"Ah, it's so warm...God truly must have taken pity on me after all."
Source: https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust....st_id=56271765
Alignment: Neutral Good
True Name: The Little Match Girl
Titles: Dancing Fire-Maid
Origin: Germany/Russia
Attribute: Man, Fire
Parameters
Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: E
Mana: C
Luck: C
NP: D
Class Skills Item Construction: (E+)
Item Construction is a Caster-class Skill. It is the Skill to manufacture magical items, from implements of war to items for daily use. Also, this Skill requires time to gather components and manufacture items.
As only one half of the Phantom that is Firestarter possesses mana in any regard, only incredibly small and weak items can be constructed at any level. Her modifier comes into play only in the application of fire-based items, especially matches.
Territory Creation (False): (D)
Territory Creation is a Caster-class Skill. It is the Skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus, such as for the purpose of collecting mana.
Firestarter does not create her own territory, but rather changes the surrounding area to suit her needs. Creation of a ‘Bonfire’, inferior to a Workshop, becomes possible. She is also able to enjoy Territory Creation-like benefits from simply snoozing in any source of fire.
Personal Skills: Golden Rule (Dance): (C)
Golden Rule (Dance) is a Personal Skill that refers to the measurement of one’s fortune to acquire wealth based on one’s grasp of dance. However, at higher levels, one’s status as a Heroic Spirit degrades, becoming something instead more like a “Legendary Stripper Soul”.
A Skill exhibited by the Dancing Fire-Maid that makes up Firestarter. The Fire-Maid’s main purpose in the stories she’s found in revolve around assisting rural miners in discovering gold. By keeping watch for the Fire-Maid and witnessing her dance, plentiful gold deposits are sure to be discovered.
Breath of the Dragon: (D)
Breath of the Dragon is the ability to release a torrent of mana like the breath of Dragons, the strongest race of the Phantasmal Species.
A Skill exhibited by the Dancing Fire-Maid that makes up Firestarter. Said to be the daughter of the mythical Russian entity Poloz the Great Serpent--a minor fire dragon--Firestarter is capable of replicating dragon breath of the fire element. However, given Firestarter’s overall nature and chronic cough, she is unlikely to make use of it in an offensive manner.
Clairvoyance (Flames): (B) A variant on the Clairvoyance Skill that focuses on the ability of perception through the aid of fire. Simply looking from through a localized source of fire is sufficient to fully survey a town and search for enemies. Rather, it is not a Skill furnished in the flesh, but a binding of the mind’s eye evolved through trauma. At higher levels, it is possible that the bearers of this Skill have acquired abilities such as precognition, and other forms of perception beyond normal eyesight.
A Skill exhibited by the Little Match Girl that makes up Firestarter. At the end of the story, the Little Match Girl begins to see her family in the flickering flames of the matches she burns for warmth. It is a fully dynamic vision into the afterlife, even perceiving the Christmas feast they seem to have prepared for her. In order to crystallize the image in her mind, she burns the rest of her matches all at once, strengthening the image before it is snuffed out.
Pathetic Constitution: (A)
Pathetic Constitution is a Skill that borrows aspects from Presence Concealment, as well as Princess of Loveliness. It is a Skill that forces the pathetic nature of the bearer outwards, with all the repercussions of such. The heavy weight of an individual’s tragedy is often too much for a stranger to bear, ignoring the bearer to salvage their own sanity and conscience, however selfishly. However, those that face the bearer’s pathetic nature are compelled to help. In layman’s terms, it is a “moe power that even the most evil villain will be forced to acknowledge."
The tragic life of the Little Match Girl sublimated into a Skill. Ignored as she desperately tried to sell her small batch of matches, she inevitably froze to death due to the dispassionate response of the people around her. Only after her death, when she was found smiling in the snow, did the townspeople recognize her case for what it was. A martyr that must never be allowed to exist again.
Firestarter’s Presence Concealment is dependent on the individual. If a perception check is passed, then the pitying effect will take place. It can be overcome only through Sadistic Constitution or a mental pollution Skill of rank A+ or higher.
Noble Phantasm The Last Match
Final Cry to an Unjust World
(Anti-Unit, C)
The Noble Phantasm of the Little Match Girl, referring to the instance where she burned the remainder of her matches in order to prolong the vision of her grandmother, thus escaping the harsh reality of that cold night.
The light from all of her matches being burned at once is described as being as bright as a star: “And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day”. It is a similar Noble Phantasm to Caliburn, in that it converts magical energy into heat value. By gathering sufficient kindling, Firestarter is able to replicate the fantastic light and heat of the final act of her life, equivalent to a single “exploding sparkle” given off by Caliburn.
Were the Little Match Girl to be summoned alone, it is assured that the magical output of The Last Match would be several hundred times too great for such a non-magus to handle, definitely relegating it to the realm of a Broken Phantasm. However, the assistance of the Fire-Maid allows Firestarter as a whole to avoid certain suicide.
Tyunka
Ace of Spades
(Support, E)
The Noble Phantasm of the Fire-Maid, referring to the magical spade she gave the young hero of her story in order to lead him out of the forest back to his home. It is a simple spade with a wooden handle and a roughly hewn iron head. It has been magically enchanted by the Fire-Maid to act as a tool of divination. Asking the spade a simple question about the location of something one wants to find will yield the spade tugging Firestarter in its general direction. It’s unknown as to Tyunka’s max range, but it excels at acting as a compass.
History
Firestarter, also known as Caster of Siberia, is the Phantom comprised almost equally of the Little Match Girl and the Fire-Fairy.
The Little Match Girl, as most know, is a Hans Christian Andersen story telling of the tragic story of the eponymous Little Match Girl. A poor homeless girl sent out on the streets by day to sell her paltry wares of matches, but no one pays her any mind. She eventually makes the sacrifice of her precious matches in order to keep herself alive once the cold night falls. In the flickering flame of the matches she lights throughout the night, she begins to see visions of her family, and especially her beloved dead grandmother, beckoning her into the light. Striking the rest of the matches at once, the girl’s grandmother seems to whisk her away to Heaven.
In the morning, the villagers discover the frozen body of the little girl, completely unaware to her struggles.
