Monthly Create-A-Servant Contest

[Skull]

"Monster" eh?

A bit on the cliché side but I'll roll with it since I came up with an idea for a Sheet yesterday that fits the theme.

[34]

I have a Berserker sheet, with power oft associated with Monsters, but the character itself is quite the opposite of a monster, though maybe if I stretch it enough it might fit.

- - - Updated - - -

nvm i'm sleepy
I read it as "bonus point if Berserker"

[Lambda-Nu]

Hm... I have a (mostly complete) Bull Demon King sheet sitting on that Word doc I use to make my sheets. And then the idea for a Chupacabra sheet popped into my head. Either could work. I'll have to think more on this...

[Bugs]

Wish I'd saved my dobhar-chu sheet for this, but it sounds like a fun prompt.

[King of Padoru]

Man, I don't have any idea for this… The only thing that comes to my mind is something with Shirazumi Lio as a Pseudo-Servant...

[Shiki-pon]

Hm. Wish I'd have saved Jörmungandr for this... Oh well. There ought to be plenty of ideas to go for.

[Bugs]

We're still allowed two entries, right?
I have a sneaking suspicion my first idea might be a popular one.

[Dragolord09]

Yup, two sheets per user.

[SleepMode]

nvm i'm sleepy
I read it as "bonus point if Berserker"

Nothing's stopping you man, if its good it doesn't matter

[Bugs]

Oh I totally thought it was for a Monster Class and not just related to monsters. Woops.

[LeadDemon]

This actually gives me an excuse to finish a sheet that’s been in my half-done drafts for a bit, cool.

Brace for skeletons.

[Spartacus]

I have the perfect guy for this, but I saving him for Conquest.
Either way, very interesting prompt.

[LeadDemon]

Crazy slow work day, so I was able to nail this all out way earlier than expected.

Well, it's Spooktober, so you know what that means-

The Most Successful Skeleton

Appearance

Class: Assassin
Gender: Skeleton (Male)
Alignment: Neutral Calcium

Legend

The legend of the Spartoi is a simple one. Once, there was a man who planted dragon's teeth into the ground, and when sown, men emerged from the earth. The man was besieged by those sown men, and threw a stone in an attempt to defend himself. This proved to be his salvation, as those mindless sown men believed that stone to be thrown by one among their numbers, and so they fought one another until all but five had fallen.

Among those five, one stood tall. This is his story.

At first, he simply followed that man in the aftermath of this event, carrying out his commands. Move this stone there. Arrange this structure. Carry this water. There was no will, there was merely action, the vague motions of a machine being. There was no soul, no human will, but he was happy. There was nothing lacking in his life.

But, sometimes, there was something else. Sometimes there was a feeling that rose up. From the look in that man's eye, from the watchful gaze of those around him, from the sight of his brothers shuffling around as mere automatons. In those moments, he felt his legs grow weak, the world spinning around him for the briefest moments. Then, it all returned to normal.

Those moments grew more common as time went on. His work was impaired by those brief flashes. The expressions of the humans around him seared into his skull, and on one day, he collapsed, legs giving out beneath him.

“Echion, are you okay?!”

That man approached him, concern in his eyes. He understood the sounds, but something was different. Yes, because what he had just said, what was...

"...Echion."

Thus, he spoke his own name for the very first time. The world, which had once been so exceedingly simple, was no longer so.

From that day forth, everything had changed. Not a monster. Not a weapon. Not a tool. He was Spartoi. He was Echion.

He and that man worked alongside his brothers, crafting a great city. His wisdom grew by leaps and bounds as he learned of the world, learned of humans and gods and monsters and Spartoi. He began to act on his own, nothing more than his instincts guiding him as he established a temple in that fledgling city, and felt the smile of its goddess wash over him when complete.

That man gave him his daughter’s hand in marriage, and so that man became ‘Father’. It was only suitable, in the end. After all, he had sown Echion from the ground, whether intentionally or not, and so there was a certain suitability there.

He lived among humans, seen no differently from any other. He slayed monsters who threatened the city alongside his Father, he fortified its structures, gathered food, and played with the children. With his wife, he accomplished the impossible yet again, and had a child who he named Pentheus. And here, Echion was happy.

...but, it was not for long, for his Father was fated for misfortune. Curses began to fall down upon the city like rain. Crops and livestock died, the family of that man fell ill, the heavens themselves screamed out in protest against him. They endured, but only for so long. In his old age, Echion’s Father abdicated the throne, leaving it to Echion’s own son.

“...I’m leaving Thebes to you, Echion. We built this city with our own hands, after all.”

“Good luck, Father. Leave the rest to me.”

And so that man departed, along with his wife. Echion himself remained in Thebes, defending it as he always had. To safeguard the people and their livelihood, to protect them and create a place where they could smile, that was the purpose he had found for himself.

...that is, until he learned of what had happened to that man. Until he learned of how that man had been cursed by the gods and become a dragon. Until he learned that the one who had made him change from a monster into a man, had himself become a man who changed into a monster.

“Leave the rest to me.”

He begged to the gods to shoulder that man’s punishment instead. He was a hero, he deserved a rightful end. Surely restoring him to the monster he once was more righteous a cause than condemning that man.

The gods did not answer.

He raged. He screamed. He cried.

The touch of his wife burned him, reminding him of that man who had given everything to this city and only suffered for it. The sight of the city brought to mind the memories of building it alongside that man.

“Leave the rest to me.”

He had never known pain like this, never known grief, and so he fell into it. He struck down a monster that endangered the city, but even that only brought to mind his memories of fighting alongside that man.

“Leave the rest to me.”

And so, he fought. He fought monster after monster in an attempt to escape his own thoughts, until his bones fell apart and he returned to the earth. In the end, he could not keep his promise to that man.

“Leave the rest to me.”

...perhaps, though, it is a blessing that he perished before the fall of his child.

A father should not have to see such a thing.

Character

A weapon who acquired a soul, a monster that became a man. However, Echion does not reject what he is. He does not view himself as a weapon or a tool, and does consider himself as a human, but just as much as he is a human, he is also Spartoi, taking pride in the title like a badge of honor.

Ideally, he would like for his kind to gain the same insights that he himself has, but recognizes the difficulty of such a thing and so does not carry hatred for the magi who use his kind as weapons. Though, he can’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable around them.

First and foremost, Echion sees himself as a protector in service of humanity. He is no tool to be wielded, but he is nonetheless an independent being who has taken it upon himself to work for humanity’s benefit. When asked about this, he simply attributes this to paying back the debt that he owes them, for making him what he is today. However, more fundamental than that, there is a love for humans apparent in his behavior and actions which underlies nearly all he does, and for this, he acts as a guardian to humans.

He is true to his word, and bears an almost knightly demeanor. At the same time, though, Echion is a shrewd planner, and while he is one who stands firm and upright as a person, as a combatant he will not hesitate to employ roundabout tactics to reach his ends. This, however, does not include the use of outright deception, as he finds such things to be anathema to human interaction. A promise made on his name as Spartoi is ironclad, as is his own moral code. Do not kill those who are not prepared to kill. Do not harm those who cannot decide for themselves. And so on.

In interaction, his tone seems generally stiff, but there is an underlying warmth and genuine nature there that is quick to be noticed. He rarely takes the lead in conversations of his own accord, but will consistently provide his viewpoint when asked. If caught sufficiently off-guard or with those he is especially comfortable with, though, it is possible to see occasional chinks in that armor as well, moments of incredulity and snark. He is also quick to criticize people or practices he disdains, attacking them with a surprisingly barbed tongue. Well, if he had a tongue, at least. Even in these cases, though, he keeps away from thoughtless comments. If he is deriding someone as a person, it likely means that their existence itself is something that Echion finds utterly unforgivable. To date, he has yet to find such a person, even if it has gotten close a couple of times.

Incidentally, he also seems to be great with kids, if they don’t scream at the sight of him.

Regarding his “wish”, there has been some difficulty in defining it. Originally, it would have been the enlightenment of his kind, and later, it would have been to change the tragic destiny of his Father. Now, though, Echion has begrudgingly accepted both. It is not his right to forcibly impose wisdom on his kind, nor is it right to meddle with what has already come to pass. He cannot imagine Cadmus would desire such a thing either. A wish to protect humanity is a similar thing; while he is a guardian, full human salvation should not come from outside, but from within. So, his wish takes the form of perhaps the single selfish aspect of his character.

Echion is a striver, without question. While he can certainly be happy, he is never truly satisfied. And so, his wish is nothing other than to have the chance to reach further understanding. To once again shatter the limits of enlightenment and press beyond them, to push forwards beyond merely being the wisest of the Spartoi and into the realm of the absolute, to have the opportunity to, with nothing other than his own will and wisdom, reach the Truth of the World.

...of course, he’d hardly admit that to anyone.

Tactics

At the most basic level, Echion is a survivor. Between nonstandard constitution, the passive effect of his Noble Phantasm, a form of self-healing, an especially hardy spiritual core which further lacks the usual nodes such as a brain or a heart, and a functional immunity to mental interference, it is not an exaggeration to call Echion “a goddamn headache to kill”.

