Monthly Create-A-Servant Contest

[RoydGolden]

Shizuka, really...?

Yup. The aviator glasses fit my image of her character, and I've been wanting to use that FC for a while. Plus Shizuka in fanfics where she's aged up is usually depicted as a similar kind of playful and tricky yet kind-hearted girl as my Hermes (well, with Joseph Joestar as her adopted dad that's hardly a surprise).

[Bird of Hermes]

True Name: Hermes

Me?

[cooldownnow]

Class: Archer
Other Classes: Rider, Ruler
True Name: Arrow-Odd
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Place of Origin: Iceland

Parameters:

STR: C
END: A
AGI: B
MGI: E
LCK: E-/EX
NP: B+-A

Likes: Faxi, Comrades, Fighting, Ogmund
Dislikes: Nothing
Talent: Leading
Natural Enemy: Ogmund
Attribute: Man
Armament: Bow and Arrow, Viking Seaxs

Class Skills:

Spoiler:

Magic Resistance
Rank: 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. Due to Odd’s experience fighting the monsters mage Ogmund this skill’s effectiveness raises greatly when facing magecraft of monstrous origin.

Independent Action
Rank: C
It is possible for a Servant to stay in the world for one day without a Master.

Personal Skills:

Spoiler:

Curse of the Eternal
Rank: EX
The curse of a man who was destined not to die. As long as he stayed away from his horse Faxi Odd would never die. As a result his luck parameter has been raised to the highest possible level in addition to him being immune to critical hits and instant death, however the luck parameter is downgraded to the lowest level when fighting to protect something precious to Odd.

Charisma
Rank: A+
Truly this level of popularity is a curse. No matter how many brothers in arms he loses his charisma will draw more precious friends to him while his Curse will force him to leave them behind.

Golden Rule(Pillage)
Rank: A
A variation of Golden Rule found among the likes of conquerers and vikings alike. This skill sets up a ‘reward system’ within the Grail War and provides wealth to Odd when he defeats an enemy. Due to the limited use compared to the original Golden Rule the rewards for the pillage variant are rather high.

Noble Phantasm(s):

Spoiler:

Gusisnautar
No Gift Equally Fair

Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: A
Range: 1-100(When fired)/Infinity(after being fired)
Max Targets: 1

Three magical arrows given to Arrow-Odd by his father as he was leaving home to make a name for himself in the world. These three arrows were made by dwarfs in the time of antiquity and given mystical powers. When fired the arrows would chase after Odd’s target automatically and then return to the quiver when they were done. Differing from most target seeking weapons the Gusisnautar does not stop after a single hit. Each arrow will tirelessly attack the target not stopping until either they are dead or Odd recalls them to his quiver. Odd’s skill and familiarity with the arrows means he does not even need to fire them from a bow. Instead they hover around him until he mentally directs them at a target.

The accuracy and speed of the arrows depend on the mana cost put into them. At minimal levels they will be at the speed of a regular bullet and not aim at any particular part of the body, when maximum mana cost is used they will be faster than a bullet train and will aim for vital areas like the eyes or heart. If the arrows are destroyed they will be returned to Odd’s quiver after a day for a steep mana cost. If Odd turns them into a Broken Phantasm however they cannot be recovered.

Olvornautar
No Armor So Strong

Type: Barrier
Rank: B+
Range: 0
Max Targets: 1

The magic shirt given to Arrow-Odd by his wife Olvor of Ireland. The daughter of a long line of powerful kings and druids Olvor wove into it all manner of enchantments into it to keep her husband safe. Against any normal weapon Odd would be unstoppable. However the magical protections provided by his wife’s efforts are only the first of the Noble Phantasm’s abilities.

During the deadly confrontation between Arrow-Odd’s crew and the legendary twelve sons of Arngrim the wielder of the cursed blade Tyrfing Angantyr wished to see if his weapon could pierce the legendary shirt. The eternal concept of the unstable force versus the immovable object. However the before the battle could occur Odd’s blood-brother Hjalmar took on Arngrim and the two slew each other, meaning we will never know how well Olvornautar could resist legendary weapons.

As a result Olvornautar is now something that ‘does not defend against magical weapons’. In combat against a supernatural weapon Olvornautar will warp space to make the weapon miss the armor. The higher order the weapon is on the supernatural scale the more likely it is to miss. Weapons crafted by humans but given power through skill or magic, such as Kansho and Bakuya, will miss maybe one out of ten times, however weapons forged by the gods using supernatural means, such as Vasavi Shakti, will miss about half the time. This effect can be counteracted with a luck check by the attacker or through high skill.

Lore:

Spoiler:

The immortal viking Arrow-Odd, the Odd who went to Permia, the Slayer of the Twelve Berserkers, hunter of monsters, the strongest viking of his time. As a teenager Odd received a prophecy from a witch that he would be killed by his favorite horse Faxi at the place he was born, Berurjod. Not being one to want to be killed Odd killed the horse and buried it in a cave before leaving home with his foster brother Asmund to to never return. As he left he met with his birth father, Grim Shaggy-Cheek, who gave him their families most treasured weapon, the Gusisnautar. With these arrows, Odd’s father said, he would be the greatest warrior in the world.

Odd and his foster brother Asmund quickly made a name for themselves when the successfully stole burial gold from Permia, the land of monsters where no viking had ever returned. He became a living legend with a mighty fleet which only grew when he met his future best friend Hjalmar the leader of an even greater fleet than Odd’s and his second of command Thord Prow-Gleam. The two crews became one under the mighty rule of Odd and their names became legend across the town world. Life was good for Odd, until Ireland.

When raiding on the western isles his foster brother was killed. It was not in a great battle, nor did he die saving the lives of his fellow warriors, a simple arrow fired by an assassin killed the youth before it was even known they were under attack. Dead in a single instant. Odd went on a rampage. He tore his way through the country side and swore bloody vengeance on the Irish. This bloody massacre was only stopped by the princess Olvor who promised to make him a magical shirt if he stopped the battle. Odd agreed and left for a year to give her time to make the shirt. When he returned she gave him his greatest defense to match his greatest offense, and she also gave him a proposal.

As a reward for giving him the shirt, much more powerful than he had expected it to be, he would marry her for three years and sire her a child. Her kingdom was in danger after her father passed and she needed a strong heir from a strong father to succeed her should the worst come to pass. Odd agreed and stayed in Ireland as a protector for three years until Olvor’s daughter Ragnhild was born and Odd was tired of being in one place. He went back to the open seas and his renown only grew.

However there was another viking who’s fame rivaled Odd and his crew, Ogmund. Ogmund was a fierce beast more monster then man, and he had a grudge against Odd. Ogmund and his forces attacked Odd and his men when half their ships were away on business and utterly defeated them. Nothing that Odd and his men did could even pierce the skin of their enemies and only Odd, Hjalmar, and Thord were left alive. When the three of them returned to land Hjalmar went off to retrieve their remaining ships. Thord said that he would protect the camp and Odd went off to hunt.

This was a mistake as when he had returned Ogmund had already been to the camp. He had laid the scene carefully, using blood to lead Odd through the wood until he saw Ogmund’s master piece. Thord Prow-Gleam was strung up like a marionette, his intestines used as the rope. Odd screamed in rage.

The rest of the story is a circle. Odd would chase after Ogmund and attack him, Ogmund would kill one of Odd’s friends. Hjalmar, Gardar, Sirnir, even his own son Vignir. Ogmund did not come out of these encounters unscathed though. His face was torn off, all his bones broken, his family killed by Odd. This cycle happened for years until the two were tired, tired of the constant fighting and death. Odd, now a king of greece, began to send letters of peace to Ogmund, now king of Novgorod. Letters were sent to Ogmund, Ogmund sent them back to Odd, and soon they weren’t just sending peace treaties but just talking. The two enemies felt free for the first time in so long, unburdened by the events that had occurred over three centuries prior.

Now that he was at peace Odd felt that is was finally time. He could go home. Odd took a single ship back to Berurjod and explored his old home. In the years he had been there it had been abandoned, nothing but an empty shell of its former glory. He made his way to a collapsed cave, one he and Asmund had made all those years ago. He dug. He dug and pulled out of the grave the skull of his oldest friend. Odd hugged the skull of his beloved horse Faxi, not even caring when a venomous snake that had been living in it came out to bit Odd on the arm. He simply knelt there with his old horse as he died.

Personality:

Spoiler:

Odd has been wisened by his many centuries alive, having learned lessons most don’t until they have already finished their time on this earth. At this point he has seen the folly of conflict and refuses to fight except in the most dire of circumstances. To him the word hate is one with no meaning, as the one he swore he would hate until his dying day became one of his best friends in those last years of his life.

One thing that has not changed since his youth though is Odd’s way of making friends wherever he goes. To him his master is just an opportunity to make a new friend. The other servants, if they are reasonable, will of course become sworn brothers. He approaches this war as if he was simply going to the park.

If he has to fight though Odd will come at his opponents with a vengeance. His three arrows will fly around the opponents poking at defenses lowering their guard while he cuts them up like filet with his saexs. Against an opponent that tried to kill, or worse off actually killed one of his sworn brothers he would not hesitate to turn his arrows in Broken Phantasms with destructive power of the highest order.

If Odd was to win the Holy Grail and receive a single wish he would be completely flummoxed. His younger and rasher Rider self would wish to incarnate so he could once more raid to his hearts content. Odd as a Ruler would be the epitome of the wise king and he would selflessly use his wish to bring about a better world in the now. Odd the Archer class servant though is unsure about what he wants. He does not want to return to who he was, nor is he so selfless to give the wish up to another. The closest he can come to think of as a wish is to resurrect his sworn brothers in arms, but he is unsure of the Grail’s capacity to even do such a thing. From the Throne of Heroes he hopes he might find a reason when he is summoned.

Bond:

Spoiler:

On Summoning:
“Arrow-Odd at your service. I hope we will get along well.”

If you have summoned Eric Bloodaxe:
“It is as if I am seeing my past come back to haunt me.”

If you have summoned Arrow-Odd(Rider):
“Okay forget what I said about that other guy, this is literally my past having come back to haunt me.”

If you have summoned Sigurd:
“Oh wow the Sigurd! I used to love hearing the bard tell your tale!”

If you have summoned Ogmund(Caster):
“Ogie! It’s been way to long! I missed you so much.”

If you have summoned Ogmund(Avenger):
“Is it okay if I avoid that servant Master? If he sees me there will be trouble for us both.”

About the Holy Grail:
“That thing just gives me a headache. Give me some time to think of it will you.”

About his likes:
“Sailing with my friends. Such a simple joy in life that should never be taken for granted. Maybe I can take you with me sometime.

About his Dislikes:
“I don’t understand being able to dislike something. Actually I can, I did for so many years. However dislike for something is such a fragile thing. When I was a boy I hated the taste of potatoes, however as an adult I enjoy them very much. For so many years I cursed my immortality but I can see now how blessed I was to experience such a wide variety of lives. I hated Ogmund for so many years, chased him around the globe, did such terrible atrocities, wanted nothing more than for him to lay dying at my feet; but now… now I just wish I could talk with my best friend.”

Bond 1:
“I know we just met my master, but I think this is the start to a beautiful friendship.”

Bond 2:
“So you still want a washed up viking to fight on the front lines? Well as long as it’s against mindless beasts I’m fine with that!”

Bond 3:
“I miss them, I miss them so much.”

Bond 4:
“Your blood is my blood. My blood is your blood. Together we are one as if born from the same womb. Master from here on I solemnly we are brothers, bound by blood as thick as any twins.”

Bond 5:
“You could never replace them. Hjalmar, Thord, Gardar, Sirnir these are all my dearest friends that none could ever take the place of. You however are just as irreplaceable, no more special, but no less. Thank you my master.”

Bond CE
The Cursed Coins
They were silver, not even gold. I must have taken treasure worth ten, no a hundred times the value of those coins in my lifetime. These things were also used for their sacred ceremonies, to send the dead off to their final resting place, they didn’t even use them as currency themselves. Not to mention the fact that it meant that Permia would swear themselves to destroy me and send Ogmund on my tail, though to be fair I didn’t know that they would have made Ogmund at the time.


