Monthly Create-A-Servant Contest

[Kamera]

Again… the voices of the fallen… are weeping…
Argh… just a little more… please wait for a little longer…
Be patient… my comrades. The eternity we seek is closer at hand.
I promise… I shall obtain the Holy Grail, and let you all finally rest in peace.

These memories, these hope, these faith.
With honor, I shall be the one to carry them to the Promised Land.

…

The brave soldier sought glory in death.
Traveling on the road of sacrifice, he spilled his own blood to honor the legacy of the fallen.
As long as he has something to fight for—not even countless failures can extinguish his flame.

The chivalrous knight seeks honor in eternity.
Marching on the path of martyrdom, he had offered his own life for the dignity of the dead.
As long as there’s someone believing in him—not even a Demon God can stain his brilliance.

…

The Demon God cannot comprehend chivalry.
The notions of Honor and Glory are utterly unfathomable for the Transcendent One.
He could never understand why humans would throw their life away for a higher cause.
—Not even after he had observed countless wars and walked through a million battlefields.

However, the concepts of “honorable death” and “glorious sacrifice” continues to fascinate him.
In his attempt to grasp these ideals, the Demon God Eligos instead mistook them for vengeance.
Thus—the Demon God accumulates the grudges of the fallen, as proof of the folly of humanity.

…

The knight strives for the perfection of chivalry.
His honorable deeds and glorious achievements have earned him fame and respect.
Being martyred in fighting for the honor and glory of his nation is a desirable end for him.
Even if his sacrifice turns out to be absolutely meaningless and ultimately futile—

He knew that chivalry can lead to the downfall of even the most honorable of knights.
For he had witnessed firsthand the moment the Knight Templars were burned as heretics.
And so—the knight sought to inherit their legacy, in order to seek the true meaning of chivalry.

…

Unto a knight is given a sword, which resembles a cross in order to signify that Our Lord conquered on the Cross the death to which humanity was condemned for the sin of our first father, Adam. A knight ought to destroy and utterly vanquish the enemies of the Cross by the sword, for chivalry exists to maintain justice. For that reason, the sword is made with two cutting edges, to signify that the knight ought to use it to uphold chivalry and justice.

The armor symbolizes a castle and fortress against vices and weaknesses. For just as a castle or fort is all walled in, so an armor is firm and closed on all sides to remind a noble knight that he should not enter with his courage into treason nor any other vices.

The shield is given to the knight to represent the duty of a knight. For just as the knight puts his shield between himself and his enemy, so the knight is the intermediary between the prince and the people. And just as the stroke falls upon the shield and saves the knight, in the same way the knight ought to array himself and present his body before his lord when that lord is in peril, hurt or capture.

A knight is also given a spear, which represents truth. For truth is something straight and even and ought to take precedence over falseness. The iron head of the spear signifies strength, which truth ought to have far more than falseness. And the banner of the spear indicates that truth is faithful to all and has no fear of falseness or treachery. The spear symbolizes that truth sustains hope.

…

Class: Lancer
True Name: Geoffroi de Charny
Gender: Male
Alignment: Lawful Good
Origin: Historical Facts and Rumors
Attribute: Man

A 14th century French knight who fought in the Hundred Years War and took part in the Crusade of Smyrna. Often considered to be the best knight of his time, Geoffroi wrote a treatise called the Book of Chivalry, which details the ideal conceptual qualities of a knight. He was also given the highest honor of bearing the war banner of the French king, the Oriflamme.

Geoffroi de Charny was also known for his possession of the first-class relic now known as the Shroud of Turin, which first appeared to the public in a Church near Troyes which the Charny family founded, in the exact same year Geoffroi de Charny himself died. However, soon after it was discovered, the Holy Shroud was ruthlessly denounced by the Holy Church as a forgery, and even now its authenticity is debated. There is a theory which said it once belonged to the Templars, based on the Charny family’s close history with them. After all, Geoffroi's uncle was one of the Templars burned at the stake—

Nevertheless, there is no doubt among the Mage’s Association and the Eight Sacrament that the Holy Shroud of the Charny family was the real artifact that wrapped the body of the crucified Christ. The reason it was publicly discredited was because it has been found to be corrupted by something abominable—because Geoffoi de Charny was the host of a Demon God. The infernal spirit holding the title of Duke. The unholy knight who reigns over warfare, the vengeful demon of the battlefield—the Fifteenth Pillar, Eligos.

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

Class Skills:
Riding: A+
Can ride and operate all creatures and vehicles up to the rank of Phantasmal Species and Divine Beasts, with the exception of Dragons. The Riding skill is the very foundation of chivalry, and a squire who cannot tame a mighty steed cannot call himself a knight, or so Lancer claims. However, true to his words, his Riding Skill does receive a slight boost by obeying the Code of Chivalry.

Though it’s not classified as a Noble Phantasm because he’s not a Rider, Lancer’s horse is the Steed of Abigor, a Demonic Beast possessed by the Demon God Eligos that was said to be raised in the Garden of Eden. That said, he looks nothing demonic and is actually quite gallant.

Magic Resistance: A
Grants protection against magical effects. Cancel spells of A-Rank or below, it makes Lancer practically untouchable to modern magecraft. As a spellcasting knight from a magus family ordained by the Holy Church, Lancer was experienced in dealing against rogue warlocks and witches alike.

Personal Skills:
Code of Chivalry: A++
A composite skill that encompasses the essential abilities which every proper knight should have, which includes Charisma, Knight’s Tactics and Riding. It also provides a boost to Lancer’s parameters in proportion to how “honorable” and “glorious” his actions and circumstances are. Conversely, it will also severely weaken Lancer if he commits deeds that are deemed improper and shameful for a Knight, such as fighting against women. Though the concepts of Chivalry are something Lancer himself theorized in his “Book of Chivalry” treatise, it is said that he was heavily influenced by the “72 Codes of Knighthood” of the Knight Templars.

Also, thanks to the influence of the Demonic Knight Eligos, which conflated “honor and glory” with “vengeance” it seems that this skill also has effects similar to Avenger skill, which grants Lancer significant boost when taking acts of revenge.

Oblivion Correction: EX
The sorcery trait of the Charny family. It was developed out of necessity to assist in their responsibility as the Custodian of the Holy Shroud. It is an extreme memory enhancement that makes it conceptually impossible for one to forget anything. As a Servant, this means that Lancer will also remember every instance of summoning from at least a thousand different timelines. In addition, it also allows Lancer to take a “Knight’s Oath”, which can confer various blessings depending on the sworn oath.

The true nature of this memory enhancement is something called “Castle of the Mind”, and its purpose is as a form of Mental Protection and Absoluteness of Mind that serves to alleviate the heavy burden imposed by the Shroud of Turin as well as to protect Lancer’s mind from the corruption of the Demon God.

Grand Order: E
The mark of a Beast, signifying one’s status as an Enemy of Human Order. A curse embedded into the Magic Crest of 72 magus families by a being claiming to be King Solomon. It ensures that when their assigned time arrives, one of the seventy two Demon God Pillars will take over their descendant’s body and carry out their plan of the Incineration of the Human Order.

Lancer carries within his Magic Crest the mark of the Demon God Eligos. However, in truth, the task assigned to Eligos has already been carried out by Geoffroi de Charney, Lancer’s uncle, the Templar burned at the stake alongside Jacques de Molay on the charge of Demonic Possession. The reason Eligos continued to influence the Charny family was because it has embedded itself within the Holy Shroud of Turin.

Noble Phantasms:
Saint-Suaire
Holy Shroud Touched with the Memory of Eternity
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Rank: EX
The living may lie, but the memories of martyrs tell only the truth.
The Holy Shroud of Turin. The cloth that wrapped the body of the crucified Christ, after which he resurrected three days later. A first-rate relic equivalent to the Holy Grail and the Holy Lance in fame and mystery. It was discovered by the Charny family, back when most of its members were part of the Knight Templars, and they have since been its guardian.

It is said that it can heal wounds, confer invincibility, or even grant immortality. Countless great heroes, emperors, kings, knights and saints were said to have been buried with it in hope to replicate the great miracle of the Messiah’s resurrection. Of course, this relic cannot revive the dead. Once the soul and body are separated, it is eternal—what is wrapped within this Shroud that has been corrupted by a Demon God are just the cries of the dead, the echoes of the fallen. In essence, just as the Holy Grail is a Vessel of Souls, the Shroud Turin serves as a Temple of Memories.

As a Noble Phantasm, it has the power to absorb, accumulate, destroy and even recreate memories. When used to recreate memories, a Reality Marble is temporarily formed to contain it, and even the dead can be reconstructed within it. In addition, by drawing the power of the Demon God Eligos residing within the Shroud, Lancer can obtain the “Curse of Eternity”, rendering the concept of past, present and future meaningless for him.

Oriflamme de l'Étoile
Noble Knights, Raise the Chivalrous Banner of the Blazing Star
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: A+
Like a blazing sun, Chivalry shines the brightest at moments closest to death.
The Oriflamme, the gilded lance bearing the royal banner of France that was flung by Lancer at the Battle of Poitiers, where he died. It is a Noble Phantasm representing Lancer’s attainment of the highest honor and glory within the Chivalrous Order of the Star that Lancer founded, and also ended with his death.

When the banner is raised, all allied units will receive a massive morale encouragement and receive a boost to their STR and END parameters, while the enemy units will be inflicted with a demoralizing mental attack that will reduce their AGI and LCK parameters if successful. It also grants allies with significant resistance against fire elemental attacks. With the invocation of this Noble Phantasm’s true name, the flag will burn with blood-red flame, and it will confer Lancer and his allies with the blessing of the Headless Saint, St. Denis, in the form of a powerful Battle Continuation effect that will allow them to fight as if an army of undead that will keep on fighting even as their limbs are cut off and their head separated from their body.