The Fire-Fairy, or Fire-Maid, or Poskakushka, is folktale native to the Ural region of Siberia. It tells the tale of two gold miners, an old man and a young child, as they struggle to eke out a living in the Ural mountains. One night, they witness a small fairy hop out of their campfire, performing a lovely little dance before being scared off by the hooting of a nearby horned owl.
The old man tells the boy that she is the Fire-Fairy, a sign of gold in that place. After digging in that place the next morning, the two are unable to find any gold, and the old man blames the owl, but none of the other miners believe their story. The two bond over this experience, and await to be blessed by the fairy’s visit once more.
Later on, after the boy had been sent to live with his evil stepmother, he runs away to live with the old man instead. On his way there, he sees the fairy once more, following her into the forest until he gets lost. The fairy dances the snow away, and gives the boy the magic shovel. When the boy and the old man return to the spot in the forest where the boy had found her, they found a large pile of gold. They lived very wealthily long after.
Personality
Firestarter is a very kind and sweet girl, despite the connotations of her name and the tragedy of her Little Match Girl half. Rather than being bitter about being forgotten in the cold, Firestarter instead believes she is blessed to constantly feel the warmth that gave her comfort so long ago. She’s a fan of playing incredibly inoffensive practical jokes, a product of the Fire-Fairy.
Notes
I like Phantoms that are an equal sum total of their parts, and especially ones made up of two different legends that complement each other in some way. I was going to pair the Little Match Girl with a serial arsonist or something, but went with something a little more feel-good. Sort of. FEELS to balance out all the spooky.
Well now I'm sad because I remember reading The Little Match Girl years ago, and I applaud your creativity. The combination of a story book character and a fairy from Siberian folk tale was definitely an interesting read.
Even so, he somehow remembered it clearly. The smell of the sea water, the sound of the waves, the oar crushing his head…
He lost.
For a single moment, his heart was clouded and his sword wavered. For that, he paid the price.
How silly. In the end, if he fell for such tricks, his training must truly be lacking.
His loss lied in his own faults. It was not something that could be blamed on others.
Yet, even so… those feelings would not leave.
The burning in his heart... the heat in his mind. Even though they were the cause of his loss, he wasn’t able to get rid of them.
He wasn’t sure why. There was no logic behind it. Yet, those emotions continued to grow within.
He felt angry. He felt shamed. He felt dishonored. He felt grief. He felt regret.
That bastard was late. That bastard mocked me. That bastard killed me… the thoughts echoed in his mind.
Unforgivable.
What there was to not forgive wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered was the feeling.
No matter what, no matter when, no matter who, Sasaki Kojiro must hate Miyamoto Musashi.
And so, he went mad.
Basic Information
True Name: Sasaki Kojiro Class: Berserker Alternative Classes: None Alignment: Chaotic Evil Source: Historical Japan, Japanese Folklore Country of Origin: Japan
Height/Weight: 176 cm/63 kg Gender: Male Likes: Flowers, Birds, Wind, Moon Dislikes: Unpunctuality Talents: Sword Attribute: Man Natural Enemy: Matou Zouken, Matou Sakura Armament: Katana
Parameters: STR: A+ CON: C AGI: A MGI: C LCK: A+ Noble Phantasm: ??
Abilities
Class Skills: Mad Enhancement B:
The Class Skill that characterizes Berserker, it reinforces ability at the cost of reason. As Berserker possesses the skill at Rank B, in compensation for losing most of his sanity, the levels of all his abilities rise. The ability to speak and think have been mostly stripped away, alongside with his emotions. Because of the skill, most of his sword techniques and skills have been lost. Naturally, Tsubame Gaeshi cannot be used.
Normally, the rank of this skill would barely be E, but it has become B under the special circumstances. Common hatred combined with inhuman bloodlust has turned into blind rage. Even so, the motivation within his core has not been lost; perhaps by instinct, every action he makes continues to be for his one and only personal goal.
Personal Skills: Demon Blade Muramasa EX:
A demonic cursed blade by the swordsmith, Muramasa. Characterized by the mirror image hamon and the fish-belly shaped nakago, it is a very skillfully made sword, but it invokes immense bloodlust in its wielder. The sword has a near possession-like mental interference effect on its user; it compels the user towards violence and bloodshed. The more blood the sword tastes, the stronger the user becomes and the greater his mind is corrupted by further bloodthirst. As a killing weapon, its sharpness is unrivalled, to the point that it becomes troublesome even for its user.
A major part of Berserker’s madness is thanks to the sword’s bloodlust. Even if it were to be removed from him, the spirit of the sword has already been engraved into Berserker’s soul so the effect remains. It has replaced the Monohoshizao as Berserker’s sword. There is a legend that the sword cannot be sheathed without drawing blood, but Berserker doesn’t even bother sheathing it at all to begin with. Normally, the spirit of the sword would fully possess its wielder and reduce him to a mindless murderer, but Berserker’s exceptional state of mind has diminished the sword’s effect to simply creating bloodlust. If it was a perfect possession, it would be a proper Noble Phantasm that could exorcise demons and even cut causality rather than just a skill.
Demon of the Oni Kind B- :
The superpower as well as the demonic nature of an oni. A composite Skill of Natural Demon, Monstrous Strength, Charisma, Mana Burst and etc. At rank B, it is representative of a lower-ranked Oni, rather than a legendary oni such as Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji.
Berserker is not physically an oni, but he has gained the abilities of one. In doing so, he has overtaken the nature of a demonic monster, terrorizing humans as well as being defeated by a hero. When fighting against a servant of the Lawful Good alignment, all effects of this skill are not only nullified but the user’s original parameters are also lowered.
Berserker’s version of Mana Burst is “Heat”. When activated, his sword gets heated to a glowing red, increasing its cutting power.
Retributive Justice A:
The good fortune and righteous power of one who punishes a wrong-doer for their crimes. Rather than a physical or mental ability, it is more of an external supernatural power that punishes evil, along the lines of karmic retribution. As long as one is fighting against a wrong-doer, one’s own parameters are raised and the enemy’s luck stat is drastically lowered in proportion to the weight of the enemy’s sin. As it is an intangible force brought forth by an unknown power rather than comprehendible magecraft, there is no feasible way to counter this skill. In addition, one gains a unique charisma that makes “good” people want to help one.