Pretty dumb of me to ignore all that for coins that I just threw overboard huh?

Creator Notes:

Been wanting to make this for a while actually, ever since I heard the myths and legends podcast do an episode on him. For power level’s he’s pretty up there but faces a barrier again the likes of Artoria or Karna in terms of destructive power leaving him below top tier without using a Broken Phantasm. His Olvornautar seems very powerful on first glance but it is honestly only useful against weaker opponents as most people wielding supernatural weapons that it can dodge are skilled enough to bypass it.

If summoned as a Rider he would have a Noble Phantasm called the Silver of Permia, which summons up a gigantic storm but lowers his luck as he uses it weakening the benefits of Curse of the Eternal, instead of Olvornautar. This represents him being his younger, brasher self who revels in destruction and hasn’t yet felt the tragedy that is immortality.

[Dragolord09]

Will you be making either Arrow-Odd (Rider) or Ogmund in the future? (Well, not in this thread obviously but still...)

[cooldownnow]

Will you be making either Arrow-Odd (Rider) or Ogmund in the future? (Well, not in this thread obviously but still...)

I plan on winning this contest and making the next prompt Arrow-Odd (Rider) and then win that one and make the prompt Ogmund.

But seriously speaking I'll make Ogmund sometime soon but I'm holding off on Odd's Rider form since it would be mostly the same as Archer.

[BnEl15]

"Oi, you're my Master, yeah? Servant Archer, True Name, uh... Arjuna, yeah. Mrs... Arjuna..? GAH, NO, THAT SOUNDED TOTALLY EMBARRASSING! Y-YOU! YOU DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING JUST NOW, GOT IT!?"

Source

Class: Archer
Other Classes: Saber, Rider, Avenger
True Name: Arjuna?
Alignment: Neutral Good
Place of Origin: India (Mahabharata, Bharatayuddha)

Parameters:

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

Likes: Arjuna, freedom, hard work, shoujo manga
Dislikes: Conventional palace norms
Talent: Archery, martial arts
Natural Enemy: Arjuna, Bhishma, Ashvatthama
Armament: Bow and arrow, sword
Catalyst: An arrowhead, its tip soaked with the blood of a certain great hero

Class Skills

Independent Action
Rank: A
It is possible to take action even without a Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great magical energy consumption, backup from the Master is necessary. At Rank A, it is possible for a Servant to stay in the world for about a week without a Master. A free spirit in life, she rejected the path of royalty that she was born into, instead preferring to pursue her own interests. As a Servant, she had also managed to let go most of her grudges and regrets in life, wishing to march to the beat of her own drum. This grants her a high rank of Independent Action.

Magic Resistance
Rank: C
Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

Personal Skills

Knowledge of Melee Combat
Rank: B
A methodology regarding crowd-combat in which friends and foes are all jumbled together. Not the ability to take command of a military force, but combat techniques to persevere as a single warrior within the troops of an army. A key player during the Kurukshetra war, Archer is a talented soldier well-versed in maneuvering and emerging victorious from the battlefield.

Pendant of Amba
Rank: C-
A crystallization of the grudge Archer held towards Bhishma for the dishonor she suffered due to his actions during her previous incarnation. While this skill would manifest as the ultimate "Anti-Bhishma" Noble Phantasm if she were summoned as an Avenger, its effects are reduced under her other classes, due to Archer having let go of her grudges. As a skill, this allows her to deal extra damage to enemies who possess traits shared with Bhishma, such as "divinity", "male", and those of Hindi origins.

Knowledge of Astras
Rank: A-
The knowledge to understand and wield Astras, supernaturally powerful weapons handed down from the gods. While each Astra is usually powerful enough to qualify as a high-rank Noble Phantasm, Archer's human body and lack of divinity only allows her to use very limited releases of these Astras. At most, she could infuse them to her weapons, granting them more damage and additional effects such as explosions, thunderstrikes, or strong gusts of wind. That said, Archer's true specialty lies in her wide range of knowledge regarding Astras, thanks to her mentor's teachings. This allows her to easily deduce the True Name of any Servant who utilizes Astras in battle.

Blessing of the Yaksha
Rank: -
Blessing received from nature spirits known as Yaksha, allowing Archer to change her gender at will. However, it seems she had chosen to seal this skill away due to wanting to be remembered more as a woman, for a certain someone's sake.

Noble Phantasm(s)

Hrusangkali Astra
Emulated Astra, Strike Down The Heavens

Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: A
Range: 1
Max Targets: 1

The arrow that struck and killed the great hero Bhishma. While one could interpret this Noble Phantasm as a symbol of Archer's hatred towards the hero, Archer herself dislikes this interpretation. Instead, to her, this represents the culmination of her lifelong pursuit of her goal; to become a woman strong enough to stand beside "him". A man-made Noble Phantasm powerful enough to defeat the divine, placing man and god at the same level.

Archer's human body cannot handle the godly power of Astras. Yet instead of giving up, she used her own skills, a mix of human technology and magecraft, to create this arrow. Through a combination of her skills, luck, and the curse within her pendant, this man-made Astra ultimately killed Bhishma.

This Noble Phantasm is inspired by her mentor, Arjuna's Brahmashirsha Astra. The Brahmashirsha Astra itself was one of the most destructive Astras, with flames that cause complete destruction to its surroundings, preventing any plant life from growing within the area for the next 12 years. ...Or at least, that is what this Noble Phantasm should have been. In reality, Archer had neither the capabilities or the need for such large scale destruction, so she focuses the damage within this arrow to one target only.

As a Noble Phantasm, Archer was "only" capable of replicating a part of Brahmashirsha Astra's explosive powers and its ability to prevent "recovery". Targets struck with this Noble Phantasm will experience pain equivalent to multiple massive explosions taking place inside their bodies within a split second. In addition, should the target survive the arrow, they will find their recovery capabilities and mana generation rate significantly reduced, turning even the greatest of gods into "human".

In addition, while this Noble Phantasm is powerful enough on its own, it is guaranteed to bypass all divine protection and find its mark should the enemy possess at least two traits that activate Archer's "Pendant of Amba" skill. That said, as this attack was originally targeted towards a divine being, "man-made" barriers are still capable of reducing its damage or blocking it completely if the barrier is powerful enough and activated quick enough.

Description

Archer's True Name is Shikhandi (Also known as Srikandi according to the Bharatayuddha), although she occasionally uses the name Arjuna or Brihannala to conceal her identity. Shikhandi herself is a princess of the kingdom of Panchala, as well as a student and according to some versions of her myth, wife to the great hero Arjuna.

Archer is a cheerful, tomboyish young woman with a free spirit. It would not be an exaggeration to say that her attitude as akin to that of a female biker gang leader. She has mostly moved on past her grudges in life, instead preferring to live for the thrill of the moment, believing that her grudges would only chain her down and prevent her from growing and attaining her true wish. Her decision to live more freely also came from a reflection of her own life. She believes that she had spent much of her life caring too much on what other people think, be it the dishonor she suffered due to Bhishma's actions, her lover's rejection, or her own grudge towards Bhishma. Thus as a Servant, she strives to use this second (or third) chance at life to her fullest and carve her own path.

As a human born with little affinity to Astras, Archer sincerely believes that with enough dedication, it is possible for those who work hard to surpass those with inborn talent. Thus, she holds deep admiration and respect towards Heroic Spirits whose Noble Phantasms stem from human techniques they possess in life instead of divine or otherworldly weapons. Should she encounter these people, she would be eager to learn their techniques. That said, she does not know any other way to express this eagerness and admiration besides having a one-on-one fight. This may lead to other Servants misunderstanding her, believing her to be confrontational and impulsive.

Archer's demeanor would change significantly whenever her teacher, Arjuna, is around. In such situations, she would be more akin to a lovestruck young maiden. She denies the myth that claimed her to be Arjuna's wife, much to her embarrassment. Instead, she claims that while she was Arjuna's most powerful student, the great hero never saw her as anything more than a student. Yet even as a Servant, she refuses to give up. For this reason, she would always eagerly look for opportunities to impress Arjuna in an effort to get him to notice her feelings.

As she did not have other options in life, Archer only knew of one way to get Arjuna to notice her, namely through improving her battle techniques. That said, being summoned in the modern age presents her with new opportunities to look for romance advice. This causes her to develop a fascination towards cheesy shoujo manga and romance movies, not that she would openly admit to liking such things. She may also ask her Master and other Servants for advice, much to their bafflement at seeing the rowdy and tomboyish warrior princess turn into a meek and easily flustered young girl.

Archer only has one wish, namely to be a woman worthy of standing beside Arjuna, both as a warrior and a wife. She refuses to wish this to the Holy Grail, however, as she believes that utilizing a divine artifact to attain her wish would defeat the entire purpose of said wish and her life philosophy.

Ultimately, Shikhandi will continue to chase after her teacher's proud back, awaiting for the day where the awarded hero would finally look at her direction.

Lore

Before we get to know Shikhandi, it is important to know of her previous incarnation, namely the princess Amba.

Amba was the eldest daughter of the king of Kashi. She had two younger sisters Ambika and Ambalika. The three sisters were known as beautiful princesses, with tales of their beauty heard far and wide throughout India. Secretly, Amba was in love with Salva, king of the nearby kingdom of Saubala. The two were set to be married, but the arrival of Bhishma changed everything.

One day, Bhishma arrived at her kingdom, determined to take the three sisters with him to be married with his step brother Vichitravirya. Unaware of Amba's love towards Salva, he announced his intention to abduct the sisters, challenging all other potential suitors to defeat him in battle. Ultimately, Salva challenged him to a duel, but Bhishma easily defeated him, although he spared his life. After his victory, Bhishma left for Hastinapur with the three sisters to arrange the wedding. Yet on the way, Amba stopped his chariot. She pleaded for him to let her go, letting him know that she truly loved Salva. Unexpectedly, Bhishma accepted her reasoning and sent her back home, while her sisters were married off to Vichitravirya.

Back home, Amba returned to Salva, looking forward to their marriage. Yet Salva rejected her. He believed that his defeat at Bhishma's hands was a disgrace. He also refused to wed her, insisting that she had been "rightfully won" by Bhishma through that duel, despite Amba's objections.

The heartbroken Amba then went to Bhishma and accosted him saying that he was responsible for all her problems. Bhishma refused to marry her to Vichitravirya, on the plea that she was in love with someone else. She then approached Bhishma to marry her. He also refused due to his vow of celibacy. This further infuriated Amba, as she had now been spurned by three people. She appealed to various kings to defeat Bhishma and do her justice, but all of them refused knowing Bhisma's capabilities. Finally, she went to the forest, vowing to get her revenge on Bhishma.

For the next six months, Amba prayed and conducted various rituals to appease the gods. The destruction god Shiva answered her prayers, promising her that she will become the source of Bhishma's demise in her next life. To mark this promise, he gave her a certain pendant; a crystallization of her hatred, and a constant reminder of her grudge. This grudge will not be forgotten, even in her next life. As the final step to her rituals, she took her own life by jumping into a funeral pyre, screaming "For Bhishma's destruction!" as the flames consumed her.

Amba was reborn as Shikhandi, princess of the kingdom of Panchala. Remembering her wish to kill Bhishma, from a young age, she despised her obligations as a princess and the complicated palace norms she had to follow. Instead, she devoted her time to learning martial arts and the art of warfare in preparation for the day where she may enact her revenge. For this reason, she was already a talented soldier by the time she was in her teenage years. She was also known for her "unladylike" temperament, quick to fly into a rage and swear like a sailor when things don't go her way.

One day, she witnessed Arjuna's archery skills. Impressed, Shikhandi quickly developed an admiration towards the awarded hero, and begged him to take her as his disciple. Although Arjuna was initially reluctant, he finally relented after witnessing her powerful, unshakable resolve to learn archery. Under Arjuna's tutelage, Shikhandi's skills as a warrior developed exponentially. Aside from archery and martial arts, Arjuna also taught her about Astras, divine weapons bestowed by the gods. Within the next few years, Shikhandi's admiration and respect towards the awarded hero gradually turned to love. Arjuna also considers her as a great student and a trusted ally.

