Since there's clearly not going to be another Fate/Extra RP anytime soon, I'll finally go ahead and post this Servant.
And yes, I genderbent him, complete with a (semi?) tragic storyline.
Appearance (In place of the giant image in the spoiler):
Mototada appears as a young woman with a slim build, though this is hidden well with her traditional samurai armour, plate and chainmail covering almost all her body atop a white kimono and hakama, just barely exposing the black greaves and sabatons she wears on her feet. She would only leave her face and fingers uncovered, her visible porcelain white skin unmarred by any signs of battle. Contrasting sharply with her pale skin is her long black hair, tied behind her into two short tails by the sides of her head and a single long tail that almost reached her shins.
Parameters:
Strength – B
Endurance – A
Agility – B
Prana – C
Luck – E
Gender - Female
Alignment - Lawful Neutral
Hair Colour - Black
Eye Colour - Blue
Measurements - 79 - 61 - 78 cm
Height - 169 cm
Weight - 61 kg
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance Rank B
Riding Rank C
Personal Skills:
Battle Continuation Rank A
The ability to survive and continue fighting even after sustaining injuries.
At this rank, Saber can continue fighting even on the verge of death, and can only be felled by a blow that leaves no other choice but death. Crippling, or lighter, wounds have little to no effect on Saber’s combat effectiveness, moving such wounded body parts through sheer force of will and effort.
- Saber gains this skill due to the delaying action she successfully fought at Fushimi Castle. Against a force of 40,000 men, her garrison of 2,000 managed to hold out for 11 days. Out of those, the last four of those days she held on with only 200 men; a considerable feat considering Fushimi Castle was actually built as a luxury retirement palace, rather than a proper, defensible Fortress.
Bravery Rank B
The ability to cancel out mental interferences such as pressure, confusion, mesmerisation, etc.
At this rank, Saber is highly resistant to all mental interferences, including distractions, emotions, illusions, pain, etc. When fighting opponents that are more powerful than she is, or has an advantage against her, her STR increases by one level.
- Months before the siege of Fushimi Castle came to reality; Saber was more than willing to volunteer for the job of leading the defence of the Castle, even though everyone knew that such a job would mean certain death. There are even unsubstantiated claims that she even asked her Lord to reduce the size of the garrison at the Castle, believing that they would be better used elsewhere. Her bravery, and loyalty, is unquestionable.
Eye of the Mind (True) Rank B
The ability to execute rapid and precise judgements, commands and actions gained through experience and training.
At this rank, Saber is capable of calmly analysing situations even during a battle. As long as there is at least one percent chance of victory, they will be able to devise a plan using all assets available to exploit that possibility.
- Saber has experienced, and lived through numerous campaigns before literally signing her Death Wish. If her Lord is to be believed in that he fought in a total of 90 battles throughout his life, then Saber has accompanied him through at least 60 of them, if not more. The foresight that she demonstrated through her life, and when she volunteered to command the garrison at Fushimi Castle also powers this skill.
Noble Phantasms:
Sekigahara: Defence of Fushimi Castle
Type: Anti-Army
Max Targets: 999
Max Range: 99
Rank: A
Warriors of Tokugawa Ieyasu!
The enemy is at our very doorstep!
They threaten us, our families and our Lord with Death!
Do they have no Shame?! Do they have no Honour!?!
Such insult cannot go unpunished!
So I ask of you all: What is our answer?!
Upon activation of this Noble Phantasm, the Gates of Fushimi Castle will materialise behind her, and from it will pour out the 2,000 horsemen that she had commanded during the defence. True to history, the Garrison is usually used by Mototada as a delaying action if she is caught in a situation where she deems it necessary to wait for her opponent’s strength to wane (such as if she is caught within a Reality Marble). She can initially materialise her men for 10 minutes, as long as they are not killed.
If they are killed, then they will not revive, but the remaining horsemen will have their materialisation time extended, at a rate of roughly 2 deaths per second. I.e. if 120 of the contingent die, then the remaining 1880 men will stay in the world for an extra one minute. Should all 2,000 be killed before the full duration is complete (i.e. before 26 minutes has passed since the activation of the Noble Phantasm), Mototada gains an extra rank in Strength and Agility for the remainder of the battle.
While normally Saber would need skill in Charisma to keep the morale of these horsemen high, their devotion to their final cause means that this is unnecessary. For just as they were at death, each and every man within the 2,000 was willing to die for the greater good. It is difficult to shake the morale of these troops; and each has the statistics equivalent to that of an overall-ranked E Servant.