In order for Echion to be a strategic asset, though, a bit more work must be done. The best method here lays in the synergies between his skills and his Noble Phantasm’s passive state. For instance, utilizing his bones as materials to fortify a base, and allowing Echion to regrow those bones through his self-healing. Use of “Enlightened One” to acquire the ability to smith weapons and designing weapons out of his bones is also an option, and is generally something Echion does of his own accord to boost his combat potential. These are just some examples, though.

From the perspective of abilities, an ideal Master for Echion is simply a skilled magus. One capable of creating the magecraft defenses he cannot and using his bones as materials to create Noble Phantasm-class Mystic Codes are among the ideal uses of his abilities. For similar reasons, a Caster skilled in Territory Creation and Tool Creation would have terrific synergy with Echion. However, one must be careful, as a skilled magus may view “children” Echion creates as mere familiars, which will undoubtedly cause his relationship meter to fall. His Draconic Breeding is thus better used to create a small force of dedicated helpers than to create an army of disposable fodder, the polar opposite of a certain queen’s soldier-spawning despite their respective abilities being similar. Quality over quantity, one might say.

Strategic use of the Noble Phantasm’s true name is also possible, but this carries its own risks, not to mention Echion’s personal reluctance to do so. While the Noble Phantasm’s active use can propel Echion into a being capable of fighting even the most first-class Servants, it also degrades his existence as a hero, and if one is not careful, they may unleash an uncontrolled monster that threatens the Holy Grail War itself. In all but the most dire cases, then, the Noble Phantasm’s true name release is heavily inadvisable.

Parameters

STR: D
CON: EX
AGI: D
MGI: D
LCK: EX

Class Skills

Presence Concealment (Skeleton): -

Not the standard form of the Assassin’s Presence Concealment, but rather a distortion. In truth, it is best compared to a mutation of the Espionage skill, and a result of Echion’s burden of the body as a Spartoi.

Echion is not viewed as the Servant Assassin, but rather as a ‘dragon-tooth warrior’. This is a nature implicit to his being, to be underestimated, discounted, and disregarded. The destiny of a level five random encounter. He does not possess the radiance common to Heroic Spirits, nor is the flow of prana around him recognizable as that of a Servant. Skills such as Human Observation will fail usage for similar reasons.

This is not a status that Echion himself has control over, but rather a burden of his existence. Even his Master may find his claims of power suspect, and even entry into combat does not abate this status.

Truth be told, he disdains this skill quite a bit, even if he recognizes its practical value.

Personal Skills

Enlightened One: EX

The status of being one who has come closer to the Truth of the world than much of their kind. This does not refer to an individual’s closeness to that Truth within a vacuum, but rather their closeness to it as a comparison point to their kin. In other words, one might call it a prelude to the skill which stems from that great bodhi tree. At A rank, one represents their race as their most enlightened member. At nonstandard, one has surpassed their kinds’ limits.

Echion is the wisest of the Spartoi, and the only one of his kind to have gained true sapience. This was not due to the circumstances of his creation or the work of another, but rather was the consequence of his own existence. Surpassing the destiny of his kind to be low-level fodder, he is a one-of-a-kind being that has never and will never again emerge in this world.

At this rank, all manner of external mental interference is shut out, and Echion is made capable of freely calling upon skills that could be learned in the mythic era of Greece, such as craftsmanship, combat talents, and survivalism.

In other words, the aptitude to function as “a real boy”.

Spartoi: A

Familiars made from dragon teeth. The teeth are planted in the ground, where they become disposable soldiers imbued with the magical energy of dragons and knowledge from the earth. Low-level fodder common among Greek magi in the Age of Gods.

The skills and nature implicit to a member of the Spartoi are present, such as a subcategory of Self-Modification through movement of one’s bones, a nonstandard hardiness of the spiritual core, and the like.

Due to a blessing from the Mother Goddess Cybele, the skill Perfect Form at rank C has additionally been obtained.

Fortification: C

Not the capability to create a territory advantageous to oneself as a magus, but rather the capability to create a structure to be defended.

Echion‘s talent in this can only be called average, the majority of it stemming from the story of him establishing a temple to the Mother Goddess Cybele and the building of Thebes.

Draconic Breeding (False): -

Wyverns are a class of dragons subordinate to higher-order dragons. These wyverns implicitly lack a gender, and are spawned from the higher-order dragon which behaves as their overseer, rather than their parent.

Ordinarily, it would be impossible for a Spartoi, something created from a dragon, to have inherited the aspects of draconic reproduction merely from the bones composing them. Nevertheless, due to Echion having had a son, that is exactly what has occurred. Truly an impossible being, a Spartoi who had a human child.

However, as Echion himself lacks any reproductive parts, it is better to say that his body acts as a magic foundation which creates children, using the nature of a higher-order dragon as replicating wyverns from its genes as the premise. This is to say that, by coming into contact with another being, it is able to cross-apply this information with the information stored in its own body, and execute the “cloning” function of wyvern production to create a “child” using the two sets of genetic material. The relationship between father and child is thus analogous to the relationship between overseer dragon and wyvern.

Noble Phantasm

Anax Spartoi

Empire of Bone

Rank: A++
Classification: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 0
Maximum Number of Targets: 1

The nature of Echion himself. As a living weapon who has acquired a soul, it could be said that he functions as a living Noble Phantasm, much like a certain mound of Ether Clumps.

The Phantasmal Species are beings who store their power within their lifespan. As a result, something formed through their nature which has come to acquire a soul logically abides by the same principle. However, at the same time, a Spartoi inherits knowledge from the earth and can be considered a child of nature. Ordinarily, neither of these aspects would come to the forefront, but countless accumulated years and the ascension to Heroic Spirit have allowed them to be amplified beyond the limits of a standard familiar.

In other words, Echion can be considered a midpoint between an artificial Elemental and a Phantasmal Species, but at the same time is a being closer to humanity than it is to the planet, due to the nature of the Personal Skill “Enlightened One”. If he had not gained sapience among humans, he would likely have become something closer to a low-ranking Divine Spirit.

At a passive level, this simply grants Echion‘s body the nature of a dragon’s bones that have existed for four millennia. As examples, CON becomes EX, and components of his body are treated as materials analogous to Noble Phantasms of equivalent rank to this Noble Phantasm; for instance, should his own body be used as materials for the purpose of his Fortification skill, a triple modifier is added to the value. However, this also implicitly makes Echion meet the conditions for Noble Phantasms possessing “anti-dragon” attributes.

With invocation of the true name, Echion undergoes a subcategory of Inversion Impulse that speaks to the awakening and refining of these aspects. In other words, his status as a hero falls, but he becomes more capable of calling on his “abilities as a dragon” and “abilities as an Elemental”, which are not taken into consideration in the above information. This is to say, generation of and strengthening utilizing magical energy, imagination materialization, and the like. However, as Echion is one who treasures his nature as a ‘human’, he is loathe to make use of the true name release in the vast majority of circumstances.

If overused, this could of course result in a full alteration of the Saint Graph and erosion of the personality, so discretion is advised.

Relationships

Draconic Servants
“So there’s someone similar to me here, is there? Similar to me, and to him, at the end...”

Medea/Semiramis
“I realize that such a thing is common, but it is still jarring to see...that.”

Enkidu
They seem to be communicating without saying anything.

Perseus/Bellerophon
“...ah, the same sort as him. I wish you luck.”

Siddhārtha Gautama
“Aha, how blindingly bright. If I am a flame, then your kind is the Sun itself, yes? I will strive to reach that height as well, then.”

Quetzalcoatl
“For the last time, I have no intention of wrestling you, madwoman.”

Queen Medb
“Our methods are similar? Absolutely not. You create them to be your tools. There’s no love in what you do.”

Child Servants
He seems to be sneaking them candy when he thinks nobody is watching.

Lady Chacha
“...I see. That must have been painful, I apologize. Please, do not hesitate to come speak to me, if you find the need.”

Funny Vamp
“That-...you are...no, perhaps I...?”

King Hassan
“...???”

Bond Craft Essence

A Father’s Love

I hold the crying child in my hands, wrapped in cloth so that the bones do not harm it. A strange heat swells in my chest, an unfamiliar feeling, but one I do not dislike.

“That’s him, Echion. That’s your son.”

Father and Agave stand not three paces away, watching me with warm eyes. I look back down at the bundled child.

My son. This is my son. The feeling grows thicker, and if my jaw could move in such a way, I have no doubt that it would curl up into a smile.

“What should we name him?”

Agave is the one who speaks that time, a question that gives me pause. Yes, a name is important; I know that more than any other. I open my mouth to speak, but—

“Pentheus.” [Man of Sorrows]

...the name leaves my mouth without my will, as though another was commanding my body in that moment. I see Father’s face tighten for an instant, before he relaxes it. Strange, how strange, I cannot understand what just happened.

