather in the streets of Ifẹ in outrage over the government’s failure to demand return of
national heritage items taken during the colonial years. Protesters clash with police and could turn violent
as the days wear on, or be mobilized by any of the divine factions hunting the tablet.

Characters
The Eminent Diviner: Obioma Oparah (he/him), Orisha Scion of Orunmila, professor of Computer
Science at The Polytechnic, Ile- Ifẹ̀. A diviner par excellence who rediscovered the lost treasures. His
divine patron instructed him not to alert the Scions of Oduduwa who rule over Ifẹ̀, pointing out it would
only turn Ifẹ̀ into a battleground between Gods and Titans. Obioma strongly believes the Tablet of
Destinies should find its way back to the Annuna, so discreetly recruited third party Bands to claim it.
Heir of Thievery: Sebastian Fredericks (he/him), mortal descendent of George Fredericks. He tries to
reclaim what he perceives as his family’s treasure and pays informants across the city for leads.
Reclaimer of Destiny: Robin Jassim (she/her), Scion of Imdugud. Imdugud commands his Scions to seek
out the Tablet of Destinies. Robin arrives under the guise of an international investor looking for
opportunities but privately seeks to confirm whether the artifact exists and if it is the treasure her divine
patron seeks.

Garbage Island of Exile

The Pacific Garbage Patch, Oceania. This combination of trash and flotsam twice the size of Texas
attracts researchers from around the globe as it drifts on the ocean currents around the Pacific Rim.
Recently, a research team spotted a burning giant and a woman wearing flowing white Han dynasty robes
wandering atop the debris like it was solid ground. The university attributed the sighting to hallucinations
caused by toxic gases from the garbage field and recalled the team. The Gods know better. Since the
garbage patch appeared it has become a modern myth. As the tales grew, the garbage island gained
Legendary status and now connects with islands of Terra Incognita where divine beings live in exile.
At present, the connections are tenuous and the path to the garbage island presents many challenges. If it
grows much stronger, exiled figures from myth will find an easy route back to the World. The exiles
resent the Gods for their imprisonment and would be reinforcements and allies for the Titans in the
Second Titanomachy. Already Scions of the Fomorians wonder whether the garbage patch could be used
as a gateway to end their cohorts' exile under the sea.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Reported strange sightings on the garbage island make their way through the scientific community,
including interested Scions. Research teams might ask Scions to provide security or medical services on
an upcoming expedition. Titans or allies in the Second Titanomachy send the Band explicitly to shore up
the pathway for future allies. Conversely, divine progenitors send Scions to destroy it. Dragons or
Legendary creatures seek to claim the territory for themselves. Groups searching for an obscure piece of
Terra Incognita might find the garbage island pathway a tempting lead.

Snags
• The garbage patch is not actually solid and is therefore extremely difficult to traverse. It’s also
disgusting.
• Monsters from the depth of the ocean (and Ocean) are drawn to the garbage patch to feed or claim
territory.
• As well as attracting the interest of assorted divine and mythical beings, the garbage patch is also
the base for a fleet of mortal pirates.
• This isn’t the only massive garbage island in the Pacific.

Characters
Hight Priest of Lemuria: Sidney Gruberman (he/him), a human sorcerer (see Scion Players’ Guide:
Saints & Monsters, Chapter Three) and the self-appointed Hight Priest of Lemuria. He’s determined to
claim the island as his own Domain. He thinks he might even use it as a stepping stone to Apotheosis,
despite having no divine blood.
The Burning Beacon: Mama Namca (she/her) uses the garbage patch as a gate to and from her lover
Huallallo’s prison. Huallallo needs to eat, and naïve explorers and researchers tromping around the
garbage patch make perfect snacks.
Exile by Choice: Guan Yin (she/her) is the Boddhisatva of Compassion, one of the beings whose isle of
exile connects to the garbage patch. In her case, her solitude on Faerie Island is self-imposed. Guan Yin
knows the island well and will aid those who come to disconnect the garbage patch from Terra Incognita.
Kings of the Trash Frontier: Where there’s stinking garbage, there are skunks. Even though the island
drifts miles from land, Aniwye’s envoys arrive among the first settlers. The Titan forms here as a giant
skunk (brown bear sized when the Band first reaches the island). They want to preserve the island and
welcome more Titans and their Spawn.

Dance Floor Diplomacy

Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Germany. Ludwig, Demigod of Grand Folly, invites Gods,
Titans, their Offspring, and the other Legendary beings of the World to a ball where he insists peace will
reign. As if the opportunity of a neutral location amidst the chaos of the Second Titanomachy wasn’t
enough, Ludwig promises a great and unspecified treasure to one randomly chosen attendee. On the night
of the ball, the gates of Neuschwanstein open into the Terra Incognita where the famous Twelve Dancing
Princesses reveled their nights away. Gods and Titans alike seize the opportunity to speak openly with
one another, crossing the battle lines of the Second Titanomachy.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Titans and Gods attend and command their Offspring to do so. Bands with difficult business to discuss or
who need to speak to contacts on the other side of the Second Titanomachy can do so here. Scions may
hear about the strange treasure Ludwig offers and come to find out what it is, and get their hands on it if
desirable. It’s a chance for espionage, or social conflict that’s unlikely to turn violent.
At the height of the ball Ludwig announces all guests now receive his treasure – the blessing of friendship
between former foes. The party immediately descends into a riot, because most attendees do not
appreciate the joke.
The portal need not be Neuschwanstein; Ludwig could open a portal in any folly built by a wealthy
eccentric.

Snags
• Ludwig’s realm is beautiful but confusing. Doors and hallways lead nowhere or to rooms with no
apparent use. Getting between scenes in a timely fashion is difficult.
• Scions of Hermes and Apollo are planning a heist to steal Ludwig’s promised treasure. No
particular reason; those two Gods together are always a recipe for stupid stunts.

Characters
Demigod of Folly: Ludwig II (he/him), former king of Bavaria, called “the Mad” for building a fairytale
castle with no defensive capabilities. Nobody’s eager to claim Ludwig as part of their pantheon but
Nantosuelta, Nemetondevos God of hearth and home, reluctantly admits to being his progenitor.
The Lost One: Choose a foe (or even better, a frenemy) the Band hasn’t crossed paths with for a while.
They arrive at the party and have unfinished business.
The Jazz Band: Bones Malone and the Standing Ovation are a band of mortal musicians who came to
Ludwig’s Realm and remain trapped. They want to go home.

The Monach Project

The Monach Isles, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Fiona Kirk is a Saint. She’s watched the last several
decades of the Second Titanomachy and she believes it’s only a matter of time before it goes from cold
war to an actual battle. And she knows, when it does, it won’t be Gods and Titans who pay the price, but
the people of the World. She’s spent the last ten years turning an ancient stone circle on a remote island
into a weapon that gives humanity an edge; a way to strip a God’s Mantle and turn that power into a
single-use, God-killing weapon. Fiona’s hoping for a threat of mutually assured destruction to keep the
Gods and Titans in check. She’s underestimated divine beings’ tendency to assume they, personally, are
indestructible.
Gods and Titans send agents to steal the weapon’s schematics, and a Dragon’s Heir slides in to offer
Fiona a neutral option that’s anything but. The divine agents involved are tricksters, so the Band face
schemes within schemes.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

The Monach Islands have been unoccupied for nearly a hundred years. Fiona’s tried to keep her activities
secret but word spreads. Human activity on the islands is a mystery worth looking into. The perpetual
storm raging above the islands, like Fate’s signaling something dramatic on the horizon, also draws
attention.
Fiona has to test the weapon, and that draws more attention: doing so kills a Demigod on the brink of
Apotheosis. The victim is someone the Band’s had previous contact with — preferably an enemy, to stop
the Band immediately swearing vengeance.

