Godborn are the offspring of specific divine entities of the religions on Aloria, that even includes Estellon and Void Worship even though they are based on extra-planar entities. The Godborn manifest unique appearances, personality, and powers based on their heritage, but also have a uniquely difficult life within their own religious communities. Far from being worshiped or praised as the children of the god, Godborn are uniquely cursed with a demand to prove themselves, a task which for many of them seems too great to achieve, and so many of them languish in irrelevance, subject to the mockery and derision of the faithful, as if they are an extension of the inability of their religion to prove its superiority to others. In fact, many of the Godborn become an extension of religious wars between the various beliefs around the world, even if they nominally live in relatively peaceful conditions in various countries. There is always the hope that a Godborn will beat the Godborn of other religions in fame and name, though failing that, the criticism towards them is also proportionally more severe. It is said among the various religions that when a Godborn is born, the Gods flip a coin, with one side resulting in them being paragons of their faith, pious and virtuous, and the other side resulting in them being a curse of crime, violence and disappointment.
Rules to designing a Godborn
A Godborn can only ever be born to one Divine Entity, there is no recorded case of religious entities cross religion giving birth to a child, ever. Godborn also cannot be Silven, as Silven is a corrupted form of Godborn, though they can become Afflicted otherwise, or Occult and acquire other dimensional Powers. The only exception, is that Godborn are never Undead. When Godborn die, their soul is guaranteed to pass into the afterlife.
Godborn visual identifiers (which are usually eye colors, but may also be different aspects), are always visible and dominant regardless of what Race they are. Afflictions however do overwrite these visual aspects where applicable. It begs the question whether someone who is permanently Vampire has create superfluous design by also being Godborn. It is better to focus on being a Godborn, than to use it as a subservient aspect of Character Design.
Yanar and Bralona cannot be Godborn, because these Races do not reproduce in the same way that the Divine Entities would (as direct copulation is required). Maraya can only be Godborn if the child was born after the Vault opened, as many of the Gods which create Godborn did not exist in the time of the Meraic Civilization. Urlan can be Godborn both before and after Symbiosis. Slizzar cannot be Godborn at all for deeplore reasons.
Godborn are also only born to faithful, though they don't have to strictly be religious. It is not possible for a Unionist Allar to copulate with the Old Gods God, to create an Allar Godborn. Divine Entities only copulate with persons within their religion. Godborn themselves, can however be Atheist or follow a different faith, if there is a good reason. If unsure or in need of clarification, inquire with Lore Staff in Rp Community Discord Ticket Bot.
Godborn can't reasonably have come from unreasonable combinations. If you choose to play a Godborn of Old Gods make, who is also an Ailor, you can reasonably assume that this works. If however you are trying to play a Asha Godborn from a Estellon God, you will run into a concept issue, and should inquire with Lore Staff. Gods who produce Godborn are always male unless specified otherwise. Most Gods are Male. It is not possible to genderbend a God.
Dragon Worship does not have Godborn status, and never will. Dragons do not copulate with mortals ever, this is a concept that is beholden only to the societal religions. If a Dragon copulates with a mortal, it does not create a Godborn, but rather a Dragonblood Vessel, in which the Dragonsoul can re-incarnate, however Dragonblood Vessels are not playable, and give no benefit or function in roleplay, and as such is redundant.
Religion is complicated, and Godborn is even more complicated due to both societal and religious implications. Simple straightforward designs like a Godborn from Estellon who is Estellon worshiper and operates within the Estellon community is simple, and easy to play. More complex concepts however are encouraged to discuss with Lore Staff how to both accurately portray them, and make them meaningful to other players.
Godborn do not provide any Abilities, but that does not strictly mean they can't. History is littered with Godborn who had amazing abilities and powers beyond what the mundane population could, though much like born mages, this is entirely unpredictable as Gods are capricious. Godborn with extra Abilities would fall under a Custom Kit Application, but Godborn is a viable angle through which to add extra powers to a Character.
Godborn status is not transferrable past generations. A Godborn is simply a Godborn, and any children they have will be mortals. It is theoretically possible for a Godborn to copulate with a God and produce another Godborn, but this happens exceedingly rarely, and not without Lore Staff consent. God visual aesthetics are divided into required, and optional, the latter being encouraged, but allowed to be disregarded.
Playing a Godborn
Playing a Godborn is not recommended for new players, as there are religious nuances and responses a Character may receive, that depend on the player being fully informed about the religious lore, and how players generally interact in Regalia. If however the option is chosen, this section has some key concepts that are useful to understand. A Godborn, regardless of the religion, is always born with expectations. Godborn status (just like Silvenism) is visible from birth, and is immediately manifested, and also dictates how a Character grows up. Religious figures will, immediately in childhood, put high expectations on the child, as the faithful have an expectation that Godborn will be their chosen few by the Gods to achieve great deeds. Many Godborn crack under this pressure and go in the opposite direction, a life of crime and disdain for the faithful, or even outright hate for their divine parent for cursing them with this level of exposure to public scrutiny that they did not want. Godborn are never to be worshiped, until they have proven themselves and been verified by their God parent as not being an utter disappointment. Any Godborn who has not received this confirmation (in-roleplay), is still "forever on a journey to prove themselves, and fulfill the destiny they were born for), or die trying." There is an expectation of wonder and interest in Godborn from the faithful, but a player should never play a Godborn just with the expectation to somehow be treated better. In fact, the Character will be treated worse, as every interaction and intention will be scrutinized. It is only recommended that those who want to roleplay through the struggle of judgement and derision of failure, to play Godborn.
