Template:Breeding

Alone among the Exalted, the Dragon-Bloods are capable of directly passing their power down to their children. While the scions of powerful Celestial Exalts bear the mark of their heritage, it is no more than an echo of power and has as little to do with the Celestial's purpose or design as do the mutations bestowed on those who live too close to an untapped demesne.

Even in the First Age, arranged marriages and careful breeding programs were used to strengthen the Blood of the Dragons in the children of Terrestrial Exalts, increasing their chances of Exalting and the power of those who did. In the Realm, the Great Houses refined this process to a fine art. Careful use of marriage incentives, genealogical research and extended research into the inheritance of the Blood of the Dragons has resulted in Terrestrials with greater numbers of Exalted in their ancestry and a higher concentration of the holy Blood of the Elemental Dragons.

In Lookshy, the Terrestrials of the Seventh Legion have taken a different route. Despite being the largest concentration of Dragon-Blooded outside of the Realm, they have always lacked numbers sufficient for their goals, and their breeding incentives have stressed prolificacy rather than power. Better a half-dozen Terrestrials of moderate power, than a single Dragon-Blood of great puissance. As a result, although they are as likely to have this Background as Dynasts are, they only rarely have it at great levels (meaning that the cost for a character to have four dots or five dots is doubled).

Other outcastes only rarely show signs of Breeding. It takes several generations of careful eugenics to reveal even low levels of improvement, and even in the Realm and Lookshy, this Background is not exactly common. This does not mean, however, that it is impossible. Just as the Blood sometimes springs forth in bloodlines that have not had an Exalt in them for generations, so too do feeble bloodlines combine in surprising ways.

On a metaphysical level, the more pure a character's bloodline is, the more powerful his connection to the elemental force of his aspect is. This elemental resonance manifests in both the character's appearance and his spiritual strength. The higher his Breeding is, the more obvious his elemental markings and anima banner become, as well as the higher his Essence pools are.

Trait Effects:

X	Your family tree is unremarkable.
•	Good blood. +1 to your Personal Essence pool; +2 to your Peripheral Essence pool. Although your parent might not be Exalted, your family line has spawned Dragon-Blooded recently.
••	Very good blood. One of your parents is certainly an Exalt. +2 to your Personal Essence pool; +3 to your Peripheral Essence pool.
•••	You are the child of an excellent line, probably with numerous Dragon-Blooded in your immediate family, with almost all of them sharing your elemental aspect. +3 to your Personal Essence pool; +5 to your Peripheral Essence pool.
••••	Impeccable pedigree. The connection both you and your family have to your chosen element is undeniable. +4 to your Personal Essence pool; +7 to your Peripheral Essence pool; -1 mote from the cost to activate your anima banner; +1 on the roll to see if your child Exalts.
•••••	Your bloodline is impeccable and includes numerous Exalted of great fame. You might be related directly to the Empress. Your aspect markings are unmistakable, making it clear to all who see that you are far more than a mere mortal. Add +5 to your Personal Essence pool; +9 to your Peripheral Essence pool; -2 motes to the cost of activating your anima banner; +2 on the roll to see if a child of yours Exalts.