For Berserker, it’s a skill meant to increase his advantage against that bastard who dared to disgrace their duel. However, that sin is relatively light so the parameter increase isn’t too great.
Eye of the Mind (False) A
Premonition (“Spidey-sense”) or sixth sense, very different from danger avoidance originated from “predictions augmented by experience”. It may be called a natural talent to sense danger. Calm analysis of battle conditions is possible, by which competent grasp of the status of the self and the opponent are obtainable even in the midst of danger; such can be used to deduce the appropriate course of action that permits escape from a lethal predicament. Cheap feints and reckless strategies are useless against him.
Despite Mad Enhancement, this skill remains intact as it is basically an instinct. On the other hand, while the skill itself is not diminished, the ability to process such information is. A crazy stunt such a determining the length and width of an invisible sword would be difficult. Nevertheless, even when blinded by rage, the perception of his eyes is top-rank.
Techniques
Special Attack
Hiken
Musashi Gaeshi
Rank: - Type: Anti-Unit Demonic Sword
If a man’s dedication to cutting down a swallow could lead to the ultimate sword technique, what would be born from that man’s hatred for another? This attack is the answer.
A sword strike designed to kill Miyamoto Musashi. The attack can only be used on Musashi and will only work on Musashi. It is the accumulation of everything Berserker has gained in order to defeat Musashi put into a single move: a swift, sharp beheading slash.
The logic behind the attack is simple. Miyamoto Musashi is a swordsman who survives by the edge of his wits. He is the type who would hold swords with his feet if it meant victory; his adaptability will push him through every situation. As such, gimmicky special techniques will not be effective. Instead, a simple attack based upon the utmost fundamentals would be best. The enemy is not a bird; three slashes are unnecessary. Instead, a single stroke is enough to remove a person’s head. By pushing each and every basic attribute to its highest possible state, that single sword strike becomes an attack without a single weakness, surpassing Musashi’s abilities on every level. By utilizing each and every part of Berserker’s new found powers all at once, that sort of certain kill special move becomes possible. A sword sharp enough to cut through armor and weapon like butter. Supernatural physical power to execute the fastest strike beyond human limits. Righteousness that moves even fate to one’s side. A sixth sense that’ll predict and cut off every possible route of escape. Unimaginable malice which can overpower the enemy’s spirit. A mind already drowned in madness and so immune to taunts. With all these factors in place, embodying the concept of body, soul, and sword in one, the perfect attack for killing Miyamoto Musashi is born.
Strictly speaking, it is neither a Noble Phantasm nor a magical phenomenon nor could it be considered a sword technique. There is nothing extraordinary about this attack. It possesses no magical attributes nor impressive display of swordsmanship; some may even consider it a crude, barbaric strike. Instead, it is a sword strike with overwhelming killing efficiency. Such extraneous details such as bending reality are unnecessary; all that is needed is the power to kill Musashi. Against anyone else, perhaps this attack is useless, but against Musashi’s specific parameters, it is unavoidable, unblockable, and unsurvivable.
Once this special attack is used, victory should be guaranteed. The chances of success are at least 99.999%. Yes, as long as his opponent is not someone who can find that 0.001% possibility from a naturally infinite number of realities, then surely this should work…
Miscellaneous
Combat and Tactics: A lightning-speed swordsman with intense offensive power. He wields his sword like a storm, rapidly delivering wide, lethal strikes one after the other without rest, shuffling in and out of the opponent’s blindspot, all while approaching towards the opponents neck as to decapitate them in a single stroke. It is difficult to deal with his attacks as they are not only fast but come from every angle and move in strange, curved arcs. If even a single strike is successful, the battle is over as each one is a fatal finishing blow. Even under the effects of Mad Enhancement, Berserker is able to precisely aim for the enemy’s vital area and exploit weaknesses in one’s defense.
In sharp contrast to his usual fighting style, Berserker has completely abandoned his defensive specialty and risks everything on bold offensives. Challenging his opponent to a high-tension in-fight, he relies heavily on his speed and intuition to survive. Even if he were to take damage, the strength of his will allows him to continue fighting. Despite his high strength, he is unable to try and overpower the enemy due to his weapon, but his offensive power should not be underestimated. The sharpness of his blade, further enhanced by Mana Burst, is incredibly dangerous even to himself. Altogether, Berserker is a truly formidable opponent with lethal attacking power.
However, if another swordsman were to see Berserker fight, they would realize his swordsmanship is hollow. Most of his sword techniques and skills have been lost to madness, leaving behind only a shell. The sword strikes he has engraved into his heart through arduous training have not been lost, but the heart behind them is forever gone. While his attacks may be difficult to get used to due to their erratic and random nature, a master will eventually be able to read and predict the path of his blade. His slashes, as dangerous as they are, are easy to parry and his footwork is simple in execution. Even if the body remembers the techniques he has gained, without the clear heart behind them, they are useless.
Background
Sasaki Kojiro. A man who never existed. The true face of Berserker is a nameless martial artist who has materialized as Sasaki Kojiro. In that process, his skills and personality have become Kojiro’s. As a servant, he has fused with a few phantoms, resulting in the unique identity of Berserker.
Under normal circumstances, it should be impossible for Kojiro to be a Berserker. Having obtained a heart and mind like clear water through arduous training, he would not be blinded by rage regardless of the situation. Even if he were to have picked up a legendary cursed sword, he would easily be able to resist the sword’s effects. Yes, normally this would be the case, but, as “Sasaki Kojiro”, there is a gap.
A single moment. A short period of time, yet perhaps the most important event in his supposed life. There was but a single time where the fictitious entity known as Sasaki Kojiro lost his cool: the duel at Ganryujima with Miyamoto Musashi. Falling for his enemy’s taunts, he let his anger get to his head and paid the price with his life. Of course, this was an event that never happened, but the legend was recorded and passed on regardless of truth.