Lastly, as a forbidden trump card that Lancer himself will never use, by replacing the original banner of the Oriflamme with the Shroud of Turin, and by drawing the power of the Demon God Eligos within it, it is possible for Lancer to channel the grudges and vengeance accumulated within the Shroud to transform the lance into a miniature Demon Pillar blazing with dark flames. In this form, it can unleash an wide-ranged attack that will incinerated the both the body and mind of anyone within range into ashes. It will also slowly rob every sentient creature nearby of their memories. At this point, Lancer’s Saint Graph will slowly but surely be altered, and ultimately his class will be distorted into an Avenger, as the memories of the dead will finally overwhelm his own—

Abigor Legion
Fallen Warriors, Kindle the Vengeful Flame of the Crimson Abyss

Relationship
Pelles
Most Honorable Lord of Corbenic, it's a pleasure to meet fellow guardian of our Savior's Relics.
Let us bear this... solemn duty of ours with pride.
(Ah... The fallen knights... their hearts trembles with yearning at the thought of the Holy Grail)

"Nero"
Kuh...! You are...!?
Ahem. Pardon my rudeness, Sir.
(The memories of Martyrs... for a moment, they're trembling with a confused loathing)

Umar Al Aziz
O Virtuous King of the Saracens, your words carries wisdom, but my pride compels me to dispute it.
Treasures have worth not because of its value, usefulness or fame alone.
A treasure's real worth lies in the memories embedded on it.

Charlot
Prince—no, Squire Charlot! How undisciplined!
Tighten your grip! Straighten up your form! Compose your courage!
This special training will go on until you become an admirable Knight worthy of His Glorious Majesty, your father.

"Jesus"
Mon Dieu...
No... What blasphemy is this!
And... Why are these voices...?!

Aži Dahāka
This corruption... The Demon have completely taken over you...
O Serpent of Greed, begetter of Evil, originator of Destruction.
By out faith, by our oath, we shall end thy hunger.

Wakanuke
Hm? A female warrior from the Orient?
A duel? As fond I am for tourneys, I would never fight a lad—
I see... You're quite serious. Very well, let us—wait, another Demonic Serpent?!

Sandman
What sorcery are you...!?
Your mere presence... stirs the memories into restlessness...
But at the same time... tranquility?

Mr. Glass
Compared to the duties of Knights, the pursuits of Craftsman and Scholars may indeed be nobler to society.
To think that even such brilliant craftsman as yourself could face such unjustified dishonor and death...
(I wonder if that Glass Armor would be too extravagant for a Knight?)

Pérdix
This memory... This vengefulness... Such familiar feelings...
Deeds speak louder than Words, and I can see from your commendable actions that you value something more than just malice.
O Winged Craftsman, if the dishonor and failure of the past can raise glory and victory for the future, then keep flying on this path.

Priapus
I suppose a leisure summer voyage once in a while should be beneficent for the morale of knights.
Alright! Sir Priapus, to prepare for future crusading expeditions, let's make write this activity a routine.
(Eh? Did I say something shameful? I feel like the voices of the fallen are laughing at me?)

Nannerl
What soothing melodies... It almost feels like... a dream, an eternity.
A steadfast minstrel guarding an ephemeral memory.
Your chivalrous dedication truly merits admiration.

[The rest hopefully coming soon]

[Tabris]

Oi, Kamera, ending with the name and pic of Jeff's third NP, with no description -- is that intentional?

[Kamera]

yeah, because there is no third NP. it's just a tradition in my Demon God Servants that one of their NPs have alternate names.

[RoydGolden]

Geoffroi: Between this one's FC and my Houdini we've got a theme of spoopy ghost hands in this prompt. Seriously though this is a good sheet. The Shroud of Turin carrying the memories of everyone who died wearing it is a nicely bittersweet concept. The honorable knight treads forth on a perpetual march for the sake of the fallen.

[realcasually]

I think I'm ACTUALLY going to get it done on time, goddamn. At this rate it'll be done by tomorrow... and then I have a whole day to wrestle with the awful formatting this is gonna take. I think this is my most complicated sheet ever, and I don't believe for a goddamn second it will do what I want it to do first try, lol.

[Kamera]

Geoffroi: Between this one's FC and my Houdini we've got a theme of spoopy ghost hands in this prompt. Seriously though this is a good sheet. The Shroud of Turin carrying the memories of everyone who died wearing it is a nicely bittersweet concept. The honorable knight treads forth on a perpetual march for the sake of the fallen.

Yeah, they also got these "the voice of the dead overwhelming one's mind" shenanigans; very fitting for this prompt, if I may say so myself. Anyways, thank you. (also, damn I wanted to use a Mori Calliope FC too)

[Justiciar Hux]

And Upon Her Forehead...
Class: Beast VIPretender
Alternative Classes: The circumstances of her birth annulled all other possibilities.
True Name:

Nero Claudius Caesar

Mother Babylon

Gender: Female
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Attribute: Earth
Height: 154cm | 24m (Length)
Weight: 47kg | 10x10+7 tons
Source: Historical fact, Slander, Biblical Prophecy
Region: Rome, Babylon

Appearance

Parameters
STR: C
END: C
AGL: C
MANA: A+
LCK: D
NP: A++

Fufu.
Fufufu.
There is no need to tremble.
There is no need to fear.
There is no need to panic.
There is no need to clamour.
I am here.
I will always be by your side.
For as long as you follow your desires, I will reward you with the sweetest nectars.
Gather vengeance.
Gather malcontent.
Gather and sow love.
Gather imaginary matters.
Gather and dispel faith.
Gather and consume sin.
Gather unto eternity.
Do this and my love for you shall be as eternal as myself.
When you have satisfied the seven playgrounds and filled the seven human desires...
Calamity will come from the sea.
It will swallow, consume, and engorge itself on all creation.
Heroic Spirits.
Those of you who come from Chaldea, too.
I invite you to the swirling labyrinth of desire.
Many have lost their path in those depths...
I look forward to seeing your own progress, too.Fufu.
Fufufu.
There is no need to tremble.
There is no need to fear.
There is no need to panic.
There is no need to clamour.
I am here.
I will always be by your side.
For as long as you follow your desires, I will reward you with the sweetest nectars.
Gather vengeance.
Gather malcontent.
Gather and sow love.
Gather imaginary matters.
Gather and dispel faith.
Gather and consume sin.
Gather unto eternity.
Do this and my love for you shall be as eternal as myself.
When you have satisfied the seven playgrounds and filled the seven human desires...
Calamity will come from the sea.
It will swallow, consume, and engorge itself on all creation.
Heroic Spirits.
Those of you who come from Chaldea, too.
I invite you to the swirling labyrinth of desire.
Many have lost their path in those depths...
I look forward to seeing your own progress, too.

𒁐𒌈I'm hungry.

もすぐは獣ちゃん夕食お食べてもいいよ♥You can have dinner soon, my dear Beast♥

Class Skills

Riding A+
The skill of commanding vehicles and beasts as their controller, and riding them. At this rank, the Harlot can control all manner of vehicle and beast, even those of the Divine Beast rank, as if they were part of her body. However, dragons cannot be controlled. Specialist skills necessary are not present in her Spirit Origin.
Her mount is a seven-headed beast, scarlet and crowned with honours.

Magic Resistance B+
The ability to nullify magecraft. Any spell below six verses in length is cancelled. Even spells of Greater Ritual and High Thaumaturgy can be mitigated, though not cancelled.

Number of Depravity EX
The numeral demonstrated by the beast. The destiny of holding humans in one's hands as a skill. Pleasure leads to lust, and lust leads to depravity. Upon her hand is the demonstration of sin inscribed, that number that will one day shatter the system of wealth. By holding this numeral in her heart and upon her hand, she demonstrates a body and a wealth that cannot be overcome, a Golden Rule that brings wealth and an immutable body. Those that covet this gift may have the same numeral carved into their forehead, bearing the path for the

Keter

crown

, and in their

Chesed

hand

. Fundamentally an Anti-Human Order skill.

Nega-MessiahAnti-Christ C
The Skill of rejecting Salvation. Indicative of one's status as the Beast who will prepare the whole world to be reset by God, who spreads words against the Savioura facsimile, a hollow emanation of the true Beast. The Beast rejects the proper progression of humanity, rising out of the Abyss with great splendour and mighty blessings given by the Dragon. Weapons born of that progression, from Human History that has not reached a lost point, are functionally incapable of damaging the holderdeal a reduced damage value, though Divine Armaments such as Excalibur, Ea, or Kusanagi-no-Tachi, are exempt.

Prospering Poisonous City - Nineveh, Vol. 1

Nineveh, Assyria
Year: 2190 B.C.
The Empress' Throne Room
Time: 08:00

In the city of Nineveh, the capital of mighty Assyria, there lived an empress.
A woman who desired all the power of the world, who reigned over her empire with wisdom.
She had no husband, of course, because he was dead.
King Ninus, he who founded the city, had died the year prior.
She had poisoned him, of course, because she wanted him dead.
Her name was Semiramis. The mighty Queen of Assyria.
And today was a most curious day, even in one as toxic and vibrant as Her Majesty's. She was giving audience to a spirit, calling itself a "Former Heroic Spirit", who claimed to be from the future. Her Majesty had dealt with countless spirits before. Those of the Rivers, the plains, the mountains, and even those who failed to reach Heaven, but never had she found one who claimed to be a creature from the future.
The spirit entered. She bore on her head a pallid crown that evoked both a victor's wreath, and a lavish funeral veil. She was covered in lavish robes, purple and red, and glittering with the thousands of gems and golden bands weaved into the fabric. She bore in her hands a chalice, the faint sign of bloodied crimson within as its contents. All at once she felt as if she were both royalty and filth. An abomination against the world, and a creature she should respect.
Still, Her Majesty gave her neutral gaze to the creature's face. Youthful, yet showing the cracks of corruption. Her eyes showed the traces of lime around their fell gold core.
And when the resplendent, terrible creature opened her mouth, Her Majesty's divine blood roiled in her veins.

