Cursed Crow, CorvusAppearance
Class: Rider
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Gender: Male
Height: 155 cm (length)
Weight: 45 kg
Attribute: Sky
STR: A+
CON: C
AGI: B+
MGI: D
LCK: E
Legend
Rider's true name is Corvus, a bird and constellation of Greek mythology.
In legend, Corvus is a constellation whose origin is associated with the sun god Apollo. There are two core accounts of Corvus as such. The first is one in which Corvus was a pure white crow who informed Apollo of his lover's infidelity, and in a fit of rage was scorched black by the god.
The second is that Corvus was sent to fetch water for Apollo, but while doing so stopped partway to eat figs. Corvus then brought a Hydra back in his talons and lied that the serpent had kept him from the water. Seeing through his lie, Apollo banished Corvus to the sky, and cursed it to forever be thirsty.
For the Greek tradition, though, Corvus originates in the Babylonian star catalogues, in which it is displayed sitting on the tail of a serpent constellation that signifies the underworld god Ningishzida. This serpent was later altered into being a Hydra in the Greek tradition. In this regard, Corvus's origin is based in a symbol of death, and of being a gate to the underworld.
The constellation of Corvus also features in Chinese astronomy. The stars of Corvus are located within the Vermilion Bird of the South, marking the twenty-eighth lunar mansion, Zhěn, which is a chariot and a coffin, further appending that constellation to the notion of death.
Moreover, the Vermilion bird is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, and represents the fire element and the season of summer. This, in turn, is most closely related to the Lí bagua, which carries a meaning of "light-giving". Fire, summer, and light-giving in turn could be seen as aspects of the sun, just as Corvus in Greek mythology is related to the sun god Apollo. Moreover, the Lí bagua, while its animal is a bird, is also related to the Chinese zodiac of the snake, just as the Greek Corvus is a bird whose destiny is tied to a serpent.
A final exhibition can be found in Indian astronomy, in which the Corvus constellation features as the 13th Nakshatra, Hasta, bearing the Rigvedic name of the sun god Savitr. Savitr is a solar deity often conflated with another Indian sun god, Surya. He is the god who maintains cosmic order. He is prayed to convey the departed soul to where the righteous dwell. Savitr bestows immortality on the gods as well as length of life on man. In that regard, Savitr can be considered to possess aspects both as a sun god and an arbiter of.deathorder
In summation, Corvus is a constellation of a bird associated with a serpent and with death in Babylon. In Greek mythology, it bears its own story which is the central point of its legend, but is again associated with a serpent, and gains the attribution of being related to the sun. All of these associations possess their parallels in Chinese astronomy, and the parallels to both death and the sun can be further found in Indian astronomy.
Both in western and eastern antiquity, then, Corvus can be seen as a bird whose fate is tied to a serpent, and whose nature is related to death and the sun. An odd example of such things carrying over across culture spheres.
Character
Corvus is, put simply, kind of a jerk. The aftermath of his punishments at the hands of Apollo have worn away at what smile and optimism he might have once had, and in their place there is little more than a crude ball of snark. His hoarse, gravelly voice, the result of one such punishment, accompanies this rather well, and it wouldn't be difficult to imagine him smoking a cigarette in a noire film, despite being a bird.
With that said, there is at least something below the snark. Corvus is crude, but there is an honesty in that crudeness. Just as he told Apollo of his lover's infidelity despite knowing that it would anger the god, he always aims to speak the truth, regardless of what it will do. He maintains this as telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear.
He loathes the gods with a passion, and Apollo carries a particular thread of hatred in his eyes, to the point where he can often be found just glaring at the sun. Incidentally, this disdain also makes him loathe to utilize his first Noble Phantasm, even before the cost of its use is taken into consideration, so for standard purposes, one might consider said Noble Phantasm to be sealed outside of truly extraordinary circumstances.