With that event alone, Kojiro could hardly become a Berserker, but the situation changes once phantoms are introduced. Fused with the phantom of Muramasa upon summoning, its demonic curse changed his state of mind. As Kojiro’s exceptional mental fortitude resisted Muramasa’s possession, all of that unworldly bloodlust ended up funneling towards the only possible opening, Miyamoto Musashi. A strange hatred for Musashi was formed and amplified several-fold, until they overpowered the rest of his emotions and drove him to madness. All of that bloodthirst which would normally be spread upon the entirety of mankind concentrated onto a single target… the result is obvious. It is hard to imagine anyone who could hate a single person as much as Berserker.
Now sworn to the life-goal of killing Musashi, he no longer cared about the methods involved. So, in a desperate grasp for power, he deliberately fused two more phantoms into himself, the Blue Oni from The Red Oni who Cried and the Crab’s Offspring from the Monkey and the Crab. Due to compatibility, the fusion went surprisingly well but his already weak existence became even more unstable. The only thing continuing to anchor him to world was his strength of will and grudges.
Thus, Berserker was born. A vengeful spirit who marches silently towards a final battle. Although he has gained much in his path to power, he has equally lost as much. Everything he does, everything he will do is all for the sole goal of winning their inevitable duel. As for the result of their battle… well, it needn’t be said.
Legends:
Sasaki Kojiro
Sasaki Kojiro. A Japanese swordsman who never existed. He was described as the rival of Nitoryu sword master Miyamoto Musashi, and a handsome swordsman who skillfully wielded the 3-shaku-long nodachi “Bizen Osahune Nagamitsu” which is also called “Monohoshi Zao”. His duel with Miyamoto Musashi at Garyujima Island, such lines as “Kojiro has been defeated!”, and the finale where his forehead was crushed by an oar are all legendary. His ultimate hidden technique is the “Tsubame Gaeshi”, a sword technique born to cut down a swallow.
Although a man named Sasaki Kojiro probably existed, the hero as we know him by legend was a fictitious existence invented to be a rival to Musashi. Summoned as a servant, he is not a heroic spirit and is rather closer in existence to a wraith.
Cursed Sword Muramasa
A phantom formed from the collective spirit of Muramasa Sengo’s swords.
Not to be mistaken with the spirit of the blacksmith Muramasa Sengo himself, this is the spirit behind the legend of Muramasa’s cursed blades. Blades made by Muramasa Sengo, a 16th century Japanese swordsmith, were said to be demonic cursed blades that create bloodlust in or possess their wielders. Several stories broke out in history involving the swords, such as an incident where Matsudaira Geki was supposedly possessed by one and killed three men and how Ieyasu banned said swords due to having lost many friends and relatives to them. Although they were very skillfully made swords, the legend of their demonic nature ended up causing them to fall out of favor.
For a sword to possess its wielder, the weapon itself must have a soul. There are many different ways for a sword to have a soul, but in this case the reason clearly lies in the swordsmith. The popular story says that Sengo’s own violent and mad temper was passed onto his swords. Indeed, as Sengo breathed life into his blades, he infused his own soul into their metal. Unified under the concept of a “Muramasa sword”, the souls of the swords come together and become a single spirit. Fundamentally speaking, the spirit is the same as that that of Muramasa Sengo himself, but the old man’s more sane personality has been buried under the excessive malice.
As a phantom, Muramasa manifests as an actual sword with all the attributed abilities of a Muramasa sword. When fused with a servant, the sword becomes the servant’s weapon and their souls merge. Normally, Muramasa would possess its wielder and become the dominant soul, but Kojiro’s trained mind and heart prevented this from happening.
Muramasa Sengo Image
Blue Oni
A phantom from the Japanese folktale “The Red Oni who Cried”.
The story tells of two oni who were friends, one red and one blue. The red oni wanted to become friends with humans but the humans feared his appearance. As such, the blue oni devised a plan. Acting as a bad villainous monster, the blue oni pretended to attack some human children and was promptly stopped by the heroic red oni. The plan went perfectly and the children welcomed their savior. However, since his presence would ruin the red oni’s reputation, the blue oni left. When he realized that he had lost his friend, the red oni cried and the two never met again.
As a phantom, the Blue Oni puts the role of the pretend oni monster in the hands of the one who it fused with. In doing so, the servant inherits both the supernatural power of an oni as well as the inevitable fate of losing to a hero.
As an existence who was created just to be a convenient foe for Musashi, Kojiro has high compatibility with the Blue Oni. Since Musashi doesn’t count as a hero in this scenario, the phantom’s downsides probably won’t appear.
Crab's Offspring
A phantom from the Japanese folktale “The Monkey and the Crab”.
The story tells of a monkey and a crab. The monkey tricks the crab into trading its riceball for a persimmon seed, but the seed ends up growing into an abundant tree. Upset, the monkey grabbed hard, unripe fruit from the tree and threw it at the crab. The crab dies from the shock of being attacked but gives birth just before death. The crab’s children vow revenge and gather several allies. With the help of their allies, the crab’s children get vengeance with a chain series of comical attacks that eventually kill him.
As a phantom, the Crab’s Offspring carry the concept of “Retributive Justice” and grant the one it is fused with “the power to punish those who have done wrong”. Said ability matched very well with Kojiro’s own motives of vengeance and was thus obtained. Its full power, however, isn’t fully manifested under Kojiro, as it would much more powerful against someone who has committed a graver sin and in the hands of a more heroic person.
Character
Personality:
A silent Berserker, mechanically seeking his rematch. Unlike other members of his class, he is a quiet and calm, holding closely the cold rage in his heart. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his entire existence revolves around the goal of getting to fight Musashi again. Driven solely by that motive, he instinctively seeks his opponent out, ignoring everything else. While he shows no interest in the well-being of others, he also possesses no hostility towards anyone that isn’t Musashi.
The majority of his madness stems from his feelings towards the Nitoryu master, artificial emotions dragged into him due to the occasion of his summoning. He supposedly feels that Musashi had disgraced their awaited duel with his trickery, and seeks to punish the sword master in a rematch. Amplified by bloodlust, these feelings have turned into an unending hatred for Musashi and maddening thirst for his blood. Of course, Berserker is unable to communicate these feelings due to an inability to think or feel, but they are the driving emotions that define all that he does.
