I was thinking to myself "where did all these Magic swords come from?" As well, I have been watching a lot of Man at Arms: Reforged, so I had become quite interested in the blacksmithing process. So I found the legend of this guy. I took parts from both the Völundarkviša and the Žišrekssaga af Bern, so the lore given may be a bit contradictory. I tried.
Also, some of the weapons Wayland forged turned up in this thread before. Because I wanted to keep things consistent, I stole some of the Noble Phantasms (Curtana and Durendal) from the Bird of Hermes. If you don't like that, sorry about that. I'll change them if you want. I made up my own description for Gram though.
I also moved around the lore and personality sections since I kept giving away Caster's name in the other sections. This will probably be a one-time thing.
Caster
The Smith
Class: Caster
- Alternate Classes: Saber
Place of Origin: Scandinavia
Alignment: True Neutral/Neutral Evil (depending on his mood)
Attribute: Earth
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Lore:
Spoiler:Caster is Wayland, also known by the names of Völundr, Velent, and Wiolant. A smith of most outstanding skill, he is famous for both the strange twists and turns his life took and the legendary swords that he forged.
Born as both a prince of the Finns and the Elves, Wayland lived a quiet life with his brothers Egil and Slagfišr, along with three Valkyries whom they had wedded. Wayland loved his wife, Hervör-Alvitr, very much, but after nine years together, the trio of Valkyries departed, with Wayland's brothers following in tow. In his grief, Wayland forged seven hundred copies of his wife's wedding ring, kick-starting his life as a master smith.
Shortly after, Wayland became a servant in the court of the King of Jutland, Nišung. In a contest with a rival blacksmith Amilias, Wayland forged the first of his legendary swords, Mimung. From then on, his favor with Nišung grew until it was suddenly ended when Nišung refused to give Wayland the promisrd reward for the retrieval of his victory talisman. Wayland was banished, but the king, still desiring his skill, ordered him kidnapped and hamstrung. The lame Wayland was then imprisoned on the island of Sęvarstöš.
For years, Wayland laboured under the king before he took his revenge. Wayland killed the king's sons when they came to visit him, fashioning fine tableware and jewelry from their bones, eyes, and teeth. He also seduced and inpregnated the king's daughter when she too visited him in the smithy. Finally, Wayland managed to escape by calling in a favor from his brother Egil, who was visiting the court of Nišung. Fashioning wings from feathers his brother gathered, he was able to escape his prison, and after gloating before Nišung, he flew away, with Egil faking his brother's death in order to not rouse suspicion. He then vanished from history; some said that he returned home, others say that he fled to parts unknown. The only proof of his continued existence was the legendary swords that were born in his forge and passed into the hands into the heroes of legend.
Personality:
Spoiler:Despite his legacy of forging the weapons of many great heroes of legend, Wayland is by no means a hero himself. He can be selfish and petty, prone to disproportionate retribution, and in general is always out for Number One. The many swords he forged were not directly intended to be passed into the hands of heroes; rather, he made them as tests of skill and works of art. However, he will generally appreciate the use of them by a hero of legend and will not take kindly to their abuse at the hands of the ignorant or malevolent.
His wish to the Grail would be either to heal his legs or to receive the designs of every legendary weapon that ever existed, so that he may copy and even improve on them.
Miscellaneous:
Spoiler:Likes: a job well done, taking vengeance where it is due
Dislikes: tyrannical employers
Talents: smithing, especially sword making
Natural Enemy: all of the heroes who wield his swords
Catalyst: any artifact he forged that still survives to the present day (ex: Curtana)
Parameters:
Strength: A
Endurance: D
Agility: D (B when flying)
Magic: A
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: E-A++
Skills
Spoiler:Class Skills:
- Territory Creation B
Creation of a Workshop specialized for blacksmithing is possible. However, the Workshop is somewhat incomplete; while it is functional for making weapons on its own, it's true potential can only be brought out by the activation of Velents žįttr smišs. Despite these limitations and the time period Wayland hails from, he can also make use of tools such as power hammers, CNC plasma cutters and water jets, automated belt grinders, and other modern metalworking tools, adding them to the Workshop to increase his production speed.- Item Construction B+ (Conditionally EX)
Production of devices that carry magic power is possible. As Wayland is a blacksmith, he gains a plus modifier when working with metal. If working inside his Noble Phantasm Velents žįttr smišs, the skill will rise to EX, allowing for the creation of Noble Phantasms. He can also create the requisite materials for any weapon, even if they are impossible to obtain or do not exist in the modern world; so long as he knows what he desires, he can build it.
Personal Skills:
- Master of the Forge EX
A skill reserved for smiths, denoting their talent in the shaping of metal. As the creator of myriad swords of legend, Wayland's Rank in this skill is unquantifiable. His skill as a smith cannot be adequately measured in mortal terms, with no project being impossible for him to complete.- High-Speed Incantation C
The capacity to recite spells at high speeds. Wayland cannot use the traditional form of this skill; in his case, it represents the ability to imbue magical properties into his weapons within very short spans of time.- Instinct D
It is only applicable for the purposes of smithing. When forging swords - even swords of designs he never saw in his lifetime - he will have a "hunch" about the best conditions and methods to build the sword with. However, this instinct is to 100% exact; this skill will not help Wayland appproach a build requiring the precision of Durendal or Gram.- Weak Constitution (Hamstrung)
The hamstring tendons in Wayland's legs have been cut. He cannot walk without specialized leg braces. He is a much more effective fighter when airborne.
