Godtouched

• Origin: The whys and hows of the godtouched being 'touched by the gods' is a matter of extreme speculation and personal belief. As is the theory that they are divine in origin in the first place.
• Religion: Most religions frown, at the very least, at the idea of godtouched walking about freely. The most widespread one (The Children of Iomei) denounces the unsanctioned use of their powers viciously (and the godtouched, themselves, depending on the preacher), many others argue for their being controlled (at the very least), and a very small few worship the god-touched as heralds or angels of some kind.
• Cultural Impact: The world of Litanea has something of a love-hate relationship with the GodTouched. On the one hand, power is incredibly attractive. On the other, it`s also incredibly destructive. And so public opinion goes back and forth, and even when the GodTouched are officially on the outs with society at large, there`s still a thriving buisness in stories of their exploits, and a profound fascination with tattoos meant to mimic sigils.
• Others: Your Average Joe is not used to the idea that his next door neighbor might be a godtouched. Godtouched always happen to Someone Else, after all. Your mileage may vary, but it's unlikely to be good.
• Touch: All godtouched possess a 'touch' and a 'sigil'. The 'touch' is their power, which can be just about anything. If you have an idea you love, pitch it to me and we'll see what we can come up with. It should not be so powerful that it is game-breaking, yet it should be capable of various applications and escalation in extreme circumstances.
• Sigil: The 'sigil' is a physical marking on the godtouched. A birthmark, of sorts, but one that looks to be distinctly artificial. They do not have to be immediately visible, but they should be relatively obvious; no hiding it under one's hair, or making it so tiny as to be invisible, please. Most of them glow in proportion to the power used when the individual's touch is activated, but not all.
• Faux Touched: It should be noted that, for reasons unknown(like everything else GodTouched associated), a reasonably large number of children are born with sigils who never manifest a touch. Most of these 'faux-touched' have their sigil fade away before adulthood, but a few have it persist throughout their lives, providing false positives for a true GodTouched to hide amongst.
• Cost: Power has a cost and all that jazz. Be it pain, drawing on internal resources, having to do complex math in your head, or what-have you. Godtouched have the capacity for powerful deeds, but not willy-nilly. Very powerful acts will result in a permanent cost. This is a Known Fact and should be remembered when a godtouched wants to use their polymorph power to turn an attacking army into sheep.
• Manifestation: All godtouched possess some manifestation that accompanies the usage of their power. In increases in direct proportion to the power used and its purpose seems to be entirely to get the godtouched in question found out and killed (according to the godtouched themselves). It can be a glowing of their sigil, heat radiating off of their body, a high-pitching keening sound, etc. For example, a pyrokinetic might have heat radiate from their body when they use their powers. Lighting a candle or a pipe will cause so light and brief of a flicker as to go unnoticed, setting a carriage on fire will cause people nearby to be aware of the radiating heat, and lighting up a building will burn the clothes from their body and melt every but of snow within a dozen yards.
• Exercise: Like any muscle, the more a power is used, the stronger it becomes. Thus, baby pyrokinetics don't fry themselves in their cribs. Also, with work, the cost for small to moderate tasks can be reduced, but rarely eliminated. Similarly, if a godtouched is tired or weak, it will affect their power. The same for being drunk or otherwise under the influence.
• Containment Failure: The last half-century/century has been a time of great change in Litanaea, what with a population boom, mass migrations, and the general choas of an industrial revolution. As a result of all this, there's been a definate failure in the systems designed to keep GodTouched under control. Which likely plays no small part in why your character is currently still alive and able to run around playing havok.
• Age of Manifestation: Mm. Most True GodTouched manifest - that is, use their power in a manner undeniable to themselves or others - between the ages of ten and twenty. Naturally, some become obvious earlier, while other will stay happily oblivious (or deeply in denial) until far later.