Snags
• This is a pivotal moment in the Titanomachy and characters very quickly find themselves
Fatebound to Fiona or the weapon.
• The Tuatha de Danann, Æsir, and Plant Dôn all claim the Outer Hebrides as theirs. The more
obvious it becomes that something’s happening there, the more likely they all are to send agents of their
own. If that happens the island becomes a battleground.
• The storm over the island isn’t a mark of Fate, but the spawn of one of the many Gods or Titans
associated with tempests. Atagha, Thor, Áo Guāng, or Juracán are all possibilities. Whoever it is, they’ve
decided the best solution is to wash the islands off the face of the World along with anyone on them.

Characters
The Scientist: Fiona Kirk (she/they) is a saint convinced she’s saving humanity by making a weapon that
can kill a God. She’s a tough woman with a strong will and very little interest in letting divine agents
convince her of anything.
Emissary of the Gods: Laura Hannan (she/her) is a child of Loki. Even she’s not fully certain of what
her father wants the weapon for, but she’s sure it’ll be an interesting ride.
Titanic Instigator: Liam Bevan (he/him) is a Scion of Chort. He’s struggling with Fiona; she’s not
susceptible to the usual blandishments of money and power, but he’s convinced if he can confuse and
provoke her enough he can manipulate her.
The Draconic Heir: Damian Crouch (he/him) is Heir to one of the Draq, and the Dragons want the
weapon for the next offensive in their shadow war against the Gods and Titans of Mesopotamia. He’s
relying on Fiona seeing him as a third faction, someone she can trust — though he’s the agent most likely
to immediately use the weapon.

Witch of Cordoba
Cordoba, Mexico. In the late 1700s, a local Scion named Soledad, child of Chalchihuitlicue, caught the
eye of a lustful governor. He threatened to burn her as a witch unless she succumbed to his advances. He
imprisoned Soledad, but she drew a ship on the wall of her cell, jumped aboard it, and sailed away into
Ocean. After her escape she achieved great Deeds and amassed a potent Legend, but never forgave
Chalchihuitlicue for abandoning her to solve her own problems. Her anger and rejection made her Legend
Titanic and she’s almost ready for her Titanic Apotheosis.
Her last act, to neatly tie up the loose ends of her story, is to draw her former prison into Terra Incognita –
but the prison now serves as a hospital, and Cordoba can’t afford to lose it. Specifically, the Teōtl Scion
who watches over the hospital won’t let a Titan-ascendant take it from them.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

As the time draws nigh for Soledad’s Apotheosis, strange events occur within the hospital. Patients go
missing only to reappear days later, claiming they spent time on a voyage at sea. Police and government
officials become sicker the longer they remain at the hospital, even if they only walked in to visit
someone. Paint peels from the walls no matter how often or thoroughly it’s refreshed, and lays bare the
stones of the old prison.
Everyone in Cordoba knows about the strange occurrences at the hospital. News travels fast through the
Teōtl diaspora, eventually reaching Scions elsewhere. Soledad’s a local legend and anyone with any
ability to sense the future perceives something of immense importance is coming to Cordoba.

Snags
• The hospital’s administrator will not shut it down, meaning the Scions are surrounded by a full
capacity with a full complement of staff and patients. The potential for collateral damage is high.
• Somewhere in the building, the boat Soledad drew remains on a crumbling wall covered by layers
of paint. If the Scions want to prevent Soledad using this location as part of her Apotheosis, they must
find and destroy it.
• Soledad communicates with patients in dreams, ordering them to damage the building and break
into restricted areas to find her original painted boat. Parts of the building are three centuries old and far
from structurally sound.

Characters
The Witch Who Sailed Away: Soledad (she/they) is a Teōtl Titan Demigod. Nursing a deep-rooted
sense of injustice, and willing to jeopardize the lives of everyone in the hospital to achieve her
Apotheosis.
Hospital Protector: Sanchia Patricio (they/them), Scion of Chalchihuitlicue. In their youth they
prioritized their family over any divine mission. Now this retired librarian volunteers at the hospital
protecting the patients in small ways and seeking to confront whatever mystical phenomenon currently
plagues the building.
Skeptical Doctor: Dr. Hector Sanchez (he/him) is a hospital administrator. He believes he and his fellow
mortals have the right to live their lives unhindered by divine feuds. He’s not shutting down or evacuating
the hospital. Not under any circumstances.
Vulnerable Oracle: Camila Aroyo (she/her) is a human oracle unaware of her supernatural potential. If
the player characters don’t learn what’s happening in Cordoba some other way, Camila comes to them,
suffering visions of disaster.

The Wide World of Nomad Games

NOTE TO EDITOR: SOME SURNAMES ARE FORMED USING TRADITIONAL MONGOLIAN
PATRO/MATRONYMICS. PLEASE DON’T CHANGE THEM.
World Nomad Games Outpost, Kyrgyzstan. Every even numbered year, athletes and champions from
nomadic cultures gather to compete in the World Nomad Games. Scions rarely compete — it would be
incredibly unfair to mortal competitors — but they and their progenitors, especially among the Tengri,
serve as patrons and grant their blessings to chosen competitors. Zolzaya Atagha, Scion of Atagha, is a
judge this year. She’s bored and frustrated with the long stalemate of the Second Titanomachy. She longs
for the struggle and glory of real battle and she doesn’t care which side she fights on. Gods and Titans see
an opportunity to win her support in the Second Titanomachy. They also think Zolzaya might bring
significant numbers of the Tengri along with her since her father is head of the pantheon.

Pulling Fate’s Threads

Scions of Gods or Titans actively involved in the Second Titanomachy might be sent to recruit Zolzaya to
their cause. Those trying to stay out of it or de-escalate the conflict might need to prevent anyone from
recruiting Zolzaya. Characters who ride horses, wrestle, or belong to a nomadic people might simply
attend the games to participate, witness, or judge. Recruiting an ally, maintaining peace, or participating
in a great sporting contest can all advance a Scion’s Legend, which gives reason enough for a Band to get
involved.

Snags
• The Tengri Scions present, as well as Zozaya’s mortal family, oppose her taking sides in the
Second Titanomachy and make no secret of this.
• Munkhtuya Geser discovers the murder of Zolzaya’s cousin, Khulan, along with evidence
framing the Band. The Azure Dragon Áo Guāng of the Shén is behind the plot. He wants the Second
Titanomachy to escalate and for the Tengri to choose one side or another so he knows when to expect to
slaughter them.
• Scions capture a lot of attention at this very public event. They can forget about privacy or
discretion, and they’ll have to work hard to shed retinues of admiring fans before they can get anything
done.

Characters
Woman of the Hour: Zolzaya Atagha (she/her) is a twenty-one year old Hero tier Scion of Atagha, a
warrior desiring glory and indifferent on who she fights for to earn it. Cares for her mortal family deeply.
Mother of Greatness: Amgalan Bayar (she/her) is Zolzaya’s mother. An historian who urges her child
not to join with either side and stay loyal to her human family rather than plunging headlong into the
affairs of Gods.
The Man in Charge: Munkhtuya Geser (he/him), the Scion of Geser Khagan in charge of keeping the
peace at the games. His official job title is Special Security Coordinator. He acts to protect the regular
mortals attending and participating in the games, bring divine miscreants to justice, and keep the games
on track.
Visiting Dignitary: Saita (he/him) is a Demigod Scion of Sita, Queen of the Monster Island of Lanka.
Saita’s genuinely just trying to enjoy the games, but his progenitor’s determined he should seize the
opportunity to recruit Zolzaya to the Titanic cause.

Story Tracks
Story tracks are interlinked stories that form a short arc. They’re carefully constructed so players can
jump into and out of the storyline at any point, skip acts, or take strange paths through the story.