That warm feeling has faded just a hair, as well.

Creator Notes

So, I've actually had the notes and some ability descriptions for this sitting around in my docs for a while, but this topic was what managed to make me actually get off my ass and make it legitimate, clean it up, actually write the character out, and all of that.

The actual process of making the sheet basically began with "hm i wonder if there's a skeleton eligible for heroic spirit", proceeding to dig around until I found Echion, and then going to town on it.

We’ve got no shortage of humans who became monsters as Servants, so the basic inspiration here was a “monster who became a human”, with some very obvious inspiration from Enkidu present. The abilities were actually what came first and designing the character itself came later, which is the opposite of how I usually do it, but oh well. A lot of the character inspiration was pulled from after coming up with the active effect of the NP, since that’s essentially a step backwards in Echion returning to a monster, trading away everything he gained as a human for superior power. That got me thinking about the mentality that a dragon-tooth warrior who became ‘human’ would have, how that experience would shape them, and all of that.

The crux of the character was obviously his relationship with Cadmus, who’s basically the Shamhat/Gil combo to his Enkidu. That was one of the highlights of putting this together, honestly, and I wound up writing a couple of short interludes with the two of them to help flesh the character out a bit more for myself when writing this up.

If used in a story, he’d probably work best as a sort of transitionary character. The sort who helps the protagonist learn the ways of the world and hone their talents like a teacher-type would, but is never particularly outstanding himself. Then, at the climactic moment, he’d either sacrifice himself to convert his body into a weapon for the protagonist to use, or he’d fully deploy his Noble Phantasm in an attempt to create an opening. If the latter happened, he’d probably lose his reason entirely, and also be super weakened by the fight, meaning that after beating the big bad, he’d be the monstrous “technical final boss much weaker than the penultimate boss, who isn’t really a fight and who you feel bad about killing”, like you see in some Souls games.

...Got a bit carried away, there. But yeah, overall I’m pretty satisfied with how this turned out. Also, come on, the novelty of just having a skeleton walking around in a Grail War is a thing of beauty.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Night settles on in, time goes still

Mørket falder på, tiden går i stå

There’s nothing I need to do

Der' intet jeg skal nå

Night reaches its end, and I say to myself

Natten går på hæld, jeg siger til mig selv

What is it that you want?

Hvad er det mon du vil?

Stars fall on down, the light keeps shining on

Stjerner falder ned, lyset det blir' ved

For an eternity

I en evighed

Tears on my cheek slowly dry in

Tårer på min kind, tørrer langsomt ind

Now we do it over again

Nu tar' vi den igen

“Delight in who you are. There is no reason to feel ashamed for what you are born as simply because you believe someone else exceeds you. We were all born with the hope that we become beautiful, with no regard for how we might not live up to that expectation.”


Class: Avenger
Other Classes: Rider, Archer
True Name: Hajun
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Place of Origin: Nepal


STR: D AGI: D


END: A MGI: B


LCK: B NP: B++


Height: 171cm
Weight: 61kg
Likes: Quiet cloudless nights, intoxicated introspection, passion.
Dislikes: Sticklers of principle, lotus flowers, excessive willpower.
Talents: Persuasion, Making the best of something bad.
Natural Enemy: Buddha
Attribute: Earth
Armament: None.
Catalyst: Ancient artistic depictions of Hajun, petrified lotus leaves from the tree the Buddha sat under.


Class Skills:


Avenger: C


Represents the state of the Avenger as one who gathers hatreds and grudges onto oneself. Rather than being strengthened by these grudges, Hajun is a being formed from the subconscious doubts of the human mind, and so hatred towards him is equivalent to hatred towards oneself so long as one has even a sliver of uncertainty in one’s heart. As such, rather than being strengthened by hatred towards him, the opponent’s parameters and skills are weakened somewhat in proportion to the depth of hatred, so long as they have any doubt in their heart.


Memory Correction: A++


People are creatures that forget things by nature, but an Avenger never forgets. As a superhuman existence whose character and memory are eternally unchanging, Hajun is unable to forget anything he has ever experienced and anything he has learned about or been told. This does not prevent his recollection of things to be skewed by his own mind, however.


Self-Replenishment (Mana): A


One’s magical energy will continue to surge until their revenge is completed. As Hajun is part of the collective unconsciousness’ doubt made manifest, he is both a monstrous creature by nature that is somewhat self-sufficient in mana and an embodiment of the mind’s doubts. Thus, it would not be inappropriate to call him human doubts taking their revenge upon human nature itself, rendering his revenge ongoing until the human species is snuffed out. Additionally, due to Hajun being a creature formed from thoughts, he can greatly boost his reserves by converting mental energies drained from humans into Mana.


Personal Skills:


Divinity: C-


Represents one’s Divine Spirit aptitude. Originally a mighty Deva who held domain over death and impermanence, his state as an Avenger instead greatly emphasizes his later-attributed demonic traits. Thus, his normally sky-high Divinity has decreased appropriately. If summoned as a Rider or Archer, he would more closely resemble his Deva self and have an appropriately higher Divinity skill.


Human Observation: A+++


The ability to understand and observe humans. At this level, it is not as much mere skill at observation and more the ability to glean absolute facts about a person Hajun has taken an interest in by simply looking at them. Having wormed his way into people’s minds since time immemorial, Hajun is able to rattle or mentally wear down anyone who does not possess an absolute belief in themselves, to the point where a battle may be won without either side ever having come to blows by breaking the target’s morale through piercing words.


Innocent Monster: A


An attribute possessed by Servants whose existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations and gossips they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter, without concern for the actual person's will or appearance. While he was originally a noble if misguided creature, Hajun has had an untold amount of depictions as a vile demon, a negative embodiment of Death, and has even been called the very personification of the forces of the universe that stand against human Enlightenment. Thus, he is unable to take his more traditionally tempting forms, always appearing as a menacing-looking young man that seems visibly wrong to the trained eye. This demonizing skill is also the source of his Noble Phantasms.


Incorporeality: A+


A Servant that exists only partially in this world even when brought into it. Hajun, a product of mankind’s subconscious thoughts, is almost as difficult to destroy as those very same thoughts, and so any attack not possessing a holy attribute has its damage cut down by 85% when used against Hajun. In addition to this, he is impossible to detect in Spirit Form and cannot be harmed in that state, and so long as he has not been struck with a holy form of attack, he can freely dissipate into an unharmable mist while still remaining materialized.

Wordly

Lokāyata:

A++


A passive ability that emanates from Hajun for as long as he takes physical form. His personal philosophy that being in the physical universe is superior to trying to transcend it manifests as a sphere of influence around him that denies “otherworldly” phenomenon. Within a 100 meter radius of Hajun, Foreigners suffer a heavy reduction of all parameters, reaching Enlightenment or any equivalent such as Moksha becomes impossible, and Reality Marbles cannot be deployed, and those already in effect suffer a considerable decrease in effectiveness and stability. Phantasmal Beasts and other creatures that would reside in the Inside of the World in the modern day are also heavily penalized in his presence.


Noble Phantasms:

The Path of Purity is Far From You

煩惱魔, 蘊魔, 死魔, 他化自在天魔: B++

Anti-Mind
Range: Indefinite
Max Targets: 4


The demonization of Hajun made manifest. In several schools of Buddhist thought, the four doubts that prevent the mind from achieving Enlightenment, the Four Maras, are interpreted to be part of Hajun himself manifesting as demons in the subconscious mind. Of course, Hajun would not willingly subject himself to a demonic form, being a vain creature, but he gains this Noble Phantasm by reputation alone.


When activated, Hajun sends forth a piece of himself as a ghostly skull that plunges into the target’s chest without a physical impact. So long as the person is not someone of absolutely unshakeable sense of self down to the subconscious level, there is no way to resist the initiation of this Noble Phantasm. From then on, the target’s mind will effectively be infected with a mental “Cancer” that will feed off of their mental faculties to become more and more intense.


The different Maras are:

Maras

The Aggregates

Skhandamāra

The clinging to reality, whether it be forms, perceptions or mental states. A target infected with Skhandamāra will begin to doubt their sense of self, obsessing over whether anything they feel is real or not, desperate for a grounding in reality even as the Cancer in their mind continues to take ever more of their sense of realness away from them. If the target cannot fight this sensation, they will eventually become a shaky wreck who believes everything is a meaningless illusion even as they cling to anything even resembling “meaning” with the same ghastly intensity as a severely deprived drug addict.

Destructive Emotions

Kleśamāra

The clinging to habits, addiction to the physical self and patterns of negative emotions. Anyone infected with this Cancer Mara will grow addicted to even the most harmless thing, such as washing their hands, listening to music, or a daily ritual in their life, while pre-existing bad habits such as smoking, drinking or an emotional dependence on someone else will grow utterly uncontrollable. An average smoker will start going through 5 or 6 packs a day, people who enjoy a glass of wine in the evening will tear through bottles of it even as symptoms of alcohol poisoning begin to manifest themselves, and so forth. The Mara will, in addition to draining their mental faculties as any other Mara would, convert the user’s mental energy into the physical energy necessary to pursue these vices even further until they completely shut down.

