Halfborn

Halfborn are offspring born from the union of a mortal and a powerful divine being, such as an Empyrean or Archon. Alternately known as godlings, due to the fact that their divine parents are usually beings mortals worship as gods, halfborn are among the most common divine beings in the universe, thanks to the comparative ease and frequency of their creation. In the modern Iron Age, halfborn are primarily born and live their entire lives upon Earth, the majority of them living brief and violent lives. It is a rare few who manage to gain power and immortality by rising to demigod status, and even fewer who manage to ascend to stand alongside their divine progenitors as true gods.

## Traits

### Awakening

Before a halfborn undergoes an Awakening, they are largely indistinguishable from ordinary mortals. Occasionally, an Unawakened halfborn might manifest some sort of weak magical power, but this quite rare.

The Awakening typically occurs when a halfborn is first exposed to some sort of magic. This might entail entering the presence of a god using their powers, being attacked by a monster, or being the target of any sort of magical effect. As they Awaken, the halfborn's senses begin to heighten, their bodies strengthen, and their reflexes become faster. Once the Awakening is complete, they begin to emit a magical signature that can be sensed by monsters and other divine beings, particularly when they use their powers.

It should be noted that an Awakening only occurs upon exposure to magic. The divinity within a halfborn's blood cannot be activated by just any moment of terror or excitement. For this reason, those who wish to kill a halfborn before they Awaken will often employ mortal minions to do so.

### Exultation

Exultation, often referred to by demigods as simply "the Rush" occurs whenever a halfborn slays a magical being. In doing so, the halfborn absorbs a fraction of power from their foe, producing a feeling of ecstasy and euphoria, and imbuing them with a tiny fraction of energy which they can later use to fuel their Ascension (this essence is known as Ichor). The Rush typically lasts anywhere from seconds to minutes, during which time the halfborn feels energized and refreshed. Killing more potent beings produces a longer lasting, more powerful Exultation.

Due to the intense pleasure of Exultation, along with the power increase it brings, many halfborn relish the slaying of monsters. Some also turn to killing their fellow godlings, as doing so is even more pleasurable than mere monster slaying, thanks to the potent divine energies within them.

### Ascension

Main Article: Ascension

Ascension is the name given to the process of a halfborn deliberately burning away their Ichor store in order to transform themselves either into a demigod or a full god. Ascension is an all or nothing process. Once it begins, the halfborn will either complete the transformation into a demigod or god, or be destroyed, bursting apart in a wash of radiant light and searing energy.

Most halfborn, if they do manage to Ascend, will first attempt to become demigods, and then spend time gathering more power to fuel their transformation into godhood. Trying to transform into a god, as one might expect, requires far more power.

The most common method of Ascension is for multiple gods to pour their power into a halfborn, giving them sufficient magical energy to Ascend, either to demigod status or godhood. This is usually done by a godly pantheon to reward a demigod hero for great deeds and service, and is a tremendously rare occurrence.

### Generational Dilution

Halfborn are children between gods and mortals. Without a fresh infusion of pure divinity into their bloodlines, the powers of a halfborn's descendants will eventually dilute until they are indistinguishable from ordinary mortals. Breeding with fellow halfborn or other godly descendants does not mitigate this dilution. Only the blood of a full god may do so.

The children of a halfborn lose the superhuman vitality possessed by their parents. Their physical abilities are no more formidable than an ordinary mortal's, and they do not undergo an Awakening, wherein magical powers are suddenly activated. However, they do possess the potential to learn to wield any of the powers of the Divine Dominions, though it a slow and troublesome process to do so, and they do not have the same raw magical potency as a true halfborn.

The grandchildren of a halfborn are similar to the generation before them, but are only capable of learning to wield the Divine Dominions favored by whatever god they claim descent from. Their magical power is even weaker than the previous generation. Nevertheless, the continuous channeling of the Divine Dominions can help them maintain their vitality into their twilight years.

A great-grandchild , three generations removed from their halfborn ancestor, is utterly unable to wield any of the Divine Dominions. Their only noticeable magical trait is the fact that they are more resistant to magical effects than mortals are. For instance, they are often able to see through illusions which can cloud the minds of mortals.

All subsequent generations are usually indistinguishable from ordinary mortals.

## Abilities

Depending on the spheres of their divine parent, a halfborn will inherit a variety of magical abilities.

Extended Vitality: While halfborn do age normally, the act of channeling the Divine Dominions shields them from the enfeeblement that usually comes from the ravages of time. As a result, they tend to maintain a large portion of their vitality into their old age, and it is entirely within the realm of possibility for them to stay hale and healthy so long as they continually use their powers.

Regenerative Healing Factor: The magic within a halfborn's blood causes them to recover from injuries more quickly and more completely than any mortal could hope to. Most mundane wounds can be completely healed within a matter of hours, whilst wounds of a more magical sort can be recovered from in a few short days, usually with minimal lasting damage.

Super Durability: Halfborn are considerably tougher than any mortal, with their bodies being more resistant to damage than those without divine blood. Whilst mortal weaponry, such as guns and blades, can still cause them pain, they are usually not powerful enough to cause life threatening damage. Even when a demigod is harmed by some sort of magical weaponry, they can survive still damage that would kill a human, such as severe blood loss, impalement, or blunt trauma to the head.

Super Senses: Halfborn possess senses sharper than those of mortals, being able to detect stimuli that would be unnoticeable to them. Furthermore, halfborn are also able to process more sensory input than mortals, allowing them to better react to combat situations.

Super Speed: Halfborn are able to run and move at speeds exceeding human limits, and can often keep pace with slower moving vehicles. This speed also extends to their combat movements and reflexes, along them to strike and react to movements that would dazzle mortals.

Super Strength: Even the weakest of halfborn is gifted with strength which exceeds that of ordinary humans. Any can beat down the strongest mortal with little difficulty, being capable of effortlessly dismembering humans, as well as breaking stone and metal.