During the Kurukshetra war, Shikhandi accompanied Arjuna to the battlefield, riding his chariot. On the tenth day of the war, the two finally encountered Bhishma. Arjuna faced Bhishma in a fierce duel, yet the moment Bhishma laid eyes on Shikhandi, he lowered his weapons with a look of understanding and resignment on his face. Unable to attack due to his own vow of "never harming a woman", Bhishma could do nothing as Shikhandi shot him with her Hrusangkali Astra, killing him. Thus, Shiva's promise and Amba's vow had been resolved. Shikhandi herself met her end on the 18th day of the war, when Ashvatthama ambushed her camp in the middle of the night. The two fought with their swords for a moment, but ultimately Shikhandi was caught off guard and killed.

Shikhandi's gender has always been a matter of debate. According to some versions of the myth, Amba wished to become a man in the next life, and thus Shikhandi was born as a male. According to other versions of the myth, she was born as a female and raised as a male, while others claim that she had always been born female. Most of the myths seem to agree, however, that she is capable of changing her gender during certain points in her life thanks to a blessing she received from a certain nature spirit. Ultimately, she is remembered as a major character during the Kurukshetra war; a woman who fought beside Arjuna and killed Bhishma.

Relationships

To Master, regarding Arjuna:
"Sensei, huh... despite everything I did, there was still sadness in his eyes, something he never talked to me about. There's a lot I'd like to tell him, but he always seemed to push people away when they get close to him... W-well, that's enough about the past! I'm not about to give up now! Say, Master, do you have any tips on how to start a conversation with him!?"

Okita Souji, Miyamoto Musashi, Sasaki Kojirou, Yagyu Munenori, Li Shuwen:
"Oh wow, people who polished their techniques to perfection, to the point they can face gods! That's awesome! Oi, you, wanna fight!? I'm sure I can learn a thing or two from you!"

Ashvatthama:
"Oi, oi, look what we have here... Your swordplay wasn't so bad, but I was caught by surprise last time! I'd like a rematch! Huh? You're an Archer now? Ahaha, even better! Now we're finally on the same playing field!"

Arjuna (Alter) (1st and 2nd ascension)
"So that's what happened, huh... He continued to push others away while blaming everything on himself, and that led him to this; Some stupid sacrifice for something that's not even his fault to begin with... GODDAMMIT!! If only I reached out to him more before then..."

Arjuna (Alter) (3rd ascension)
"EEEEHH!? Y-You mean he's like a younger, more innocent version of sensei!? HE'S PRECIOUS! I WANT TO HUG HIM AND TELL HIM EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT! E-er, or at least that's what I want, anyway! He looks too much like the sensei I know that I don't know how to approach him! MASTER, WHAT SHOULD I DO!?"

Cu Chulainn:
"Master, that blue Lancer over there is weird. He seems to be completely terrified of his teacher. Miss Scathach's training can't actually be that brutal, right?"

Cu Chulainn, regarding Shikhandi:
"Yo, Master, that girl scares me. I brought up her teacher's harsh training regime, but she just went all red, saying something about how 'sacrifices are necessary in the name of love' or some other mushy stuff like that! How does she have that much willpower!?"

Bhishma:
"Huh, apparently that guy's here too. I tried to tell him to let bygones be bygones, but he still seems hesitant to even talk to me! Man, communicating with others can really be such a pain sometimes..."

Arjuna (After Arjuna reaches bond 5):
"Aah, that's..! Wow, there really is a different feel about him now. He seems less troubled of his own circumstances and more accepting of others..? Heh, I guess I have you to thank for that, Master. T-That said, as much as I'm happy about it, I didn't expect to see him again so soon! Oh crap, there's a lot I'd like to tell him, but my mind's drawing a complete blank right now! A-Ahem, I mean, what I'm trying to say here is... Thanks, Master. There wasn't much I could do for him back then, but this time, I'll certainly..."

Creator Notes

Aaand, I'm finally done with my second entry. Much more satisfied with this one. I had been working on this sheet for a while before the contest, but I hit a dead end with her Noble Phantasm and characterization. I only got the idea to finish this sheet recently, coincidentally fitting with this month's theme.

After the no-nonsense seriousness of Tipu Sultan, now we have the spunky girl gang leader/awkward lovestruck girl Shikhandi. The lore is a mix of her Mahabharata and Bharatayuddha myths. Differences include her previous life as Amba that only exists in the Mahabharata (Shikhandi and Amba are treated as different, completely unrelated people in Bharatayuddha), her genderswapping abilities (only exists in Mahabharata, Bharatayuddha has no mention of her being able to genderswap), and her act of killing Bhishma (only exists in Bharatayuddha. According to Mahabharata, she simply gave an opening to Arjuna, allowing him to land the killing blow). Even her relationship with Arjuna is like a middle ground between the two myths (The two are purely master-student in Mahabharata, while married in Bharatayuddha). I also had to get creative with her NP, as "Hrusangkali Astra" was only namedropped once in the Bharatayuddha as the arrow that killed Bhishma.

As a footnote, I can totally imagine Arjuna to be extremely dense or overly professional enough for him not to notice Shikhandi's feelings. Her usual awkwardness around him isn't helping either.

[Kabalisto Koga]

Hermes Trismegistos
(Archer)

"Currently Class Archer, my name is Hermes Trismegistos. Can you see the horizon?"




Gender: ??
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 100~ kg
Alignment: True Neutral
Attributes: Star, Earth
Other Qualifying Classes: Rider, Caster, Lancer, Ruler, Beast, Saver
Likes: having apprentices, to guide others, wisdom-seeking people (Mages in particular), to let his mind drift
Dislikes: obstacles of the magical world, the enemies of Mage society


Parameters:
Strength: B+
Endurance: B+
Agility: A
Luck: B+
Mana: EX
NP: EX

Personality

"For a better communication please feel free to address me as HermeTris."

HermeTris is a mostly solemn being. Aside from how "he" doesn't possess in his regular shape any expressive features on his head, he doesn't display great variability in his voice either. His voice is almost allways tuned in a calm tone that radiates soothing qualities. As HermeTris observes occurences and events with a calculated exactness at times he gives off the vibe that he knows about these incoming "chain of events" beforehand.
HermeTris displays though a curious demeanor towards humane emotions and interactions as he sees them as highly intriguing. Due to that he sometimes via his Supreme Faces Skill takes on the forms of Hermes or Mercurius to enable himself to feel them on his own. He states himself that normally he is "imprisoned in a calm numbing cloud" and that he feels that there is something missing in himself that he can't describe despite his intellect.

He also feels the satisfaction of guiding others to seek wisdom on their own. As well he feels a sort of confirmation as that he likes to tutor willing individuals. During these moments he displays the characteristic of a real teacher, which affects his demeanor towards his Master.

He also states if asked about his past that:

"If you should ask me about my past, Master, I can only say that I instructed others in the knowledge and mechanics of alchemy. But further details like why and how don't exist, at least not in my memory."

This is perhaps the route of why if put in the situation of a teacher or lecturer his voice becomes enthusiastic. Especially if he is in this situation for a longer time his gestures become noticably softer and he displays in his overall demeanor more humanity in comparison to his regular more alien behavior. He can even be seen letting out some soothing sighs on occasion.

Another occurrence where HermeTris would discard his usual emotionlessness is upon witnessing an act that displays disrespect towards the circle of Mages. For instance he would intervene if he saw a Mage being cornered by Executors. There he displays a cruelty that is in stark contrast to his normally analytic and calm battle patterns.

Also as he is not in his proper Class and is able to encounter the currently Caster-Class Servant he is thrilled(?) to spectate their thaumaturgy and if the situation allows also to discuss their magical achievements.

Aside from that he displays interest if he encounters Egyptian or Greek originated Servants as he then would ask them about their world's deities as a form of self-exploration(?).

All in all he is unsure what he is or was: Was he an ancient deity that encountered something out of our realm like has Hermes accidentally crossed a dimensional border and returned metamorphosed? Was he himself a being similar to Outer Gods that stranded in our plane and found fondness in sharing his otherworldly wisdom with the humans? Or was he a mortal mage who during the Age of Gods found a long lost path to the Root?

Demeanor towards the Master:

HermeTris' Master is most likely an accomplished mage, as his summoning needs certain conditions like an adequate catalyst. As such HermeTris has actually no real complaints as "he" just demands a exchange of knowledge. Especially if the Master belongs to an alchemy practicing family he would be curious how far respectively in which way his "teachings" are focused and cultivated. Then he would "mercilessly" analyze the weaknessess and issues and point them out. If the Master would then aknowledge the advice and want to develop further and improve their abillities/Magecraft he is willing to guide them and act as their lecturer. This trait is especially displayed if his Master happens to be a young inexperienced/novice level mage. Then he would act almost like a "humane foster-father". However even then HermeTris' overall demeanor is quite alien like would it be better described as "if a being from a higher plane of civilization tries to educate a human child on their basics".

Should "his" Master on the other be reluctant then "he" will simple state "I see you're not a seeker of wisdom." in his thoughts and would to a lesser degree follow their orders as he feels "You aren't worth my effort" . He will still fulfill his duty as Servant but won't fight with all "effort". Though he still is for an amount of time loyal in the expectation that his Master may redeem themselves and prove capable of receiving his guidance.

If yes then he will act like above mentioned but if not will observe the other Masters and choose an openminded seeker with which "he" will forge a contract. In the case his Master should happen to be a non-Mage he will regardlessly offer his guidance and be willing to teach them a thing or two about alchemy. Upon "his" Master's wish, he would conduct a ritual that evokes Magic Circuits in them. Also he would then tend to isolate his Master from the other Servants and Masters to ensure their safety.

All in all can be said that HermeTris only judges individuals in their abillity to understand wisdom and be able to recognize "greater things" than mere money and so on.

Dialogues a la Chaldea:

Solomon: "I feel that we had a similar function in guiding willing humans that sought the wisdom that can't be acquired normally."

Merlin: "Master, I recommend that you be cautious around that individual. I feel that he knows more than he reveals. I recommend a Command Seal-supported interrogation."

Gille de Rais and Foreigner Class Servants: "I recommend that you eliminate those objects of danger as those individuals are possessing and using forbidden gateways.... In either case I will reserve the right to do the deed myself if the situation would make that necessary. Keep that in mind."

Paracelsus: "A Mage millennia after the end of the Age of Gods, that has found the foundation of the modern Alchemy-System? Intriguing…. Good Mage, may I ask you to accompany me on the roof of this building and discuss some matters under the roof of the stars?"

???: "Surprising to see you here [ Crowley] but that's honestly not bad. I hope that you are repaying that knowledge I shared with you."

Ptah: "Ah, a fellow deity of demiurgic nature. Magnificent! Are you willing to cooperate together? You agree? Good, let us develop strategies to disrupt the Lostbelt anomalies together."

Thoth:"Great Egyptian Deity of Wisdom of the old Egypt, I offer you my apologies for using your knowledge and wisdom unquestioned. In return will I with complete honesty answer every question you should direct at me."

Skills

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: A++

Cancel spells of A-Rank or below, no matter what High-Thaumaturgy it is. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title them a "Magus Killer".
Due to "his" status as transcendental being "he" is almost totally immune against most Thaumaturgical Systems, with the exception of True Magic and Magecraft passed down directly from deities like his own "Hermetica-System".

Independent Action: EX

At his rank its effect is fundamentally identical to Independent Manifestation, only HermeTris doesn't possess the abillity to manifest upon its own will in this realm due to that our World's divine pulse is too weak.
As transcendental being who has barely any physical ties to the World HermeTris is almost completely independent from his Master. As such he can freely operate without needing to receive Mana backup from "his" Master's side. Only prolonged/in short time frames consecutively Noble Phantasm usage can make it necessary.