This Noble Phantasm represents the unwavering loyalty of the men she commanded on the days leading to her death. It also represents how the delaying action fought by the 2,000 men brought about an even greater victory in the long run. It is also her most recognisable Noble Phantasm due to the Gates of Fushimi Castle appearing.
Bushido: The way of the Warrior
Type: Anti-Unit (Support)
Max Targets: 1
Range: 1
Rank: B
Being affected by avarice for office and rank …
Will not one then begin to value his life?
And how can a man commit acts of martial valour if he values his life?
This Noble Phantasm is a testament to Mototada’s steadfast loyalty to his Master, even as she plunged headlong into the face of death. Should she ever feel that her life was on its last strings, she may activate this Noble Phantasm by drawing her sword, and plunging it into her stomach.
Upon disembowelling herself, she will fall limp for several seconds, before her body will begin to completely regenerate over the course of a few more seconds. Once this is complete, she will then be able to return to the battlefield at full strength, both physically and mentally. It is in effect a reset button for her battle status.
She can use this ability as many times as she wishes; as long as she gets to strike the finishing blow upon herself, and there is sufficient prana reserves to fuel such rapid regenerative efforts.
This re-enacts the ritual suicide Samurai are known to perform should they wish to atone for whatever dishonourable act they may have committed. It is also performed if they were about to be captured by the enemy, to save face and their honour. Torii Mototada’s instance of this ritual is one of the most celebrated in all of Japan.
Backstory:
Torii Mototada was born in 1539 in the town of Okazaki in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan, to Torii Tadayoshi who was a long-time retainer of Matsudaira Hirotada, and later his son, Matsudaira Takechiyo. In later years, Takechiyo will have changed his name to the more well-known Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first Shogun of Japan.
Contrary to how history is recorded, Torii Mototada has been reincarnated in this Holy Grail War as a woman. This is due to the fact that Torii Tadayoshi had no male offspring; Torii Mototada was his first, and only child, Tadayoshi’s wife dying during childbirth. As was becoming more and more predominant in Feudal Japan, women were being relegated to ‘housekeeping’ duty, and males taking a more dominant role in society. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Tadayoshi was a very frugal and principled man, deciding not to take another lover nor adopting another into the clan as his successor. Because of these complications, Tadayoshi decided to raise his daughter as a man suitable to inherit the Torii clan’s leadership.
Masquerading as a boy (age 11), Mototada was sent as a hostage to the rival Imagawa Clan, alongside the then-Takechiyo (age 7). This was essentially a hostage trade, where the heads of two clans would trade their offspring with the other to cement an alliance. Regardless, during this period Mototada was already serving as Takechiyo’s page, the two sharing the same relationship as their fathers did beforehand. This bond of friendship, and loyalty between Master and Vassal would continue for the rest of their lives.
In the year 1556, Takechiyo left the Imagawa clan’s grasp, alongside Mototada. Serving under Takechiyo, Mototada soon became one of his chief generals. Takechiyo would change his name three times from 1556 onwards, eventually settling on the name Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1567. In 1572, Mototada then succeeded as the head of the Torii clan, following the death of her father.
In her personal life, she never did find a suitor, nor did she retire from the battlefield. To her, her entire life was dedicated to serving her Lord, and bringing him victory. To her, helping her Lord and friend triumph amongst all that stood in his way was far better than living a sedentary life away from the battlefield. But perhaps unbeknownst to even her, it is because she shared such a bond with her Lord, that she felt she could not find a suitor. Without realising it in life, the bond between Master and Vassal changed into something a little more, even if it was just one-sided.
To Japan, she was a man, a loyal follower of Tokugawa Ieyasu on his rise to power. She understood that if she were to upset the status quo expected between the two of them, even in private, who knows what may happened to her Lord's claim to the title of Shogun.
However, she realised as well the need for descendants to carry on the Torii name, as well as supporting the Tokugawa clan’s rise to control. As a result, she began adopting boys into the family. The first and eldest, Torii Tadamasa, was adopted at some time before Mototada even became the head of the Clan. This was a source of contention with her father; he wished for the Torii bloodline to stay somewhat pure, otherwise he himself would have adopted rather than raise Mototada as his heir. Regardless, he understood her reasons for this, both as a loyal vassal of the Tokugawa family, as well as a warrior.