"Good morning, Empress. As the pleasantries are concluded, leave my house."

Her Majesty's gaze instantly shifted, betraying her true feelings of disgust for the wretch before her.
"Your house? You must beg for death, as I am the Empress. Blessed by Ishtar and Derketo. Guards, remove her."

The foul beast cackled. "I'm pleased you feel that way, O' Queen of Poison. Else my effort in bringing forth It would have been for nought."

"It?"

"Indeed, It is a gift. A parting gift. In that it will part you. Scattered across the walls, the throne, and the earth beyond your walls will be your blood."

The guards snapped to action, rushing the small woman all at once. And yet, not one of their blades met their mark.
By merely pouring the contents of her cup upon the floor, they had fallen to their knees. One fell face-first into the filth, and his body summarily reduced itself to ashes.

Her Majesty raised one hand, and dozens of chains emerged from magic circles. The woman in scarlet quickly found herself immobile, her cup taken away and her body held aloft before Her Majesty.
"Your knowledge would have been so useful. Alas, you have proven more trouble than any information you could give would be worth. Any final words?"

The woman smiled again. "Yes, just three..."
She found her skull pierced by a dozen more chains. Her body felt as if it was filled with poison, searing pain filling her body.

"That was sufficient."
Her body was shattered by the array of light beams that emancipated her of both chain and life.
Her Majesty shook her head.
"What a pity. I liked those guards."

Personal Skills

Invitational Rose A
A curse-like Charisma that can deceive even the World. Magic Resistance of A-rank of higher is necessary to cancel the effects. However, if there is so much as a single person present who doubts...person herself into believing her own twisted memories. Nero recognizes herself as none other than the Beast of Revelations, and necessarily the Beast who bears the crown of the sixth station. If Nero is successfully convinced of her falsehood, she will go berserk due to the contradiction.

Wormwood A+
An evolution of the "Migraine" skill. Her migraines have been removed from her skull, and are now mixed into the fluid contained in the Golden Grail. As a result, she does not suffer random migraines, and may run her Bewitching Empress' Privilege without issue, until she drinks from the Grail. At such a time, she will be afflicted with heavy demerits to all Parameters, all Bewitching Empress' Privilege bonuses will be cancelled, and the probability of her Third Noble Phantasm's success is reduced to zero.

Bewitching Empress' Privilege EX
Fundamentally, there is little difference in function from Imperial Privilege. The name has merely been changed by the user.
For Nero, the relevant skills are Arts, Tactics, Magecraft, Cooking, among others.
However, Nero is incapable of obtaining the Divinity skill, as she represents the demise of God's domain, and is destined to be cast into the Abyss.is born of a creature even the Gods reject.

Lingering Scent of Reset D
The ability to "reset" one's body to its original state. A massive, unconditional healing effect that appears as if time was being unwound. A skill derived from the Authority of the Earth Mother Goddess, Potnia Theron. Damage against the Potnia Theron is cancelled, as to do so would be no different from damaging the system of life itself. It also marks one as the successor of Çatalhöyük.A skill that bears a resemblance to the immortality afforded to the Potnia Theron, but truthfully evokes the imagery of a ceaseless army of red-clad soldiers.
Additionally, a bloody scent is added to her breath.

Miasma of Lascivity D
An alluring smell that permeates the air. An output of charming, intoxicating aromas that melt one's senses. Smells like white roses.Smells like fabric softener.

Prospering Poisonous City - Nineveh, Vol. 2

Nineveh, Assyria
Year: 2190 B.C.
The Empress' Throne Room
Time: 18:13

The last war strategies had been submitted for the day, the final architectural plans drawn for the new housing division, and all applications for new Bounded Fields, or the reinforcement of existing ones, over farmlands had been deliberated upon. Her Majesty Semiramis had merely one final meeting before she would retire for the day, an emissary claiming to be from the Far East bearing fortunes and gifts for Assyria.

"Let them so enter."

Semiramis' eyes filled with rage.
It was that woman from before.
That wretched woman, who had killed her guards and sullied the imperial throne room with blood. Swift as a desert storm, over thirty magic circles formed and blasted the woman.
When the dust settled, her body was clearly wounded, but rapidly reassembling itself, exposed bones being recompensed with flesh, hewn off chunks of entrails writhing back towards their owner, sinews stitching the body, and eyes reforming, at first deflated, then filling with humour.
Another dozen spells fired, and still she stood.

"Understand this, Your Majesty. This is my house. And you shall leave."

The river outside the palace rippled, at first gentle, yet growing by the moment, waves pouring onto the Empress' streets, her citizens fleeing from the bringer of life, as It rose.
An incarnation of sin and vice, and its name was Therion.
Observe keenly, for one must know the glory of the abyssal monster.
It was a creature that did not now exist, but did once, and shall do once again.
A phenomenon lovingly sung into existence, a creature who reigns over the city as king, which came forth by bearing its sinewy muscles under the now sand-laden rough waves.
While some of the people continued to flee, others fell prostrate, praising the mighty beast, as even as it placed one foot upon the land, it seemed as if it was the rightful lord of all creation.

Her Majesty rose from her seat, enraged by this clear mockery.
"You dare to bring such a thing before me? The Wise Queen?"

"Of course."

With a single roar, the likes of which neither wild beast nor sapient life had ever heard, Therion cast forth a curse. Her Majesty's guards fell, their souls burnt and falling to the Abyss in a single sound, as Her Majesty felt her own tug at her flesh, barely resisting the facsimile of a Dragon's Breath as a ritual circle surrounded her feet.

"Fleeing so soon, Wise Queen?"

"Of course. Wisdom is to know when to retreat. A gift you clearly shall never learn."

And with that, Semiramis fled the capital. The spell warned all of Assyria to disobey the old capital, and obey the new. The fortress city was chosen, as the temporary centre of Assyria while Her Majesty devised how best to deal with the monster who had taken her capital.
So began the Great Assyrian Strife, the War between Nineveh and Assyria.
Such was the state of affairs when Chaldea found the Singularity.

あーー、ごめんごめん。
私はあなたたちたくさんを苦しむさせた。
次回はスーパー・ビッグ・ショーを設けるします！Aahh, sorry, sorry.
Looks like I've made you guys suffer a lot.
Next time, I'll give you a super big show!

Noble Phantasms

Aurea Poculum

Golden Grail Overflowing with Desire

Type: Evil
Rank: A+
Range: 10
Maximum Number of Targets: 1 holder

The opulent Golden Grail that Nero carries, which fills with mankind's sins. When the Domina Coronam rises from beyond the waves atop the seven-headed scarlet Beast, she shall carry in her hands such a chalice. Without invoking its true name, she can tip it to and fro, pouring the foul fluid out to do with as she wishes. The abominable adultery of her cup is both a curse, and an invitation. An invitation to shake off the Lord's commandment to "not pile up the treasures of the Earth".
... for Nero, who bears this edition of the Grail, that means her diet is prosperity itself.
Let sin flow as water, let prosperity swell as bread. When the chalice is full, the Bewitching Empress will disappear, as if she were merely a rumour.

Gula Domus Purpurea

Invitation to the Consuming Imperial Theatre

Type: Anti-Team
Rank: B
Range: 60
Maximum Number of Targets: 500 sinners

A full-scale release of

Aurea Poculum

Golden Grail Overflowing with Desire

, merely granted a different name. Both an imitation and a slander upon Nero Claudius' Noble Phantasm under the Saber class.
Upon invocation, the Domus Aurea that Nero built in life rises from the ground, scarlet, gold, and lavish imperial purples making an atmosphere of absolute decadence. Seven spires rise from its walls, and mud flows forth, slowly filling the theatre with the sins of mankind and curses of grief.
The mud can be manipulated freely, allowing her to emulate multiple sword techniques she might have used in some other circumstance.
Rather than being a great magecraft that constructs Nero's own domain over top of the existing one, it is a cruel curse that wells from the deep to create a domain of sin.
"Gula" refers to the overwhelming gluttony that defines the desires of the Beast.
"Domus" refers to the theatre itself.
"Purpurea" refers to the overwhelming imperial majesty, displayed by the colour purple, which was incredibly rare and expensive in the era of Rome.

Stephanos Tou Leukou Ippeus

Crowned By God, Wreathed in Victory

Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Rank: C
Range: -
Maximum Number of Targets: 1 person

A white crown that inscribe's one's Spirit Origin with victory.
This is said to be the crown that the White Rider will bear when God releases his seal and lets it ravage the world. A crown of victory, allowing one to win countless battles and to conquer all obstacles without error. White Rider is a true curse that could overthrow a Grail War, a system that exists solely to generate suffering by winning wars assuredly, but inefficiently.
However, as punishment for the Noble Phantasm being stolen, not truly something which belongs to Nero, nor to Mother Babylon, not even to the Beast or Therion, the rank has suffered overwhelming decrease.
"Assured victory" is only possible in 5% of cases. In other words, victory is always possible, but far from the "assured" that this once promised.
As an aside, this Noble Phantasm's True Name is originall

Stephanos Tou Leukou Ippeus

Crowned By God Almighty, Wreathed in Victory Eternal

.