Divine Delivery
When Teōtl Scions need to visit Mictlan, Xolotl usually sends one of his hounds to ensure they get there
safely. The latest intended recipient is Gabriel Jimenez. Xolotl has gifted him a litter of pups to aid him in
this task and to subsequently train up as one of his Birthrights. A pack of hounds who can find their way
to a God’s Realm is a powerful asset, useful to many factions in the Second Titanomachy. Specifically,
Annie Garcia, a Scion of the imprisoned Titan, Tenoch, thinks she can train them to lead her to her father.
Titanic Scions are dispatched to intercept the pups, divine ones to protect them. Whoever they’re working
for, the Scions quickly find the pups are hot property.
• In Act I, the Band collects the puppies of Xolotl and discovers they’re annoyingly difficult to
escort.
• In Act II, enemies of the Teōtl seek to seize the pups for their own purposes.
• In Act III, the puppies reach their destination but don’t live up to the recipient’s expectations.

Act I: Puppy Pickup

The Band picks up the puppies at a run-down shelter just outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico,
outwitting or fighting Xolotl’s agents to get them. The three puppies look like four-month-old Calupoh
pups with black fur and playful eyes. They’re clearly more advanced than normal dogs: they pay close
attention to the characters, follow commands well, and seem to understand the characters when they
speak. The pups are eager to get to work guiding those in need through the Underworld to Mictlan, and if
the characters have any way of communicating with the pups, they communicate their enthusiasm loudly
and excitedly.
The contact the Band is delivering the pups to is in Las Vegas, Nevada and unfortunately the dogs cannot
be brought on a plane due to their divine nature (standard airline policy). It’s time for a road trip. These
dogs are part of Mictlan, and they attract dead spirits — both peaceful and malevolent — wherever they
go.
Actions
Collect the puppies; start building a relationship with them; plan and embark on a road trip.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
This mission is an excellent first task for Scions after their Visitation, so an order from their progenitors is
a reasonable way to get them going. Alternatively, start this storyline when the Band needs a route to
another Realm and imply they could train a bunch of psychopomp dogs to guide them there.
Snags
• During a rest stop, a pup is snatched up by an angry and desperate ghost to be used as a guide to
the afterlife.
• Divine though they are, they’re still puppies. One of the pups goes missing when they run off to
chase a new experience.

Act II: Here Comes the Second Sun

The Monkeys of the Second Sun escaped from their prison outside the World long ago. They believe
stealing the pups would be excellent revenge on Quetzalcoatl for banishing them. They are, after all, his
brother Xolotl’s favored servants. Since the pups are still young, the Monkeys think they might even be
able to train them for their own purposes — such as finding portals to other prison realms to free more
enemies of the Gods.
Actions
Escape the monkey’s ambush; find a way to stop them pursuing the Band; repair any damage to their
vehicle; continue their journey to Vegas.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The Monkeys ambush the characters during one of the puppies’ many potty breaks. If the characters
didn’t play through Act I, they stumble across the attempted dognapping when the Monkeys try to steal
the litter from a mortal cultist of Xolotl. That mortal agent, Sofia Escareno, asks for help to get the dogs
the rest of the way to Vegas. She promises there’s a reward for their safe delivery. She doesn’t know the
characters work for Titans.
Getting rid of the Monkeys once isn’t enough. They’re quick and persistent and they keep cropping up
until the characters find a way to shake them once and for all.
Snags
• The Monkeys of the Second Sun aren’t a huge threat themselves, but once the agents of the Teōtl
realize they’re loose, they send one or more Quinametzin (giants) to deal with them, creating a much
larger problem — literally.
• One of the pups sniffs out a gateway to Mictlan in the middle of the fight, and excitedly performs
its duty by trying to go straight home.

Act III: Sign Here Please

The Band reaches Las Vegas. The puppies can sense every Axis Mundi and gateway to Terra Incognita
and are eager to explore. But they have a job to do and when they reach the Scion they’re being entrusted
to, they are more than happy to get to work. Unfortunately, Annie no longer wants them. Xolotl’s Scion
Gabriel Ximenez is watching her and she needs to lie low. If the characters could just deal with Xolotl’s
monsters, she’s happy to give them a pup in return. If the Band is working for Xolotl, Gabriel can’t take
the pups because Annie’s watching him.
Actions
Deal with Xolotl’s monsters (or with Annie Garcia); convince the recipient to take the dogs; say goodbye
to a pack of dogs the Band may have bonded with.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If the characters played through any previous Acts, this is the natural conclusion of their road trip. If the
characters start here, they find the pups in Las Vegas, the puppies’ tags indicating where to drop them off.
Snags
• After everything the Band has been through with the pups, they’ve bonded. The pups don’t want
to leave the characters for Annie.
• The pups can’t do anything but what they were born for. Annie can’t train them to get her to
Tenoch’s prison, making them a disappointing gift. The Band might have to rescue them from her weeks
after delivering them.

Characters
Texoticyapalli (Act I, II, III): The oldest of the puppies. He is fond of his siblings and eager to serve his
master and prove what a good boy he is. He chose his own name based off of the Nahuatl word for
‘Blue.’
Chiltic (Act I, II, III): The youngest of the puppies. She is excited to travel and meet new people. She
forms attachments quickly. She chose her own name based off of the Nahuatl word for ‘Red.’
Fearsome Warrior Who Will Vanquish Many Enemies (Act I, II, III): The third of the puppies. He is
the most serious of the trio and the pup most likely to realize he’s been kidnapped. He chose his own
name based on his belief that he is a fearsome warrior who will vanquish many enemies.
Annie Garcia (Act III): A Scion of Tenoch, Annie hopes she can train one or more of Xolotl’s hounds to
get her to Tenoch’s prison. She’s not totally sure what will happen if her father’s free to interfere in the
World but it can only be better than living under the Teōtl’s divine plan.

Gone Fishing
Millennia ago, the Kami Takemikazuchi imprisoned the catfish Titan Namazu beneath Japan, where her
thrashing tail causes earthquakes and tsunamis. Her crime was nothing more than opposing the Kami —
but most of the Gods and Titans who care about the situation believe freeing her would destroy Honshū. It
might destroy the whole of Japan.
Three of Namazu’s Scions claim they have a non-destructive way to free their mother. It involves robotic
submersible vehicles and mining explosives. The Japanese government’s reviewing the project plan.
Is the Titanic Scions’ plan really non-destructive? Does it matter when it results in unleashing a Titan
upon the World? This story track works equally well whether the player characters oppose Namazu’s
return or support it, and Titanic Scions could take either side; nobody could blame them for believing the
destruction of Honshū is too high a price.
• In Act I, government officials review the Scions’ plans. But the math isn’t adding up and nobody
wants to address that directly.
• In Act II, the characters either prevent the explosions that would destroy Honshū or make sure
nobody else does so.
• In Act III, Namazu’s daughter Rina reveals mass destruction was always part of the plan. With
the government-sanctioned route scuppered she sends an army of aquatic titanspawn to do the job for her.
• In Act IV, the Kami take action to put the Titanic Scions of Namazu back in their place. The
Band must decide whether they want to get in the way.