His wish is not to punish Musashi, though. What he really wants, deep within his artificial core, is the chance to have a proper fair and square duel.
Miscellanious Characteristics:
· Any personality effects the Blue Oni and the Crab’s Offspring might have on Berserker have been mostly buried by the madness.
· Berserker will avoid unnecessary fights as he only cares about the one.
· Since his madness is externally inputted, it is possible to release him from it via exorcism.
· Simply mentioning Musashi’s name will cause him to glare.
Relationships: Musashi: Kill on sight. Artoria: A dangerous opponent. Avoid confronting. Medea: This woman doesn’t matter. Kuzuki: Mild danger. Otherwise, ignorable. Yukika: This girl… doesn’t matter. Martha: This woman… yes, she shouldn’t matter. Dragons: Easy small fry.
Epilogue - Reversal
“It’s over.”
It was a scene unfolding before his eyes. Yet, it felt like a dream.
The castle was burning, but the flickering flames and rising smoke felt far. The only thing he could notice was that his sword, glowing orange but moments earlier, was now died in red.
He lost again.
By the time he could notice it, his body had been ripped apart. Blood was pouring through his wounds, covering over his body and blade. It was a definite defeat.
Everything he had done was for this single moment had been shattered. All the power he gained, all the preparations he made, all the people he killed… they meant nothing once the battle started.
By the time his eyes opened, the battle was over. No, it was because the battle had ended that he could see again.
With clear eyes, he could finally see that standing before him was a girl with two swords. Though he had never seen her once before, he knew who she was.
“I don’t know what you’ve gone through, but I can say this.” The girl spoke. “You were a lot stronger last time.”
As if those words weren’t obvious, he smiled bitterly. Tensing his body so it would not fall, he used the last of his strength to step aside.
“Go.”
Sheathing her swords, the girl ran past him. Without another word, without looking back, she left.
Once again, the swordsman was alone. The sky hung overhead. Though it was clouded by all the smoke, he felt like he could see the moon clearer than ever before.
With no strength left, the sword fell out of his hands. Reflecting on his madness brought him small comfort.
“Hah… all this time, I thought I was chasing the back of a demon, but it turns out she was just a lovely little bird.”
He murmured as if it was to be expected.
“And I considered myself a fair judge of women… I suppose my training in that art is equally wanting.”
Though the feelings he held had certainly been a mistake, he could not for some reason regret the conclusion of this battle. Certainly, it could not have ended any better.
… reflecting silently on her words, the swordsman crumbled and vanished without a trace, as if his existence was just an illusion, leaving behind not even regrets…
After all, his wish was finally granted.
Creator Remarks: This is coming out at a bad time, but I can assure you that this idea seemed more unique and interesting before EoR3 came out. The Prologue and Epilogue are rather extraneous so skip them if you'd like.
Last edited by zikari8; October 17th, 2017 at 09:04 AM.
Reason: Formatting
A Sasaki + Demon Sword combo? And just before I was about to finish of mine too... I really didn't think I'd get sniped.
Anyways, enough complaining and back to the drawing board for me.
- - - Updated - - -
(It was the same class too, my god)
Think of it as karma, since your Phantom Thief Servant was quite similar to an idea I'd had in mind for quite a while (even using Lupin as his "base" identity).
A Sasaki + Demon Sword combo? And just before I was about to finish of mine too... I really didn't think I'd get sniped.
Anyways, enough complaining and back to the drawing board for me.
- - - Updated - - -
(It was the same class too, my god)
You're either the sniper or the sniped. I was working on an Assassin like that Shadowman and that Alien entry a page or two back, but seeing those took the wind from under my sails. Going to go with plan B now.
I hope I didn't snipe anyone, I hope I didn't snipe anyone, I hope I didn't snipe anyone... I worry at least one of these may intrude on someone else. I hope not, though.
...This was really against my tastes, to be honest, but again - I need to get ideas out of my head once I have them or they annoy me like a cross between gadflies and plot bunnies. Apt, under the circumstance.
"My, my... Without freedom, whatever will become of you?
Without equality, what life can you possibly lead?
Without justice, what is a man?"
Parameters:
Strength: E Endurance: E Agility: C Mana: B Luck: C Noble Phantasm: A
Lore:
Spoiler:
As a politician, Maximilien Robespierre was an outspoken advocate for the poor and the downtrodden, earnestly campaigning for democratic institutions, suffrage and independence, and basic necessities for living. A capable advocate, his steadfest commitment earned him the nickname "l'Incorruptible', or the Incorruptible. Despite his bright beginnings, Robespierre would become known as the architect of one of the bloodiest, cruelest periods in French history, the so-called Reign of Terror under which hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands were executed in a mere nine months. At one time known for his staunch opposition to the death penalty, he would become infamous for a time in which it condemned any and all.
As a member of the so-called Committee of Public Safety founded in the wake of the Revolution, Robespierre was responsible for making "terror" the legal policy of the country, proclaiming that it was 'time that equality bore its scythe above all heads' and to make 'terror on the order of the day.' During the Terror, in the name of equality, all offenses could be dealt with severe, inflexible justice. Not merely corruption, but even privilege and seditious thoughts would be paid with blood. Mere suspicion was sufficient to exact the harshest of penalties, the guillotine. An inhuman punishment derived from a beautiful dream of bettering the human condition. In the name of his beloved France, he would transform and terrify its people, destroying and recreating an ideal society worthy of its name.
Ordinarily, despite the many lives lost due to his actions, it is doubtful Robespierre would ever qualify as a Heroic Spirit, or even a weak one. He lived and died as a member of the political sphere, never acting directly. At most, he may manifest as a wraith and a pestilent corruption on the spirit of France.
But with the introduction of a Phantom, he was narrowly able to qualify as a Caster by borrowing the miraculous skills of a fictional legend whose desires for civilization were similarly pure and equally without scruple. While they strove for their goals from different fields and worked with different stock, there are few who may be able to understand his goals and motivations better than the phantom of Dr. Moreau, the reclusive doctor who warped and forced animals to act against their worst nature by vivisecting them and experimenting on them to force them to be 'human.'