The Lord of Death

Mṛtyumāra

The fear of death, impermanence and change. Anyone targeted with this Mara will grow ludicrously thanatophobic, becoming terrified of dying from as little as a scratch. They will needlessly and excessively ponder on their own impermanence, and obsess over making a change in the world, negative or positive, to be remembered. They might go on a rampage and slaughter the innocent simply for the vain hope that they will have made a change and be remembered for it.

Child of God

Devaputramāra

The craving for pleasure, convenience and peace. Those infected with this Mara will become a pacifist who might not even defend themselves simply because of how much of a bother they would consider it to be. The target develops into a helpless hedonist that will engage in vices, orgies or over-eating to a grostesque degree without ever feeling satisfied, little more than a craving wreck of a human being who cannot function in any capacity that is not convenient to them.

If the Mara is not exorcised through some sort of holy ritual, Noble Phantasm or the like, the symptoms of the Mara they are infected with will eventually grow so strong and their reliance on the slight physical edge the Cancer gives them at the expense of their mental strength that they shut down entirely, becoming an empty husk of nothing but their vice. If this stage is reached, the target will be drained dead by the Mara, discarded, and the Mara will return to Hajun, who will be empowered by the mental energies drained from the target. Should the Mara be cleansed, however, it will some time for it to reform, depending on how much energy it had already drained from the target.

It Is Witnessed That You Have No Prosperity

貪, 贪爱, 不歡喜: A

Anti-Unit
Range: Indefinite
Max Targets: 3


Another demonization of Hajun, which claims that after he was rejected from the Buddha’s presence by the Earth itself, which the enlightened one called to his defence, he sent his three daughters to tempt the enlightened one instead, who at that point was beyond temptation and rejected them. In reality, these ‘daughters’ are simply another part of Hajun as a manifestation of human doubt, but become one of his Noble Phantasms nonetheless.


When Hajun activates this Noble Phantasm, he designates a target for it, who will then have one of Hajun’s daughters take a human form and introduce themselves into the target’s life.


The target’s memories will automatically be rewritten to include Hajun’s Daugther in them. Whether it be as a lover, a friend, an old crush, a coworker, or in the case of case of other Servants, they might take the form of people they knew in life. In the latter case, they will also receive a small amount of the power the person they’re impersonating so as to better keep up appearances. So long as this Daughter of Hajun’s remains inconspicuous, there is no way to detect them without an ability to pierce lies like Discernment of the Poor. The Daughter will then, through the use of subtle influence, begin to bring that person towards deeper and deeper vice and sin, whether through using the fabricated trust their target has in them to push them into making poor decisions, sow distrust towards the target’s true allies, and pushing them away from their allies and friends.


Each time they attempt such a thing with the target in earshot or sight, the target will subconsciously make an incredibly hard MGI and Willpower check to try and counteract the charm laid upon them. If successful in breaking the spell, the Daughter will be banished back to Hajun and the target will become aware of the deception, though they will not be able to know who deceived them without deducing it themselves. If unsuccessful in resisting however, the Daughter will drain a subtle amount of the target’s mana and a much larger amount of their mental energy, making them easier to further influence and more dependent on the person the Daughter is disguised as.


Once their target has been drained enough and become completely dependent on Hajun’s Daughter, the Daughter will either keep them in this state perpetually or use all the power they have gathered to kill the target in their moment of ultimate weakness, whatever suits Hajun or his Master best.


Each Daughter has a different Modus Operandi and will act out Hajun’s will in somewhat different ways, with Hajun knowing from his Human Observation which one will do the job best against the target of the Noble Phantasm:

Daughters of Hajun

First Poison

Raga/貪

The personification of lust, attachment and sensuality, Raga will primarily attempt to win over her targets with seduction and/or pretending to be in an extremely close friendship with the target. As she gains more and more trust with the target, they will begin to abandon their friends and allies in search of deeper pleasures, goaded on by Raga to pursue their passions, new ones introduced to them by Raga or old ones reignited by her, whether it be battle, gambling, drugs, sex or even something innocuous like prolonged introspection or serving their lord faithfully.

Second Poison

Taṇhā/贪爱

The personification of craving, desire and wishing, Taṇhā will attempt to make the target develop an ever-greater yearning for their goals, whether it be the glory of combat, their wish for the Holy Grail, or whatever else they might desire. As their craving for this goal grows, they will become more and more reliant on Taṇhā to lead them to it, believing that she is their only way to reach it and discarding all thoughts beside it. If the target struggles or face great impassés at trying to achieve their goal, they will believe Taṇhā is the only one that can provide comfort to their dilemma.

Third Poison

Arati/無可樂

The personification of discontent, languor and dullness, Arati will continuously encourage and glorify her target until they are so full of self-righteous pride and high expectations that they feel like any accomplishment or action of theirs doesn’t live up to their hopes for themselves, causing disappointment and a lack of satisfaction. As this depression grows deeper and deeper, the target will hopelessly rely on Arati’s doting and praise as their sole form of self-appreciation until even the taste of that turns to ash in their mouths.

Lore

Mara, Dairokuten Maou, Papiyas, Hajun is the many-named Demon of Buddhism and at the same time it’s greatest Deva of Heaven, a vain and mighty god who was Siddhartha Gautama’s greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Originally a God of Death and impermanence, he came to Siddhartha’s side during his final meditation and began trying to tempt him away from his miserable path to enlightenment by offering all the pleasures of the world and infinite glory out of concern for Siddhartha’s well-being, but was rebuked when the Earth itself rose at the Buddha’s humble request and threw him far, far away. While often portrayed as evil-intended in his approach of the Buddha, he originally came to genuinely try to persuade the man he saw to be suffering the most away from the path that brought said suffering upon him, as no-one including the Buddha himself knew what lay ahead for those who achieved Enlightenment upon death. As the Buddha was vindicated beyond death by achieving a higher state of being, Hajun was demonized for obstructing the way to the truth and reduced from the noble, if mis-intended, Deva of the highest Heaven that he was to a shadow of subconscious thought said to plague all those who pursue the path to Enlightenment.


Summoned as an Avenger, he embodies all those demonizing stories, a cruel trickster who preys on and plays with the human mind for sustenance and entertainment, formed from the collective subconscious’ need for a scapegoat for their doubtful and negative thoughts.

Personality

Hajun was originally a noble creature and thinker who didn’t believe in Enlightenment through the principles of asceticism, moderation and release from the perceived as well as the physical self. He delighted in the physical world as the highest Deva, who had reached such a position through virtuous actions in a previous life, and came to Siddhartha Gautama in his self-depriving, suicidal meditation towards Enlightenment to honestly and genuinely debate the sage on the virtues of the physical world compared to those of an unknown, undiscovered higher existence that was not even thought to exist before then.


This Hajun, embodying all the evils of the subconscious mind, remembers little of his life in this light of a tragically mistaken but ultimately good-hearted Deva, and behaves quite differently from that Hajun. Extremely charismatic, ill-intended and deceitful, he is the very definition of a Faustian demon, trying to lure all those that speak to him into sin, depravity and self-destruction. Though he may temporarily refrain from tormenting those he finds particularly interesting, he will eventually not be able to help himself and feel the want to see them broken by their own actions, deceived by his will. Those with pre-existing traumas that have overcome them are particularly interesting to him and he will be besides himself in joy if he can pry those mental wounds back open and see their fragile mental health collapse into a broken wreck of a human being, only to discard them and move on. Even a Master unfortunate enough to summon him would not be safe from this, though he will go about it in a much subtler way as to not arouse suspicion from them.


If this Hajun has a wish, it would be to remove Nirvana from existence so that all humans will be stuck in the physical reality, forever able to be influenced and broken by him. However, another part of him would find it just as amusing to force the Buddha to look on from his higher realm as Hajun continues to torment mankind until they die out.

Relationships

Buddha:
“Hah, I still can’t believe that something actually came out of that miserable effort of yours. Well, enjoy the show, why don’t you? I can’t reach you from here anyway.”


Artoria Pendragon:
“What a tragedy you have suffered, o Mighty King. Give me a call if you wish to undo it, why don’t you?”


Abigail Williams, Katsushika Hokusai:
“You put nothing on the line for an infinite reward, how utterly tasteless and shameless. And yet you know nothing of joy or fun, having given it up so young. Care for me to show you all that you missed, Mademoiselle?”


Mashu Kyrielight:
“You wish to see the outside world? Oh, do I have things to show you, dear girl…”


Jeanne d’Arc (Alter):
“You claim to have reached the depths of depravity in hatred for your previous self? You’ve done quite nothing of the sort yet. Allow me to offer you a hand in that, Mademoiselle?”