Act I: A Proposal
The three Scions of Namazu propose their plan to Japanese government officials. If the characters get a
glimpse beforehand, they see the amount of mining explosives used combined with Namazu’s eager swim
to freedom will almost certainly sink Honshū. Nobody brings that up in the meeting and the government
committee readily accepts the Scions’ plans. If the characters mention it, Namazu’s Scions promise to
review the equations and adjust as needed. The meeting goes far more smoothly than a plan to unleash an
imprisoned Titan should.
Namazu’s Scions insist they have no interest in destroying Honshū. Someone must have altered the plans,
they insist — and they ask the characters to investigate who could have done such a thing. Nobody altered
the plans. One of the trio, Tanaka Rina, designed them this way on purpose. She met with each member
of the committee privately and, using a Relic gifted to her by an ally, conditioned them to accept her
proposal.
The Relic’s a gift from Misiginebig of the Manitou. It’s a snake’s tooth pendant with the motif “the
surface is calm and safe.” It stops people from questioning the wearer, making them complacent and
easily led, just as people blithely underestimate the danger of Misiginebig’s deep water home.
Misiginebig’s involvement isn’t important to this story track, but why he wants to agitate tensions
between the Kami and their Titans is a lead worth following in another story.
It’s up to the characters whether they want to keep Rina’s subterfuge secret or display it to the world, but
by the time they’re done investigating it’s too late: the detonation’s been approved and goes ahead in Act
II.
Actions
Participate in the committee hearing, arguing for or against the Scions of Namazu’s plans; investigate
possible changes to the plan.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The committee meeting is private but there’s extensive media coverage beforehand. Scions with any sway
in Japanese society can easily wrangle an invitation, or Namazu’s children might invite other Titanic
Scions to support them and help plead their case. Pantheons all around the World are watching, and send
representatives to see how the debate unfolds.
Snags
• Worshippers of the Kami, with Scions amongst them, protest outside the meeting venue.
• The protesters attempt to steal some or all of the explosives earmarked for the detonation.
• A reporter sneaks into the committee meeting and tries to livestream the whole event to the
World.

Act II: Stealth Is Optional

Once the plan’s approved it proceeds rapidly. Namazu’s Scions submit a new plan, using significantly
fewer explosives, if they have to. They’re still going to use the devastating, island destroying amount.
They’re just not telling anyone that. The characters have a matter of days to stop Honshū disappearing
below the waves and nobody in authority is interested in listening to them.
The best way to prevent the detonation is to sabotage the submersible vehicles used to place the mining
explosives. To do this, the Band either needs to sneak into the drop bay used to deploy the vehicles or
storm the area and destroy them with force.
Actions
Learn the details of the plan to destroy Honshū; figure out a plan to prevent it; find a way into the drop
submersible drop bay; neutralize (violently or not) drop bay personnel; prevent the explosion.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Act I leads naturally into stopping the destruction. If the characters side with Namazu’s Scions the Kami
mobilize Scions to oppose them, and the Band has to defend the submersibles. If this is the Band’s first
Act, one of their progenitors has an old grudge against Namazu and doesn’t want her released; they’re
charged with stopping the detonation at any cost.
Getting into the drop bay requires stealth or significant harm to mortal tech personnel preparing for the
mission.
Snags
• Someone the characters know, possibly a reporter, spots them heading into the drop bay. They
want to help, but they’re more of a liability.
• Destroying the submersibles causes them to implode. The characters have to explain a minor
earthquake.

Act III: A Difference of Opinion

Namazu’s Scions lose their unity once their plans collapse. Haruka and Daiki are grateful; they tell the
characters they genuinely didn’t want to destroy the island and truly believed they could, and would, free
Namazu without collateral damage. Rina, on the other hand, is beside herself with rage. She fully
intended to do as much damage as possible in the process of releasing Namazu, as revenge against the
Kami for imprisoning her in the first place.
Rina can’t get her hands on more explosives, so she’s calling up a legion of titanspawn to destroy the
island instead. Haruka and Daiki don’t want that but won’t fight their own sister. It falls on the characters
to stop her.
Actions
Talk Rina down from attacking Honshū — or fight her titanspawn.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If the characters participated in previous acts, Daiki and Haruka come to them for help. Otherwise a
contact unfortunate enough to live on Honshū calls on the Band for assistance at the eleventh hour.
Snags
• Titanspawn aren’t easy to command, especially in large numbers.
• All this commotion has woken Namazu up and she’s thrashing harder than ever in her prison,
resulting in tsunamis and tidal waves above.

Act IV: Judge and Jury

Rina’s under arrest (whether the characters apprehended her or agents of the Kami did). Mori Kaito, a
Scion of Takemikazuchi is under orders to bring the entire trio before the Kami for judgement. They’re in
search of a punishment that fits the crime, and Kaito is in favor of imprisoning the three Scions along
with their mother.
Imprisoning two comparatively innocent siblings along with one culpable one isn’t good optics. If the
Kami go through with it, they’ll provoke resistance from Gods and Titans alike. Letting Mori go through
with his plan is a guaranteed way to make the Second Titanomachy bloom into escalating violence in the
name of justice.
Actions
Apprehend Haruka and Daiki; persuade Kaito to choose a different punishment (or no punishment at all)
or convince him to come down harder on the siblings, thereby provoking a more violent backlash.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If this is where the characters’ story begins, they are called on to serve as part of a jury of Scions. Their
lack of prior involvement’s an advantage as they’re perceived as being neutral. If they were involved
Snags
• Japan is in turmoil after several minor natural disasters. Mortal authorities want the Titanic
Scions handled quickly and conclusively, and they feel strongly that eternal imprisonment is the safest
option.
• Aftershocks and storms plague the region, making it extremely difficult for anyone involved to
keep a clear head.
• If the Band are neither Japanese nor Scions of Kami, they face major resistance for attempting to
interfere in national justice.

Characters
Sato Haruka (Acts I, III, IV): A Scion of Namazu and the sibling in charge of the finance operations of
the expedition to free the trio’s Titanic Mother. Haruka is eager to see Namazu free and has worked
tirelessly to acquire the funds to make this excursion possible.
Hayashi Daiki (Acts I, III, IV): A Scion of Namazu and the sibling in charge of the technology side of
the expedition to free the trio’s Titanic Mother. He worked out where to place the charges to allow
Namazu to free herself without causing harm to Honshū.
Tanaka Rina (Acts I, III, IV): A Scion of Namazu and the sibling in charge of the demolitions aspect of
the expedition to free the trio’s Titanic Mother. She acquired the explosives needed for this mission. She
fully intends to sink Honshū in order to stick it to the Kami by taking out a large chunk of their
worshippers.
Yoshida Aiko (Acts I, IV): A government official sent to assess the validity of this plan to free Namazu.
Aiko is all business and has a no-nonsense attitude. She takes Rina’s subterfuge in Act I extremely
personally and by Act IV she’s determined Rina should suffer the harshest possible punishment.
Ito Yujiro (Acts I, IV): A government official sent to assess the validity of this plan to free Namazu. His
demeanor is ambitious and this is his first big assignment, so he’s eager not to screw it up. He is excited
about being involved in Scion affairs and works to avoid Rina’s subterfuge coming to light to avoid being
perceived as a failure.
Kimura Kazuki (Act II): The operations manager in charge of the drop bay and submersibles. He was
not expecting to be getting everything ready this quickly and is incredibly stressed even before a group of
Scions infiltrate the drop bay to disrupt everything.
Mori Kaita (Act IV): A Hero tier Scion of Takemikazuchi and a skilled warrior. He shares his patrons’
opinions on Namazu and believes the trio wasn’t planning to sink Honshū from the beginning. He also
believes if Haruka and Daiki go free, they’ll need to be watched closely.

Family Affair
Sun Wukong is one of the World’s ultimate rebels, but Scions don’t always take after their progenitor.
Sometimes a trickster’s child is a rule-following nerd who loves order and procedure. That’s Sun
Wukong’s Offspring, Zach Yan. After some trials and tricks Sun Wukong called character building and
Zach called parental abuse, Zach’s crossed the battle lines in the Second Titanomachy and sworn
allegiance to his father’s ancient enemy Áo Guāng. Zach shares the Great Blue Dragon of the East’s
belief the Shén are crooks and murderers undeserving of power. He’s confident humans are made in their
image, too.
Zach’s previously worked hard preventing Áo Guāng from hastening the World’s environmental collapse;
by changing sides he could shift the balance in the Titan’s favor. Sun Wukong can’t let him reach Áo
Guāng’s side. Divine Scions might see a chance to curry favor by helping him, or to stand up for Scions’
freedom and agency by helping Zach. Titanic Scions might support Áo Guāng or prefer a World where
human life remains viable. Draconic Heirs might approve of Áo Guāng’s agenda or oppose it in favor of
their own Flight’s goals. Any of those positions might change on realizing exactly what’s at stake if Zach
fully pledges himself to Áo Guāng.
• In Act I, looking for Zachary leads the characters to Prince Nezha in the hopes that perhaps the
young Scion is rebelling by hanging out with Wukong’s old rivals.
• In Act II, the characters find Zach hiding out in a New York music scene.
• In Act III, the search for Zachary leads to Áo Guāng, where the young man may be about to
make a terrible mistake.