Despite being grating to talk to more often than not, getting along with him is a fairly simple task. Don't overreact when he says something harsh, don't praise any gods when he's around, and you're probably good. Anyone able to return banter is also almost certain to do well with him.
He sees himself as a figure who's been around the block, an old wise man who's familiar with the ways of the world despite being unabashedly self-deprecating, and so refers to most around him who he gets along with as "kid", regardless of their actual age. In that sense, if you get into his good graces, he might best be compared to that crotchety but lovable grandparent who says some pretty bad stuff sometimes at family gatherings.
"See, kid, never work for a god. Pricks, the lot of 'em. Trash pay, no employment benefits, it's garbage. Once, my boss made me go get him a cup a' water, yeah? So I go, and I'm a few minutes late, so this shithead goes 'oh, I was a bit thirsty for a few minutes, so I'll make you thirsty foreva'. Woulda said that's a breach a' contract, but then he punted me into the sky, the prick. So yeah, you humans've done a pretty good job with this, uh, 'Age of Man' thing. Some good shit."
Class Skills
Riding: EX
Riding vehicles or Phantasmal Species in the standard sense is impossible. Qualification to the Rider class is the result of being associated with sitting upon thethat he is so commonly related to. In other words, Rider's "riding technique" is gripping serpents in his talons and flying around with them, as he did in the legend of Apollo and Crater. An odd inversion of premise.hydraserpent
Ranked nonstandard not because of riding technique, but because while doing this action, an absurd level of fine control is achieved over the "mount". It can be said that the "mount" and the "rider" are capable of acting as one.
Magic Resistance: B
Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.
As a Phantasmal Species from the Age of Gods, Rider possesses an abnormally high resistance to magecraft by the standards of the class. However, being cursed by Apollo in both aspects of his Greek representation has caused this to fall.
Personal Skills
Curse of the Sun: -
Curses passed to Rider in his legends for angering the sun god Apollo. There are two such curses. The first is that Rider's feathers shall always be black. So long as the curse exists, they will be incapable of changing, and moreover Rider is incapable of putting anything over himself to disguise their color.
The second is the worse of the two, which is a curse of thirst. So long as he exists, Rider is wracked by an unimaginable thirst. His voice is constantly hoarse, and even while he is drinking water, this thirst does not abate. This can be considered a sort of constant mental torture. Due to the presence of this curse, ability to focus, even in combat, drastically falls. It is for the removal of this curse that he has sought the Holy Grail.
At the Boundary (False): D
A Skill for those who walk within the Valley, are as one with Death, and are familiar with its ways. While far from a true embodiment of death, Rider's relation to death in the Babylonian, Chinese, and Indian traditions have resulted in acquisition of something similar.
Some resistance is displayed to instantaneous imposition of death, as well as to external mental interference such as "charm".
Divinity: C+++
Divine Spirit aptitude and a form of anti-purge protection. Rider's base divine spirit aptitude is low, as the core of his legend is the Greek legend in which he is not conflated with the divine, but merely interacts with them; nonetheless, his relations to divinity in other culture spheres have at least allowed this to manifest.
With the true name release of "May Apotheosis Be Reached", the triple modifier activates, placing Rider near the same level of aptitude as a true Divine Spirit.
Natural Monster: A-
A Skill endowed to those who were given birth as a monster rather than to a hero or god that has fallen down to the level of a Magical Beast. One does not often think of crows as beings of particular strength, but Rider is a powerful member of the Phantasmal Species no less. No better is this evidenced than in the account where he grabbed a Hydra, a Monstrous Beast bearing first-class fame and combat might, in his talons and brought it back to Apollo without a shred of difficulty.
While he lacks combat experience, Rider's STR has reached a level that is exemplary compared to the human standard. CON, however, is not raised.
Noble Phantasm
Corvus, MUL.UGA.MUSHEN, Hasta, ZhěnMay Apotheosis Be Reached
Rank: A
Classification: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 0
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
The sublimation of the pan-cultural associations that Rider possesses. By invoking the four names he bears among legends of Greece, India, China, and Babylon, this Noble Phantasm is activated.