This foresight was characteristic of her, and she demonstrated it frequently during her life. It served her well during all the campaigns that she partook in, all alongside her Lord Ieyasu. One of the more notable combat actions she served in was when she led a rearguard group of 2,000 horsemen against a force five times larger, and winning handily. And of course, her foresight was also one of the main reasons why she quite literally volunteered to run to her death, raising her name to Legend.
The year was 1600, and Japan was still in the throes of war; the East versus the West. Tokugawa Ieyasu was now one of Japan’s most powerful Daimyos at the head of what was known as the Eastern Army. And under his care, was a location known as Fushimi Castle.
Ieyasu recognised Fushimi Castle as a very important target for his enemies; it stood close to the eastern capital of Kyoto, while guarding many approaches towards, and past, the city. Visiting the Castle one day, he consulted, and revealed his fears to his lifelong friend. As a loyal vassal, Mototada promised her Lord that she herself will stay at the castle, sacrificing herself in the process. In doing so, Ieyasu can then focus his attention elsewhere so as to bring about an even greater victory that would overshadow the defeat at Fushimi Castle.
Soon after, spies informed Mototada of a force of 40,000 men, loyal to a Western Lord known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, was on its way to crush Fushimi Castle. While Lord Hideyoshi had died two years ago, his followers believed that Ieyasu should not be allowed to gain complete control of Japan. It was August of the year 1600, just after the start of what would be known as the Sekigahara Campaign; one of the last major campaigns before Japan was fully united under the Tokugawa clan.
Torii Mototada’s garrison of 2,000 warriors at Fushimi Castle faced off against the army of 40,000 men, who arrived on the scene on the 27th August, 1600. Even against an army of that size, there was still an opportunity to retreat; to rethink this reckless, and ultimately fatal, show of bravado. However, Mototada refused to back down, and the siege commenced.
It took the invading forces a full week to breach the castle’s outer defences. By the end of that week, only 200 men remained under Mototada’s command, along with Fushimi Castle’s main tower. With the enemy still outside, Mototada ordered her remaining forces to charge out again and again from the tower into the enemy’s grossly large army for another four gruelling days until only 10 men were left.
Finally at this point, Mototada accepted that it was time. As was customary, she committed ritual suicide instead of allowing herself to be taken captive on the 7th September, 1600. Her Lord Ieyasu, was greatly saddened by the news of his lifelong-friend, and vassal’s, death.
The invading army had reportedly lost 3,000 men in the siege of the castle. But more importantly, it had lost 11 days in which it could have spent chasing Ieyasu down. Many believe that Mototada’s selfless sacrifice and defence of Fushimi Castle, is one of the decisive moments that lent victory to Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara, and cementing the unification of Japan.
Though Ieyasu knew of Mototada’s true gender, he chose not to reveal it; rather letting her lifelong masquerade continue even after her death. Well, her real gender was only known to a few people, but he just wanted to make sure. In his opinion, this made sure that Mototada’s sacrifice would not be forgotten due to the fact that she was just a woman. The Edo Period, which continued for two centuries after his rise to power, did see a great reduction in the status of women in feudal Japan, where they were expected to be more quiet, passive, and obedient.
This of course was almost the exact opposite of Mototada’s true nature, and a reason as to why she and he became such lifelong friends. While she treats other people civilly and with due respect, she can be very vocal and unafraid to voice her own opinion on matters. If she believes something to be the right decision she will push for it incessantly. Regardless, she is also fiercely loyal to those she deems worthy of it, and she is more than willing to endanger her life, at least until her Master reaches the Holy Grail.
She is content with how she led her life, and how she died: To her, the ends did justify the means, and she doesn’t really mind the fact that she went down in history as a man.
In hindsight however, she has realised her buried feelings for her Lord, and has concluded, in private, that it was perhaps because of these feelings, that she chose to rush to her death. The burden of being so close to a loved one, yet never being able to bridge that one last step for so many decades, can take it's toll on one's mentality. Perhaps, she admits, her noble sacrifice was instead an act of cowardice in itself, and an inability to maintain the burden of her unspoken love.
Torii Mototada’s death is perhaps one of the most celebrated instances of Seppuku in Japanese history. It represented the extreme loyalty that Samurai were expected to display for their Lord in the face of all hardships.
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Comments? Or is there really nothing else that can be improved with her?
I know everyone's tired of the whole 'Summon Army' idea, but I tried giving her version a little twist. As in life, her main goal in the fight is to exhaust the enemy into submission. Unfortunately this won't do any good vs Herk, but then again what does?