Act I: My Dearest Enemy

Rumor amongst those who know Zach suggest he might have gone to Nezha. Not only is the God
regularly in conflict with Sun Wukong, Zach’s former lover Ronnie Fengge is the Third Lotus Prince’s
Scion. Unfortunately, Ronnie is in Nezha’s Realm, and has been for some time. The Band need to find a
gate, trade for passage, or convince some divine servants they need access to Heaven.
The Band finds Nezha sparring with Ronnie Fengge in the training grounds of Heaven. To obtain any
information one of the Band has to spar with Ronnie. If they teach him something, Ronnie talks. Ronnie’s
right on the cusp of Apotheosis, so the characters need to pull off something exceptional to impress him.
If they do, he tells them they should talk to Unlucky Mercenary’s people in New York.
Actions
Find a way into Nezha’s Realm; spar with Ronnie; find a way to New York.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Make Zach a friend or contact of a Band member. A frenemy suits a Titanic or mixed Band. They need to
know Zach well enough to hear about some of the humiliating things his father’s done to him in the name
of teaching him to be less proud and more flexible. Then, when he goes missing and Sun Wukong starts
offering rewards for his safe return, the characters have some insight into why he left, and how they want
to get involved.
Snags
• If the characters defeat Ronnie, Nezha won’t let them leave without a rematch. And he keeps
insisting on rematches until Ronnie wins. This is nearly as embarrassing for Ronnie as it is unhelpful to
the characters.
• Traversing Heaven without transgressing any prohibitions or taboos is difficult for visitors
without an appropriate background or skills. The characters rack up several minor scores they have to
settle letter.

Act II: Going Underground

Zach’s nursing his wounds in New York, under the protection of Unlucky Mercenary, a rapper and Scion
of Bak Mei. Zach’s paying her a lot of money to keep him out of sight until Sun Wukong stops hunting
for him. Looking for Zach alerts Unlucky Mercenary, who tries to dissuade the characters from getting
involved by offering them something they need to solve another problem (i.e., to advance another
storyline). Assuming they don’t accept, the characters can trace her all the way back to Zach.
Zach’s uncomfortable amongst Unlucky Mercenary’s people and he creates friction everywhere. He’s
fundamentally a rule-follower — it’s a key reason he doesn’t get on with his progenitor — and he finds
their entire outlook on life uncomfortable. For characters hoping to return him to his father, that’s a
weakness to exploit. Characters who want to get him to Áo Guāng need to bolster his commitment.
When the characters talk to Zach properly they learn how he intends to buy his place at Áo Guāng’s side.
Zach has superb connections amongst several mortal governments. He’s going to simply lobby for Áo
Guāng’s interests while pretending he still serves the Shén. Environmental destruction and the end of the
Anthropocene era are progressing nicely as it is; with Zach’s help it could quickly reach the point of no
return — unless Gods and Titans get involved, in which case the World could become a battleground.
Actions
Make a connection in order to access Unlucky Mercenary and her people; negotiate with Unlucky
Mercenary; shift Zach’s attitude as desired.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If Ronnie Fengge didn’t point the characters this way, Zach’s arrival in New York can alert them. He
causes quite a stir in the underground scene, including attracting rumors amongst mortals that he’s an
undercover cop. Characters even passingly connected to the scene hear all about him.
Snags
• Unlucky Mercenary has devoted fans and groupies. One of them transfers their attentions to a
character. Unlucky Mercenary doesn’t like people playing with her toys.
• By the time the characters find him Zach’s got himself into a high-stakes rap battle against Little
Mao that he cannot possibly win. He needs help.

Act III: Hand Delivered

Either the characters have to get Zach back to his father, very much against his will, or they have to help
him reach Áo Guāng.
If they’re taking him back to Sun Wukong, Zach himself opposes them, and as a Demigod he’s capable of
putting up significant resistance. Journeys is one of his Purviews and he leads the characters through
every Realm he can access, including those where they’ve previously made enemies and the lairs of
mythical beasts (use the Paragon or Goliath templates). If they’re taking him to Áo Guāng they have to
face Ronnie Fengge again, plus Hero- and Demigod-tier Scions of Sun Wukong.
Just dumping Zach back at Sun Wukong’s feet does nothing to mend their relationship and he’ll
inevitably leave again unless the characters find a way to gently explain to a God that he has to treat his
Scions with respect. Handing him over to Áo Guāng doesn’t go well. The Dragon doesn’t want him. He
doesn’t need the hostility it would provoke with Sun Wukong and Nezha. Áo Guāng has schemes of his
own to enact. If they really want to help Zach, they now need to find someone to take him in after he’s
alienated his father and earned the ire of a Titan.
Actions
Handle conflicts (not necessarily combats) with opponents; travel through several dangerous Realms
(including crossing Ocean to reach . Áo Guāng).
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If the characters participated in Act II the action flows on naturally. If not, Zach comes to Titanic Scions
himself asking them to protect him from his father and Ronnie on his journey to Áo Guāng. He comes to
divine Scions after Áo Guāng rejects him and tries to bribe them into finding him a safe place to hide.
They still have to fight Ronnie and Sun Wukong’s forces, they’re just taking Zach on a different journey
when it happens.
Snags
• Zach’s still got strong feelings for Ronnie, and leaving them alone together could completely
change Zach’s allegiance.
• Just because Áo Guāng doesn’t want Zach doesn’t mean no Titan does. Anu, for example, can
happily envisage a post-human World.

Characters
Zach Yan (Act II, III): A Scion of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Personally frustrated with his father,
and sharing none of his trickster spirit, Zach’s decided Gods are petty, venal beings who don’t deserve to
rule and offered his service to the Titans instead.
Ronnie Fengge (Act I, III): Nezha’s Scion and Zach’s ex-lover. He’s on the brink of Apotheosis and
loyalty to Zach versus loyalty to his pantheon might be his final trial.
Unlucky Mercenary (Act II): A Scion of Bak Mei and queen of several hip-hop scenes. Unlucky
Mercenary thrives on conflict, and loves the thrill of feeling something might, any second now, get out of
hand. Taking Zach Yan under her wing is definitely giving her that buzz.