Personal Skills:

Hermetica: A+

The Thaumaturgical "abyss" of the major forms of today practiced Alchemy. It is a form of Demiurgic Alchemy that didn't resolve around the concept of Transmutation. Instead it resolved around the phenomenon of the Mater Ex Nihilo, the creation of matter out of nothingness, true creation which can also be called Breath of Genesis. A further characteristic of Demiurgic Alchemy is the involvement of the stellar forces of the star and sun formation. Thus it is also a form of primordial Astromancy and shares many traits to the Sorcery and Magic of the Old Egyptian Heka. Through which is HermeTris capable of drawing the powers of the stars and cosmic objects which function as base for his Noble Phantasm under this Class, as well as the creation of objects of all kind like to access the domains of material transmutation. With the consideration of a certain "Class-Penalty" the Thaumaturgy "he" can utilize is equal to an A-Rank Noble Phantasm and is able to border on the mystery of True Magic in magnitude.

Supreme Faces: C

Denotes the identification with someone of divine or royal nature by "lacking" a true identity behind the association. Enables the user/bearer to shift into the attested "identity" and grants the usage of abilities and knowledge associated with said entities.

At this rank HermeTris is capable of shifting into three different shapes, namely the deities: Hermes, Mercurius and Thoth.

Godly Divine Core (Extraplanar): EX

A Skill expressing one being a perfected god from birth. A composite Skill that includes the effects of Divinity as well as Existence Outside The Domain at the same rank.


Archer was a divine being born out of the association between some "ingenious" deities but never received regular worship like a proper god. Instead his "cult" was almost completely limited to the circles of Mages, esoteric scholars and especially families of alchemistic background. HermeTris is regarded as a being of almost extraterrestrial nature, even considered the alien common sense practiced within the world of Magic. Although even the Department of Lore is unable to confirm if this theory is true or not.


Practically speaking HermeTris possesses besides the aura of divinity also an otherworldly presence on his being that weakens by several times attacks of ordinary nature. But out of unknown reasons Archer has chosen to suppress "his" otherworldly attributes and make himself vulnerable against regular attacks and influences. However he still possesses a body that boasts extraordinary regenerative qualities, as only strikes at his spiritual core seem to inflict any lasting damage.

Arc of Zodiac: A

A partial usage of Archer's Noble Phantasm sublimated into a technical Skill. By evoking the stellar constellations of the Zodiac which is employed by the creation of small cosmic spheres and their installation, Archer is able to utilize a multitude of various direct attack options in accordance to the associated pattern.


Leo: The star sign that dominated the equinox 10000 years before Christ. Some theories posit that the great Egyptian Sphinx of Giza was modelled after this constellation, as her head was that of a lion that reflected/looked up at her heavenly counterpart. By the recombination of this stellar unit HermeTris can create a flare lion by recreating the close relations of lion and sun. This beast possesses enough strength to equal an A-rank Noble Phantasm, and can attack by spewing bolts of solar fire.


Libra: The star formation of Scales. Through recombination of this formation which functioned as a symbol of the Greek Goddess Themis, Archer can declare the judgment of matter itself in the modern world called gravity in various ways. Like he is able to create a gravitational field in which the force of the Earth's gravity is controllable by Archer himself.


Scorpio: One of the three water signs of the Zodiac. It allows by the formation of its constellation to create stellar drill-like projectiles or waves. These attacks inflict a curse of drainage on the enemy, causing their lifeforce to steadily seep away.

Self-Modulation: A

Commonly possessed by beings of Demiurgic nature.
Denotes the ability to modify oneself. It differs from the Skill Self-Modification as it doesn't integrate parts of foreign nature into one's body. No, it adapts the being of malevolent influences onto oneself to neutralize the interference of it in a similar way to the corrective impulse of the World.

Noble Phantasm

Arc of Sky's Mirrored Truth

Genesis-Omega

Rank: EX


Type: Anti-World

Originally the sublimated core of the Hermetic teachings; the true creation out of nothingness made possible only by the effort of wisdom and thought. However despite the effort Hermes Trismegistos has undertaken, over the course of decades, centuries and lastly millennia the core embassy eventually broke apart. The radiated focus of the individual practitioner gave way to countless distinct styles of Alchemy established nowadays, which amongst others Paracelsus functioned as a core point. This was due to its origin in drawing from the First Magic which was once named by Christian cultured Mages "Breath of Genesis" as they thought that this Magic used "energy" remnants from the creation of the World.

Originally this Noble Phantasm is the crystallized core of the Hermeticism, the Creatio ex Nihilo. The creation of nothing just with the usage of energy and thoughts into a sphere-like Reality Marble alike Bounded Field in which the World ceases to follow the man-made rules of physics and instead starts obeying the rules of the Reverse Side of the World where still phantasmals, Elementals and Divine Spirits lurk at their chance of return. A World where HermeTris is the sole ruler. He could bend the fabric of space and time and obviously of the matter itself which would in the Caster Class bolster both his Item Construction and Territory Creation to EX-rank. It also imbues HermeTris with a form of Clairvoyance which is linked to the "breath impulse" of the events and occurrences.

But due to his summoning in the Archer Class this Noble Phantasm has "reoriented" its purpose and instead of creation it centers around the materialistic aspect of the Hermetica. The truth of the World powered by the collective imagination of mankind which in conjunction with the core of his current Class equates to the release of powerful effects with the concept of "projectile". For this HermeTris uses the conceptualized imagination of the star constellations of the Hermetical Star System "Zodiac". He is able to utilize the Greek origin of the constellations' roots in the form of a "limited release" which is sublimated as a Skill.

The True Name release reveals the primordial dread that is absolute amongst all mythologies and religions and which even the might of science is unable to ease nor calm. It was called the "Judgement of Heaven" amongst the cultures throughout the world and is even confirmed from science as the meteor which ended the era of the most powerful reptiles that the humankind baptized as "dinosaurs" before 65 million years, as well as the Gamma-ray burst that 443 million ago caused the Ordovician–Silurian extinction events: the first documented mass extinction.

After the True Name release the stars in the firmament start to shine. All stars connect with each other and form at a position selected by Archer into a sphere-like meteor that glows bright white. On its surface are countless scripts, glyphs and runic patterns glowing in a dark colored mosaic which radiate to all beings an oppressive feeling of doom that in various other culture-spheres could be called amongst others "Ragnarök, the Last Judgement, Kali-Yuga, Apocalypse" and so on. Then the sphere will be dropped by HermeTris and upon this fall the meteor is engulfed with a flare of the colors of the rainbow. The meteor is highly resilient against all attempts of disturbance that prevent its designated function > The Final Sentence of Earth which will enact destruction of colossal scale, Biblical extinction. Upon its detonation it will reshape the area anew and wipe out all life to reveal a portion of the "truth", the primordial chaos that ruled before the first deities took on their form and created their own Worlds.

Due to how the primordial state is "re-summoned" the area is pulsating with True Ether and the pulse of mystery is renewed. Through time the area develops into a state resembling a Reality Marble where "life" is shaping itself. Lifeforms of the intact rest of the world that enter the purged area are irradiated and regressed into a state of "primordiality". This is such that an normal animal is remade into a Phantasmal beast and humans regress into an "Edenical" state, purged of all the bodily degradations that afflict modern man, and receive the radiance of "bare spirits" which gives them the freedom to choose what type of being they want.

"The noble shall become heroes,
the extraordinary shall be gods
and the wicked shall be demons."

The nature of the individual's transformation is determined by the core of their being. Besides that at the area of impact the world is showered in a "rain" of True Ether that reactivates the divine pulse of Mystery. These feats are truly not anymore in the realm of manmade Magecraft. No, its sphere is indeed the First Magic: the Breath of Genesis...

[Master of Chaos]

Class: Archer (Caster)
True Name: Marco Polo
Gender: Male
Alignment: True Neutral
Attribute: Star

face claim

STR: ＊＊＊＊＊ D
END: ＊＊＊＊＊ C
AGI: ＊＊＊＊＊ C
MGI: ＊＊＊＊＊ B
LCK: ＊＊＊＊＊ A
NP: ＊＊＊＊＊ C

Keywords

KEYWORDS

Il Milione

One of the epithets that this man is known by. Roughly means “millionaire” in Italian. There are many theories about its origins, but one of the most popular says that the fortune bestowed to him by the Khan upon his return to Europe reached the millions. While the exact amount is unknown, as part of the treasures was stolen during the trip back, he still managed to live the rest of his days in luxury with what remained.

Incidentally, other theories say that it is a contraction of “Emilione” (a moniker of the Polo family) or a mockery that denoted how the tales (lies) that he told about his travels numbered a million.

Spellcaster

Quite literally, someone who cast magic spells. While some might view him as a variation of magus, the magi themselves do not accept that. A heretic that is rejected even by other heretics.

Strictly speaking, magi are defined as scholars of the impossible. Their ultimate goal is to reach the Root, which is considered to exist in the “outside of the world”. Thus, they “learn” magecraft for the sole purpose of achieving said goal – even while knowing that chances of success are virtually nonexistent. Someone who abandoned the quest for the Root and began to “employ” magecraft merely as a tool is held in contempt within the magic community as a lowly “spellcaster” – regardless of how outstanding his skills may actually be. On the other hand, thanks to them holding more pragmatic views, it is not uncommon for spellcasters to be more efficient in the practical use of magecraft than normal magi.

Originally, Marco Polo was from a normal family of merchants with virtually no connections to mystery. Still, as an inborn wanderluster, he was an extremely curious kid who proactively sought to learn anything that could become even remotely useful to his future adventures. Being something obtained mostly in a self-taught manner, his practical skills in magecraft are pretty much that of an amateur. Still, thanks to the abundant accumulation of experience through a lifetime of adventures, he surpasses even a first rate magus in terms of raw knowledge alone.

CLASS SKILLS

Magic Resistance: D
The capacity to negate or abate the effects of magecraft. Negates magecraft employed by means of single action. About the degree of an amulet that repels magic power. In case of a magus that possesses a somewhat strong ability, it is possible to easily breakthrough this.

Independent Action: B
The ability to take action even without the prana supply from the Master. Convenient in cases like when the Master wants to activate a magecraft that calls up maximum prana or when he cannot supply enough prana to the Servant. On another hand, it becomes difficult for the Master to put the Servant under his complete control. At B Rank, it is possible to remain in current world for a period of two days even after losing the Master. However, this is an ideal value in case prana consumption from battle and employment of Noble Phantasm are restricted to the utmost.

if a Caster

Territory Creation: -
This skill has been lost in exchange for “Borderless Journey”.

Item Construction: C
The technical skill to produce devices that carry magical power. It makes possible to manufacture various tools, from items and mystic codes meant for battle to daily necessities. However, this Skill takes time for the production and supply of ingredients. C Rank denotes construction prowess of an average magus. All the classical magic items can be produced.

PERSONAL SKILLS

Borderless Journey: A
A unique skill bestowed to a hero famous for his pilgrimages. The nature of a wanderer that spent a lifetime of travels while motivated only by a sense of curiosity and wanderlust, without being forced by circumstances nor having a specific goal in mind. Thanks to the accumulation of experiences that cover a lot of ground, one knows how to fully exploit the surrounding environment to his advantage. At A Rank and above, there is also an effect that provides bonus modifiers when dealing with unknown・unfamiliar circumstances.

Golden Rule: B
Not the golden ratio of one's body, but rather the predestination of how much cash follows around in one's life. A wealth acquisition rate determined by fate that dictates how much riches one can earn without making effort. B Rank denotes a talent for gathering cash that is a cut above the rest. Even without being born into wealth, one can lead an extravagant lifestyle.

Magecraft: C
A skill that represents one's knowledge of orthodox magecraft. C Rank denotes the proficiency of an apprentice who just roughly learned fundamental magecraft.

Incidentally, his forte is wide-area perception magecraft such as presence detection or spatial awareness.

Narrator: B
A skill that denotes how skillfully one can tell tales and legends. Something completely different from the art to write down stories on books, this is a story-conveyance ability specialized in improvisation, such as taking the mood and mental state of the audience into consideration to choose the appropriate way of reciting.

Wisdom for Predicaments: B
By means of sharp ingenuity, one can employ all means・procure all tools necessary to escape from a dilemma. It allows one to invite good fortune on a preferential manner when in a critical situation.