Ereshkigal:
You’ll find the underworld quite preferable to the world of humans once I show you what’s behind all that glamour, Darling. Just watch, the show is about to begin…”

Author’s notes

Rather than a traditional monster or a human who has been twisted into a monster by the legends surrounding him, I decided to make a monster formed from the superstition of the human mind. An originally anti-villanous personage, Hajun, or Mara or whatever you prefer, was depicted more and more as a demon and a monster as time went on, and this sheet I felt was an appropriate result of that; A truly man-made monster from the unconscious’ vindicative attitude over the fact that there really was such a thing as Enlightenment, that Hajun’s concern for the Buddha was tragically unfounded.

[Shiki-pon]

Source

Class: Alter Ego
Other Classes: Caster
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Place of Origin: Japan

Parameters:
STR: E
END: E
AGI: E
MGI: B+
LCK: A
NP: B

Height: 144 cm
Weight: 37 kg
Likes: Luxury, monsters, scary stories
Dislikes: Onmyouji, eviction, sceptics
Talent: Cataloguing monsters, revelry
Natural Enemy: Minamoto no Raikou, Abe no Seimei
Attribute: Man
Traits: Demonic, Male
Armament: Various
Catalyst: A picture book from the Edo period

Skills

Class Skills

Independent Action - Rank B: A Class Skill ordinarily belonging to the Archer class. It is the ability to act independently, and as such bestows partial freedom from a Servant’s normal dependance on a Master. Independent Action allows one to act in the absence of a Master, as well as granting more autonomy due to not being restricted by a Master’s Magical Energy. Depending on the rank of Independent Action, it is possible for a Servant to sustain materialization even if their Master has died or their contract is severed. Naturally, such a Servant is also harder for a Master to control, making Command Spells the only real way to force them to follow orders.
At rank B, the Servant is capable of surviving for two days without an active contract. Naturally, this time period will be significantly shortened should the user fight or use Noble Phantasms. Alter Ego, owing to the status of the entity he is tied to as a supreme commander, has been granted a suitably high rank in Independent Action.

Territory Creation - Rank EX: A Class Skill ordinarily belonging to the Caster class. It grants the ability to create a special territory, usually in the shape of a Bounded Field, the type and efficiency of which is determined by the Skill’s rank. Usually, the created terrain is some manner of ‘Workshop’, allowing the user to more efficiently control and collect the surrounding mana of the area.
For Alter Ego, this Skill could more correctly be defined as Territory Stealing. Instead of allowing him to create a territory of his own, he is instead granted the benefits of other Bounded Fields once he enters them. As long as he remains inside, he is treated as the master of the Bounded Field, and is afforded the benefits this status carries. However, as this ability is based on the ability to be treated as ‘the master of a house’, this Skill has no effect on Reality Marbles.

Personal Skills

Gathering of One Hundred Supernatural Tales - Rank A+: A Skill bearing a similarity to the Innocent Monster Skill, in that it can alter things by way of rumor and gossip. The Skill is based on a popular parlour game of the Edo period, wherein guests would take turns telling each other frightening tales, extinguishing one of a hundred candles once they finished. Few dared finish the game by telling the final story and putting out the hundredth candle for fear of invoking the spirits their tales had summoned. Nevertheless, the game spread from the aristocracy to the working classes, and many avid players toured the country in searching for rumors and news that could one day form new tales.
As a collector of such tales, Alter Ego’s existence has been conflated with one who knew a hundred kinds of monster, the yokai Nurarihyon, whose existence Alter Ego was one of the first to document. In addition to this, he is capable of spreading rumors of yokai at an accelerated rate, especially through usage of the parlor game.

Espionage - Rank B: A Skill not for the purpose of concealing oneself, but for the purpose of concealing one’s hostility. As such, it is possible to make others perceive the user as something without the status of an enemy. Espionage is especially useful for the purposes of infiltration and gathering information.
As long as Alter Ego does not take offensive actions, it is almost impossible to discern hostile intent from him. Further, as long as he is inside a household, the denizens treat him as the owner and master of the household. Alter Ego mostly utilizes this Skill for the purpose of providing his Gathering of One Hundred Supernatural Tales with a venue.

Shapeshift - Rank EX: A Skill referring to both changing one’s appearance as well as borrowing the shape of another. Shapeshifting is an ability tied to many supernatural creatures, such as vampires, demons and yokai. As the Skill’s rank increases, the variety of shapes, size and power the user can access is increased.
Alter Ego is capable of freely assuming the form any yokai whose tale he has collected. Thus it is entirely possible for him to change his size almost freely and to transform even into inanimate objects. Thanks to Alter Ego’s ability to foster tales of brand-new yokai, his shapeshifting ability’s potential is theoretically without limit.

Charisma - Rank C: The ability to lead, born as a composite of natural talent for leadership as well as one’s personal charm. In group battles, it carries the effect of increasing the abilities of allied forces.
Having received a measure of the yokai Nurarihyon’s power and authority, Alter Ego has the ability to command all yokai, and to charm the inhabitants of houses he visits.

Noble Phantasm(s)

Pandemonium Night Parade

Hyakki Yakou

Image Source
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: C~A+
Range: 1~50
Max Targets: 500

A Noble Phantasm born from the mixing of Alter Ego’s legend with that of Nurarihyon. Fittingly for a collector of frightening stories and tales of monsters, the legendary Night Parade of a Hundred Demons could be considered their culmination. The procession is composed of a hundred different kinds of yokai, said to march down the streets of Japan on certain nights. Hyakki Yakou functions as a kind of ‘invitation’ sent to the spirits of yokai. As Alter Ego, through the power of Nurarihyon, possesses the status of ‘Supreme Commander of All Monsters’, all who receive such an invitation will answer. Alter Ego will then lead them on a raucous parade through the night, creating a night of true pandemonium. As most yokai are dangerous or outright hostile to humans, any foolish enough to go outside or peek out of their windows will be killed by the monsters or spirited away.
Hyakki Yakou is only usable during the night. Once activated, it summons a horde of yokai. The monsters gather behind Alter Ego, who will lead them on a parade through the vicinity. Rather than an attack, it is closer to a stampede or festival in nature, with music accompanying the dancing demons on their march. However, due to the gathered monsters’ natures, their kind of celebration is dangerous to even witness for one not of their number. The parade will continue until sunrise or until the summoned yokai have been banished.
The kinds of yokai summoned by Hyakki Yakou are determined by Alter Ego’s own collection of their tales. Without preparation, the parade summoned is composed of demons that are on average hardly a match for a Servant, but their vast numbers coupled with their various supernatural abilities can present a threat. However, among their number hide more famous entities, famous monsters thought too dangerous to confront. In addition to its normal functionality, Alter Ego can prepare special invitations to certain individual yokai, allowing creatures that approach the level of a Heroic Spirit to be brought into the parade.
It would of course be impolite to keep sending invitations to the same individuals every night, so Alter Ego can only call upon any individual yokai worthy of a personal name once, bound as he is by the laws of good manners.

As in folklore, the yokai that form the parade possess a weakness to Onmyodo and Buddhist prayers. The threat posed by Hyakki Yakou will rapidly lessen when faced with an enemy well versed in such arts.

Lore

“Long ago, there lived a child of the Sano family by the name of Toyofusa. He was the son of high-ranking servants of the Tokugawa shogunate, and his days were filled with idle play and learning. Though he received teaching in painting and poetry as a noble, it was his task to take up the role his parents held in court.
The young Toyofusa was content with his life, until one fateful night. It was a hot summer night, and Toyofusa awoke to the sound of a festival passing by his house. He was not aware that it was a day of celebration, and rushed to the door, anxious to see what was going on outside. Before he could open the door, Toyofusa’s mother stopped him, pulling him to his parents’ bedroom, where both had been sitting in prayer.
Though Toyofusa was never told what was going on that night, the lanterns glowing through the door, coupled with music and the sound of laughter stayed in his memory.

Once he came of age, Toyofusa served the shogunate as loyally as his parents had, but he no longer felt content with the idea of living a life if service. The image of the mysterious parade passing by his home burned brightly in his memory.
In time, Toyofusa retired from his work, finding a sense of purpose in teaching others to paint. Now associating with people from all walks of life, Toyofusa heard of a fell legend. A parade of a hundred kinds of demon, who walked the streets on certain nights of the year. Those who glimpsed the procession were never seen again. This, Toyofusa knew, was what he had witnessed in his childhood.
Rather than finding dread in this discovery, Toyofusa felt exhilarated.

Taking up a pen-name for himself, Toriyama Sekien, Toyofusa began to sketch demons. Demons of all kinds, with variety beyond imagining. Though his time was consumed by his teaching and his newfound life’s work, he decided to publish his works on a whim.
Emulating the popular style of catalogue literature that had taken Japan, Toyofusa published a picture book, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Surprisingly, the people felt as enamored with the yokai as he did, and Toyofusa’s work came to be mass-produced and spread across the country.
Feeling a sense of fulfilment at last with this development, Toyofusa continued his work, publishing three sequels to his book while constantly sketching out new monsters.