The Light of Truth

Across the World, there are signs the Second Titanomachy is intensifying. From Japan trembling more
and more with each fervent thrashing of Namazu’s tail, to sinkholes across Mexico opening more
frequently due to Tlaltecuhtli craving a long overdue sacrifice, signs of the Titans’ growing strength are
affecting mortal lives in catastrophic ways. Many of them get their information filtered through Titan-
backed information and disinformation campaigns that crop up in every unmonitored region of the
internet. It’s increasingly difficult for mortals to bury their heads in the sand and pretend everything’s
okay.
So when some Gods offer bland, reassuring statements that they’ve got things under control or nothing is
wrong, plenty of mortals don't take them at face value. They look for someone willing to tell them the
truth and some of them find the Church of the Verdant Beacon.
The Church of the Verdant Beacon is a Mythos cult dedicated to the reality warping Greenish Flame. If
you’re not using Scion: Masks of the Mythos, you can replace it with the Aten-following Church of
Illumination (Titanomachy, p. 41). If so, make Benamin Dubois (Act III) a power-hungry, mercenary
little man desperate for Aten’s approval.
Recently, the Verdant Beacon has been reaching new heights through podcasts and livestreams. One
particular member, Gale Hegazy, has been spewing anti-God rhetoric and spurring his listeners to
violence against anyone who does not agree the Church has found the “one true God.” He claims all other
Gods and Goddesses are simply frauds sent to test the devout in their faith. It’s a difficult view to justify
with the World as it is, but people looking for something to put their trust in find it appealing.
Gale’s rhetoric is a threat to all divine beings, Titan or God alike. Plus, he’s putting ordinary people in
dangerous situations. His most recent podcast episode urged listeners to gather outside the Yopico — a
temple underneath Mexico City dedicated to Xīpe Totēc, the latest in a long series of protests against
“false gods.”
• In Act I, the characters are instructed to prevent violence erupting between Gale’s listeners and
Xīpe Totēc’s followers, who take the rally as an incredible insult. Titanic Scions are asked to prevent
violence because this is an opportunity for some good PR: agents of the Titans showing they’re not
monsters is a useful move, especially when mortal worshippers of the Gods might be watching and
looking for a new power to support.
• In Act II, the Band confronts Gale Hegazy about the dangerous nature of his rhetoric. They have
a chance to show him how serious it is to slander the Gods. For Titanic Scions, this is an opportunity for
the Band to flex their power a little and show Gale the danger of meddling in their patron’s Titanic affairs.
• In Act III, the characters learn the source of Gale’s information is a Scion of the Greenish Flame
and can choose to expose the church’s true goals. The church’s ideals are a threat to Gods and Titans
alike, as the Greenish Flame seeks to gradually alter reality to the point Gods and Titans simply don’t
exist. That may not even be possible, but at the very least the church threatens divine power bases all over
the World.

Act I: Yopico Standoff

The Church of the Verdant Beacon’s protestors gather at the mouth of a cave leading into a temple
dedicated to Xīpe Totēc, the Flayed God. His followers are approaching the entrance quickly and they
don’t take kindly to the rude signs or the insults coming from the crowd. If the Band cannot convince
both parties to walk away, Gale’s listeners learn the consequences of offending a God who claims he
created war when his cult and Scions, and (at high tiers of play) even an Incarnation, escalate the rally to
argument-ending violence. There’s no rule saying Scions, whether they’re divine or Titanic, have to
protect human lives but emissaries of a God turning on a bunch of unprotected mortals has consequences;
the Church of the Verdant Beacon gains a lot of support if any of its people become martyrs.
Gale himself is not present, but will no doubt use any footage of violence levied against the protesters on
his next podcast episode. Instead, he’s asked Freddie Sava, a trusted underling, to coordinate the mob in
his stead. Freddie stays in constant contact with Gale via phone call so Gale can provide up to date
information to the church’s social media followers about the event. The characters can get access to Gale
this way, though they’ve got little leverage if they try and get him to call off the rally. Freddie’s also the
best way to get leads to Gale’s location.
Actions
De-escalate the conflict at the cave — or pick a side and fight; find out who’s in charge, and how to reach
him; handle any media fallout.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
The vast majority of divine Patrons want the Church stopped, which makes this story track ideal for
Bands containing both divine and Titanic Scions. This is an enemy most factions can unite against.
Any hook hits harder when it’s personal. Replace Yopico and Xīpe Totēc with a location and entity that
matter to the characters. This can be a holy site, a cult’s sacred meeting place, or any location the
characters value access to.
Snags
• Using violence against Gale’s listeners only fuels the church’s belief that other Gods and Titans
are dangerous, destructive forces undeserving of respect.
• Xīpe Totēc’s followers are intent on using the blessings of the Flayed God to bestow terrible harm
on the zealots at their door. Letting them do so leads to a lot of suffering amongst the rally’s attendees and
causes anti-God rhetoric to spread. Gods and their followers assume Titanic Scions who are present
deliberately agitated the situation and the characters pick up several unearned new enemies.
• Everything that happens at the rally is reported online, filtered through Gale’s social media. He
does everything he can to twist the characters’ involvement to make them look like bullies.

Act II: Gale, Enlightened

Gale Hegazy is preparing another rally against servants of a false God — this time one of the Band. If
they were at Yopico it’s revenge, otherwise it’s simple bad luck.
Gale records in a small recording studio in El Paso, Texas. Every episode he has more security staff on
site, but they’re only mortals. The question is more how the Scions choose to deal with them than whether
they’re capable of it.
The characters can deal with Gale any way they choose. Killing him leaves the Church of the Verdant
Beacon intact but solves their immediate problem. If they work a little harder and intimidate Gale, or if
they’re exceptionally persuasively gifted win him around by providing what he considers clear and
compelling insights into the real agendas of Gods and Titans, they could weaken, redirect, or destroy the
church.
Whatever they do, the Scions should realize Gale knows way too much about them for a simple
podcaster. His show script, or the episode if it’s already been broadcast, contains several secrets the
subject would like to keep under wraps. Gale has a superlative information source somewhere.
Actions
Get past Gale’s security; intimidate, interrogate, or negotiate with Gale; find Gale’s scripts and investigate
his info source.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
This Act drags characters kicking and screaming into the story whether they participated in Act I or not.
After all, who wants to be the subject of a biased, unflattering documentary?
If you can tie Gale’s motivations to the characters’ recent Deeds, do it. Actions that attracted media
attention put them in Gale’s sights. If the characters were at Yopico, that’s perfect.
Snags
• One of the character’s secrets is at risk even before the episode airs: Gale teases it in a trailer.
Even if the full truth is still hidden the Scion has some damage control to do; people start asking
annoyingly insightful questions about the subject.
• Gale always has a few fans outside the studio. He calls on them for help if he feels threatened.
• Gale attempts to go live while confronted in the studio to broadcast the interaction’s audio to his
listeners.

Act III: The Fire Within

Gale’s just a pawn. A loud, charismatic one, but he’s nowhere near the brains of the operation. He gets his
orders and his information from a megachurch in Amarna, Arizona. It’s the Church of the Verdant
Beacon’s pride and joy.
It’s the only place the characters can find out who and what the church worships. It’s the Greenish Flame
(Scion: Masks of the Mythos, p. 16), an entity who changes reality very gradually, often based on whim.
Its current whim, communicated through its representative Benjamin Dubois, is to bring into being a
World without Gods.
Benjamin Dubois is the church’s media coordinator. He’s thoroughly mired in the Greenish Flame’s
desires, to the point he doesn’t remember they’re not his own. It’s hard to sway him from his vocation of
siphoning other Gods’ power bases away to leave a World where the Greenish Flame faces less resistance
to its presence. On the other hand, if the characters rip him free of the Greenish Flame’s influence
(Fatebinding would work, so might a demonstration of divine power he can latch onto) he could switch
sides very quickly. The Band must get past mortal security and the Greenish Flame’s grotesquely warped
servants to reach him.
Actions
Infiltrate the cult; or abduct Benjamin Dubois; neutralize his influence — e.g. by framing him for
something that gets him excommunicated, by winning his trust and allegiance, or by killing him.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Information obtained from Gale or found in his studio leads the characters here after Act II. If they
participated in Act I but skipped Act II, they get their lead from a former member of the Church of
Verdant Beacon who left after realizing what terrible danger the church puts its supporters in. If this is
their first contact with this story track, the Center for Enlightenment opens a new headquarters right on
the characters’ doorstep, making it hard to ignore.
Snags
• There’s a schism in the Church of the Verdant Beacon. Benjamin Dubois has made enemies with
his singular lack of interest in other members’ help and input. One, Laurie Carver, offers the characters
assistance in getting to Benjamin Dubois, but he’ll call in the favor at a later point.
• The Church of the Verdant Beacon is one disinformation movement amongst many (see also the
Myth of War Movement, Ballyhoo Slate, and Swalpa Agarwal, p. XX, XX, and XX respectively). Acting
against one draws the attention of others. Lying, deceiving, trolls stick together when it suits them.