Weapons

Peach Bow
A Mongol bow made out of peach wood. A present from his long-lost love, it was crafted out of a branch of a millenary spiritual tree. While its quality as a weapon is just a little above average, it also functions as a Mystic Code that improves the user’s spellcasting. Furthermore, it is endowed with enchantments that strengthen his magic defenses.

In Ancient China, the peach was regarded as a sacred tree that represented purity and vitality. Its wood was said to have the power to drive away evil spirits, while its fruit could bestow eternal life.

NOBLE PHANTASM

Fangxiangshi – All Around Purification
Rank: D
Type: Anti-Army
Absolute territory of immaculateness. The trump card of Archer, Marco Polo. Although tentatively regarded as one of his Noble Phantasms, this is actually a magecraft classified as a type of exorcism ritual.

Firing a volley of arrows in all directions, establishing the limits of a territory in accordance to the places where they fall and instantly spreading a bounded field within that territory. The inside of the bounded field is filled with a power of exorcism that drives away evil influences. Existences classified as demons and the likes must be successful on a MGI check in order to avoid being purged (annihilated) instantly. Even if successful, they will still suffer a Rank DOWN on overall parameters while inside the bounded field.

Originally, this was a secret technique passed down among a sect of Chinese exorcists. As a mystery from the Far East, this is not something that Marco Polo (a spellcaster that specializes in traditional Western magecraft) should be able to employ. However, thanks to the instruction of his lover and the blessings of the bow that he holds, he was able to devise a “Western variation” that emulates the effects of that secret technique almost perfectly.

Oriente Poliano – Description of a Wonderful World
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Masses
Also called “Livre des Merveilles du Monde” (the book of marvels of the world), or “The Travels of Marco Polo”. A tome in which the observations made by Marco Polo during his journey in the Far East are recorded. Although the original manuscript was not written by Polo, its authorship is also attributed to him since its contents are directly derived from the tales that he told.

A rare literally success from a time before printing technology, but the details described here were held into question even when it was first published. Still, regardless of its authenticity, this work was accepted by all the people of Europe as a depiction of “a country that might possibly exist in somewhere far away”. In a sense, it was the image of a dream-like world that aggregated the hopes of people.

Upon being sublimated into a Noble Phantasm, this book was turned into grimoire that projects the vision described in it. In simple terms, it overlays a virtual image・illusion (created based on the contents of this book) over the real world. While it may appear as harmless at a first glance, not only the illusions produced by this book are perfect forgeries that can deceive all five senses, but it also possible to cover an entire country with them if enough magical energy is available. In order to see through these illusions, one must either employ an advanced perception magecraft or possess some sort of information gathering ability that does not rely on the five senses (such as the skill Revelation).

Background

BACKGROUND

An individual from the 13^th~14^th century. A merchant, adventurer and storyteller. Famous for his travels across the Silk Road, the tales that he brought back introduced Europe to the inner depths of the Eastern world and is often regarded as the first comprehensive view on the Orient by a western.

Little is known about Marco Polo's early life. Although the exact time and place cannot be confirmed, it is generally accepted that he was born in Venice, around 1254. The Polos were a traditional merchant family, and Marco's father and paternal uncle (Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, respectively) were successful businessmen that had prospered through dealings across the Middle East. Thanks to that, Marco was able to enjoy a privileged education, being taught all the skills necessary for a merchant of that time, such as foreign trade and sea fairing.

In 1271, Niccolo and Maffeo departed from Venice in order to attempt the most daring enterprise of their career: travel to Asia in order to meet with Kublain Khan (then ruler of the Mongol Empire) and negotiate trade agreements with the Eastern world. Marco, 17-years old at the time, joined them. It was beginning of the journey described in Oriente Poliano, which would last 24 years and span almost 15,000 miles (24,000 km).

Supposedly, Marco was able to win Kublai's favour by means of wisdom and sincerity. Nominated as an official emissary by the Khan, he was dispatched in inspection assignments across the Empire and even some diplomatic missions to foreign countries. Thanks to this, Polo was able to visit lands of Asia that no European had ever been before. Incidentally, he took this time to absorb as much of Eastern culture as possible - going as far as learning their ways of warfare, such as the famous Mongol techniques of mounted archery.

Meanwhile, Kublai had grown extremely attached to the Polos and repeatedly rejected the idea of letting them go. By the time he was finally convinced to change his mind, Marco had already spent over half of his lifetime away from his homeland. After giving them one final mission, Kublai presented the three men with abundant gifts and saw them sail off towards Europe.

The Polos finally returned to Venice in 1295. Marco would then make use of the fortune received from the Khan to become a successful entrepreneur, but a war breaking out against Genoa caused him to be conscripted into the military and sent to the frontlines soon after. As consequence of being defeated in a certain battle, he was captured by enemy forces and kept into captivity for a long time. Supposedly, it was a this point that he narrated his travels to Rustichello da Pisa (then his cellmate), who would write those down into the original manuscript of Oriente Poliano.

Marco was eventually released in 1299. Weakened by age and imprisonment, he would spend the rest of his days living in peace in Venice. He married, was blessed with three daughters, and ultimately died of illness in 1323. Incidentally, one famous anecdote tells us that, when questioned about the veracity of his tales on his deathbed, his last words were: “I have not told even half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed”.

Mysterious Princess

The last mission commissioned by Kublai Khan to the Polos upon their departure from Asia. Supposedly, it was to escort a Mongol princess to Persia, where she would marry a feudal lord allied to him. Her name was Kokochin, a heir of the Bayads - one of the three great tribes of the Mongol Empire...

...however, like many other elements of Marco Polo's tales, the authenticity of this is held into question. To begin with, the very existence of the princess is only truly attested by Polo himself. Although the name "Kokochin" appears in many Chinese and Mongolian sources from the same period, those refer to an entirely different person. Meanwhile, Persian historical texts confirm the visit of a diplomatic mission sent by the Khan to escort a bride to his ally, but no clear description of said bride is presented. The only mention worthy of note is a declaration of death just a couple of years after her arrival.

...also, this is probably a digression, but a less known legend says that, other than vast riches, Polo also brought back a lover from China. Supposedly, she was a beautiful young woman with the bearings of a princess, but did not fit well within Venetian society and was scorned by Polo's relatives. The story goes that she ended up killing herself due mistakingly believing that Marco had died in the war.

This work regards that such Chinese lover indeed existed; and although named Kokochin, she was not the Mongolian princess sent to become a bride of a Persian feudal lord.

Back when he traveled across the Mongol Empire under the orders of the Khan, Marco Polo had one fateful encounter. In a certain isolated spiritual ground, he had a chance meeting with young woman of supernatural beauty and wisdom beyond her years. Someone who was, in many ways, unworldly・superhuman.

But that was only natural, as she was not in fact human. Rather, this Kokochin was a superior spiritual being characteristic of the Far East. Something akin to the xiannu, tennyo spoken of in legends. With her guidance, Marco Polo became deeply involved with the mysteries of Asia, learning things that most mortals would not even dream of. Back then, she was his guiding star, so he fell in love quite naturally.

When the time came for the Polos to return to Europe, Marco somehow managed to convince her to join him. The discrepancies surrounding the final diplomatic mission to Persia were actually pieces of misinformation intentionally inserted by Marco Polo. A cover story prepared in order to introduce Kokochin into human society.

But his efforts were in vain, for an inhuman existence could not fit well among humans in the end. While he was locked away by the Genoans, she disappeared to the reverse side of the world, never to be seen again. If he were ever summoned into a regular Holy Grail War, Polo would probably end up wishing to meet her once again.

[Blastedspider]

Steppe Archer

"A moment of weakness can lead anyone to ruin. I have taught this lesson to many people – including myself"

Class: Archer
Other classes: Rider, Saber
True Name: Mazan the Brave
Alignment: Neutral Good
Place of Origin: The basin of Volga River

Parameters:

STR: C
END: C
AGI: B+
MGI: C
LCK: D
NP: B

Height: 184 cm
Weight: 87 kg
Likes: Hunting, cooking, learning
Dislikes: Greediness, praise, sweltering heat
Talent: Foresight
Natural Enemy: A lucky idiot
Attribute: Man
Traits: Humanoid, Riding
Armament: Bow
Catalyst: A worn-out leather gauntlet

CLASS SKILLS

Spoiler:

Independent Action
Rank: B
A Servant can stay in the world for two days without a Master. However, this is the ideal value achieved by maximally conserving mana and avoiding battle and Noble Phantasm usage.

Magic Resistance
Rank: C+
Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals under normal circumstances. The effectiveness of this Skill increases when facing evil-aligned supernatural creatures.

PERSONAL SKILLS

Spoiler:

Bravery
Rank: EX
Mental interference of any kind is completely negated. In addition, it becomes possible to inflict mental damage to the opponent through a display of utter fearlessness.
It is said that Mazan never felt fear even once in his entire life. Hearing about this a powerful Shulmus (demon) decided to test his courage. One evening when the hero was having dinner in his tent a giant hand covered in black fur rose from the ground and a hellish voice demanded to give up his meal (a very demeaning request). However, Mazan laughed it off saying that there is barely enough food for him alone, let alone some monster. This nonchalant reaction dumbfounded the Shulmus and he quickly disappeared.

Mounted Archery
Rank: B+
Denotes mastery of shooting from horseback. A composite ability which comprises the effects of the Skills Clairvoyance and Riding, while negating penalties to accuracy from firing while moving. At the current level, it is possible to use this Skill with other means of transportation provided necessary adjustments had been made to them.
Mazan was for famous for sharpshooting skills in life. Eventually, his name became a byword for an excellent archer. He was also a skilled rider with qualifications to be summoned under the appropriate class.

Eye of the Mind (True)
Rank: A
Capable of calm analysis of the abilities of the opponent as well as the battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. As longs as the chances of a comeback are above 0%, this Skill greatly improves the chances of winning.
This hero clashed with enemies which greatly outclassed in him in every way (including a nigh-immortal giant with invincible skin, a Divine Beast-level Dragon and the incarnation of Death) and was often forced to rely on trickery to defeat them. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the mind is Steppe Archers' most deadly weapon.

Protection Against Lightning
Rank: A
A form of divine protection granted by Luu, the Thunderer Beast (Dragon) of Mongolian mythology. Because of this Skill, no attack utilizing electricity would reach this Servant. However, as this defense is based on the principle of redirection rather than negation, it cannot be used to protect the allies.
According to the legend, Mazan once fought and defeated Luu and in exchange for its life the Thunderer Dragon pledged that lightning would never hit the hero or his descendants.

NOBLE PHANTASMS:

Spoiler:

Amin Soumon
From my heart to yours

Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: C+
Range: 1~99
Max Targets: 1 person

"It means "Soul Arrow".

The culmination of Steppe Archer’s sharpshooting skill and analytical capabilities. An arrow created from the soul (in a manner similar to a Reality Marble) imbued with the conceptual capability of always hitting the weak spot. It possesses a limited homing capacity but its main power lies in an ability to resonate with the soul of an enemy, instilling a state of mental and emotional disturbance (usually involving nagging uncertainty and irrational dread) greatly impairing the capacity for rational judgment. In other words the target is essentially forced to make a fatal mistake, exposing their weakest point to the shot.

To resist Amin Soumoun, one must have nerves of steel or completely master their own emotions. Defensive armaments mean very little against this Noble Phantasm (as the victim would sabotage themself) unless they operate independently from the owner. Also, to unlesh the full power of the Soul Arrow Mazan needs to observe the target in combat at least once.

The basis for this Noble Phantasm comes from the story of Mazan vanquishing an invincible giant called Ishtkin-Shora.
It is said that Ishtkin-Shora’s was much stronger than Mazan and his skin was impenetrable save for a small spot in the upper half of the neck (because of which he never lifted his head in combat). Knowing about these advantages the hero had to rely on a risky strategy to defeat him.

When two warriors were riding towards each other Mazan took the bow and aimed it at the sky, while completely ignoring Ishtkin-Shora. Unnerved and confused by such behavior the giant thought that some great danger appeared above his head and in panic tried to look up. Seizing the moment Mazan made his shoot beheading the enemy with a single arrow.