The years went by, and Toyofusa, having grown old, still worked at his paintings, til one autumn. Despite his advanced age, Toyofusa was filled with joy. He still lived in the house of his parents, though now the house was filled with servants of his own.
Toyofusa had studied the calendars and rumors carefully, noting the times when rumors of mysterious noises in the night were at their height. Tonight was to be such a night. He ordered his servants to leave for the night, and waited.
And in the twilight hour, when it is not quite day, and not quite night, the walls between worlds grew thin. As he had determined, Oomagatoki, the hour of meeting evil spirits, was at hand.

As the darkness of night fell, Toyofusa waited behind his door.
To his delight, he began to hear the sounds of a festival. Dark laughter carried through the night, accompanied by the beating of drums and the whistle of flutes. Still waiting, Toyofusa witnessed the dance of lantern lights in the street, coming towards his home. Once the lights reached his house, they suddenly stopped. The music played on, until there was a gentle rapping on Toyofusa’s door, followed by an expectant silence.
Smiling, the old man rose and opened his door.

Sano Toyofusa was never seen again, his servants finding his house empty the next day.

So they say.

With this tale told, wet your fingers and pinch out the fire of the first candle...”

Alter Ego’s true identity is Sano Toyofusa, better known as Toriyama Sekien, the Yokai Chronicler. Due to his works serving as a catalogue of different kinds of yokai, his existence as an Alter Ego has been connected to the Hyakki Yakou, and in particular the yokai that serves as the monster parade’s leader, Nurarihyon.

Personality

Sekien is a jovial old man, usually seen with a smile on his face. He gives the air of an Edo period gentleman, always polite and proper in manner and action. Sekien has an energy to him that is not commonly found in those of his age, as he has manifested in the aspect of a yokai. And not just any yokai, but the supreme commander of them all.
‘I did always think I resembled Nurarihyon. At least in appearance.’ He chuckles.

Though his connection to the legend of the Hyakki Yakou has not influenced his outlook by any great degree, he has acquired a great taste for luxury. With the powers he holds as a Servant, Sekien is likely to tour the place where he is summoned to, liberally visiting red light districts, luxury hotels and fine restaurants. Slipping in unnoticed, he freely helps himself to what he wants, as though he were the master of such establishments. As he is Nurarihyon in all but name, the owners believe him to be the rightful master, and treat him as such. Only once Sekien grows bored and leaves do the people think to wonder who the strangely polite old man was.

Sekien is a yokai-freak through and through, and is all but dancing with joy due to his particular manifestation as a Servant. The wildly varying appearances of yokai, the goofy parts of their legends and most importantly, the fright he can invoke by relating their stories. These are all things that Sekien loves dearly.
As such, he is delighted that he has been blessed with the ability to gather others to tell tales, just as was in style during his lifetime. Sekien is wont to commandeer a luxurious dwelling for his use, and pass out invitations to join him in telling nightly stories of the supernatural. Thanks to his charisma as well as the outlandish lure of the offer, few refuse.
For the purpose of a Holy Grail War, he can steer the stories into ever more frightful directions, in essence creating new legends of yokai. Though he is only capable of taking their forms as a an Alter Ego, or summoning them with his Noble Phantasm, as a Caster he might be able to manifest the newly-created yokai of the hundreth tale.
Naturally, he will relentlessly catalogue tales that catch his interest, creating a new, posthumous body of works.

Despite his status as a Servant, Sekien does not truly care about his Master one way or the other. His Master is an accessory to him, and is important in the sense that they enable Sekien’s continued existence. Still, the old man holds no real ill will towards his Master either, except in the case that the Master should try to exert overt control over him.
Should his Master be willing, Sekien is bound to let them accompany him in his leisures. In an ideal situation, Sekien’s Master would be just as yokai-obsessed as he is. In such a case, the two would forge a strong bond, and likely revel in the joy they find in their obsession.

Sekien approaches a Holy Grail War at a leisurely pace. He prioritizes his own fun, spending his time enjoying luxury and enjoying his parlour games during the night. In this regard, he is a good-for-nothing old man when it comes to being a Servant.
However, Sekien’s myriad abilities afford him a vast amount of potential when it comes to fighting. There are times and occasions when he might grow serious, though these occasions are rare.
As for his Noble Phantasm, Sekien likes the thought of using it, though he does not enjoy the idea of begging his Master to provide sufficient Magical Energy. As such, he mostly waits for auspicious nights and opportunities, only then manifesting the parade of demons. Sekien does not really wish to harm anyone, merely to have what amounts to a night on the town with one’s friends. The fact that those who face the yokai he leads have grisly ends is a thing he regards as merely an unfortunate coincidence on the victim’s part, carrying no guilt over such an occurrence.

Relationships

Tamamo-no-Mae: ‘Ah, the most famous of all fox spirits. Lady Tamamo, I am honoured to meet you.’
As she is one of the most famous of all yokai, Sekien is delighted to meet her.

Osakabehime: ‘I recall you from my collection. I am worried, though. You should spend some time outside as well, my lady. … What do you mean ‘you won’t join my night parade’? But it’s the place where every yokai wants to be!’
Though Sekien is partly responsible with connecting her to the Osaka castle, he is frustrated by her shut-in nature.

Ibaraki-douji: ‘Oh my. Those hands… You must be Ibaraki-douji, the famed subordinate of Shuten-douji. Could I perchance bother you to give an account of yourself?’
Though not recorded in Sekien’s works, the tale of Ibaraki-douji (along with that of Shuten-douji) is one of his favorites.

Shuten-douji: ‘You appear a little different from how I envisioned you, my lady. Not that I’m complaining. Would you like to join me on a night on the town, so I can depict you more accurately in the future?’
A shock, given how much she differs from Sekien’s imagination.

Otakemaru: ‘Hm, I have heard tales of you, though it seems your legend has faded. Even my pages do not record your majesty. As an apology, I’ll begin painting at once! Stand still, please.’
A regretful tale, being a mighty Oni whose legend had faded from popular folklore by Sekien’s time.

Minamoto no Raikou: ‘What is this shivering I feel? It is as though excitement and dread war within me! Is this the Mystery Slayer of Heian? But what is this enchanting presence, then?’
A figure to be avoided, Sekien is still drawn to her due to her nature as a yokai.

Abe no Seimei: ‘I feel the spirit of Nurarihyon speaking through me… “So, you are another who would command the yokai. Shall we do battle for their leadership?” No, the one speaking was not I. Please don’t smite me, I’m just a humble chronicler.’
The Nurarihyon in Sekien wishes to battle with another who can control yokai, though Sekien himself wants no part in it.

Asterios: ‘What is this. A yokai from beyond Japan’s borders? Or are you perhaps an ushi-oni that wandered off and got lost?’
A curious existence, being a monstrous creature. Sekien’s interest is immediate, if unwanted.

Medusa: ‘Another one? I may need to expand my search for tales if the lands to the West prove to have more monsters…’
Another curiosity, though more human in appearance.

Ozymandias:‘Hmmm… Truly an aura befitting a king. But if I may ask, do you truly possess a menagerie of monstrous beasts? Would you mind allowing this humble servant to have a look?’
Though he is mistaken, Sekien regards Ozymandias as a superior collector.

Saint Martha: ‘The beast that walks alongside you… Though it hails from the West, it is as outlandish in appearance as many of my land’s yokai. A Tarasque, you say?’
Though lacking much in the way of interest towards Martha herself, Tarasque is a strange enough beast to pique Sekien’s curiosity.

Creator Notes

By way of explanation, the Lore section is told in the traditional way of telling one of the Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, the storytelling game his first skill is based on. Or at least the closest version I could find. It isn’t all that scary, but it is the first tale of a hundred after all. I'm not really liking the formatting I chose though, so I might switch it to align to the left instead of the center.

I may have changed my mind a few times while making the sheet, so there might be some inconsistencies within.

[King of Padoru]

Oh boy, I was looking forwards to see Sekien here, although I always thought he'd be something like NRVNQSR but with yokais

[Kabalisto Koga]

if i see the fellow competitor i think really hardly About zhat i participate here ….hmmh...

[NMR-3]

Source

Class: Alter-Ego
Other Classes: Avenger
True Name: Jacques de Molay=Baphomet
Nicknames: Last Grandmaster of the Knights Templar, Dusk of the Templars
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Place of Origin: France/Crusader States

Parameters
STR: B
END: C
AGI: B
MGI: A+
LCK: E
NP: A

Likes: the true faith, the grace of God
Dislikes: Heretics, Demons, his current body
Talent: Economics
Natural Enemy: Philip IV "the Fair" of France
Attribute: Heaven/Sky
Traits: Servant, Human, Divine, Demon
Armament: sword (ceremonial)
Catalyst: a coin embossed with the seal of the Knights Templar, splattered with blood

Class Skills

Magic Resistance B
The most common Class Skill, which grants protection against magical effects by canceling spells altogether. A result not of the times that de Molay lived in nor an inborn quality of his body, but of the demonic body he now possesses.