Characters
Diego Feliz (Act I): A priest of the Flayed God, Xīpe Totēc. The primary individual insisting on
punishing Gale Hegazy’s listeners for defiling a holy place with their presence. He’s a traditionalist, and
not used to being questioned. Getting him on side involves a lot of work to soothe his delicate, inflated
ego.
Gale Hegazy (Act I, II): A mortal who’s spent his entire life “just asking questions.” He only recently
discovered that asking questions about the nature of Gods, Titans, and humanity’s relationship with them
added several zeroes to the right end of his listener numbers. He owes the Church of the Verdant Beacon
and Benjamin Dubois for helping him tap into his new, fanatical audience.
Freddie Sava (Act I): Gale’s trusted “lieutenant” sent to coordinate the mob at Yopico. He is in regular
contact with Gale throughout the encounter, via phone call so Gale can keep up to date news on the
situation to his followers.
Benjamin Dubois (Act III): A man who no longer remembers life before he served the Greenish Flame.
He’s a prisoner in his own mind, his entire being turned towards his higher purpose. He’d like to be free,
but he has no way of expressing that.

Prison Break
No one knows how it got there (or at least no one is speaking up) but in the middle of the Aegean Sea, a
rift large enough to sail a ship through has opened to Tartarus. This is the kind of action that immediately
turns a cold war hot. Deploy this storyline when you’re ready for serious fallout.
The moment the Theoi became aware, they rallied alongside the Titans’ jailers, the Hecatoncheires, and
fought back the inmates that finally have a glimpse of freedom. Despite their swift action, a prisoner
managed to slip out of Tartarus. While Gods and Scions rally to fight back the throng of prisoners, it falls
to the Band to retrieve the Three Pearl Gate, an artifact capable of closing the Rift, capture the escaped
prisoner, and seal the rift. Or, if they’re on the Titans’ side, jam the rift open forever.
This story track works essentially unchanged for characters seeking to close the rift or free the imprisoned
Titans. Each Act highlights places where the Storyguide needs to adapt certain details to suit one agenda
or the other.
• In Act I, the characters take possession of the Artifact supposedly able to close the Rift to
Tartarus, collecting it from a secretive cult on the island of Samothrace.
• In Act II, the characters must convince Hecate to teach them how to use the Relic they retrieved
from Samothrace.
• In Act III, the characters retrieve the first escapee, Tantalus, from Hawaii where he’s gorging
himself on anything and anyone he can get his hands on.
• In Act IV, with the prisoner retrieved and the Artifact in tow, it’s time to open or close the rift for
good.

Act I: Engage Failsafes

The Theoi always feared Tartarus would be breached, so they built The Three Pearl Gate, a Relic that
would re-seal its gates. It’s an intricate puzzle box containing three beads, a black one containing a
fragment of Hades’s power, a white one from Zeus, and a deep blue one from Poseidon. The Three Pearl
Gate could also open Tartarus permanently so only the Crossroad Goddess Hekate, who the Theoi
perceive as an objective observer, knows how to operate it. The keepers of the puzzle box are one of her
cults, based on Samothrace.
Their whole purpose is not to give the Relic up to strangers who walk in and ask for it. As well as a
compelling indication the Theoi sent them, there’s a trial. The characters must navigate a labyrinth
populated by monsters and confront illusionary but still dangerous versions of the imprisoned Titans.
Overcoming them shows true heroic strength, cunning, and bravery and proves the claimants worthy of
the Relic. The cult agrees this seems outdated, but their orders haven’t been updated since the bronze age.
Actions
Fight in the battle at the rift; travel to Samothrace; participate in the cult’s trials and claim the Relic.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
Missing the call to action for this Act is almost impossible. There’s a huge rift in the sea and every God
and Scion in the World is aware of it. If the characters want to get involved, they’re no more than two
contacts away from someone on the front lines. Gods fighting to close the rift order the characters to
collect the Relic from Samothrace. The Titans only just learned about it and its ability to keep Tartarus
open, but they’re now just as eager to get their hands on it.
Snags
• Getting to Samothrace is currently challenging, thanks to the enormous maelstrom in the Aegean.
• The cult members have heard of the characters, and what they’ve heard isn’t flattering. The
characters have to repair some reputational damage before they can claim the Relic.
• The puzzle box isn’t the only treasure in the labyrinth. The characters are faced with a choice: do
they take some other Relics that could be useful at the risk of angering Hekate?

Act II: Push the Button

Obtaining the Relic is only the first step to a solution. The characters don’t know how to use it. Only
Hekate does. She leaves the characters a series of clues she leaves in the form of her symbols —
crossroads, dogs, torches, keys, or snakes. Hekate could absolutely appear to them at any time she
chooses, at any place, and the characters are welcome to find ways to apply pressure so she does just that.
Threatening her cults or other assets is effective.
Hekate’s one of the Theoi but she’s not an ardent supporter of Zeus and his brothers. She’s a patient
watcher and prides herself on being neutral and willing to listen to reasonable argument. Whether the
characters want the rift open or closed, they have to persuade Hekate of the wisdom of their course of
action. Or they can fight her and demand she reveal her secret, or hope she recorded it somewhere and try
to steal it from her (use Avatar traits; see Scion: Demigod p. 210).
Actions
Interpret Hekate’s clues; apply pressure to make Hekate come to them; convince Hekate to side with
them.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If the characters skipped Act I, Hekate has the puzzle box herself and can supply it here; the characters
need only find her. If the Band has previously opted not to get involved, escalate the crisis. Have more
Gods join the fight at the rift, despite the danger this poses through Fatebinding them. More Gods makes
it more likely they’ll seal Tartarus. For Scions in favor of re-sealing Tartarus, have the inmates of
Tartarus come close to escaping, causing a disaster that sinks several mortal ships in the Aegean.
Snags
• Hekate only takes audiences at the new moon. The characters can wait and deal with Act III first,
or work some kind of Miracle to speed up the process.
• While the characters are pursuing and audience with Hekate, another prisoner escapes from
Tartarus or one of their allies is grievously injured in the ongoing battle at the rift.

Act III: A Meal Worth Waiting For

The first prisoner to break free from Tartarus was Tantalus, a man who once served his own son to the
Gods at dinner to see if they’d notice what they were eating. That’s his story. In fact he has a taste for
human flesh and he’s been waiting to indulge it since the Gods imprisoned him for his crimes. He’s
escalating to Scion-flesh, as revenge for his long millennia of punishment.
Tantalus is starting on the North Island of Aotearoa, hunting down Scions of the Theoi initially then
expanding his menu to Scions of other pantheons. He stalks, kills, and devours them one after another and
every one he consumes makes him a little stronger. The characters can either stop him or find a use for
him. They’ll also have to handle Leilani Franklin, a Scion of Zeus who escaped Tantalus’s clutches and
has sworn revenge.
Actions
Follow Tantalus’s trail of destruction to Aotearoa; prevent one of his kills; restrain him or convince him
to ally with them; fight or otherwise deal with Leilani.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If the characters are already involved in the storyline, their contacts on the front lines either ask them to
recapture Tantalus and throw him back into the rift, or find him and convince him to come to the
battlefield in the Aegean and prey on divine Scions there, where his appetites can be useful. If this is the
characters’ entry point into this story track there’s a monstrous serial killer preying on their friends and
loved ones, maybe stalking the Band themselves.
Snags
• After feeding, Tantalus temporarily grows to the point where combat with him can cause
immense collateral damage.
• Tantalus inspires one or more copycat killers. Even if the characters don’t have an ethical stance
on cannibalism it makes it harder to track Tantalus down.