Odn Kutshlya Edgd Ochra Mazan Baatur
Boon of the Seven Stars

Type: Anti-unit (Self)
Rank: B
Range: 0
Max Targets: 1 person (self)


A mysterious ability embodying a peculiar anecdote about Mazan the Brave. In folklore, he is often attributed with the ability to be miraculously cured of all wounds and ailments (even death) when the night falls and the stars appear in the sky. For that reason, he is also known as Mazan the Batuur, son of Ochir, whose wounds are healed when the stars appear in the night sky (which is what the name of this Noble Phantasm means).

No story seems to explain why the hero, who otherwise is portrayed as normal a human being, possess such characteristic, making it existence a mystery.
Regardless of its nature, this is a quite powerful Noble Phantasm.

The properties of Odn Kutshlya Edgd Ochra Mazan Batyr generally correspond to the stories it is based upon. It automatically activates at a certain time point of the day (generally around midnight, but this might change depending on geographic location), healing Steppe Archer and restoring his magical energy reserves (effectively returning him to a freshly summoned state). If this Servant is killed the Boon of the Seven Stars resurrect him – in a greatly diminished state at first ("weaker than a newborn camel" as the story says) but with powers steadily returning during the night.

There exists no limit on the number of resurrections and specifics of Mazan’s death can’t affect this process, thus he can even come back to life after losing Master. The only way to defeat Archer for good would be following the legend and killing him on the same night he already was resurrected. However, as his story isn’t particularly famous, finding about this weakness might not be an easy task.

Despite the numerous advantages provided by this Noble Phantasm Mazan doesn’t trust it very much, saying that it failed the first time he had to rely on it.

LORE:

Spoiler:

Steppe Archer's true name is Mazan the Brave.

A great hero of Oiyraad people (Western Mongols).

He is considered to be a historical person, whose existence attested by several documented accounts. Most of these sources are brief and imprecise, but they all seem to agree that Mazan was a great warrior and capable military leader, who earned the title "baatur" ("great champion" or "hero") while he was alive. It is no surprise that many legends and anecdotes about this hero exist in the Oiyraad folklore.

It is said that Mazan was born weak and ugly with the head too large for his body and frail limbs. Growing up he was a lazy, gluttonous and seemingly dim-witted child, a disappointment to the people of his clan. However, it all changed one day when a group of traveling merchants came to the khoton (nomadic village). Among their wares was a giant bow so heavy and tense that nobody could fire from it. Mazan demanded his family to buy it for him. At first his relatives refused as the weapon was very expensive but then to everyone's surprise the child easily curved it and shot an arrow to the sky. Impressed by this newfound strength the hero's father bought the weapon. From that day onward Mazan begun hunting with it every day, soon becoming an unparalleled marksman (according to the legends he never wasted even a single arrow). Recognizing his great strength the people made him their Noyon (feudal lord).

The most peculiar characteristic of the legends of Mazan the Brave is that the hero while being a mostly normal human is often forced to fight against various types of supernatural menaces. Amongst the dangers, he had to face were cannibal witches, Shoulmus devils, a weredog sorcerer, a giant with invulnerable skin and undying body, the incarnation of thunder, the manifestation of Fate and even the Mongolian counterpart to the Grim Reaper itself. Mazan triumphed against all odds with courage and ingenuity, cementing his reputation as a great hero. Unfortunately, Steppe Archer's legend had a tragic end, which he brought upon himself.

It is said that invincible giant Ishtkin-Shora had a majestic sword which was so sharp that it could cut a warrior in two with a single hit. After slaying him Mazan wanted to take the great weapon as a trophy, but even in death the enemy continued to held onto it with an unshakable grip. Frustration overcame Mazan and, blinded by greed, the hero cut dead man’s fingers to free the sword – a vile sin in traditional Mongolian culture, especially for a baatur. Because of this dishonorable action, a great karmic curse was put on the hero dooming him to fall in the same ignoble way.

Many years passed and two sons of Ishtkin-Shora came to Oiyraad lands seeking vengeance against the man who killed their father. Mazan, an old man, yet a formidable warrior still, faced them alone, but at the most crucial moment of the battle the string of his bow snapped, and the defenseless hero was cut down by the enemies. In his youth, Mazan acquired mysterious blessing which resurrected him when night came and the stars appeared in the sky but even that miraculous ability proved useless as a treacherous servant divulged its secret weakness to younger baaturs. The hero was slain again at the night of ressurection, which negated the blessing of the stars, and allowed Ishtkin-Shora's sons to get their revenge.

"I suppose it was appropriate to end for me. All my life I fought like a man; being saved by a miracle wouldn’t fit at all".

PERSONALITY:

Spoiler:

Wise in thought and sagacious in action. At his heart Mazan the Brave always was something of a philosopher, deeply in learning the truths about the world and human condition. He might have become hermit or scholar but in the end, choose to walk different paths following the principle of not wasting any talents.

Very keen and observant, possessing an extremely good aptitude for reading people. Even a short conversation is usually enough for him to get a decent grasp of a person’s character, especially their insecurities, fears, and other psychological weaknesses. This talent might have made him an extremely dangerous person, but fortunately, Mazan has a little interest in manipulating others for purely personal gain and only demonstrates this ability to its full extent in combat.

Steppe Archer’s demeanor is characterized by calmness and a strong sense of detachment. Oftentimes it might feel like he is completely devoid of strong emotions. Such an impression, however, isn’t true as this hero harbors a deep-seated sense of regret over his ignoble actions in life. He believes that succumbing to greed he failed everyone: himself (as baatur), his people (after killing Mazan the sons of Ishtkin-Shora pestered the Oiyraad for a long time) and even his enemy. This is also the reason why Mazan is hesitant about accepting the praise, doesn’t like to be called a hero and mostly fine with his legend being so obscure. Naturally, the hero’s motivation to participate in the Grail War is connected to this: he wants to somehow compensate everyone hurt by his shortcomings.

His approach to war and conflict can be described as workman-like, and he doesn’t feel like glorifying and demonizing it. However, he does show disdain for involving innocents and might find himself at odds with bloodthirsty and sadistic allies. For Mazan an ideal battle should consist of careful observation, throughout the planning and a swift burst of action which completely obliterates the enemy in a lightning-like fashion. A Mounted Archery Skill can be considered an expression of that attitude as it provides this hero with both capacities for gathering intelligence and exceptional mobility.

Overall Mazan can be called a virtuous person. His single greatest flaw is greed, or to be specific a desire to obtain "beautiful things", especially weapons. Given his history, Archer doesn’t tend to indulge that vice.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Spoiler:

William Tell
"Impressive"
Steppe Archer respects this hero as a fellow marksman and would try to stay amicable even if they are enemies.

Gilgamesh (Archer)
"That’s… that’s a lot of gold"
His tendency to display the wealth in all the blatant ways makes Mazan uncomfortable as does the twisted sense of kinship with the Collector King.

Ishtkin-Shora
"…I am sorry"
The sense of guilt makes it hard for Steppe Archer to face the old enemy even if when he is reduced to a mindless beast.

Scatach
"You know a lot about death, don't you?"
Mazan is curious about his resurrection blessing and would try to discuss with the Witch of Dun Scaith as she seems to be very knowledgeable about this topic.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
"Your Majesty? What a sweet surprise!"
He is the ruler Steppe Archer served when he was alive, so even as Servant he treats him with appropriate respect (meanwhile the Tsar probably has no idea who that Heroic Spirit is).

Carmilla
"Pursuit of beauty is indeed a dangerous path"
Their personalities are incompatible, and Mazan can't relax around her as he fought similar creatures (Dead Apostles) in life, but he can relate to Blood Countess innermost desire.

Red Hare
"What in the world…?"
As someone who was proverbially born and raised in the saddle Steppe Archer can’t tell if he should be fascinated by this creature or repulsed by it.

CREATOR NOTES:

Spoiler:

When first hearing about the theme of this month’s contest I immediately decided to write a Mongol archer. However, it was not as easy as you might imagine. Even though the bows are heavily associated with nomadic warfare there seems to be a shortage of really famous ones (so no material to make a sound Noble Phantasm). Originally, I thought about writing Jebe (an enemy soldier who impressed Genghis Khan by wounding him with an especially masterful shot) but he seemed more of a Rider to me. Luckily enough I have managed to find a few tales about Mazan and decided to roll with it.

As you can probably tell he isn’t exactly a famous hero (pretty sure he doesn’t even feature on Wikipedia). I think this justifies me putting a lot of information into a Servant sheet. He is also written under the assumption of being summoned under nigh-perfect conditions very close to his full strength as a Heroic Spirit. Normally his stats would be lower by two or three ranks and he most likely wouldn’t have the Protection Against Thunder and the 2nd Noble Phantasm.

He actually has a special projectile called "soul arrow" in the legend, but it seems like this is just an arrow laced with some kind of poison. A "crow beak arrow" is also mentioned in one legend but nothing is said about its properties.

I see him as a sort of unbeatable character. Not from the perspective of fighting ability, but story-wise. As long as Steppe Archer doesn't stray from his path, he won't ever face defeat.

He is usually summoned with a horse (which is treated as a non-Phantasmal piece of equipment).

[asterism42]

Reminder that the deadline is noon UST on Sunday

[the god of world-0]

"oops, it will take another 100 years for you to take me by surprise."

Class: Archer
Alignment: Neutral/good
Region: England
Height: 156cm
Weight: 60kg
Likes: traveling, drinking, beautiful woman
Dislikes: staying put, tyrants, greedy people
Talent: Archery
Armaments: Bow
Natural Enemy: William the Conqueror.

stats

Str: C
End: B
Agi: B
Mna: D
Lck: A
NP: D

Skills

class skills

Independent action(A): the ability to remain independent even when rejecting, or unable to receive a prana supply from the Master. Archer can remain in this world for a week even after losing her Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms back up from the Master, or other Prana source is necessary.

Magic resistence(C): Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

personal skills

Nature of Rebellious spirit(C): The temperament to never remain at one location and never embrace a lord. A wandering star that does not have the capacity to be king nor is capable of finding his own king. Negates the effects of Charisma with the same rank.

Disengage(B): the ability to withdraw from the battlefield in the midst of combat or reset the battle conditions. it also returns skill conditions to their starting value and compulsorily cancels several bad statuses.

Clairvoyance(Archer)(C): A skill that connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons. Archer is capable of keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of four kilometers.

Noble phantasm

Shot of the Outlaw

Eye of the Wake

rank: Anti-unit, C

A Noble Phantasm representing Archer various anecdotes of perceiving and prevailing against Ambush attacks.
It manifest as as a sort of instinctive knowledge that gives him a warning when the opponent is ready. Once the enemy is perceived, Archer can Activate the Noble phantasm's main effect.
He let's loose a single arrow. This arrow is embedded with the concept of "finding want is hiding". It will automatically pursue and hit enemies who are concealed in the shadows, with the damaged increasing the lower their hiding abilities are.
Useful for dealing with assassins and tricksters and dealing the first blow, it has no use once the actual fight begins.

Background

Hereward the Wake, Anglo-Saxon rebel against William the Conqueror and the hero of many Norman and English legends. He is associated with a region in present-day Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire.
He was believed to be the son of Leofric of Bourn. As a young man he was banished from Lincolnshire by Edward the Confessor as a troublemaker.
After William the Conqueror gained control of England Archer's lands were given to Oger the Breton. Archer now took revenge by establishing a gang of rebels who attacked Normans settlers in Lincolnshire.
In 1070 he joined the invading Danes under King Sweyn and helped plunder Peterborough. In June 1070 Archer seized the isle of Ely. He was later joined by Morcar, the Earl of Northumbria.
In 1071 William led an expedition against the rebels on the the isle of Ely. Morcar surrendered but Archer and a few others escaped through the marshes. It is not known what happened to he after this date.
It seems that some of his legends have influenced the Robin Hood Mythos. However, Archer himself is not a Robin Hood.

personality

Archer is a happy-go-lucky kinda of guy. He is friendly and charismatic with anyone and has a chill disposition about common matters.
However, he can be surprisingly short fused. It does not take a lot of trying to get him going, he usually responds hostility with even more hostility.
He can be a bit of a womanizer, but he means well. He also doesn't like to stay in the same place for long, which is probably because of having spent most of his life in the road.