Independent Action A
The ability to remain active even when actively rejecting the Magical Energy supply from one's nominal Master, or in their absence. At higher ranks it becomes possible to remain in this world after established contracts have already worn off. A skill that is useful for the Servant, but only troublesome for the Master.

At this rank, de Molay does not require the support of a Master at any time, unless he wishes to make use of his second Noble Phantasm. The first Noble Phantasm is what allows him this ability, as Baphomet is sustained by his popularity in occult traditions and demonology.

Avenger A
The Class Skill of the Avenger class, representing the Servant being one that is a vessel for hatred and grudges. It becomes easier to accumulate hatred and resentment, then to turn those negative emotions into a kind of strength.

de Molay still burns with resentment at the fundamentally unfair treatment the Knights Templar were subject to. The curse he issued in the final moments of his life may have faded, but the wellspring of hatred from which it sprung still runs over.

Personal Skills

Golden Rule A-
The measurement of one's fortune and ability to acquire wealth. As the last Grandmaster of the Knights Templar, de Molay led the wealthiest and most powerful of the Christian military orders. The Knights Templar (of which up to 90% were non-combatants) managed a gigantic economic infrastructure, developed Christian finances, and owned nearly thousand strategic locations throughout Christendom - in short, they were arguably the very first multinational corporation. Furthermore, this skill is bolstered by the popular legend of their "hidden treasure".

However, de Molay personally despises this skill. After all, if the Knights Templar had not gotten so fabulously wealthy, then perhaps that loathsome French king would not have arrested them solely to confiscate their wealth - and the order might still exist.

Demonic Mutation B
A Skill for those heroes and gods who were transformed into Demons. Rather than being literally transformed, de Molay was charged with multiple heresies, including renunciation of the cross, allowing and indulging in unnatural lusts, and most importantly worship of an idol shaped like a human head - that which would eventually become the famous "Baphomet".

Because of these heresies, the Demon which would become Baphomet was born and intricately bound to de Molay. This resulted in the corruption of his Saint Graph to the point where being summoned as an Alter-Ego became possible.

In any case this process granted de Molay an immensely strong body. His high ranks in Strength, Agility, and Mana are the result of this mutation, as is his low rank in Luck. In return, de Molay has gained a crippling weakness to Christian Sacraments and general holy objects; he could not step foot inside a church for fear of spontaneously bursting into flame. He cannot even bear the sight of a cross, meaning the former uniform of the Knights Templar has become excruciating to wear.

As an aside, the reason for the apparent youthfulness of the body is because Baphomet's nature as an androgyne - half man, half woman - is most easily expressed as a youth of who the gender cannot be easily ascertained. de Molay still considers himself male, however.

Soul of a Martyr C
A Skill given to those heroes who were persecuted for their religious beliefs, yet remained steadfast. Offers protection against some mental interference, though the influence of his personal demon can slip through unopposed.

Unfortunately, in the initial interrogations, de Molay was forced into confessing to some of the heresies he was accused of, acquiescing because he was convinced that this would spare other Templars from suffering the same fate as him. This "confession" was then used to nonetheless have 54 other Templars burnt at the stake for heresy. Upon learning of this, de Molay's resolve hardened and from thereon out, he never again recanted his beliefs.

Noble Phantasm(s)

O Unholy Goat, Demon Who Taketh Possession of Me

Baphomet

Type Anti-Unit (Self)
Rank B
Range 1 person

The first Noble Phantasm of de Molay, and the one which allows him to be summoned as an Alter-Ego. It represents the false accusations made against the Templars, the false idol they were said to worship, and the legend said false idol eventually grew into: this formed the basis for the demon Baphomet.

A permanently active Noble Phantasm, Baphomet warps the body of de Molay to be truly demonic in nature, as described by his Demonic Mutation skill. As to his soul - the question is how much of it is actually "his" anymore now that the demon has taken permanent residence in his mind.

The Noble Phantasm also lends de Molay the full mantle of Baphomet. As de Molay hates and denies this mantle, he is denied access to Baphomet's Unit Designation - its demonic powers of Severing and Binding whatever it wishes, without limit and without possible recourse.

Ye Gathered Sinners, The Lord Shall Wreak Vengeance Upon Thee

The Last Templar's Curse

Type Anti-Lineage
Rank C
Range 3 people
Max Targets 13 generations of (indirect) descendants

The second Noble Phantasm of de Molay - and the one that could said to be truly "his", not Baphomet's. In his final moments, de Molay was said to have shouted a curse on the King and Pope who had condemned him to death, consigning them both to death within a year and a day. Not only did it do so, within fourteen years it had also killed all direct descendants of the King and ended a 300-year lineage.

Once grievous, irreparable damage has been directly inflicted upon de Molay, he can activate this Noble Phantasm to immediately burst into the flames that killed him, branding his tormentors with a curse that alters Fate itself so that they will have died within the year and day. This curse will actively eat away at its victims until their life-force has been totally consumed, and then use that life-force to "jump" to the direct descendants of the original victim. Should there be multiple descendants, the curse will attack all of them simultaneously - weakening its influence, and extending the period of time it needs to truly finish someone off.

A Luck stat of B and above or extremely rare Curse resistance is needed to successfully resist the effects of this Noble Phantasm.

Lore #1

In 1291, the Frankish forces that had once established the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the Holy Land were driven back to the island of Cyprus. Included in these forces were the Knights Templar (in full: the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon). This was a military order, though they also managed a large economic network of Christian bankers.

Seven years after this defeat - still largely confined to Cyprus - a new Grandmaster of the Order was elected: Jacques de Molay. His goal was to reform the Order and to drum up support for a new Crusade, intended to win back the lands that had been lost to the Muslims once more. To this end he toured Europe, seeking aid from the kings there.

Ultimately, however, he would run afoul of the French king, Philip IV (also known as the Fair). Philip was deeply in debt to the Knights Templar; seizing an opportunity, he fabricated charges of heresy against the Templars and had them all arrested, tortured, and their assets seized.

Under torture, de Molay initially confessed to the trumped-up charges, which included profane acts and the accusation of worshiping a profane idol named "Baphomet". He later recanted this confession, but nonetheless it was used to execute 54 other Templars. Two years later, de Molay too was burnt at the stake, earning themselves the reputation of true martyrs of Christendom.

It is also said that - in his final moments - de Molay cursed all those who had been conspirators against him and the Order: Philip IV, the pope of the time, and his interrogators. All died within a year and a day. Within fourteen years, all of Philip's direct descendants would all die as well, putting an end to a 300-year lineage of the house of Capet.

Lore #2

The very first mention of "Baphomet" is as the "entity" that the Knights Templar were accused of worshiping. Though initially the concept existed of multiple "Baphomets", the name later took on significant popularity as a demon of some kind through the writings of Elphias Lévi and Aleister Crowley. It is popularly assumed to take the form of an androgyne with the head of a goat, a flaming torch placed between its horns.

This popularity has given birth to a Demon, and given it the name Baphomet; this has allowed it to assume its definite shape, as well as great spiritual power. It is without question equal to the Demon Gods that form components of Goetia.

As the origin of Baphomet is so intrinsically tied to the Templars and more specifically de Molay, the Saint Graph of de Molay has been irrevocably tainted. This is what qualifies him to be summoned as an Alter-Ego; should he be summoned as Avenger instead, the influence of Baphomet would be at the very least less visible.

Personality

de Molay considers himself a pious Christian and a simple brother-soldier of the Knights Templar. At the same time he considers his current form to be like that of the Devil himself. Were it not that suicide is a sin, he would tear his own head off immediately in an attempt to salvage what is left of his immortal soul. After all, imprisonment and dying a martyr is one thing, especially knowing your soul would forever be secure in Heaven, but suffering as living blasphemy time and again is quite another. de Molay also has a particular hatred for faux "holy men"; should he somehow find those who profess to be pious yet still sin, he would kill them then and there, no matter the circumstances.

In general, de Molay is a despondent, broken man. His Order was completely destroyed, the Holy Land is ruled by Muslims and Jews, and Christianity was torn apart; he sees these as the result of his personal failure to start the Crusades anew. His desire is to either find salvation through the application of Sacraments or die trying. He will generally gravitate to those who have a chance of granting him either.

Baphomet's influence on de Molay's personality is extremely subtle. Rather than attempt to seduce him outright and openly, it instead allows de Molay to use its powers should he wish it, confident that the contradictory nature of his existence shall soon tear him apart from the inside and allow him to truly take full possession of de Molay.

Relationships

Jeanne/George
As they too were martyrs for the cause of Christendom, he feels as if they are kin. Far more importantly, he regards them as those who could end to his suffering. As such he will quickly become obsessed with them and keep pleading for them to grant him "salvation", though in the case of Jeanne he might face some competition from Gilles.

Mephistopheles
Though de Molay might feel some sympathy for Mephistopheles for having the title of "devil" forced upon him, he feels only rage and hatred that the other man accepted this title without reservation and prances about with glee.