Equipment:
- A set of mechanical wings that allows Wayland to fly around.
- Leg braces that allow Wayland to walk
- Mundane weapons that he can forge in his workshop..
Noble Phantasm:
Spoiler:Velents žįttr smišs: Tale of the Legendary Smith (???, E-A+)
While many colorful yarns about the exploits of the Elven prince Wayland survive to this day, his true legacy - and thus his Noble Phantasm - is the products of his blacksmithing. Only deployable within the territory Wayland makes for himself, it sets up within his greater Workshop a forge similar to the finest one Wayland ever worked in during his life. Any work he does within this forge will raise the skill of his Item Construction to EX, allowing the true extent of his smithing skill to shine forth. While on the surface, it merely seems to be a place where Wayland does his work, it is within this environment that he can reproduce the legendary swords that he forged in life. His greatest works are listed below, all of which can be forged within Wayland's workshop and given a second, permanent birth into the world. While he can modify the weapons he makes to give them new attributes, it is generally safer to make them exactly to specification.
- Mimung: Twice Broken, Twice Reforged (Anti-Unit, C-A)
A sword forged by Wayland in preparation for a scheduled duel with the rival smith Amilias. After an episode in which Wayland had to go and find his lost tools, he forged this sword in the span of a week. The resulting sword was so sharp that even when held still, it could split a piece of wood floating down the river in twain. Wayland was dissatisfied with the result, shattered the blade, and within three days forged from the fragments an even sharper blade that could split a piece of wood two feet thick. Still dissatisfied, he went back and in three hours made a blade that could split a block of wood three feet thick with just the slightest touch. The legend is carried within the blade Mimung that Wayland carries with him. If broken, the sword will automatically repair itself, coming out sharper than before after the repairs. The sword can do this twice, and at its second "rebirth", it can cut through any physical defense with minimal effort. If broken a third time, however, Wayland will have to start from the beginning to make a new Mimung.- Caliburn: Golden Sword of the Victorious (Anti-Unit, B, conditionally A)
The sword of selection that became the symbol of King Arthur's right to rule was one of the legendary blades forged by Wayland. As the creator of the sword, he can make modifications to the sword to bypass the requirement of "a proper, perfected king", allowing him to use the sword's full potential. However, use of firepower on the level of Excalibur would cause the sword to break.- Almace: That which cuts a hand's breadth deep (Anti-Unit, C)
The sword that would later be passed to Turpin, Archbishop of Reims. Compared to its sister swords Curtana and Durendal, it does not possess much power or renown. While it can shroud itself with True Ether like Curtana, the shroud can only be maintained for a few seconds and is quite weak. It's redeeming qualities are that it is extremely durable and that it takes very little time to forge; as such, this will probably be the first weapon that Wayland will make for himself in a Grail War.- Curtana: Sword of Justice (Anti-Unit, A)
The sword that would pass through the hands of Sir Tristan of the Round Table, Ogier the Dane, and Henry III of England. It would then be passed down through the British Royal line to the present day, where it serves as the coronation sword of the British Monarch. It houses a concentrated amount of True Ether and can unleash it. When the sword is activated, the True Ether will shroud the blade allowing it to deliver a vicious blow that can kill almost any foe in a single strike. It will deal extra damage against those with Draconic traits.- Durendal: The Peerless Sword (Anti-Unit, A+)
Unlike the other swords that Wayland can summon forth from Velents žįttr smišs, this weapon was not originally crafted by his hands. Rather, it was the result of Wayland's restoration of Durindana, the sword and spear of Hector of Troy. From this blade Wayland also forged the swords Almace and Curtana. It will not lose its sharpness even should its user's Magical Energy be depleted, proving indestructible even when Roland tried to destrroy it. When activated, it gives of a brilliant light the burns away everything it touches. This sword will take the longest for Wayland to make, as he cannot simply repeat the process of forging he performed for all his other swords; rather, he must go back and look upon the notes he took when analyzing Durindana and try to reverse-engineer it from Almace and Curtana.- Gram: Demonic Sword of the Sun (Anti-Fortress, A++)
Wayland's greatest creation, which he was never able to replicate in his life. As such, he will only be able to reproduce it under perfect conditions. He must use exactly the right steel, shape and bevel it perfectly, perform a flawless heat treatment and tempering, and then construct the hilt with the same materials as he did the first time. Only then will he be able to call forth Gram, the sword of Sigmund and Sigurd. The "strongest demonic sword" that rivals the "strongest holy sword", it contains a strong "dragon slayer" property. As Gram was the model for the sword Caliburn and the origin of the sword Balmung, it possesses similar abilities to both, but with far greater durability and power. Within the blade, True Ether from the Age of the Gods is stored, allowing for the use of a single Anti-Fortress attack without depleting the user's Mana supply. From that usage until the blade recharges itself, the user's own magical energy becomes the fuel for the sword.