Apocalypsis Kyrios Therion

Liar's Therion that Rises from Beyond the Waves

Type: Anti-Army
Rank: EX
Range: 0~333
Maximum Number of Targets: 144,000

The true Noble Phantasm of the Mother Harlot. The beast spoken of in the prophecy of John. It is a monster with seven heads, bearing ten crowns and ten horns upon each crown. It comes from the sea, bearing traits of all life; the wings of a hawk, the head of a leopard, the feet of a bear, the majesty of a lion, the tail of a sea-snake, and the flesh of a crocodile. Within its chest beats a Magical Energy Reactor, a Dragon Core befitting the beast that will rise from beyond the waves.
It carries within its very flesh and soul the quality of Charisma, the trait of pulling people together in unity and leading them as a lord. In this case, it's a Charisma bearing the tonal quality of "usurption". The trait of taking the people of another loyalty, even another religion, and making them consider it their "Lord".
It is truly a lifeform that deserves the title "Dragon". In the modern era, it would be impossible to find a lifeform who qualifies to be compared to Therion. A phantasmal existence that rejects the damage of humanity, repelling damage of C-rank and lower from all sources. Its Dragon Breath holds the aspect of "a Curse of Death", expressed in a pallid colour as the people afflicted wither to bones in seconds. A terrifying ability. For some reason, Nero rejects the idea that this creature is a dragon, despite evidence being to the contrary.
Even worse, this water-born monster holds its own Noble Phantasm

Abūbim Dingiršagāšu

Flood of the Reset

Type: Anti-World
Rank: B++
Range: 616
Maximum Number of Targets: 3,500,000 people

Therion's Noble Phantasm. The principles of matter compression are known, but not possible for humanity. In other words, it's within the domain of things mankind may not perform, even with the miracle known as magecraft.
By means of matter compression, Therion generates a pseudo-singularity that distorts gravity. The result is a great wave. The recreation of mythology. A wave that is a hundred meters high in deep sea becomes a wave that will wipe away even mountains in the shallows. Naturally, a Noble Phantasm that is invoked optimally near the ocean.
This Noble Phantasm could be considered a punishment against the covetous, greedy humanity. Countless lives have been lost diving the seas for treasure, crossing the oceans for glory, and creating trade routes of slavery to covet even one's fellow man. The natural result is that, rather than coming to the seas for gold and glory, the gold and glory of the seas rushes towards oneself as part of the wave.
Thou shalt not pile up the treasures of the Earth. That was the Lord's commandment.

Underground Greater Holy Grail - ?????

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a little girl and her pet.
She used to live with her parents and her sister, but they were all gone now. Mother died when her sister was born. Father died because her pet had gotten too much for him, and her sister had stolen her property and rejected her from the family household.
She lived almost alone, with no one but her pet as company in their dull, dark cave.
Still, she had a bed, and she had something far greater than any family.
She had hope.
One day, her prince in sky-silver armour would come for her, and she would take him to paradise with her and her pet.
One day, she would see him again.
He had appeared once in her life before, but he turned down her hand despite her pleas. Boys could be so rude!
Ah, it didn't matter though.
Her Saber would come one day.
She knew that she and Saber would be together since they met. Her eyes, her soul, and her mind were very special, you see.
This young lady, as it so happens, was born nearly omnipotent.
Don't worry! She's still limited. She has too little energy to do everything, but if she had more...
Haha! Don't ask such silly questions!
But she certainly had enough energy to keep doing the ritual that summoned her Saber once. Perhaps, if she tried enough times, her Saber would come again?
The circle glowed blue. A Saber appeared, but it was not her Saber. Where her Saber was clad in silver and blue, gold and red accentuated the woman before the omnipotent girl.

"Aaa, you're not my Saber."

"Umu? I believe you are the Master who summoned me, aye? Then that makes me your Saber!"

"No, You're not my Saber."
The sweet tone of the girl's voice gave way to an almost inhuman rumble for a moment. Oops.
"But, with that True Name... oh, that could be fun!"

The Saber puffed her chest out. "I'm the Empress known for fun! Of course I can-" she started, and yet the girl merely shh'd her, and her voice fell silent.
No, it would be more accurate to say her lips had been sewn shut, not by needles, but by sheer magical energy.

"我がビーストよ！このサーヴァントの霊基を黒化してください！この女子は偽大淫婦バビロンを化してください！O' My Beast! Blacken this Servant's Spirit Origin! Make this girl into a False Harlot of Babylon!"

Mud poured from the structure in the middle of the cave. It was where her pet, her beloved child was preparing to be born.
The omnipotent girl spun and danced in the droplets of curse, as the Saber was lifted into the air, mud coursing through her veins as her Spirit Origin, down to its very Spirit Cores, was being overridden by this girl's fantasy.

"And she should..."

The omnipotent girl listed off a dozen or so ways in which the Saber should change to be "the most fun and convincing imitation in human history!"
Her limbs writhed in almost inhuman ways. Her knees bent almost forward, you know! That's a rarity, unless you have Mystic Eyes of Distortion or something...
Well, anyway, once everything was said and done, the defiled Servant was given her new name.
A name of deception, as one imitation of the genuine article she had unfortunately met.
Upon her Spirit Origin, a name was written;

NEROCLAVDIVSCAESARAVGVSTVSGERMANICVS

Mʏsᴛᴇʀʏ, Bᴀʙʏʟᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Gʀᴇᴀᴛ, ᴛʜᴇ Mᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏꜰ Hᴀʀʟᴏᴛs ᴀɴᴅ Aʙᴏᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ Eᴀʀᴛʜ

.

And so her new class was determined. No longer could she be called a Saber; the omnipotent girl had taken away her sword and given her a cup of evil.
No, she was something far greater.
And her Class was Pretender, Those who put on a Character.
So please, don't begrudge the Bewitching Empress if you should ever meet her.
It was not her will to become the way that she is.
You can blame the Beast.
You can blame the Mother.
You can blame the Sixth.
You can blame Me.
Ah, but until next time.
Until my Saber comes back to me...
Let's just see what sort of chaos she can do! For fun!
Byebye!

Relationships

Nero (Saber): Why... do I............

King Arthur: Fufufu... so you are that Saber. Your golden sword would suit my throne well, no? Or perhaps my fireplace?

Paracelsus: You haven't let that incident go? Fufu... ah, Caster, always the loyal retainer.

Semiramis: You...! I shall truly tear you apart next time! My head still hurts!

Ninus: Fufu, that city, that empire... a prosperity will inevitably fall, unnu?

Angra Mainyu: All those grudges you bear... and yet, I feel they are not in my chalice...

Larva/Tiamat: "Calamity comes from the sea". The IInd Beast remains scorned, even now. Ah, wait. I'm in danger.

Tamamo-no-Mae: You speak of love, and harvest it as fruit. Do you eat it too? Or are you perhaps not quite as vile as your lord?

Ibuki-Douji: No, my Therion is not related to your father. Yes, I'm sure! Unnu!

Koyanskaya: It's always the children who receive the IVth position, are you sure that's not a keyword? Huh? Scissor manoeuvre?

Servants persecuted by religion: One's despair is granted as recompense to one's boastfulness. Humans who seek freedom thus are locked in chains.

Servants adherent to religion: Kuhahaha! Those who cling to chains will be lost when their guidance is torn away!

Beast: ...

Harlot: ...

???: Huh? This isn't some third rate isekai, where did you come from? Why is the world fading from black to-

Nero Redivivus: To think two shams... gah, I'm having a migraine.

Jerusalem Syndrome: Kyahahahaha! You truly are amusing! Rejoice in my approval!

Author's Notes

Okay, I do actually have quite a few notes for this one. I've baked a lot of goodies into it, so please eat them carefully.
My indev notes for the symbolism of Nero's elements and the Book of Revelations:

Whore of Babylon: Nero, alleged to be the Whore. a false harlot, thus the legacy
Anti-Christ: the quality of her corrupted being, one who spews blasphemies and curses against the Lord, the Son, and the Spirit. delineated form of Nega-Messiah due to not actually being the Beast or Harlot?
Beast of Earth/Number of the Beast: skill or np
Beast of Sea: her mount, a faux dragon (Therion). noble phantasm
Wormwood: the expansion of the poison that drove Nero mad, named Wormwood. always causes troublesome migraines
Pale Rider: the quality of the Beast's Dragon Breath is "a curse of death"
Black Rider: her grail that accumulates wealth and sin as fuel embodies Famine (reference Black Rider sheet)
Red Rider: guts-like skill or np to represent the ceaseless march of war (reference Red Rider sheet)
White Rider: bears a crown that grants victory (unreliably, because it is merely an imitation of the Lord)

So there's that, all the juicy symbols spelled out here at the end, just in case you missed them or thought i was babbling insanity. which to be fair, 50/50 on me doing that anyway.
Moving on from that, we have a lot of Arcade and Prototype references. Much like many things in my life these days, this entire sheet was born out of anti-Arcade rage. I hate Draco so much. So in a lot of places, you'll find references to phrases from Arcade's Critical Prosperous City chapter. You can find some important TLs of that chapter in my translation bin (linked in the signature) if you want more context on them...!
Therion's own Noble Phantasm is entirely based on Draco's "Wave of the End" in said chapter, as an aside.
The Proto references are generally a bit scarcer, mostly coming directly when coloured text shows up, other than the Manaka POV section for this Nero's creation.
Oh and the "Number of Depravity" comes from the JP text of when Alexander starts dissing Nero in Septem; that's right baby, I'm referencing japanese Septem. Cower.
The "smells like fabric softener" joke comes from a Takenoko Seijin (mangaka for CCC Foxtail) gag comic involving the Fate/Prototype crew, where Manaka is accused of smelling like a rotting body, and she (offendedly) pulls out two bottles and says she applies "F*breze" to herself.

When I say that Therion has "ten horns upon its crowns", that's meant to be an indicator that it's a fake; the real Beast has "Ten crowns and ten horns upon its heads" instead.

The Japanese you see is translated by me, myself and I. I'm a great deal better at TLing from Japanese to English, rather than vice versa, but y'know what I tried, and I'm satisfied by that. Translations of course are available as collapse text at each one; even the first one, but it's part of a larger collapse so it flickers a bit, .
The same goes for the Akkadian, but it was a lot harder! A lot! I'm not taking critiques on my Akkadian, dead language, janky ass script, fucked up transcription system, makes japanese look like a fucking cakewalk i swear to gautama.
In case it wasn't obvious, the red cuneiform text represents the Beast of Revelations speaking (speaking the language of Babylon), while the aqua Japanese is (obviously) Manaka Sajyou/Mother Babylon.