By combining their goals and methods, Caster's cobbled together Saint Graph has been given a second chance to bring glory to his nation - and removed any preference for what creature best deserves to populate it. If he could not force humans to better themselves, then he would merely create better humans.
Vive la France. À tout prix.
Personality:
Spoiler:
A delicate balance of two competing personalities, united in goals but not demeanor, Caster has achieved a symbiosis in which each personality is permitted to dominate the spheres in which they are most suited. A diplomatic union, Caster's personality depends almost entirely on when and where he is encountered.
"It is when suffering finds a voice and sets our nerves quivering that this pity comes troubling us."
- Dr. Moreau
When working in his laboratory or acting in the field, Moreau is permitted to come to the forefront. Clad in steel and medical tools of his own design, he values knowledge and improvement above all else, disregarding whatever moral issues or considerations may be raised. The suffering of an individual is of no consequence when weighed against the improvement he may bring that individual - or even more importantly, those to come after them. Not regretting his foul sacrifices, but not looking away either, his voice never shakes, reverbating darkly through his helmet and artifice. While one may consider him malicious or uncaring, to Moreau, it is merely an application of intense focus - he is entirely focused on the object of his current interest or attention, and ignores anything outside it.
"Pity is treason. For your sake, I will do what I must."
-Maximilien Robespierre
However, if interacting with his Master or acting covertly as a politician or manipulator of others, Robespierre comes to the forefront. Shedding his heavy medical tools and armor, one would hardly recognize the dark-haired, slender young man clad in fine fashions. He speaks sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but always with conviction and interest. Despite his reputation, he even comes across as greatly interested in the lives and well-being of others, and rarely talks about himself if he can talk about France or the people in general. While prone to worry, particularly over others, he never engages in doubt. A man whose guiding principle is that no matter how much he cares -- or believes he cares -- about others, hesitation may never be permitted.
No matter which personality is in charge - the harsh recluse or the anxious orator - the consistent trait between them is simply this.
They have no doubt.
Not in their cause.
Not in themselves.
Not even in their methods.
For the greater good, everything is permitted.
Class Skills: Item Creation Rank: E-A+
Due to his association with the torturers and executioners of the French Revolution, his only real specialty is the creation of tools of execution and bloodshed, including guillotines, which may be created in advance and deployed as traps. On its own, this skill would be ranked only C+, with a plus modifier attached for guillotines. By combining it with Innovation, the rank of this skill depends on who it is intended to be used on.
Territory Creation Rank: B The Skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus, such as for the purpose of collecting mana. At this rank, creation of a laboratory or workshop becomes possible, in which Caster receives significant bonuses to not only his tools of torture but also the success rate of his experiments.
Personal Skills: Innovation (Thermidorian) Rank: B
A special Skill granted to heroes who brought about revolutions in their eras. In Caster's case, modifiers are granted which lean more in his favor the higher the opponent's rank in Golden Rule, Charisma, or other skills associated with nobility, kingship, and the establishment. Further modifiers apply based on religious faith and divinity. Against a commoner or advocate of the poor and free, this skill has almost no power. Not only that, but the effect of his skills or Noble Phantasm rises or falls accordingly.
Torture Techniques Rank: C+
A skill that represents one's possession of torture techniques. Plus modifiers are added when using torture tools to deal damage. Because it strengthens bloodshed and agony, further damage is continuously added after the ordinary damage. While lacking the outstanding technique of one truly passionate about punishing others, when his goal is extracting information, Caster is a machine utterly without mercy.
Human Anatomy Understanding (False) Rank: A
A skill derived from Dr. Moreau's bloody, terrifying experiments in vivisection and reconstruction. Like its true variant, a skill that allows one to essentially grasp the inner workings of a human body, but reached through restructuring other types of creatures instead. Rather than healing something to its prior condition, this skill is the crystallization of Moreau's ability to warp and transform a body without allowing death. As such, all actions intended to transform a body through skills, magecraft, etc. are improved. One is able to target vital areas with extreme precision and all damage inflicted is increased.
Noble Phantasm: La Mort Est Une Expérience - Death is an Experiment for Tomorrow Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: A-
The embodiment of the infamous tool of execution, the guillotine. A Noble Phantasm shared with the Assassin who carried out the actual executions, Caster is permitted access to it by virtue of his connection with the Reign of Terror's thousands upon thousands of death sentences. However, if compared directly against an actual executioner, it is no doubt that Caster's equivalent would falter before a blade that carried the weight of carrying out the task.
Ordinarily, this would take the form of a mental interference-type Noble Phantasm, sentencing others to a fated death unless their heart overcame that fate. However, due to the aberrant splicing of Dr. Moreau's legend, the guillotine has become a tool not of execution, but of experimentation. Rather than delivering guaranteed decapitation via a fated curse, it is used to cleave 'what is' and replace it with 'what Caster intends it to become.'
Essentially, by chopping off body parts or aspects of an individual, the curse of the guillotine now transforms those body parts into new, often grotesque, but always 'advantageous' forms. Weaknesses may be shed. Wounded parts may be replaced. The very essence of a soul may be altered, cut by cut, slice by slice, until nothing recognizable remains.
A Noble Phantasm of transfiguration that allows Caster to create abominable familiars and allies encroaching on Phantasmal Beasts, given enough time...
And of course, a high enough tolerance for pain.
Last edited by Sunny; October 18th, 2017 at 07:19 PM.
Funny seeing a Robespierre sheet here since I've been considering writing him up myself for a while now (not for this contest, just in general). Albeit, my take would be either a Saber to reflect his idealistic revolutionary days or an ultra-edgy (as in, looking like a demon with guillotine blades literally erupting from his body edgy) Avenger to embody the dark and bloody side of the French Revolution. So it's not like you took my idea or anything.
In any case, this is another amazing sheet as always for you. I never would've thought of combining Robespierre with Moreau of all people but you definitely made it work. Also, having finished watching Made In Abyss recently, I have to say my god is that Bondrewd faceclaim the most ridiculously fitting FC I've seen for a Servant in a long time.
I never would've thought of combining Robespierre with Moreau of all people but you definitely made it work. Also, having finished watching Made In Abyss recently, I have to say my god is that Bondrewd faceclaim the most ridiculously fitting FC I've seen for a Servant in a long time.