[the god of world-0]

Basically, if the enemy is hiding, be it by presence concealment of some other skill, it automatically hits them.

[Skull]

Did somebody ask for an Archer that uses a bow?
Also three cheers for me for actually finishing a Sheet in time for a contest. I don't think I actually have entered prior this year because I always end up missing the deadline.

- - - Updated - - -

Archer

"The final moments of "his" life was inevitably greeted by decapitation, immolation or just plain ol' hanging. But when the people need him, when they cry out in the face of injustice... "Robin Hood" will always appear once again from the depths of the forest to save them. Always."


[FC SOURCE]

True Name:

Robin Hood

Robert Deyville

Epithet: "The Prince of Thieves"
Source: Historical
Region: England (Circa 13th Century)
Hidden Attribute: Human
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Likes: Alcohol, Rebelliousness
Dislikes: Betrayal, Classism
Talents: Marksmanship, Wood carving
Natural Enemy: Aristocrats

Parameters
STR: (C) END: (D) AGI: (B) MGI: (D) LCK: (E) NP: (B)

Appearance:

Robert Deyville takes the form of a man around his mid to late twenties. He has light brown hair and hazel eyes with an unkempt beard. His customised Lincoln green tunic sports a pullover hood to mask his identity, his leggings match in colour and he wears dark brown leather boots. This otherwise garish choice in costume is perfect for camouflage in the woodlands and forests he calls home. Dangling from his belt is an ivory Olifant horn for giving various types of signals to the Merry Men.

As for armaments, it is only natural that Robert carries a Yew Longbow complete with a quiver of arrows on his back. Most of the arrows have iron heads but amongst them there lies a conspicuously gold headed one. Aside from that, Robert also carries a lightweight steel European sword on his belt for when enemies get too close but also for multipurpose reasons whenever he might need to cut something.

Character:

As a former aristocrat turned leader of a bunch of outlaws, Robert Deyville is exactly what you'd expect - intelligent and sophisticated but also blunt and sarcastic to a fault which makes him hard to like personally yet gives him a magnetic aura which no doubt attracted his band of followers. He cares little for social standing or grace, addressing everyone with the same bored disinterest be they a prince or pauper. As such he welcomes people of all walks of life and no doubt wouldn't look down on his Master for being a Mage of lesser quality. He is very self-aware of the mystery and intrigue behind the nature of "Robin Hood" and enjoys playing up to it by telling tall-tales and half truths about his and the Merry Men's accomplishments.

Since Robert was forcibly shunned by society he in turn doesn't follow any of its laws and passionately believes that the "poison" afflicting the system must be purged and so he became a vigilante that targeted the powerful and corrupt members of society and brought them to "justice" either by redistributing their wealth to the poor or if their crimes were serious enough then sending them to Hell to face judgement for their sins. However, whilst this initially made him popular amongst the people, his inability to reconcile his black and white philosophy against a more nuanced and complicated world meant that eventually as the populace felt the negative consequences of Robert's actions, they immediately turned on him which led to his inevitable demise. Nevertheless Robert wouldn't have had it any other way as he saw his actions as something that simply had to be done and feels vindicated that the name "Robin Hood" was used again and again throughout the generations for those who stood up against tyranny.

In a Holy Grail War, Robert is conscious of his stature as a weak Heroic Spirit and so he will spend most of his time scouting out the enemy Masters, waiting patiently for an opening where he can strike them down when they are vulnerable - often even ignoring what the actual Servants are doing. However, whilst Masters are fair game for targeting innocent people are - for the most part - off the table in Robert's mind. Only in a truly dire situation where it would save many people by sacrificing the few would he steel his heart and do the deed. If forced into combat with another Servant, Robert will employ hit-and-run tactics to try and chip down their health. If the power discrepancy is too great then Robert will simply retreat and let other Servants do the heavy lifting if possible. He does greatly value trust and comradeship and so if his Master proves worthy enough then Robert would be willing to sacrifice himself and his wish in order to perserve their life.

Skills:

Class Skills

Independent Action - (A)
The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the Magical Energy supply from one's Master; the ability that allows for action even in the absence of the Master. At higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without an established contract. As an experienced scout from his time in the war, Robert is adept at operating solo missions and staying alive for extended periods of time. At Rank A, it is easy for Robert to stay in the world for about a week without a Master since neither he nor his attacks consume much Magical Energy.

Magic Resistance - (D)
Protection granted against magical effects of all kinds. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether. As a normal human in life from an age where Magic was all but gone from the public, Robert has very little resistance to magic based attacks where anything more than a single-verse cast spell can kill him if it makes direct contact.

Personal Skills

Hawkeye - (A)
The superior visual and dynamic occipital capture ability belonging to those who has attained true mastery over the art of Archery. Simply looking from a high location is sufficient to fully survey a town and search for enemies. Even when an object is moving at high velocities, "To shoot correctly will result inevitably in hitting the desired target" and therefore if Robert maintains full concentration then the accuracy of his shots will not decrease since time itself appears to slow down from his perspective and even targeting for multiple shots at once is possible.

Military Tactics [Guerrilla] - (B)
The tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. This variant Skill is specialised towards either solo or small group operations against larger forces. As both a revolutionary in the Civil War and as an outlaw, Robert was always having to combat a foe in greater numbers and so he has a wealth of experience in unheroic guerrilla tactics and subterfuge. Bonus modifiers are applied for when dealing against an enemy party and a Critical Chance is initiated if Robert and allies strike before the enemy has become aware of their presence.

Powerless Shell - (B)
An ability that makes the user difficult to perceive as a Servant, declining one's parameters and suppresses one's Skills. As an outlaw for the majority of his life, obfuscating one's identity was essential and so there are countless accounts of Robin Hood disguising himself as an unassuming citizen in order to get close to his enemies. Robert's acting ability means it is as simple as a change of clothes, voice and mannerisms so that other Masters and Servants would struggle to recognise him as anything suspicious without passing a demanding Luck Check. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken. In addition the Rank drastically decreases if Robert tries to fool the same target more than once.

Noble Phantasm:

Olifant
The Rogues of the Green, Green Forest

[Type - Anti Self], [Noble Phantasm Rank - C], [Maximum Range - N/A], [Maximum Number of Targets - Self]

Robert believed that "Robin Hood" didn't belong to him but rather was a concept, a hero of justice that anyone could embody. Thus whenever his band of outlaws - the Merry Men would carry out justice whilst he was absent, he encouraged them to use the name. This raised the mystique of "Robin" as he could seemingly teleport from one end of the country to the next and no two description of him matched. The Merry Men made up as much of Robin Hood's identity as Robert did.

Now incarnated as a Servant, Robert claims with pride that his men are always with him in spirit. So when he needs them most Robert pulls his hood over his head, takes out his Olifant horn and blows and the strangest thing happens. The Servant standing there now is still clearly Robert but his voice, personality and mannerisms have all completely changed to the point an observer would swear he was someone else. Whether this is truly spirit possession or a man who deluded himself on his reputation is irrelevant, a pseudo-personality of one of the Merry Men is now controlling Robert's body.

This has some physical effects as it causes a false Class Change depending on which Merry Man was "summoned" and Robert's Parameters are redistributed to match. The hulking Little John turns him into a Berserker and his STR increases at the expense of his AGI, the cocky Will Scarlett makes him a Saber whose blinding sword slashes raise his AGI in exchange for his END, with the laughing Friar Tuck he becomes a magic-less Caster whose LCK skyrockets at the cost of all his other stats as he lures enemies into pre-set traps with his pretend silly antics... and so on and so on. Ultimately Robert can't utilise any of the Merry Men's Skills or their Noble Phantasms so this unusual technique is of limited use especially against an enemy who completely outclasses him. But it is very off-putting and the sudden change in tactics might surprise the enemy enough to open a window to victory.


The Golden Arrow
A Lyttell Geste of Robyn Hode

[Type - Anti Unit], [Noble Phantasm Rank - B], [Maximum Range - 1000], [Maximum Number of Targets - 1]

Upon seeing the enemy launching their strongest Noble Phantasm, the crystallisation of their legend...Robert takes out the Arrow with the Golden head from his quiver and takes aim. After the Golden Arrow launches, it absorbs the magical energy of the opponent's Noble Phantasm as it carries on its path towards the target. The Golden Arrow represents physically the prize Robert won in the largest Archery contest in the land and he used it after staking his and his men's freedom in an archery match against the King of England. As the hopes of all the Merry Men were placed in it, the Golden Arrow is Robert's strongest weapon in his arsenal. After growing stronger through the energy provided by the enemy's Noble Phantasm, the Arrow will keep going and upon striking, will reflect all of the power back into the enemy Servant.

However, though the Arrow's strength comes from the faith of the Merry Men...reality is often cruel and during that fateful match Robert missed the target for the first time in his life and suffered a painful loss. Thus as if to mirror the end of the story, if the enemy Servant manages to dodge the Golden Arrow then all the damage they would have taken is redirected back into Robert - likely killing him in one go. Combined with the fact that he only possesses a single copy of the Arrow, it is truly a double edged sword and it must be used very carefully. There are other factors such as if the opponent does not use magical energy in their Noble Phantasm (such as a martial arts technique) or none of their trump cards are directly offensive based then the Golden Arrow will posses no more lethality than a regular attack from Robert. Finally, as it only has the Rank of "B" if it tries to absorb the energy of an "A" Rank Noble Phantasm then it will only be able to redirect half of the damage whereas an "EX" Ranked one will likely destroy the Arrow outright.

Lore:

Robert Deyville was the younger brother of Baron John Deyville and together they lived in their luxurious home at Hood Hill during the fall of the Angevin Empire. As a bored aristocrat with nothing better to do, Robert followed his brother into battle during the Second Barons' War against King Henry III. Robert's skill with a longbow thanks to his idle days practising earnt him fame as an archer during the civil war and thus the brothers were put in charge of York Castle and the Northern Forests. However their glory was short lived as the Royal Forces eventually crushed the insurrection and the rebels were forced to buy back their estates at prices dependant on how involved they were with the rebellion.

It was at this moment that John Deyville made a history changing decision. He denounced his brother Robert as the true mastermind behind the rebellion and poor John was forced to cooperate. John was subsequently pardoned and restored as a Baron whilst Robert was declared an outlaw for the rest of his life. Fleeing from the authorities, Robert took refuge in the Northern Forests once again where he survived by crafting his own bow and arrows and using them to rob wealthy travellers who passed by the forest for food and loot to sell for provisions. Over the next few years Robert built himself up as the mythical fairy of the forest "Robin Goodfellow" and he took in several former rebel allies who became outlaws like he did, now serving Robert as his "Merry Men".

Eventually Robert decided he would pay his brother John a visit as "Robin" in order to exact some righteous vengeance. In the dead of the night, John Deyville was awoken to cries of "fire!" and as he looked out of the window he saw his castle burning. All of a sudden he heard a cackle behind him and turned around to see a hooded man with a longbow had sneaked into his bedroom. John demanded to know who the man was but immediately cowered when the man drew his bow and fired. John opened his eyes to find the man gone and an arrow imbedded into the wall beside his head, hanging from it was a piece of paper that read "Robin Goodfellow has claimed the land of Hood in response to the Baron's sins." Though the Baron survived the fire, all his wealth was lost and the public became obsessed with the outlaw hence known as "Robin of Hood" who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

This is but one of many apocryphal tales of the Heroic Spirits who claim the identity of Robin Hood...

Relationships:

EMIYA - "I feel a sense of kinship between you and I..."

Richard the Lionheart - "I'm skeptical that one of us would directly aid a King, let me put your character to the test..."

Robin Hood (EXTRA) - "A crossbow? How shameful, let me teach you what true archery is about."

Orion (Superhuman) - "The greatest archer will naturally provide the greatest challenge for me. Have at you!"