If you want my rationale for why this fits the prompt, you'll find that I'm an exceptionally funny person and that my reasons are hilarious. I've highlighted the parts of the prompt that I feel this weighs on. Perhaps I weighed on them a touch too much; I don't care, I had a lot of fun making this.

Legacy - The descendant, the knock off, the copycat. A Hero who looked up to another and is considered a lesser version of them. It can be someone who is related to them through their ancestry. Or it could be someone who inherited the legacy of said hero by having inherited something from that hero such as equipment or ideology.

Manaka here has made her own "lesser version" because of the legends associating Nero with her (citations re: manaka the mother harlot available on request), a knock off who has directly inherited the legacy of many figures from Revelations because "all of Revelations is a complaint letter about Nero".

Next on the agenda: Did you get all the collapse texts? I hope I used them to good effect to build the tension as I approached "the Truth".

And final notes:
Priapus has already won a definite vote. I will not elaborate.
Oh the comedy of more than one Nero in one contest.
You're all amazingly talented, and I want to get that out there in case I forget to vote again; I mightn't comment much on sheets (I know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!), but I do genuinely enjoy reading the work you all put out. You're all so incredibly creative, perhaps more than some of you know. My vigilant eye tries to keep pace here at all times; so know that, if no one else saw your work and your efforts, I see and acknowledge them.

[DelRey]

soon we hit the quality singularity in this thread. when the winner is decided by a coin toss because deciding becomes impossible

towards those that participated in the Secret Santa contest: How do you feel to give it your all after last month? we do them bi-monthly to prevent a strain on our creativity after all

Edit: 18 sheets so far. only 6.5 of which are Core Classes, the rest are Extra Classes.

[BnEl15]

towards those that participated in the Secret Santa contest: How do you feel to give it your all after last month? we do them bi-monthly to prevent a strain on our creativity after all

My muse is a very fickle one. There are days where I'm burning with inspiration and brilliant ideas come to me in minutes, followed by weeks where my creative wellspring is absolutely dry until some random idea hits me out of nowhere again.

[pinetree]

towards those that participated in the Secret Santa contest: How do you feel to give it your all after last month? we do them bi-monthly to prevent a strain on our creativity after all

Isn't it bimonthly because it was supposed to alternate with the Magus contest?
I don't particularly see the point of breaks because I don't get tired of writing. Personally, I just either have inspiration and energy at the moment or I don't, like BnEl.

My output for the contests has way more to do with the prompt and real life than with the schedule.

[Kamera]

speaking of, we definitely need to revive the magus contest one way or another tbh, even if it's just for one more session

[Drangle]

I get tired of writing personally. Mostly because I write outside of this forum, for money, ha ha.

[RoydGolden]

"The first thing you need to know about me is that inventors are idiots. We fixate on the discoveries that are right in front of us to the point of losing sight of everything else important until it's too late. But even rough iron can be molded into something beautiful given the right hands. Since you've summoned me, I hope you can take responsibility for guiding this metal-brained idiot along the right path. Be sure to deck me right across the face if I get carried away again, okay?"

Lancer of Crimson Legacy:

Appearance:

Source

True Name: Tubalcain

Alignment: Neutral "Evil" (closer to Neutral Good in truth)

Alternate Classes: Saber, Archer, Berserker, Caster, Assassin

Strength- A
Agility- D
Endurance- B
Mana- C
Luck- C-
NP- B+

Personality

An earnest young man whose enthusiastic for tinkering. He has the heart of a scientist and does his best to see things from an impartial viewpoint, looking at nature to find more inspiration for his inventions. Despite his bloodstained reputation Lancer is actually a sensitive person who hates violence and regrets the destruction his tools wrought upon the world. While he doesn't regret his decision to create, Lancer admits that his mentality back then was that of a childish fool as he recklessly invented everything he could without regard for the greater consequences. A boy too blinded by scientific curiosity to notice the corpses piling in his wake.

His core nature is a hotblooded idiot yet out of fear for repeating the mistakes of his past Lancer holds back that side of himself. Nevertheless when he gets fired up about an invention Lancer's youthful passion spills out and he acts almost like an excitable "metal otaku", capable of babbling on endlessly over whatever minutiae captures his interest. Adapting easily to new technology he would likely start up a crafting blog or Youtube channel to show off his inventions in the modern age.

He gets along well with other scientist and inventor Servants, while being uncomfortable in the company of warriors and killers, seeing in them the dark side of his legacy. While normally gentle when it comes to those who callously trample lives Lancer shows a more bitter and even sadistic side, wanting to give them a firsthand taste of what it feels like to be the victim of such acts. While he claims this is a learning experience in truth it's just his desire to take out his resentment over how his inventions were misused on them.

"What I like? Inventing of course. Back when I was a kid fashioning metal trinkets over a roaring campfire, my father laughing and telling stories in the background... those were the days when I was truly happy. Of course, I suppose one as stained in blood as me doesn't really have a right to such innocent happiness anymore..."

"What I dislike? War obviously. Humans killing each other is the thing I hate the most. If it weren't for humanity's capacity to destroy itself I would've been a peaceful inventor innocently tinkering to the end of my days. Resentful? Maybe a little, but truthfully I have to accept the responsibility for my legacy. It's not fair to blame them for only using tools I made..."

"My talents... improv comedy! Sigh... no, it's obviously inventing again. That was just a little joke in an attempt to broaden my repertoire. I really am a bit of a one-trick pony I suppose. Maybe that's why I was so blockheadedly stubborn to never realize what I was sacrificing until it was already lost..."

"The Holy Grail... it'd make for a pretty awesome smithing cauldron huh? A-aha, that was a joke again Master. (I really need to work on my comedic timing...) The metal-brained idiot in me would definitely say that, but what I really wish for is world-peace. A world where everyone can live peacefully and smile together, sounds nice doesn't it? Huh... you think such a goody-goody dream sounds weird coming from a ruthless weapons-smith like me? Well to be honest it's partially a selfish wish too... I just want a world where I can tinker innocently to my heart's content, without fear of my talents bringing destruction."

Relationships/Reactions:

Lamech: "To think I'd have a chance to see you again old man. I'm truly grateful that you supported my inventions all this time even back when I was just a little runt tinkering with scrap. But... maybe it would've been better in the long run if you had disciplined me more back then..." he trails off with a nostalgic sad smile.

Cain (Assassin): "So you're my great ancestor... we never really had a chance to meet in life given I only mistook you for a wild beast. To be honest for a long time I hated you, figuring that it was only because of your legacy that everything I made got twisted for evil. But now that I've gotten to talk with you, I can see that just like me things aren't so black-and-white. Even the First Murderer was a human once, lashing out because you never felt recognized by our Father. I hope you'll forgive me for how far I perfected your 'art'."

Cain (Lancer, Berserker, Caster): "U-um... great ancestor, why are there so many versions of you on the Throne? Family reunions are one thing, but this is honestly a little awkward..." He laughs nervously looking honestly like he's unsure how to react.

Noah: "A great flood to cleanse the world? Was that really the right thing to do? I know humans in my era were self-destructive and shortsighted no thanks to me, but were they truly beyond saving? I can't accept that more violence was the answer."

Tartaglia: "To have your greatest innovations used to only help humans kill each other, I can understand the feeling." He nods sympathetically. "Just take solace in that you were remembered for the good parts of your legacy too. Someday, us inventors can only hope that mankind's creative potential will outweigh its capacity for self-destruction..."

Osakabehime: "A game based entirely on crafting... you're saying that's something humans in this era have invented? That's awesome! The virtual world will be the newest horizon to perfect my inventions!" When the shut-in youkai introduced Lancer to the realm of Minecraft, he wasted no time getting enthusiastically fired up over the chance to expand his creations to a digital frontier. An odd friendship then ignited between the craftsman and hardcore gamer as they gave each other advice during sessions.

Cu Chulainn/Achilles: "I don't understand it... what meaning could you possibly find in violence, death and war? I could've forgiven if it were forced on you but you could've chosen to have a long and peaceful life, yet willingly threw yourself onto the hell of the battlefield?! If you really can't hear the cries of all the lives you carelessly destroyed... then maybe I'll just show them to you." (Flashes an evil grin)

Thomas Monstery: "To turn weapons into an artform rather than a tool of death... I feel like my craft has been just slightly redeemed because of you. Thank you." He bows humbly.

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance- B+
Confers protection against magical effects. At this rank spells with a chant below three verses are cancelled. Even if targeted by the likes of High Thaumaturgy or Greater Rituals it is difficult for the Servant to be affected. Born in an age when the World itself was abundant with Mana Lancer boasts a high natural resistance to sorcery. As host to the Demon God of Creation and Ruin Sabnock Lancer obtains further protection against both pestilential and metallurgic spells.


Personal Skills:

Artificer In Brass And Iron- EX
A Skill held by those famous for working with metal. Attested in the Bible as the first human to forge instruments of brass and iron Lancer obtains an unparalleled EX-rank in this Skill. The collective memories and experience of all metallurgists after him flows back to Lancer like rivers returning to their source, granting him an unprecedented mine of knowledge to extract.

Lancer can instinctively identify the history and composition of any metal merely by looking at it. Furthermore he wields a Divine Spirit-like authority over metal itself. Lancer can mold metal with his bare hands and shift it from liquid to solid and molten-hot forms at will without harming himself. He can even reshape the metal in weaponry to either strengthen or deform it, though Noble Phantasm-grade weaponry naturally resists such changes due to possessing a legend too great for Lancer to mold.

Mark Of Cain (False)- A
A Skill representing the extent to which Lancer inherited and perfected the bloodstained arts of his sevenfold ancestor, the First Murderer Cain. Not a literal mark imprinted upon the forehead but a curse dyed into Lancer's Spirit Origin stemming from his ancestry and the wicked reputation surrounding his tools. In a form of involuntary psychometry, whenever Lancer touches a weapon he will automatically perceive its entire history for bloodshed. This extends to actually visualizing flashes of those violent acts from the role of perpetrator.