Divine Beings
Old Gods, Halfvel the Dire Wolf God
The only God within Old Gods that produces Godborn is Halfvel (also called Godsun among the Ceardian Old Gods worshipers) who mingles among mortals. Halfvel's choices for partner are seemingly arbitrary, sometimes he resides in an area for a long time, sometimes he appears one night after a woman who could not conceive prays to him, to give her what she wants. Halfvel is in this regard known to help couples who have trouble conceiving, but also has seeming fancies of his own throughout history. Within the frame of Old Gods as a religion, Halfvel's children are called Storfødt (or Great Born in Common) and there is a general expectation that they will be "better than the average man or woman or person", a super-human of a kind that brings great fame and glory to their memory. Children of Halfvel will always be fullblood Ailor, or Half-Ailor.
Required Traits: All of Halfvel's children have the Wolf-God Eyes. This involves a dark-gray Sclera, and faintly glowing sky-blue eyes. In the dark, these eyes are reflective like light blue orbs in the darkness.
Optional Traits: Halfvel's children can have dark raven hair, increased/heightened body-size and build, green/blue skin discoloration of tree branches on their back and arms, which can also glow green or blue.
Special I: Halfvel's children are also Marken, but are not god cursed, and are always in complete control of themselves, choosing when and where to transform, and how to behave while transformed. Additionally, unlike other Marken, they can still speak while in Marken form, and keep their Halfvel eyes, instead of getting the regular Marken purple eyes. It is optionally possible for the Character to have had to learn how to control their Marken side at an earlier age, but master it in their adult years. Lastly, Halfvel's children have Night eyes, meaning they can see perfectly clear at night and in the dark absent of light sources.
Emended Unionism, Caan the Mightbringer
The only God within Emended Unionism that produces Godborn is Caan who travels the world seeking and hunting Apostate Mages. Caan is the only God who copulates with non-faithful of Emended Unionism (convenient, because this Religion has only existed for 3 years). Caan is perhaps one of the strongest if not the strongest known Mage in the world, disciplined, an Aelrrigan Knight, a man of few words, but with a terrible vice for lust, and easy to seduce as such. Caan's children are born all over the place and with no real commonality between them, as they are just the products of his urges (or by conspiratorial design). Caan's children are very loosely included in Emended Unionism, most of the faithful just see them as a physical manifestation of the mortal flaws of Gods and their vices, so to be Emended Godborn, is to have the most care-free Godborn life. Caan's children are always Ailor or Half-Ailor (he himself is Half-Ailor).
Required Traits: Caan's children are born with the intensely glowing solid pink eyes, that are so bright and uncomfortable, that they have to wear light-dampening goggles, with pink still shining through.
Optional Traits: Caan's children can also have his glowing line markings, that are so bright they are visible through any non-solid fabric, and crimson red hair (which he actually shaves down completely).
Special I: Caan's children have eyes beyond that of normal mortals, capable of seeing through a person's skill "levels". When a Godborn of Caan looks at any other person, they are able to "read" their Proficiency Point investments in Categories (not their Point Buy) to have a comparative understanding of how strong they are in for example Strength, Magic, Dexterity, or Constitution. This does not actually return a "number", but a more general concept of comparative power. Additionally, Caan's children can look at any Power used in Emote Range, and identify whether it is Exist, Void, Ordial, or Primal.
Evintarian Unionism, Amandaros the Mask
The only God within Evintarian Unionism that produces Godborn is Amandaros, and it's a fairly unusual one because Amandaros himself never actually materializes, rather he is a possessed mask. It is both possible for Amandaros to present as a woman, or as a man, or something in between. It is also possible for the Mask of Amandaros to be worn by a mortal, which imbues their body with his presence, thus resulting in a Godborn. As such. Amandaros is not biological sex-locked, and can even produce a Godborn with another man, or an independent couple altogether. Amandaros Godborn are never born with the God's intent, but rather the parent(s) who seek out the Mask(s) of Amandaros at the Temple of Birth. As such, Amandaros Godborn can have single parents, or two parents unrelated to Amandaros, and be of any compatible Race. Amandaros Godborn are seen as a divine blessing by the faithful, though there is a very strict enforcement of the faith on them, and if they stray, they receive the same treasonous distinction as Dogmatic Unionism.
Required Traits: Amandaros's children are born with Magenta glowing eyes, and the ability to cause any part of their body (or hair) to glow with that same color and vibrancy.
Optional Traits: Amandaros's children can have any evolved aspect of Void Worship in them, for example Void Mutations, increased/heightened body-size and build, and horns, without being Occult.
