Scion

Scion are a rare subbreed of Scain which occur once in every 5,000 births. They have between ten and twenty times the normal amount of Psionics - enough to where it may "leak" out of them subconsciously - and live roughly ten percent longer than a normal Scain.

Scion do not speak orally. Instead, they use a method called "Reflection" in which they Psionically induce a mental vision of what they are trying to communicate. The receiver's brain then translates the images into words, meaning a Scion is "heard" within the receiver's mind, but by nobody else unless the speaker is deliberately projecting. Scion also have a whole host of additional abilities at their disposal, provided they are powerful enough to use them.

Mindbank Sovakadris, for example, had the ability to float instead of walk and seemed to be incapable of actually touching the ground without focusing on it. Scion have also been known to be able to create localized weather phenomena (thunderstorms, hail, snow, etc.) and manipulate forms of natural energy such as lightning or fire, provided they have a source of it. They can also dissolve or weaken the ionic bonds between cells, allowing them to pass through walls or to embed their enemies in them.

Scion also have a peculiar "overheat" affliction if their emotions reach a fever pitch. Their Psionics boil out of them in waves, condensing into spheres which orbit them like moons. Each sphere is the Psionic equivalent of five normal Scain and can be reabsorbed at any time. They are used as "refuel cells" for the Scion in question: if a raging Scion uses up too much of his main reserve, he will automatically absorb one of these spheres.

Scion, despite their power, are generally granted less freedom than normal. Male Scion are almost always pushed into either the military arm of the Scain Empire or into politics. Mindbank Sovakadris, as well as his predecessor Mindbank Escundal, were both Scion. Female Scion, on the other hand, effectively become high-priced prostitutes. They are always fertile, meaning they are one of the few beacons of hope for the near-sterile Scain. Female Scion usually end up either in the employ of the Mindbank, who regulates their use and breeding, or in the hands of unscrupulous individuals who milk them for money.