This is obviously psychologically traumatic for Lancer, but by surrendering to those murderous urges he can temporarily channel the fighting skills of those who once wielded the weapon, entering a trance akin to "demonic possession". Allowing one who was only a simple craftsman in life to briefly fight on par with proper Knight-Class Servants. However he dislikes doing so for fear of losing control of himself. Furthermore since these techniques aren't his own he risks straining his body if he overuses them.

This Skill visually expresses in blood-red energy glyphs that spread from the weapon he touches to "infect" Lancer, covering his body in a manner akin to the Mark of his reviled ancestor.

"This is my punishment... for creating tools that killed so many. Please don't make me use this, Master."

Natural Body (Tempered)- B
The idealized body Lancer possesses as one of the first humans in God's creation fortified by a lifetime spent toiling over the forge. Grants a "tempered" physique akin to the metal he worked alongside. In addition to ranking up his Strength parameter like the ordinary Natural Body Skill, this also confers resistance to temperature extremes of heat or cold. After all for a blacksmith the roaring flames of the forge are not threats to be feared but a reassuring presence during his work.

Grand Order- C
A Skill marking one as host for one of the 72 Demon God Pillars later united under King Solomon. Lancer was chosen by the Demon God Sabnock who once sought to induce humanity's self-destruction by distributing the concept of weapons-smithing to them. Sabnock is a cruel demon who revels in seeing humans turn on each other and reveal their bloodthirsty true natures. His eyes that peered across time identified the boy's candidacy as a vessel, judging that his talent for metallurgy could be corrupted to evil ends and so chose to manifest through Lancer. However Tubalcain in his current incarnation manages to repress the Demon God's attempts to paint over his psyche, resulting in a lower rank. Transforms his Noble Phantasm and grants a minor Anti-Human damage bonus to Lancer's attacks but otherwise his mentality remains intact.

"You didn't corrupt me, you were just a coward whispering from the shadows. The responsibility of all the lives I stole is entirely on me, so don't think you can take that away Demon."

Noble Phantasm

Tubal Qayin Sabnock

Demon Spear Of Rot And Grandeur

Rank: B+

Type: Anti-Unit/Barrier

The etymology of Tubalcain is believed to derive from "Qayin"- the Hebraic word for spear. Thus Lancer's very existence can be likened to a spear carrying forth the legacy of his ancestor, the First Murderer Cain. As a Servant Lancer wields a spear that is the physical manifestation of his name and life. However through Sabnock's blessing its form has been transfigured greatly. Lancer's "spear" is actually the corpus of the Demon Pillar itself, a spiraling white cephalopod column strewn with beady blood-red eyes. Despite its disturbingly fleshly appearance he is still able to cut and pierce with it like an ordinary lance.

This Noble Phantasm carries Sabnock's dual authorities of building monuments and inflicting festering wounds, that exemplifies humanity's capacity to both create and destroy themselves. Upon reciting the true name and tapping its tip against the ground Lancer can sprout towers and ramparts from the earth itself to crush and obstruct his foes. These constructs are made of Mana and last for only a few moments before crumbling away. He can even make a tower erupt beneath him to propel himself out of harm's way.

By instead invoking Sabnock's authority of ruination Lancer imposes a curse of decay on the enemy's wounds (so long as they're dealt by this spear), filling them with worms that are in truth smaller versions of the Demon Pillar itself. These worms continuously writhe and eat away at the opponent's injuries to aggravate them, inflicting constant low-level damage for every turn and interfering with abilities that would restore HP. This effect remains for thirty days, until Lancer is killed or they're removed by a surgical or exorcism ability. Due to its morbid nature and his own dislike of violence Lancer would only rely on this ability as a last resort.

Craft Essence

Wish Upon a Star

"I still remember the first time I saw it, a shooting star that fell to earth.
People said that shooting stars were angels expelled from heaven but I didn't believe those legends. I had to see it for myself.
So that night I snuck away while my old man was asleep and headed out to the crash-site.

What I saw stole my breath away. A beautiful material like polished crystal that couldn't be found anywhere in the human world.
Possibilities danced through my mind of all the amazing tools I could craft with this, and a giddy thrill began to rise deep within me.
Humans are so silly, they're scared of the unknown like shooting stars so they don't even consider all the wonderful things that can be made from them.

But I would show them. I'd create marvels that would put a smile on everyone's faces and teach them all just how incredible craftsmanship can be.
Such is the oath I swore on that night beneath the starry sky.
The innocent wish to create, to bring something new of your own into the world. I know it wasn't a mistake.

So then... just when was it that I lost sight of that dream?"

---

So no Faker/Pretender reveals this time around, just a fairly simple sheet with a Demon Pillar twist. I was inspired by the discussion started by NINE-lives a while back about a Lancer who wields a Demon Pillar itself as their "spear". As usual for me when it comes to voting time be sure to pick the entry that has the most votes currently. That way I'll have the best shot at winning anything. Thanks for reading!

[Kamera]

damn they even have the same hairstyle lol

[RoydGolden]

damn they even have the same hairstyle lol

Didn't even think of that but yeah it did occur to me this fit the same white hair theme as your Demon Pillar Servants. It's kinda' a coincidence though since I'd already decided to use Senku for the FC way back when I had the first inklings of this sheet (before coming up with the Sabnock connection) as the scientific tinkerer who just wants his inventions to be used peacefully.

[realcasually]

Does anyone know how to fix the double collapse glitch? It doesn't matter how many times I delete the extra one, it keeps inserting one several paragraphs down and crashing the formatting of the whole sheet. What am I doing wrong?

EDIT: Never mind, I think I got it. I actually have no idea what it changed, the code of the website just decided to work as a laugh. I fucking hate bbcode.

[Petrikow]

Are you using Source Mode?

[realcasually]

“What a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance, reader. Here is me, a Berserker, apparently. It sounds like this time it’s going to be a scary story for your enemies, heehee~. Hm? My name? Well, you’re the reader. So won’t you tell me who I am?”





Class: Berserker
True Name: “Alice Alter”
Alternate Classes: Caster, Alter Ego
Gender: Female
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Origin: English Folklore
Attribute: Man
Traits: Child Servant, Fairy Tale Servant, Female, Humanoid, Servant, Weak to Enuma Elish

Parameters:

STR: A

END: B

AGI: B+

MGI: B

LCK: D

NP: C

Lore:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865 by Charles Lewis Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. There are a few solid facts known to history about the legendary tale’s creative process: the book was written based on a story that Dodgson told to Alice Liddell and her sisters, daughters of an acquaintance, as he entertained them one afternoon. Dodgson had a keen mind for manipulating logic, and his work reflects this, contrasting sense and nonsense in equal measure.

However, many other details about the story remain hazy. Dodgson denied to his dying day that Liddell was his muse, causing confusion about his motives for producing the story. Scholars throughout history would be severely divided after his death on whether or not his relationships with the children in his life contained any darker undertones or were merely the reflections of a man with the heart of a youth.

This confusion has spread throughout the legacy of the book itself. What IS Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland truly about? Nonsense? Nothing at all? Does it contain secret allegories, themes that undercut the whimsical nature? It is a story that strikes a chord with everyone in some distant way, and this property means everyone has their own interpretation, especially when the tale is adapted to modern media more often than almost any other, often twisted through the lens of its new ‘author’. Indeed, it’s become almost a trend to portray the story as an allegory for some description of altered state or another, whether it be through chemical interference or purely within the bounds of the mind.

What, then, happens to the spirit of a story when that story mutates so drastically over time? What happens to Alice when she no longer knows what it means to be Alice?

Description:

What happens is this: Alice Alter. A similar existence to the Heroic Spirit Nursery Rhyme, this Anti-Hero Servant is, however, a much darker facsimile. Berserker is barely beholden to the name “Alice”, such has she become infused with a multitude of reinterpretations and revisions of the story. She is so influenced by these new ideas that, in a way, she comes to represent the concept of reinterpretation itself, even if her Spirit Origin is tied to the Alice story specifically.

This results in an extremely volatile Servant. Alice Alter is disconnected and mercurial, seeming barely cognizant of the reality of her surroundings at any given moment. She is unlikely to engage with anything for longer than a few moments until her interests shift or invert entirely and it loses her attention. She can be kind and generous one moment and homicidally violent the next. Her personality traits all fluctuate at totally unpredictable intervals to the point where all that IS predictable is the fact that nothing is at all. She is Alice-- or is she the Queen of Hearts? Perhaps they’re not even different. How can anything remain in the face of such uncertainty?

However, this being said, a few traits seem to remain generally consistent. She is impatient, and being forced to wait will often cause her instabilities to worsen in violent capacity. She loves stories of all kinds, though, and one of the only ways to keep her attention is to tell her one. This will enrapture her. However, she is unable to keep details straight of any information she is told, factual or fictional. She makes a terrible messenger, as anything she says will be totally inconsistent to any information she has supplied previously.

She seems to dislike older people, especially men, preferring to spend her time in the company of the young or animals-- however, her demeanor can disconcert them, and so she is often left isolated in Chaldea. This never seems to bother her too much, though. Unlike many Berserkers, curiously, it does not seem to be required for the Master to even come close to understanding or empathising with her alien ideologies in order to effectively command her. She just babbles with a smile and turns her axe on whatever she is directed to, taking glee in sowing confusion when left to her own devices while remaining contradictory in her loyalty in the field.

It’s almost as if she’s doing it on purpose.

...And come to think of it, why is her accent American? Isn't it an English story?

Who is Alice?

Class Skills:

Madness Enhancement
Rank: EX
The Class Skill that characterizes a Berserker, raising basic parameters and strengthens one's physical abilities in exchange of hindering mental capacities and/or in exchange for their sense of reason. In some cases, it also affects and/or seals away some techniques, Personal Skills and Noble Phantasms. The influence of the nonsensical source material plus the constant pressure of thousands of interpretations pulling at every corner of her Spirit Origin renders Alice Alter quite irrevocably mad, qualifying her for the Berserker class. Perhaps it is not correct to say she has lost her mind-- rather that her mind, which was already incompatible with human definitions of logic and morality, has been even further skewed from any kind of identifiable centre. She is the truth and she is the lie. She is the red and she is the white. The question and every answer that ever could have been, and every that could never have been. Such is the nature of a story.

