The Natural State of Mankind
War of All Against All
Type: Anti-Fortress
Rank: A
Range: 1-40
Max. Target: 50 people
The most well-known of Hobbes’s philosophical arguments, described in his now-famous book “Leviathan.” In this book, he imagined what society might look like without government, existing in a state he referred to as “The Natural Condition of Mankind.” In this state, everyone would be equal, and would have access to everything in the world. As a consequence of this, Hobbes believed that it would result in “war of all against all.” In a particularly famous passage, he further elaborates that “in such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
This Noble Phantasm crystallizes Hobbes’s philosophy on the horrific Natural State of Mankind. Upon invoking this Phantasm’s true name and drawing his sword back, the blade begins to swirl with red and black energy. He then swings his blade in a wide arc, unleashing the glowing energy from his blade in a powerful wave of energy which obliterates everything in its path. The slash does not have the same raw power of attacks such as Excalibur or Clarent Blood Arthur, but it has a second aspect that makes it equally dangerous.
More than simple destruction, the slash unleashes the concepts present in
the Natural State of Mankind upon its victims: concepts such as ‘Violence’, ‘Instability’, ‘Decline’, ‘Corruption’, ‘Failure’ and ‘Ruination.’ Surviving this attack is rare, but surviving is almost as bad as dying, for this attack is a curse of the highest degree. It twists and corrupts its victims, rendering them unstable…turning them into ‘Alters’ of a kind, similar to the Grail Mud of the corrupted Grail. Furthermore, their luck parameter decreases by two ranks. Because of its power, this Phantasm obviously has a rather high mana cost.
While Hobbes obviously dislikes what this Phantasm represents, he also sees it as a fitting representation of why he must succeed in creating
Sovereign. In his mind, this Phantasm reveals the ultimate fate of the world, should he fail in his task. He will use it either to obliterate those he sees as utterly beyond reason, or to demonstrate the need for
Sovereign.
Sovereign
The Philosopher’s Wish
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: EX
Range: N/A
Max. Target: 1
Equal parts a Noble Phantasm and Hobbes’s most fervent wish, this ability represents his solution to
the Natural State of Mankind. In the State of Nature, men are naturally and exclusively self-interested, they are more or less equal to one another, (even the strongest man can be killed in his sleep), there are limited resources, and yet there is no power able to force men to cooperate, inevitably leading to chaos. To prevent this, the solution is actually rather simple: a social contract. In this contract, a group of people cede their power and submit to an artificially more powerful and superior absolute ruler capable of forcing cooperation and peace. This ruler would allow for society to function. Hobbes referred to this person by the title of
Sovereign.
To activate this Noble Phantasm, Hobbes must recreate this theoretical ’Social Contract.’ Hobbes cannot activate this Phantasm using his own power alone, or his Master’s power. He must assemble a group of twelve people (representing the Twelve Principles of Hobbes’s state) to accept the rule of the Sovereign. Hobbes and his Master may be included in the twelve. In addition, none of these people may be ordinary humans; they must have sufficient mana to contribute to the Phantasm. In other words, they must either be Magi or Heroic Spirits. These twelve cannot not be forced to accept Hobbes’s wish, they must truly believe in an absolute monarch, as he does, and must then recite the following oath (The Oath of the Commonwealth), submitting to this monarch:
I authorize and give up my right of governing myself to this man, or to this assembly of men, on this condition; that thou give up, thy right to him, and authorise all his actions in like manner.
When all twelve have sworn this oath, Hobbes may invoke his Phantasm and make his wish reality. This Phantasm allows for the creation of a being of absolute power, known simply as Sovereign. While this being is mortal, it was once described by Hobbes as a ‘Mortal God’, and such a title is perhaps the only way to accurately describe such a being, for no other words could do it justice.
While no larger than an ordinary human, there is no human like
Sovereign. His body is physically perfect in every way. His skin glows brilliant gold. He radiates power and authority, such that those in his presence are overcome with a feeling of awe. For his enemies, this feeling is one of raw intimidation instead. His strength and speed surpass the greatest Heroic Spirits, and he is capable of flight, for, as Hobbes would say, “a god must be able to survey his dominion.” He wields a radiant sword capable of unleashing a wave of golden light outshining the holiest of swords. This light can have two effects. Either, it will heal injuries, sooth pain, and even undo effects like the ‘Alter Curse’ of
the Natural State of Mankind, symbolizing the mercy and peace prophesied by Hobbes, or it can be a blinding wave of destructive energy that burns away all that it touches, symbolizing the judgement and absolute power of the Sovereign.
There is no doubt that
Sovereign is a powerful being, superior to any ordinary human, or even basically any Heroic Spirit. However, he is not an infallible being, nor is he a true divine spirit. He is simply a mortal wielding absolute power. This is very important, as it serves as his greatest flaw and weakness.
Sovereign is an artificial being essentially created as the result of Hobbes’s dream. However, he is not a copy of Hobbes.
Sovereign is an independent being capable of making his own decisions. Initially, he will do everything in his power to unite the world and fulfill Hobbes’s dream, but as time goes on, he may develop his own ideals differing from Hobbes’s. Depending on how this occurs, it is possible that
Sovereign will attempt to reach the Grail himself. It is even possible that Hobbes and
Sovereign’s ideals shall diverge to the point where they come into opposition with one another. While not likely, it is a definite possibility, depending on the events that occur. However, it would obviously not be a particularly even fight.
Creating
Sovereign will seal his other Noble Phantasm, as the very purpose of
Sovereign is as a solution to the problem of
The Natural State of Mankind. As a final note, in the Caster class, Hobbes would have an easier time summoning
Sovereign, but would be weaker in most other areas.
Originally Posted by 4score7years