Kya, thank you. I just hope the rationale for combining them ended up feeling legitimate. I didn't want it to be too forced. When I ran into those two quotes from them in the personality section, that's when the take on them kind of solidified.
At least I exorcised it from my mind. I don't like writing creepy jerks. ;.; Somehow both my entries ended up being broken!
...And yeah, first guy who came to mind with Moreau, for good or ill. Mitty. ;.;
That feeling when you have at least two different good Servant ideas but keep bouncing from idea to idea because you lack the inspiration to actually write any of them. *sigh*. Hopefully I won't end up opting out of this contest...
Alternate Classes: / Alignment: Lawful Neutral Place of Origin: Spain Height: 185 cm Weight: 87 kg Likes: Vengeance, courage, his horse Dislikes: Being asked to dismount Talent: Horseback charges Natural Enemy: Alfonso I Attribute: Earth Traits: Servant, Sky or Earth, Riding,, Undead Armament: two swords: one a two-handed broadsword, the other a duelling sword Catalyst: Tizona, stolen from the Museo de Burgos and replaced with a replica.
Parameters:
STR: C END: C AGI: C MGI: D LCK: B NP: B
Class Skills:
Avenger D
The signature Class Skill of the Avenger class. It represents the state of an Avenger as being someone that gathers hatred and grudges and turns them into their strength. Makes it easier to build resentment.
Avenger is not a Class this Servant would ordinarily be particularly suited for, hence this low rank.
Memory Correction E
Avengers never forget the object of their hatred, no matter how much time has passed. However, the targets of Avenger's hatred and resentment have long since passed away, and while the pain surely remains fresh, he is unable to take effective revenge any more.
Mana Replenishment D
An Avenger Class Skill, which allows the Servant to generate their own magical energy as long as the fire of hatred burns hot in their mind. Avenger is unable to generate more than a trickle of magical energy on his own.
Personal Skills:
Riding (False)A
As a pre-eminent candidate for the Class of Rider, Avenger possesses a high rank in this Skill as a matter of course. He can ride all sorts of vehicles and animals with equal ease - although he so much prefers his legendary steed Babieca that it almost seems they are joined at the hip.
However, Avenger's movements seem - to expert riders and no one else - a bit stiff and clumsy at bizarre times, to the point where he doesn't seem entirely in control of his loyal steed...
Judgement of the Worthy B
A Skill showing that the Servant has been judged as "worthy", whether it is to become King of some country, to wield a magical weapon, or for some other purpose. All those who are judged as unworthy - whether they be Master, Servant or random bystander - feel an instinctive awe and terror at the sight of the item in question.
This is a skill given to Avenger because he possesses Colada, a legendary blade that could be said to have "descended" from Merodach, another such judgemental blade.
Blazing Courage B
A composite Skill combining the Skills Bravery and Mana Burst (Flame). This combination simply means that, rather than the second skill being deliberately activated, the flames that continually lick at the edge of Avenger's sword Tizona grow or abate, depending on the courage Avenger is currently showing. For example, should he face ten men by himself, the flames are hot enough to melt through steel and stone; should he face one man with ten men, it will feel only slightly warm to the touch.
Though this skill can be rather powerful, when summoned as Avenger they are curiously tepid - as if Tizona somehow is disappointed by this incarnation.
Noble Phantasm
El Cantar de Mio Cid
Even In Death, I Shall Ride Once More
Type: Anti-Unit (Self) Rank: B Range: Self Maximum Targets: 3
This Noble Phantasm is the ultimate reason for Avenger's existence. It is what allows Avenger to be summoned at all, and what gives him the class of Avenger in the first place.
It is based on one of El Cid's most famous stories, that of being set atop his horse, clad in armour, even after his death, and leading his men into a final charge on the battlefield. At that time, he was indisputably gone - yet at the same time, he was clearly alive and leading his men; an inescapable paradox, which was resolved by the coming into existence of this Phantom, who is El Cid and at the same time is not El Cid.
The effect of this Noble Phantasm, then, is simple: it allows Avenger to assume the mantle of El Cid with all that implies. Though summoned into a body that is dead, it let the swords of El Cid and his horse combine with that body into a single, cohesive existence - a Phantom, true, but one comparable to a Servant nonetheless.
As long as Avenger sits on Babieca and holds his swords on his person, everyone who sees Avenger will recognize him as the Rider-class Servant El Cid, with all the relevant Noble Phantasms, Skills, and intelligence. This effect only goes so far as recognition, however - it will not allow him anything more than that, meaning he cannot activate any of the Noble Phantasms.
This illusion can only be broken if the physical link between the separate parts that make up Avenger is broken - in other words, if he is unhorsed or unarmed, he will start to dissolve rather quickly. Rather ironically, this might give him barely enough time for a final charge of his own.
Lore
Summoned as Avenger, what emerges from the ritual is not El Cid himself except in the most literal sense, but what remained of El Cid, set to avenge his own death. It would not be wrong to call Avenger "that which was left behind", infused with a particular power due to his final legendary act. Furthermore, due to being summoned with his legendary belongings Tizona, Colada and Babieca, the three of them have colluded in an attempt to recreate El Cid's Saint Graph. This act has granted them a rudimentary intelligence, as well as control over the body that is "wielding" them.
Personality
Due to his unique nature, Avenger cannot talk, since it is a skill beyond the amalgam controlling the body. As such, expressing his personality is difficult. However, he generally gives the impression of being lost somehow, as if he does not quite know the reason he has been summoned.
Notes
Hope I won't get sniped with this one. At the very least, though, it would rather surprise me.
Anyway, I think this is one of the more creative things I've written so far. In a positive sense, rather than "what's that guy pulled out of his ass now?" Basically, I tried to give him (it?) skills corresponding to each of the parts he's composed of. Riding from Babieca, Judgement from Colada, Blazing Courage from Tizona. Honestly, once I'd gotten the idea for "undead El Cid" in my head, the rest just flowed fairly naturally.
Also, I tried to do some BBcode wizardry with this, but feel like it didn't quite pan out - collapse tags are rather visible even when collapsed, and just changing the text colour is lame (and not guaranteed to work). Let me know if it's too annoying.