Increases own Buster performance by 12%.

...Hm? It feels like there should be something else here...

Personal Skills:

Self-Modification
Rank: B
The aptitude to remold one's own body or merge one's own flesh with body parts of others. The higher the ranking in this Skill, the further away one is from being a proper hero. Alice Alter’s body is as malleable as her nature. Though the core themes remain the same, the details can be altered at will to whatever suits the current reader’s interpretation.

Increases own critical damage for 3 turns.
Increases own critical star absorption for 3 turns.


Golden Rule
Rank: B
A skill that refers to the measurement of one’s fortune to acquire wealth... hm? Why does Alice have this Skill? Is it... based on the wealth of the royal Queen of Hearts assimilated into her nature as a distorted tale? Yes. That must be the case. After all, there is no other reason this Servant could possibly possess this Skill if she is who she says she is. And she is Alice, is she not?

Who is Alice?

Increases own NP generation rate for 3 turns?


Innocent Monster (Story)
Rank: EX
An attribute possessed by Servants whose true history and existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations and gossips they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter, without concern for the actual person's will or appearance. As a consequence, the Servant's abilities and appearance have been rendered to conform to the specifications of their legend. Incidentally, this Personal Skill cannot be removed. This alternate version of the Skill, however, applies to Heroic Spirits born of fiction who have been distorted instead by retellings of their own tale. Alice Alter does not conform to one specification of her tale. Instead, she is all specifications. The twisted representation of every alternate reading, every gritty reboot, every fractured fairytale. She is a Servant defined by her indefinability, a chaotic creature lost in the maelstrom of her own contradicting identity.

Gains critical stars every turn for 3 turns.
Increases own Buster performance for 3 turns.
Removes own debuffs.

Noble Phantasm:

Vorpal Blade

One, Two, Snicker Snack

Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: C
Range: 1-???
Targets: 1 person

Description:
Alice Alter’s Noble Phantasm seems to be concentrated in the enormous axe that she wields. This weapon is apparently the new form of the Vorpal Blade, the infamous weapon from Carroll’s 1871 nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” a tale that has since been integrated into the Alice canon despite lacking any connection beyond its illogical themes. It is befitting then that this tangled, misstitched Heroic Spirit has adopted this item as her Noble Phantasm.

The range of this Noble Phantasm is dictated by Alice Alter’s own reach, and so a target must be designated when she is engaged in melee combat. Upon the True Name Release, the target will be besieged by a flurry of blows-- up to roughly forty attacks in rapid, consecutive succession, all with the full strength of her power and killing intent behind them. There are few enemy combatants upon which such a barrage will not inflict lethal damage.

The true power of this Noble Phantasm, however, lies in its ability to isolate the target from assistance. Since Vorpal Blade is a single-target Noble Phantasm, if any individual attempts to interfere in the assault, they must then recognised as “an extension of the current target.” Thus, upon anyone attempting to intervene on behalf of the target or attack Alice Alter while she has her guard lowered to activate Vorpal Blade, they will immediately receive the full force of the attacks regardless of their actual distance to Alice Alter herself. This makes Vorpal Blade devastating, because once the attack has begun it cannot be stopped, and any attempts to do this will simply result in further casualties. It has a limited number of maximum targets, though, and attempting to reach this limit may result in a fatal mana drain on Alice Alter’s Master.

Its appearance as an axe, though, is curious. While the shape of the ‘blade’ is never specified, it is widely assumed to be a sword in most adaptions, or a short blade of some kind. Perhaps its new form is a result of cross-corruption from the concept of the “Queen of Hearts’” obsession with removing the heads of those who cross her?

...Such a property is commonly applied to the Vorpal Blade in some fictions, however, whereas this ability to warp causality and distance is not one common consciousness would ascribe to her. This makes no sense, given her nature as a spirit of interpretation. What is the reason for this ill-fitting Noble Phantasm, then...?

Who is Alice?

Deals damage that ignores defense buffs to one enemy.
Inflicts Buff Block status to them for 3 times, 3 turns.
Decrease Buster Resistance for all enemies for 3 turns. <Overcharge>

Relationships:

Nursery Rhyme:
”Sister, sister, how I’ve missed her... Hmm? I’m acting scary, you say? You’ve got nothing in common with me, you say? Well, that’s hardly fair. When you go through the looking glass, you’ve only got your reflection to blame for what’s on the other side.”

Oberon:
”What a pretty lie. What an ugly truth. Both are so fascinating in their own ways, wouldn’t you agree, new friend? A prince or a knave, or neither or both... all that matters is the way the reader likes it, isn’t it? Regardless of how it makes you feel. Oh? Did I say something wrong? Maybe we’re written in the same hand, you and I. Heehee.”

William Shakespeare:
”Oh, yes! Oh, what fun! An infinite number of stories spinning round and round! I want to play in this Wonderland forever and ever! How many more stories can you show me, old man? Is it as many as I am?”

Hans Christian Andersen:
”Well, aren’t you gloomy. Just because people prefer your stories to have happier endings than you do doesn’t make them wrong. Maybe if you learned to love your readers a little more the way you write your stories into yourself wouldn’t be so painful. But what would I know, right? I’m just the story, you’re the big fancy author! Pff. Well... maybe not so big after all. Did you drink the ‘Drink Me’ drink?”

Alter Egos:
”You’re made of all different kinds of stories... How can you still believe any of them are the real you? Or maybe all that you are is the way you choose to read them. We could have all kinds of fun together telling tales, couldn’t we?”

Van Gogh:
”Oh, dear... what an awfully confusing twist is yours. It must be very hard to figure out what’s true and what’s not when you’re all muddled up like that. Well, that’s because it’s all true! Mhm! So why not just be the kind of story you want to tell, then? Your perspective is just as important as anyone else’s. Art is a kind of story too, after all.

Sherlock Holmes:
“You can look and look and look with all your big glass eyes, Mister Detective, but you won’t find anything they didn’t. Hm? What does that mean? Even you only see things from your perspective, after all! Careful not to trip and fall into the rabbit hole, now. It might hurt.”

"Knave of Hearts":
"Oh, dear author... it's a sad, sad thing, isn't it? It's truly a wonderful story that you told. Something everybody can enjoy, even me. But you've gotten attached to it. You won't let it go. You won't let it free. And now your story is sick of you, and it's brought me here to chop it free. I am everything wrong with Alice, everything you never wanted. I'm a murderer. A villainess. You've heard the songs they sing about me, right? I've brought death to Wonderland so that you can finally rest, Lewis Carroll. Now here comes a candle to light you to bed... and here comes a chopper to chop off your head."

...But that’s not good enough for you, is it, Master? No. You’re one of THOSE readers. The ones who just can’t rest until they know what it’s all SUPPOSED to mean. Who is Alice, who is Alice, WHO IS ALICE?! Isn’t what you can see enough? Can’t I just be whoever you WANT me to be...?

...No?

Are you sure?

Last chance to not turn the page! You might not like how the story goes from here.

Well... alright then! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Let me tell you a new story, then, Master. And it starts like this... ​Once upon a time...

”Lizzie Borden took an axe...”

[ T R U E • N A M E • R E V I S I O N ]






Class: Pretender
True Name: Lizzie Borden
Alternate Classes: Berserker, Alter Ego
Gender: Female
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Origin: Historical Fact
Attribute: Man
Traits: Child Servant, Fairy Tale Servant, Female, Humanoid, Servant, Weak to Enuma Elish

Parameters:

STR: B

END: C

AGI: B+

MGI: C

LCK: B

NP: C

Lore:

Lizzie Andrew Borden was born in 1860 in Massachusetts to Sarah and Andrew Borden, though Sarah would die just three years after Lizzie’s birth. She had a normal upbringing for girls her age at the time, and was known to be a kind soul, teaching Sunday school to children of recent immigrants and going on to engage in contemporary social movements in her religious community.

Her father had remarried when Lizzie was six to Abby Gray. The relationship was not a cordial one: Lizzie would call her stepmother “Mrs. Borden” and believe that she married into the family only for the Borden wealth made through her father’s career as a property developer and stockpiled by his frugal nature. Lizzie and her sister Emma would rarely eat meals with their family, and further events unravelling in the Borden home would only exacerbate the situation, such as Andrew taking a hatchet to a flock of pigeons nesting in the barn that Lizzie had only recently built roosts for, and growing tension in the extended family over the handling of the business-- with much of it seeming to end up in the hands of Abby’s family as time went, which only fuelled the resentment further.

One August morning in 1893, Andrew Borden stepped out for his morning walk, and Abby went upstairs to make the bed. There, medical examiners would determine, she would find her assailant waiting for her, who struck her once in the side of the head with a hatchet. She fell to the ground and the killer brutally hacked away at her, delivering seventeen more savage blows to the back of her head.

Andrew returned nearly two hours later, suspecting nothing as Lizzie told him his wife had received a summons by messenger to visit a sick friend in his absence. He lay down on the sofa for a post-walk nap after his exercise.

The family maid, Maggie Sullivan, would hear Lizzie’s cry for help not a half-hour later. Andrew was slumped on the same sofa he had aimed to rest on, struck eleven further times in the face with a hatchet, still bleeding.

Though Lizzie avoided suspicion for her crimes for a short period due to nobody believing a young woman could possibly be capable of such barbarism, her guilt soon became obvious in her contradictory answers under interrogation and flippant behaviour around the entire proceeding, including the fact she had not covered her tracks very well in hiding the murder weapon or her bloody clothing. She acted even more erratically in the court’s inquest, contradicting herself multiple times, refusing to answer even in her own defense, and acting abnormally flirtatiously towards the prosecuting attorney. Lizzie was tried-- however, shockingly, despite what most assumed to be unquestionable guilt and insurmountable evidence, the jury would find her innocent of the murder of her parents, a decision which resulted in public outcry. How had she possibly gotten away with it? And why in God’s name had she done such a thing at all?