Act IV: Sealing the Rift

It’s time to either close the rift or wedge it permanently open. The characters must navigate a raging
nautical battle, either by stealth or ploughing straight through. If they’re closing the rift, they have to fight
a holding action while the Gods and Scions currently battling inside Tartarus retreat. If they’re jamming it
open they face the last line of defense: Gyges, one of the three hundred-handed giants who guard
Tartarus.
Actions
Cross the battlefield at the rift; hold the gates or fight Gyges; use Hekate’s Relic to close the gate or jam it
open.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If this is the characters’ entry point to the story track, the Storyguide can get them quickly to the
battlefield with a message to deliver to a progenitor or ally on either side of the conflict. From there,
they’re pressed into service to take the puzzle box to the entrance to Tartarus and press the button. If the
Band played previous acts, this one follows on naturally.
Snags
• One of the inmates of Tartarus offers the characters a sweet deal to let them escape before they
seal the gates.
• One of the Titanic Scions or servants fighting outside the rift offers the characters a huge reward
to assassinate one prisoner, a personal enemy, before they open the rift.
• Two words: friendly fire.
Characters
Ariadne (Act I): The leader of Hekate’s cult on Samothrace. Keeper of the puzzle box and loyal servant
of Hekate. She takes the ‘mystery’ part of the cult very seriously. She’s tight-lipped and won’t reveal
anything about the trial in advance unless the characters are exceptionally charming.
Hekate (Act II): This Incarnation of Hekate is a patient watcher, one who sees all possible routes from a
crossroads. Ultimately she’s ready to be swayed to whichever side of the conflict the characters are on,
but she’s going to make them work for it.
Leilani Franklin (Act III): A Scion of Zeus, she has inherited her father’s demeanor and arrogance.
She’s narrowly escaped an encounter with Tantalus and is hunting him down in revenge.
Gyges (Act IV): One of the Hecatoncheires, he stands outside the Rift while his brothers fight alongside
Scions and Gods on the other end of the gateway. He’s sick of waiting and if the characters are on his
side, he blames them for exacerbating the crisis by being slow to act. If he opposes them, Gyges is stoic
and prepared to die doing his duty.

Poison Apple
Alesha Siddiqui, a Scion of Zeus is on the cusp of achieving Apotheosis and joining his father on Mount
Olympus. This is cause for celebration both on Olympus and in the Scion’s New York home. Wine,
ambrosia, and nectar are plentiful and the Theoi incarnations and their Scions are having a ball. Nobody
invited Eris, Goddess of Discord. Eris isn’t a Titan but she sure is willing to ally with them when the
Gods offend her, as they so frequently do. With the Second Titanomachy currently as tense as it is, the
Gods made a collective decision not to risk letting a possible Titanic spy into their midst.
When a Golden Apple addressed to “the most beautiful” is delivered to the affair in New York, it’s only
natural the Theoi suspect Eris of the same stunt she pulled to kick off the Trojan War.
If a God or their Scion invited the Band to the party, they’re pressed into service to help resolve the
situation. If they’re allied with Titans, they’re there as undercover agitators instructed to make sure the
Theoi turn on one another.
• In Act I, the party guests, including the Band, have to prevent or encourage civil war as Athena,
Hera, and Aphrodite, the three targets of Eris’s last golden apple related trick accuse the other Gods of
mocking them.
• In Act II, the Theoi turn their suspicions on Eris but the Band discovers a Scion of Cronus
orchestrated this strife. They can hand him over, or frame someone else.

Act I: Record Scratch

Alesha’s party sprawls across her huge penthouse and into the Realms of various Theoi, because what is a
penthouse except the peak of an urban Mount Olympus? It’s an overwhelmingly expensive, not at all
tasteful, affair. It grinds to a halt when a courier delivers a humble package addressed to “the most
beautiful.” Inside the box is a golden apple. The courier simply has orders to deliver the package to this
address, not a specific person. Ideally, have him put it in one of the Band’s hands.
Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena immediately assume someone’s pranking them. They assume it’s either
Apollo or Hermes because it seems in line with their schoolboy sense of humor. Hermes and Apollo think
Zeus did it to hit on someone vaguely woman-shaped at the party. Alesha’s upset nobody thinks the
apple’s intended for her.
The courier knows nothing. This is just one of his four part time jobs.
The characters have plenty of opportunities to drive wedges between the Theoi, or a lot of work to do
stopping them coming to blows.
Actions
Gatecrash the party (for Titanic Scions) or score an invitation; Schmooze with Gods and Scions; get
between various angry Theoi and convince them not to fight (or convince them to fight, for Titanic
Scions); question the courier.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
This is a huge party. The characters get invites if they’ve ever interacted with Alesha or any other Theoi
Demigod. The number of guests makes it extremely hard to keep track of who’s attending, so Titans or
anyone opposing the Theoi receive a request from a progenitor or patron to infiltrate the party, do some
spying, and look out for an opportunity to turn the Theoi against one another.
Snags
• The apple reignites Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena’s ancient argument. They’re determined to find
someone to judge which of them actually is the most beautiful. All of them offer enormous bribes to
influence the judge or judges.
• The courier, Nathan Andrews, steals the apple in the confusion. That thing’s made of solid gold.

Act II: All That Glitters

The day after the party, Alesha sets the Band to work investigating who sent the apple. Her first
assumption is Eris, so she’s adamant the investigators should speak to Eleni Pappas, a Scion of Eris local
to New York. Alesha and Eleni, who was not at the party, have been both allies and enemies on occasion,
and Alesha assumes Eleni has a grudge.
Eleni’s a red herring but the characters can convince her to help them track down the real culprit. Or, if
they’re working for Titans they must stop her going to Alesha and revealing the real culprit. The
characters have to apologize to Eleni for the insinuation her mother is foolish and lazy enough to play the
same trick twice — or exploit her indignation to turn her against Alesha so she doesn’t reveal what she
knows.
Eleni didn’t send the apple, but she did have a drunken conversation with a woman she met in a bar a
couple of weeks ago about the apple, divine rivalry, and whether the same trick would even work if
someone played it today. She hit it off with the woman and has her number. The information leads the
characters to Zoe Madsen.
Zoe had the apple delivered on Cronus’s orders. It was too good an opportunity to waste and as far as she
can see it worked brilliantly. If the characters are trying to calm the situation they need to get Zoe back to
Alesha and extract a confession. If the Band would prefer to keep the Theoi fighting each other they can
frame Eleni or a party guest, or simply declare they found no leads.
Actions
Convince Eleni to talk about Zoe; convince Eleni not to take revenge for the slight against her mother;
report (truthfully or not) their information; track down Zoe Madsen and either take her to Alesha or make
sure Alesha never finds her.
Pulling Fate’s Threads
If the characters were at the party, Alesha asks them to handle the next stage of the investigation. If not, a
mutual contact connects them to Alesha, who knows confronting Eleni personally will only fan the
flames.
Snags
• Eleni understands why she didn’t get an invitation to Alesha’s celebration but she’s still unhappy
about it. She does everything she can to drive a wedge between Karina and the characters and make their
working relationship difficult.
• Karina’s a cop and she background checks the people she works with. If the characters have any
skeletons in their closets, there’s a good chance Karina finds them.

Characters
Alesha Siddiqui (Acts I, II): A Scion of Zeus close to Apotheosis. She’s furious someone picked her
party to try and start a war. She has a short temper and she’s quick to jump to conclusions.
Eleni Pappas (Act II): A Scion of Eris with a complicated relationship with Alesha. Eleni’s appalled
anyone would accuse her or her mother of such a pathetic, unoriginal act of chaos. She can be swayed to
either help or hinder Alesha’s investigation.
Zoe Madsen (Act II): A Scion of Cronus who orchestrated the delivery of the apple to sow discord
amongst the Theoi. She’s delighted with her achievement, unrepentant, and explicitly says that if it’s this
easy to get a pantheon to turn on itself they deserve everything they get.