Its nature is best compared to the process of Apotheosis, but is distinct in that it is "awakening one's inner divinity" rather than "being endowed with external divinity". Upon activation, the triple modifier upon Rider's Divinity activates, and his nature becomes something analogous to a Divine Spirit Servant.
In this state, Rider is capable of displaying a portion of Authority by drawing on the Vermillion Bird, Apollo, and Savitr. Parameters and combat skill are not directly affected, but large-scale creation and manipulation of fire is possible. Moreover, Rider's body releases intense solar winds which can ravage an area. One might say that, at the time of activation, a miniature sun descends on the Earth. In other words, Rider's own existence becomes analogous to a Noble Phantasm, capable of achieving Anti-Fortress levels of destruction.
The Personal Skill "Curse of the Sun" is not affected, much to Rider's disdain, but it is possible to bestow the same curse upon others while in this state. One could call this the epitomization of Rider's vindictiveness, but as he has experienced those curses firsthand, he's very unlikely to do this even to those he's trying to kill. Well, unless they're related to Apollo.
...however, this transformation is not something which originally belongs to Rider, but which was granted to him through cross-cultural association of that constellation he originates from. As such, activation is limited to the span of three turns, and after this time frame ends, the spiritual core is severely damaged, and all parameters drop to the minimum rank. Death will generally occur at that point, but it could perhaps be delayed for another turn or two by use of a Command Spell. Though, it would take a truly desperate Master to do such a thing, as all they would be doing is sustaining a useless dying Servant for a minute longer.
Due to the cost of this Noble Phantasm and Rider's own disdain for the gods, especially those of the sun, this Noble Phantasm should generally be considered sealed. Only if something were to truly make Rider desperate for power, or if a Command Spell were used, would this ever be invoked.
Ningishzida-HydraDespised Companion, Let Us Rampage
Rank: A+
Classification: Anti-Unit
Range: 1-10
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
In Chinese, Babylonian, and Greek astronomy, Rider is a bird associated with a snake. Namely, with regards to the latter two of those three, he is signified by holding a serpent in his talons. In Babylonian tradition, this serpent is associated with the underworld god Ningishzida, while in Greek tradition, this serpent is a Monstrous Beast known as a hydra. By invoking these two names, it is possible to summon the serpent that is so intertwined with Rider's legend.
The existence in question is a Hydra, but due to association and conflation with Ningishzida, it has acquired a level of mystery that is more comparable to a Divine Beast than a Monstrous Beast. The aspects of Ningishzida areandlifevegetation, so in the case of this being, association with Ningishzida has drastically increased the strength of its two core characteristics, these being itsdeaththe underworldandliferegeneration. In that regard at least, it can be undoubtedly called first-class among hydras.deathpoison
Rider and the hydra are capable of mutual conversation, but their cooperative ability is low. If left unchecked, the hydra will merely rampage about, and may even attack Rider. As such, following summoning, Rider will generally grip the hydra in his talons, and then proceed to fly with the hydra in tow. This is the paradoxical "riding" of Rider in which the mount remains still and the rider does all the work. Rider is, obviously, incapable of combat and evasive maneuvers while carrying the hydra in such a manner, and so this is a tactic better suited for a wide area bombardment rather than in proper one-to-one combat. If one has played the video game "Owlboy", visualizing how this relationship works is rather simple. In combat, Rider is unlikely to call on the hydra unless desperate, as it is a fundamentally untrustworthy ally.
As an aside, while the hydra is summoned, invocation of "May Apotheosis Be Reached" is impossible, due to clash between the concepts of the Sun inherent to said Noble Phantasm, and the association to death present in this one. If summoned in India, where the connection between the two is strengthened under the name Savitr, though, this restriction could potentially be lifted.
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Originally Posted by Spartacus