Special I: Amandaros's children can apply mutations to themselves without ever becoming classified as Occult, though have to generally sample their mutations from the Void Aesthetics. Additionally, they can speak in Amandspeech, which is just their normal voice, but with Amandaros's silky smooth almost whisper-like voice overlaid on their own as if they speak with two voices at once. Finally, Amandaros's children can innately feel the presence of other Void Gods in the area, if they are actively present and affecting the world around them causing hair in the back of their necks to stand up straight.
Asaredu, Da'amu the Gatekeeper of Death
The only God within Asaredu that produces Godborn is Da'amu, though the process is a bit unusual. Da'amu is the only Godborn creator who is female, but she never actually carries a child to term. She only copulates with men Ordial Worshiping or Asaredu worshiping men, and creates a Necrotic shell from which the child is born at a later time. Da'mu's choice for who to mate with, is entirely based on whether she thinks the person is impressive, or worthy of her physical presence, as such they must have made quite some achievements in their life. In fact, Da'amu usually appears to such persons at the very end of their life, producing offspring, but also being the final thing they do before she causes them to expire, meaning that most Da'amu Godborn never know their father. Da'amu's Godborn are always Eronidas or Half-Eronidas. Da'amu's Godborn carry some significance both in Asaredu and Ordial Worship, as their connection with Bintaar is always greater than that of other persons.
Required Traits: Da'amu children are born with sickly yellow glowing eyes and dark gray or black sclera, these eyes always producing a wispy effect as they move around.
Optional Traits: Da'amu's children optionally also have extended bone protrusions from their body, like spikes from their shoulders and ribcage or elbows, and sensitivity to light and loud sounds.
Special I: Da'amu's children can see partially into Bintaar and thus overlay expectations between the two worlds. Da'amu's children are always aware of how they will die in the future, they know the exact date, and the exact circumstances, even down to the person who might cause their death. Furthermore, they can also predict "one of many" deaths of other people, before creating vivid and life-like illusions that illustrate that person's death to them, so long as these illusions do not obscure or blind a person from breaking away from them or other activities.
Estellon, Sapphora the Empress of Desire
The only God within Estellon that produces Godborn is Sapphora, but while she is entirely female coded, she only copulates with other women to produce Godborn who bear the child without any male intervention. Sapphora has remained and continues to remain at the Temple of Tantalizing Regret at the heart of the Allorn Empire, which is the only place where she can be copulated with. While Sapphora is absolutely a very carnal coded Goddess, the Godborn she produces are far less so. They do not inherit their Godmother's lustful nature, rather, they understand that lust is a weakness meant to be exploited onto others, and not to be exploited by. Sapphora Godborn are always full blood Teledden, or Half-Teledden (currently Teledden Subrace Altalar until the Rewrite is done). Sapphora's Godborn hold a special place among the Estellon Faithful as particularly blessed, on the same level as Silven. Similarly to Silven however, if they squander their divine touch, they are ridiculed to no end and expelled from society as failures.
Required Traits: Sapphora's children are always born with golden irises and luscious golden metallic hair that glows, and eventually flows into two independently movable snake-heads similar to hers.
Optional Traits: Sapphora's children can optionally also have white glowing lines and shapes on their body, and the ability to create illusions of rose petals from their hands and tears.
Special I: Sapphora's children are touched by the desires of others. At any time, if they focus themselves on anyone in Emote Range, they can discern that person's current desire, whether that is for an object (trying to steal an Artifact from someone in range), action (such as punching someone), food item (such as chocolate fudge) or person (if they are infatuated with someone, or crave someone). Additionally, if Sapphora's Godborn are desired by others, even if they do not say it, the Godborn will know (and inversely, also be aware if someone is totally not into them).
Baskarr, Akhet the Sun God of Thousands
The only God within Baskarr that produces Godborn is Akhet. Akhet has one night stands with anyone he can get his hands on, as he is after all, the Lord of Thousand Sons. Akhet however exclusively copulates with other Asha, not even Half-Asha, meaning his Godborn can only ever be fullblood Asha. Akhet's children are called Reclamators by the Baskarr faithful, believing that they act like super-soldiers to help the Asha reclaim their heritage and legacy, because they are born better and stronger than other Asha on average. Equally, those that refuse to assist in the plight of the Asha to reclaim their old homeland and heritage from the Ailor and Altalar who live on it, are outcast as race traitors.
Required Traits: Akhet's Godborn have large sections of golden metallic fur like him, but also flaming eyes. Their irises are not visible, instead wisps of flames dance from them like wisps.
Optional Traits: Akhet's Godborn may also generally be bigger, taller, and broader than other Asha, and be energized and excitable merely from being touched by sunrays around them.
Special I: Akhet's Godborn cannot be exhausted in any way, either by physical combat, or excersize, or other draining activities. They can never run out of breath while running or swimming, and never need to recover their stamina while engaging in long duration activities, or even short burst intensive ones. Additionally, Akhet's Godborn are able to cause the glow of their golden metallic fur to become more and more intense, to the point that they can act like artificial sunlight in a completely dark area or room.