He's just putting the bone of his sword into other people until it explodes and lets out parts of him inside them.
Originally Posted by AvengerEmiya
Genderswaps are terrible, but I think I and other people would hate them less if Fate didn't keep ignoring actual heroines throughout history and folklore. Like, why bother turning Francis Drake into a woman when Ching Shih and Grace O'Malley exist?
Originally Posted by Five_X
Fate Zero is just Fate Stay Night for people who think Shirou is too girly
Name; Shiro Ishii Class; Caster/Assassin/Rider (False) Armament: None Alignment: Chaotic Evil Attribute: Earth or Man Traits: Human, Demon
Stats: Strength: E Agility: D Endurance: E Mana: C Luck: B Noble Phantasm: A
Likes: Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, etc. Dislikes: Everything else Talents: Human experimentation Natural Enemy: Humanity Wish: To make bacteria the dominant species on the planet
Skills
Class Skills: Item Construction: C
Can create any bacteria, virus, fungus, etc. at moderate od cost.
Territory Creation: C
Can create a “laboratory” to work on manipulating his diseases.
Personal Skills: Innocent Monster: B
A result from his fusion, he is permanently sick, with Strength, Agility, and Endurance suffering rank down with Mana at risk of rank down at any moment. His case of Innocent Monster acts similar to Weak Constitution, but with an added boon. If Caster is injured, the hundreds of diseases in his bloodstream will rot and infect any they touch. A drop of his blood is enough to kill hundreds of people just by being breathed in.
Aptitude for Slaughter (Disease): A
A Skill normally reserved for Servants in the Assassin and Berserker classes, Caster’s life has granted him this skill at high rank. If one of his diseases is used on humans, it causes more damage and the disease spreads quicker.
Affections of Disease (False): A++
A Skill denoting the Servant as one “loved” by bacteria, viruses and other microscopic life forms. As these lifeforms don't have the potential to truly love, this is more the Servant personifying the diseases and their strong belief that they “love” the Servant. Caster kept bacteria trays as pets, which would give him a B rank in this skill, but his fusion has magnified his love of bacteria and this Skills rank. It is high enough that he truly believes the diseases he’s using have consciousness and emotions, and how they “love” him.
The diseases that infect his flesh do anything they can to prolong his life, such as going into wounds and thickening to stop bleeding, or taking the form of a severed limb to ensure he can fight as his max potential.
Noble Phantasm
Nanasanichi Butai Laboratory of The
Devil's Brigade
Pestilence
A
Anti-Army
Range: 1~200
Max Targets: 1~3000
As the leader of the unit, he can recreate the hellish facility, with time, and test subjects, he can recreate it with additional facilities and experiments with the soul he fused with. The humans he uses will become subhuman, their bodies acting as breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses.
By using humans as fuel, he can create soldiers that shoot puss from the bubonic sores on their necks and armpits, suicide bombers that explode into acidic puss, shields made of people completely affected with frostbite, and other twisted creations.
He can create a total of 3,000 of these soldiers in one summoning, but reaching even a eighth of that number requires tremendous amounts of mana.
Lore
Nanasanichi Butai, or Unit 731, was a secret military project of Japan during World War 2. It is regarded as the most notorious and vile of Japan’s war crimes.
The leader of the Unit and creator of many experiments, was Shiro Ishii, a man who was practically born for working in bioweapons. He had taken care of bacteria plates as “pets” during his time in medical school, treating them as one would their dog rather than a research subject, and advocated for Japan to look into bioweapons and chemical warfare, his inspiration being the chlorine gas utilized by Germany during the first World War.
He later was given the opportunity to fully show his potential when he helped form the Nanasanichi Butai facility, a lab dedicated to biological and chemical weapons research in 1936 under the cover of water purification work.
From the foundation of the facility until it’s dismantling at the end of World War 2, 3,000 Chinese lives were lost in the cruel and inhumane experiments performed their. Deliberate infection with the bubonic plague, anthrax, and cholera with vivisections performed to see their effects on the human body at various stages. Raping the woman and infecting them with diseases and then aborting the infants at various stages in the pregnancy to see the effects of the diseases on unborn infants. Giving victims frostbite and then seeing what would happen if you chipped off bits of their flesh and submerged them in water, and hundreds of other horrific experiments.
At the end of the war, he gained immunity due to his experiments offering one-of-a-kind insight into uses for chemical weaponry and the effects of the diseases, but is still regarded as a one of the most horrible men to have ever existed.
After the war, he stayed in Japan, and became a doctor who gave treatments and diagnosis' free of charge until his death in 1959.
His other half, is the White Rider, Pestilence. The Horseman of the Apocalypse attributed with spreading diseases and plague popularized during the Black Death as an omen of death and sickness, for all that follows the White Rider is Death.
However, Pestilence in of itself is a (False) spirit, as the true Rider of the White Horse is Conquest, and it was only near the turn of the 20th century that Pestilence became the White Rider. It's existence as a false being has weakened it even further, meaning a fusion is the only way it could ever be summoned in a Grail War.
Shiro is too young and not known well enough to become a true Heroic Spirit, but by fusing with the Phantom of Pestilence, he can become a monstrous threat to the entire war, if not the world.
Personality
Caster is barely human in the way he acts, he sees all of humanity as a massive petri dish of disease breeding grounds. He will hold no remorse for who happens to be one of his experiments, even his own Master. The Pestilence half of him has made his desire to spread disease heavily amplified to the point where he sees it the same as a religious doctrine.
In his unwavering will, he is determined to create a perfect world for his “friends”, as he views them as the Earth’s dominant species, outnumbering humanity by millions of trillions of trillions.
However, he is also extremely overprotective of his “friends”, to the point he will sacrifice his own life if it means the survival of his diseases, setting traps to go off at his death that will bombard the compound with hundreds of highly lethal diseases, that with Pestilence's influence, can harm and infect Servants as well.
<I>
Was dissatisfied with the Shadowman sheet, so I made a true Phantom fusion.
Last edited by Saron; October 20th, 2017 at 12:20 AM.
Reason: Added additional details about the fusion
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Originally Posted by Bird of Hermes
Name; Shiro Ishii
