Scion Terminology

Blooded? Scion? Blood power vs Blood ability?

The original Dragons and Giants were primeval creatures of god-like power born from the elements in the time before time. The humans, elves, dwarves, and other creatures who populated their lands were referred to as the lesser races. It was not meant as a pejorative.

In modern speech, Dragon and Giant are used as demonyms for the people living in the lands that once belonged to their respective empires. It is a term of respect, acknowledging that, even in their absence, the land still belongs to the Dragons and Giants and the people are still their devoted children.

More specific are the terms dragonborn and giantkin. These refer only to those individuals who have inherited a fraction of the Forbearers' blood and power. These terms had a sort of ritual significance, their meaning imprinted by the elders upon each generation with the weight of knowing you now carried the blood of gods among men. You were born of Dragons. You are kin to Giants. Ironically, this means being addressed as Dragon is less of an honor than Dragonborn.

All dragonborn and giantkin are said to be Blooded, or "of the Blood," and may also be referred to as Scions. In the old times, before the cosmopolitan blend of the Borderlands, lesser folk would only ever encounter dragonborn or giantkin, not both, so Blooded or Scion did not need further clarification.  Now, it is more common to specify. Scions have an inborn sense for the Blood and can identify each other, including if dragonborn or giantkin, by sight.

Objectively, Scions are faster, stronger, smarter, better than the lesser folk. They hail from the favored servants of the Forbearers, the men, elves, and dwarves who fought in their armies during the Great War. Other races exist (cat-folk, gnomes, halflings) but Scions only differentiate the Blooded from the lesser races (and they are not usually so uncouth as to call them lesser to their faces); they afford humans, elves, and dwarves no greater honor than the others. Unblooded members of those races may think more highly of themselves in comparison to races that did not serve in the ancient armies but, really, that was centuries if not millennia ago and amounts to nothing more than stolen valor.

Scions divide their history into three ages. The First Scions arose in the immediate aftermath of the Great War and possessed tremendously strong links to the Blood. Their mortal frames could not long bear the power of the Forbearers and they became warped and died. The Second Scions arose with the expansion of the Blood Wastes. Each side retreated back to their ancestral homelands, abandoning conquered lands in the wake of the Upheaval. The Second Scions eventually gave their lives to halt and contain the Wastes, creating the Borderlands. Now is the age of the Third Scions. They seek to reclaim the Borderlands and the bloodstone that now lies throughout the Wastes.

Scions develop gifts due to their connection to the Blood. Blood manifestations are gross physical changes like dragon claws or giant height. Blood abilities are supernatural effects that are not immediately obvious or require activation to use, like walking on clouds or breathing fire. And Blood powers are a host of other supernatural effects that work like spellcasting but draw upon the strength of the Scion's blood. Any of these might also be termed bloodline gifts. The general distinction is that bloodline gifts run in families while most gifts are individual.