The Paragon System

The Paragon System is what some call the observed rules and theories involving the Paragons, their powers, and how those powers are transferred. For thousands of years, a small number of individuals across the world have inherited incredible powers beyond mortal understanding. Many scholars across the ages have sought to catalog the wide range of powers and the rules surrounding them.

Most of what the world understands about paragons is as follows:
 * A Paragon's abilities are passed down to their eldest living child upon their death. If the Paragon has no children, their lineage loses the ability and it is instead given to a newborn child somewhere in the world. As far as anyone can tell, this selection is completely random. Unplanned deaths often result in a new line of paragons not being discovered until years later and often very far away.
 * A Paragon, and by extension their oldest child, often display increased physical fitness, healing ability, and sharper senses than most members of their respective race. Since they haven't inherited their powers yet, the children of Paragons are often asked to prove their lineage with feats of strength. These traits manifest from birth and are quite obvious to the new parents, even those that have never been Paragons themselves. Parents that realize a new line of Paragons has started with their child will sometimes hide the fact to avoid trouble. If they live somewhere especially small or remote, the new lineage can often manage to remain hidden for decades or even centuries.
 * Not all Paragons are equal. Though their designations have been created by those around them rather than being some universal constant, a Paragon with a more vague name will generally have a wider variety of powers than one with a more specific name. For example, the Paragon of Water will have a much greater domain of abilities than the Paragons of Rivers or Rains.