Godfrey de Bouillon/Richard the Lionheart
He sees them as pious Crusaders blessed by God, the ones who originally took on the task of conquering the Holy Land and succeeding without a doubt. They are worthy of admiration and praise - more so, in any case, than he himself, who could not even get a new Crusade to start.

Creator Notes
Hopefully a (half?-)demon is monstrous enough for this contest. This is a bit of a stretch, but then again my Servants usually are. I'm not fully satisfied with the faceclaim, but I never really am.

I got the commentary that the personality on previous sheets (mostly Avenger El Cid and Foreigner Ada) was too sparse, so I tried focusing on that a lot more this time around. Commentary and criticism is, as always, welcome.

[PlatineDragon]

Caster

Faceclaim

Identity

Class: Caster
Other Classes: Avenger
True Name: Saint Walpurga
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Place of Origin: England~Europe

Parameters

STR: E
END: D
AGI: A
MGI: A+
LCK: C
NP: C

Info

Height: 125 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Likes: Helping others, children,people who remember her true nature
Dislikes: Her own new condition,witchcraft, evil
Talent: Healing others, witchcraft
Attribute: Air
Traits: Divine, magic, female
Armament: A ritualistic dagger,magical arts
Catalyst: A piece of a clothing thatshe once used; a fragment of a bonfire of the celebration of Walpurgis Night

Skills

Class Skills:

Territory Creation: The skill to remove energy from the ley lines and use them to create a territory in which the Servant gains several advantages. The most common advantage is that she is able to extend a special curse over this area, being able to cause a lot of trouble to anyone who enters. She is also able to use her magic to be able to see everything that happens inside this area. Normally, she is able to use it to create a “rut” in order to work, but she is able to, through work and preparation, extend this area to a great territory, which can later serve to fuel the power of her Noble Phantasm.
C+++ Rank

Item Construction: This skill allows a Servant to be able to create magical objects and items, so long as they have the right material and the time to work with. In her case, it allows her to fabricate all kinds of magical objects directly related to the practices of witchcraft, including elixirs and potions, as well as mystical dolls that are an equivalent to the legendary voodoo dolls.
B Rank

Personal Skills:

Innocent Monster: This is the skill born when the nature of a Heroic Spirit changes in factor of the rumors and gossip surrounding their names. This fame, or infame, causes the very Heroic Spirit to change in order to fit in the idea that people have of them. In her specific case, this is the result of mistaken ideas born around the name Walpurgis. Due to this, her very nature was change from a saint who awarded off witchcraft to an actual witch. This changed her in many ways. It changes her appearance, making her look like a hag, the immediate image that most people still have when hearing the word “witch”. It also changes her personality, making her close to the traditional European image of the witch, making her the kind of woman who is manipulative and evil. The most significant trait, however, is the fact that it gives to her the magical abilities of a witch, abilities that she never had in life, that she never wanted to have, and it qualifies her to be summon as a Caster.
A+ Rank

Witchcraft: This skill represents the culmination of a great knowledge of arts that are widely recognized as “witchcraft”, like using mental control and charming effects, and casting curses. Note that this is a combination of both western and eastern factors. At this ranking, she is able to use her magic to be able to create all kinds of effects, and to cast curses that are capable of affecting a whole city or land, as well as materializing attacks that can rival the power of the magic of the Age of Gods. Despite the power of this skill, she holds a strong despise for it, considering a manifestation of the mistaken legends surrounding her name, still, due to the changes in her personality, she does not holds any hesitation in using it, even though it greatly displeases her, as if it was some short of addiction…
EX Rank

Divinity: There was a time after her death when she was worship along with a goddess, and she was a saint in her own life. However, due to her current nature as a witch, this ranking reduced drastically.
E Rank

NP

Walpurgisnatch
The Great Night of Witches


Type: Anti-Celebration
Rank: C ~ A Rank
Range: A small town
Max Targets: 500

This Noble Phantasm is a sublimation of the great celebration that took her name, the Night of the Walpurgis; Walpurgis Night; Walpurgisnatch. A night that was originally believed to be a great congregation of witches, and in which people made big bonfires and prayed for Walpurga’s protection to ward off the witches and all of their spells and curses upon them and the land. Now, a day that is literally a “celebration of witches”, their own version of the traditional Halloween.

This Noble Phantasm is now a culmination of her distorted legends, a conversion of all versions of this day. The gathering of witches it originally was; the fest for protection that the citizens made later on; and the great celebration of the legends of witches that it is until today. All of that is the result of the history of Saint Walpurga.

Upon summoning the True Name of this Noble Phantasm, she is able to create a whole territory around her, filled with bonfires. These flames offer illumination. To the ones near, and they give off a great quantity of heat. As the bonfires burn, ashes and sparks flow out of them, and they start to gather to form humanoid shapes. Soon, these shapes acquire form and substance, and they turn into creatures that resemble witches.

These creatures are her “coven”, and they will see her as their “witch queen” and obey her very command blindly, attacking any creature that is in the interior of the area that her Noble Phantasm covers. Each one of these entities is powerful enough to kill a normal human with no problems, but each one is, individually, too weak to be able to represent a threat to a Servant, unless they are in gigantic numbers.

Normally, this is a Noble Phantasm is in C Rank, but she is able to increase the power of it through the right means. Before she summons this Noble Phantasm, she is able to realize some “rituals” in which she calls for the spirits of great witches to come to her and to join her cover for more power and gain. Upon realizing these rituals, she is able to ensure that, next time she activates this Noble Phantasm, she will summon greatly powerful witches among her regular witches, which are powerful enough to be able to represent an actual threat to some Servants, save the most powerful ones. This can effectively increase the power of her Noble Phantasm to B-Rank or superior.

This is her trump card, and it demands time for the preparation of the celebration. She holds a great disliking towards it, and she will not be happy in using it, and will often take it off on the poor souls that end up as her enemies.

Lore

Walpurga (also having her name spelled as Walburga) was born the daughter of St. Richard, the Pilgrim.

During her life, she governed over two monasteries, the second being one that she inherited from her brother after he died. This way, she was a woman who governed both the monasteries of Heidenhem.

She as canonized as a saint in May 1^st. A date that coincided with a celebration of the pagan people, and which was said to be a date of the spring in which the witches would gather to celebrate. As a result, the day of her fest became a day when people would celebrate and pray to her, so she would protect them from the influences of the witches.

However, we all know how to opinions of people can, overtime, change the way that things are seen by the public.

It happened that, during the celebrations, she was associated with an old pagan goddess, and this started to become a celebration to this goddess and to her as if they were one. This lasted during the times of the middle ages, when people still believed, with all of their strength, in the existence of the magic and of the ones who practiced it.

As time went on, however, these beliefs were drowned by the advent of the scientific reason, and the believes of the people that the Age of Gods never existed, and so, magic was just a folk tale, just like the witches. As a result, the fest that once asked for protection of the saint Walpurga against the witchcraft has become a night of celebration that celebrated the witches themselves. This way, the fest of Saint Walpurga, the Walpurgisnatch, became a celebration of the witches, and this made her name be directly associated to witches and their curses.

Personality

Walpurga has always been a nice soul, and she had always done her best to please others and to live to the expectations that her family has always had of her. It is obvious that she is the kind of woman who likes to be praise and to prove herself to others, letting them know all the talent she has. She is also a generous soul who will help others without asking nothing in return.

Due to the effects of her Innocent Monster skill, even her personality has suffered alterations, fitting into what most people today believe that is a personality fitting a witch. She becomes distant, eccentric, and with a knack for the supernatural. She is also the kind of person, who easily holds grudges on others, she will not hesitate to use her witchcraft to punish them by casting powerful curses, and she acquired a certain manipulative streak to her personality.

She always wanted to prove herself to her family of saint people, and this makes her extremely dissatisfied with her current condition as a witch. She loathes this part of herself, but she also enjoys it, and she loathes herself for enjoying it. She wants to be remember as the saint she became, and not as a witch that people had turned her into by associating her name with a celebration for witches. Her wish to the Holy Grail would be to fix it, to restore her name to the sanctity that she was supposed to have normally, so she can look better for the rest of her family.

Relationships

Abigail Williams
This little girls looks like an individual who has been through a lot. She does not seem like a bad person, but there is something about her that just seems… unsettling

Vlad III & Mephistopheles
She sees some of herself in these two, turned into something they were not supposed to be due to the legends of people. However, she feels more sympathy towards Vlad, who rejects this part of his legend, while Mephistopheles accepts this mantle with some kind of glee. It is something that she just can’t understand.

Any Saint Servants
She feels embarrassed for being in front of them like that, once she too was supposed to be a saint, and instead she walks in this world as a witch. She dreads the idea of meeting with someone of her family…

Author's Note

The inspirational idea for this Heroic Spirit actually came from a thread I was reading in another site, when someone mentioned the very idea of Walpurga as a Servant and with her being dissatisfied with her state thanks to this.
I also took a bit of inspiration from other sheets here in this thread, I hope the ones who see it don't mind me using them as inspiration

[34]

finally got an idea which is not a Berserker version of a dude

incoming Hataraku Saibou crossover