Wilhelm Tell - "An arrow on a boys head? Ha! Watch me match and surpass that with ease."

Creator's Notes:

I was surprised by the number of people who didn't like Extra!Robin and wanted a more classical depiction of Robin Hood and so I saw an opening to do it myself.

It's interesting to note that the two Robins we have already in canon represent different aspects of the legend - Extra's being the asociation with the Celtic "Jack in the Green" and the Green Man, whilst Loxley in F/SF has the whole helper of Richard the Lionheart going on. So being as that may, I decided to use Robert to emphasise the whole "Prince of Thieves" aspect what with him being the leader of a band of disgraced noblemen... though I fear I may have made him too much like Arsene Lupin for my tastes.

I really wanted to give Robert something similar to Rounds of Lionheart since it fits him far better than Richard, but I had to settle for just the pseudo-personalities instead.

[zikari8]

"Take a break, Master, and leave the rest to me. I'll show you the might of the Greatest Hero!"


Source

True Name: Heracles
Class: Archer
Alignment: Lawful Good
Sex: Female
Height: 165cm
Weight: 57kg
Weapon: Bow of Hydra, Wooden Club

Source: Greek Mythology
Region: Asia Minor
Talents: Heroism
Likes: Cute boys wearing women’s clothing
Dislikes: Her husband being out of the kitchen
Natural Enemy: Jason

Parameters:
STR: D
CON: E
AGI: C
MGI: C
LCK: B
Noble Phantasm: A++

Profile:
The greatest hero of Greek Mythology.

Archer is the all too famous demigod and superhuman paragon of masculinity that overcame countless trials in life, Heracles. Unmatched in wit, boundless in strength, and peerless in bed, she is certainly the great hero we are all familiar with, simply having regained her sanity and original form.

… or that is what she claims. Though she no doubt wields the iconic lion pelt and wooden club of the great hero, only an idiot would actually believe her farfetched genderbending claims. Her true identity isn’t hard to guess.

Ability

Class Skills:
Magic Resistance D:
Cancels Single-Action spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy.

Independent Action C:
It is possible for a Servant to stay in the world for one day without a Master. Though Archer claims to be a strong, independent woman who needs no Master, in truth her capacity for individual action is mediocre. After all, it is rather uncouth for a queen to abandon her kingdom and act alone. Plus, how could she possibly get by without her husband waiting for her at home.

Personal Skills:
Bravery D:
The ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination, also granting a bonus to melee combat. It is the iconic skill of Heracles, so it only makes sense for Archer to have it. Naturally it isn’t at the rank of the real deal, but it certainly takes some guts to even try and take the place of the immortal legend.

Golden Rule C:
A Skill that refers to the measurement of one's fortune to acquire wealth. In the case of Archer, it is representative of the outstanding financial ability to even purchase the greatest hero of Greece.

Discipline of the Queen B:
A skill representing the charm and capacity for discipline needed for a queen to control her superhuman servants. It is a bewitching charisma that turns even the toughest, manliest heroes into slaves of her feminine beauty. For her, even the greatest immortal demigod was merely her servant.

Weapons:
Her main armament as an Archer is the famous Bow of Hydra. Unfortunately, she doesn't possess it as a Noble Phantasm, but its innate poison abilities are retained. Her other side weapon is the wooden club of Heracles.

Noble Phantasm:
Queen’s Order: False Glories
Rank: A++
Type: Anti-Unit

A Noble Phantasm embodying the “symbols of Heracles”. The lion pelt carved from a legendary beast and the wooden club that has conquered many monsters… these two armaments are the Noble Phantasm of Archer, encompassed under one name. It can be considered a composite Noble Phantasm that allows her to use both of her infamous weapons at their full conceptual potential. If a Noble Phantasm is the symbol of a hero, then having these iconographic attributes is proof that Archer is none other than Heracles herself.

The Pelt of the Divine Beast is the infamous fur draped over her shoulders. The Nemean Lion from which it comes was a beast that “rejected” human civilization, acting like an anti-civilization singularity. This ability is retained by its pelt and so cannot be pierced by any tool created by humans. Even without that ability, it is still a rather tough pelt and can withstand quite a few powerful attacks.

The Club of the Immortal Hero is the simple-looking club in her hands. It is none other than the olive-wood club of Heracles, perhaps his most iconic weapon. Unlike his many other weapons, it does not possess any inherent material attributes. Instead, it itself is a symbol of the strength of Heracles. Thus, any attack made by it should be considered an attack of Heracles. Hence, any strike Archer makes with this weapon renders damage equal to a melee attack with A-rank Strength. This does not change the actual rank of the attack, however.

The true conceptual ability of this Noble Phantasm, however, lies in its non-offensive effect. As long as Archer has both of this Phantasm’s armaments equipped, other people will perceive her as the real Heracles, regardless of how illogical such a conclusion would be. It is a type of conceptual mental interference; as the two items are the greatest symbols of Heracles, the one wearing them must be Heracles himself. The power comes from the legend in which the nature god Pan, seeing her wear the lion pelt, mistook her for the actual Heracles. That symbolic association has hence been manifested as a perception-altering ability.

All in all, the power of this Noble Phantasm is the power to be Heracles. It allows Archer to wield his most iconic armament and even be perceived as him. Thus, as long as it is intact, she is for all extensive purposes Heracles herself.

Character

Background:

Archer’s True Name is Omphale, the Queen of Lydia and second wife of Heracles. After her husband was killed, she continued to reign as queen on her own as a wealthy, respected queen. Due to the usual misfortunate circumstances of his life, Heracles was forced to become her slave for a year. During that period, she forced him to wear woman’s clothing and serve her like a maid, while she took his infamous pelt and club to wear herself. The mistress of the ultimate hero, she reveled in the reversal of power that came with making Heracles her slave. Still, even under the chains of servitude, the demigod’s innate heroism would not die down. He accomplished a number of great deeds in his stay at Lydia. It was also during this period that he joined up with the Argonauts. After the year of servitude, Heracles was freed and Omphale took him as her husband. They married and sired a line of Heraclids. Such is their story.

What isn’t recorded, however, is that the Heracles in many of the Lydian trials was actually Omphale in disguise. The arrogant vine-grower Syleus, the criminal farmer Lityerses, the dwarfish prankster spirits known as the Kerkepos, the monstrous snake terrorizing the kingdom and the Itoni invading it… the hero who actually dealt with these evils that threatened the kingdom of Lydia was none other than the queen herself. Wearing the lion pelt and wooden club she took from Heracles, she was able to pass herself off as the real deal as she went around her kingdom to protect her citizens. With the exception of when he went to join the Argonauts, most of the real Heracles’s time was spent at home forced to do a woman’s work while his wife was off doing hero work. Therefore, for a single year, Omphale was truly Heracles herself.

Character Image:

To most people, Heracles’s year of servitude must’ve been one of humiliation and disgrace. The ultimate hero and paragon of masculinity was forced to serve a woman. He was made to wear a woman’s dress and do a woman’s work, while she took away his symbols of heroism. It was a true reversal of gender roles and power. Perhaps, even the man himself thought of it like that. But to Omphale herself, she did not see it that way. That disgraceful situation was her way of trying to make Heracles happy. Omphale loved Heracles. Such is undeniable as they fell in love and married after he was freed. She cherished him and wanted to grant him happiness. So, everything she did was for him.

None did not know the heroics of Heracles, the demigod who had already conquered the Twelve Labors. Conquering many archaic dangerous forces, he was a hero who made the world safe for mankind. Unmatched in strength and deeds, he was a larger-than-life protector of humanity. Those deeds alone earned Omphale’s admiration and fascination. It was that love that made her wish to buy him as a slave. But when at last he became hers, she realized something. His wound-covered immortal body, his cold and aloof demeanor, his overwhelming aura… when she saw those things, she understood the pain of a hero.

Heracles was born into a life of eternal strife. His demigod existence was proof of Zeus’s illicit affairs and so earned him the ire of Hera. His very name is proof of the hardships he would face in life. Despite that, he still sought glory. Instead of a simple and easy life, he chose one of danger and hardship. Always facing impossible challenges, always falling victim to rage and misfortune, he never knew the joy of peace. His godly strength struck fear in humans, while his human heritage earned him the anger of a goddess. There was nowhere for him to belong. His life was one of eternal struggle.

And so Omphale thought. If a hero is one who protects everyone, then who’s left to protect the hero? Shouldn’t this man who protected everyone over and over again be rewarded with more happiness than all the people he’s saved combined?

And so Omphale decided. If no one else will protect the hero, then it was up to her. For atleast a year, for as long as she had power of him, she would give him the peaceful life he never had. She would carry his burdens as a hero. She would become a hero in his place.

It is for that reason she made Heracles a simple servant in woman’s clothing and took away the symbols of his heroism. She had the greatest hero ever in her pocket, but she didn’t use him as a soldier; all she wanted was for him to experience a normal human life. And in his place, it was up to her to carry on the name of Heracles, the fight the evils so he wouldn’t have to. That was the conviction of her love. That is the true nature of Omphale.

If Jason was a king that wanted to create a world where no one would treat Heracles as a monster, Omphale was a queen who wanted to make one where no one would treat him as a hero. She just wanted him to be happy.

Personality

“Gaooooo! Leave it to me! I’m the great hero, Heracles!!!”

A woman who has taken the title and burden of Heracles upon herself. Regardless of the validity of her claims, Archer is a daring warrior woman with the metaphorical balls to face any God-given labor. Cool as ice, tough as steel, she puts up a somewhat convincing façade of a fierce monster-slaying warrior, betrayed only by her lack of actual superhuman strength and her nature as bumbling klutz. No matter how much you call out how obviously false her claims are, she’ll fervently deny any accusations to an almost comedic level of stubbornness. She may not live up to the legend of her name, but she sure as hell tries her best.

“Lalalala, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you, I’m the real Heracles, lalalala!”

Under her cold exterior of a great hero, she’s actually a nice, earnest and loving ditz. All of her feats as fake Heracles were ones in which she protected her kingdom from dangers. She cares for her people and cares for her husband. At her core, she isn’t suited for the life of a hero like her husband, but she tries to match the role with all her heart. Because there was someone she wanted to protect, she took his burdens upon herself. In the end, all she can do is be a hero for the people she cares about.

Relationships

Heracles:
Her husband whom she loves the most. Little needs to be said about their relationship. He stays at home while she goes off fighting monsters and stuff… that’s their previous relationship, but now that he’s been freed, she can no longer control his innate heroism. There is no need for two Heracles in the world, so if she’s around then she’ll happily take the backseat and support him as well as she can as his wife. She may also have a thing for seeing him in a dress though…

Jason:
A rather antagonistic relationship. During Heracles’s servitude of her is when he also joined the Argonauts, destroying her intentions of keeping him from dangerous heroism, so she blames the idiot Jason for roping him into it. They naturally would fight a lot as two of the people who love Heracles the most. That said, the two aren’t completely incompatible as their love for the big fella are similar. In their own way, they both want to give Herc a peaceful life.

Argonauts:
Since most of her anger is directed at Jason, she’s less antagonistic against the rest of the Argonauts. It’s the sort of relationship one would have towards one’s husband’s pals who you personally aren’t friends with. “Thank you for taking care of my hubby” and all that.

Illyasviel:
“I’m Heracles, trust me!”
“No, you’re not!!!”

[Leftovers]

Top waifu, well played.

[asterism42]

Slightly past the deadline, but I'll let it slide.

Voting open, closes on the 30th, allowing extra time for Christmas etc

[the god of world-0]

Guess I will go first:

1 point: Wernher Von Braun

2 points: red horn

3 points: omphale

[RoydGolden]

3 points: Shikhandi

2 points: Marco Polo

1 point: Hermes Trismegistos

[Bugs]

3 points: Red Horn

2 points: Robert Deyville

1 point: Marco Polo

Honorable Mention: Arrow-Odd, Shikhandi

This is one of those prompts that I wish I could give four different sheets my 2 points vote. Good job everyone.

[Shiki-pon]

3 points: Mazan the Brave

2 points: Robert Deyville/Robin Hood

1 point: Marco Polo