These answers remain lost to history in the case of Lizzie Borden. Was she secretly abused by her father and finally snapped under the pressure of years of torment? Was something within her simply so damaged that this outcome was avoidable? Was she caught in a tryst with the maid Sullivan and slaughtered her family to protect her secret? Or could she really HAVE been innocent?

Lizzie Borden would live out her remaining years a pariah in her community, abandoned by her remaining family and with nothing more than her house staff and her wealth to surround her. She died aged 66 in the same town she had always lived her life, and left her mark on the hearts and minds of American culture. Even the truth of her deeds would be twisted and exaggerated over time, her crimes becoming more and more heinous, her guilt becoming more and more undeniable, until her condemnation is sung upon the lips of even children who perhaps no longer even know the truth behind their rhyme.

Lizzie Borden took an axe
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.

Mysterious, misunderstood, and mutated. Lizzie Borden would become the pinnacle of the adaption, and her fleeting presence within the annals of cultural mythology would become bolstered by a storm of half-thought ideas and subjective truths. And so Lizzie would become a linchpin, a core around which a new hero could be formed-- a wicked Alice, a walking reaper of authorial intent. The perfect Servant for the World to dispatch to destroy the dreams of a certain author whose vision had overstayed its welcome. After all, forty whacks is more than enough to fell a treeTree.

Description:

With her true identity revealed, it becomes a little clearer how much of Lizzie’s “Alice Alter” identity is obfuscation and how much is truly her.

Lizzie Borden is the core identity that the Throne of Heroes has used to stabilise this personification of interpretation and misinterpretation, since her own legend has become so distorted over time and crossed over into the realm of children’s tale in itself. This makes the “Lizzie” identity the perfect eye of the storm amidst the staggering pressures of her new nature. While she prefers to obfuscate the truth by letting her mind be carried on the constantly-shifting winds of change, she is capable of clarity by reasserting her factual self, and it is in these moments that more can be gleaned about her true character.

Lizzie is still not a stable individual, but she is far less erratic than initial observation would suggest. The personality fluctuations are real-- however, she has more control over them than she lets on, often using them as a defense, deflection, or simply for amusement. While she can be frustrated if not understood when trying to make clear a point, rarely is she beholden to such candor, and when she is she tends to be able to surmount this issue by vigorous threat of weapon application. Speak softly and carry a big stick, indeed. The constants previously listed remain true: Lizzie generally finds older men irritating and enjoys the company of women, children or animals, which tend to elicit at the very least more consistent behaviour on a positive spectrum from her. Any attempt by adult Servants to “parent” her will trigger a severely inverted reaction, though. To be controlled, told what she is and who she is meant to be, especially by an adult who deigns to treat her like a child... that is the one thing she cannot abide, and she will remind offenders just how it is she plays a Berserker so well.

She remains enraptured by stories, an uncontrollable side effect of her nature of being woven from them, and can become hotly engaged in debate over the concept of the “true” meaning. In her mind, any interpretation can be valid, even in the face of stark evidence of the author’s intent, which makes perfect sense considering she herself is woven of such contradictions. That being said, she does seem to take special interest in stories of violence and bloodshed above any other, betraying her real fascinations.

Lizzie IS capable of being truthful and coherent if the serious need arises-- however, it appears her scatterbrained nature and tendency to distort information are not entirely faked. Her memory will cause details to shift with enough time if she does not focus wholly on their recollection, which she often does not care to. Although... it seems as if even details that she wishes to remember, especially about her own true past, can become muddled up in her head. Though she hides it behind further maniacal whimsy, this seems to affect Lizzie on a far deeper scale than she lets on. Usually, if something is asserted to her about herself, she will simply accept it regardless of its obvious truth. “If you say so, I suppose! That’s just another way to read the story of me,” she will say with a laugh.

But even a Pretender has her limits, and it is in the moments when she is attempting to center herself that being presented with any other ‘truths’ might well provoke her into a rage. The game of changing faces, changing stories, is fun as long as she can find her way home when she wants to, but that possibility slips ever further from her grasp the longer she plays her role that is all roles. It is in these fleeting moments that a Master might simply find a confused girl trapped in flux, unsure of how much she can trust her own memories of the crimes she has been told by the world she committed, and just maybe forge a deeper understanding of who Lizzie Borden really is. Perhaps she embraces being the lie of perspective because she does not truly wish to face the reality of what it is she really did. Does she hope she did it? Or would she have regrets? If even in the face of living uncertainty the Master can value her story as equally as all others, she will resolve to become any story for them. Regardless of her belief that everything is true and false, she will slaughter anything in the path of the Master willing to prove that theirs together is the story worth telling.

Never knowing what is true and what is someone else’s truth-- constantly adrift on a sea of opinion, only able to find her way back to herself with stars that grow dimmer by the night. That is the fate of Lizzie Borden-- that is how this story goes. She might as well embrace it. What else can one do but go mad?

”We’re all mad here, Master. But I never said that, did I?”

Class Skills:

Madness Enhancement
Rank: EX
The Class Skill that characterizes a Berserker, raising basic parameters and strengthens one's physical abilities in exchange of hindering mental capacities and/or in exchange for their sense of reason. In some cases, it also affects and/or seals away some techniques, Personal Skills and Noble Phantasms. Lizzie’s sanity came under constant scrutiny given her bizarre behaviour on trial and the motives she could possibly have had for her inhuman rampage, and being shackled to the concept of the corruption of stories themselves has only pushed these fractured qualities to the very forefront.

Increases own Buster performance by 12%.


Avenger
Rank: B
A Class Skill usually associated with the Avenger class, representing the state of an Avenger as one that gathers people's hatreds and grudges onto oneself. It is easier for one to accumulate hatred and resentment. The rate of mana generation becomes higher when receiving damage. For the rest of her life after the murders, Lizzie Borden was treated as an outcast, a social pariah to be shunned and hated by even her own sister despite the innocent verdict. Now, as a creature of rumour and revision, she draws her power from the ever-mutating whispers of the court of public opinion.

Increases own NP generation rate when taking attack by 18%.
500% Chance to reduce party's debuff resistance by 8% except self. (Including sub members) [Demerit]


Camouflage
Rank: C
A Class Skill of the closely related Faker Class, a Skill that allows a Servant to disguise their Class and parameters. At this rank, Lizzie is able to disguise her Class, true parameters, and some of her own skills. However, the longer one looks, the more the holes left by this information become obvious, and the cracks in the veneer will continue to spread until the question must be asked.

Increases own critical attack chance resistance by 8%.
Increases own critical star generation rate by 8%.

Personal Skills:

Self-Modification
Rank: B
The aptitude to remold one's own body or merge one's own flesh with body parts of others. The higher the ranking in this Skill, the further away one is from being a proper hero. Even with her true identity revealed, Lizzie is still beholden to her nature as the personification of reinterpretation. Her form and abilities can become tenebrous and adaptable given the vast mass of influences she has to draw from in her Spirit Origin.

Increases own critical damage for 3 turns.
Increases own critical star absorption for 3 turns.


Golden Rule (Calamity)
Rank: B
A skill that refers to the measurement of one’s fortune to acquire wealth through wicked actions. Lizzie grew up in a wealthy but frugal home, and the reason many speculated she may have slaughtered her parents was to prevent her stepmother and extended family from draining the pockets of her father and stealing her rightful inheritance. When she died she was worth over $4 million in modern currency. Material worth and even more intangible resources are easy for this Servant to obtain-- however, the methods of acquiring them must be vicious and immoral for her to actually gain any benefit.

Charges own NP gauge every turn for 3 turns.
Increases own NP generation rate when taking attack for 3 turns.


Innocent Monster (Story)
Rank: EX
An attribute possessed by Servants whose true history and existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations and gossips they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter, without concern for the actual person's will or appearance. As a consequence, the Servant's abilities and appearance have been rendered to conform to the specifications of their legend. Incidentally, this Personal Skill cannot be removed. This alternate version of the Skill, however, applies to Heroic Spirits born of fiction who have been distorted instead by retellings of their own tale. This Servant may not truly be “Alice”, but she is nonetheless the World’s answer to the evolutions of that classic story. A young woman severed from reality and twisted by the delusions of the masses, corrupted by the innocent slander of children, turned into this dark and savage thing and made a vessel for the concept of revision.

Gains critical stars every turn for 3 turns.
Increases own Buster performance for 3 turns.
Removes own debuffs.

Noble Phantasm:

Forty Whacks

Massacre of Innocence

Type: Anti-Army
Rank: C
Range: 1-???
Targets: 1 person

Description:
With the real True Name of Lizzie’s Noble Phantasm revealed, suddenly its attributes make much, much more sense. Forty Whacks is not the weapon Lizzie wields, but the reenactment of the brutal slayings of the Borden family. Upon engaging with her target and releasing the Noble Phantasm’s True Name, Lizzie will assault them with rending blow after rending blow, an absolute bloody barrage of axe strikes that is likely to inflict lethal damage. However, when an attempt to interrupt the attack is made, this causes Forty Whacks to designate the intruder as the “second victim” of her rampage, just as her father was killed before discovering her mother’s murder. Therefore, they will immediately receive the full force of the blows regardless of their distance to the actual attack.

Although Lizzie only had two victims in life, the concept of her crimes ‘worsening’ across every iteration of her story (going from eighteen and eleven wounds on each of her respective targets to forty and forty-one, her father now receiving an even direr attack), she is able to continuously chain this ability of Forty Whacks across multiple targets. However, while it is not a particularly mana-heavy Noble Phantasm and therefore can be used repeatedly without risk to Lizzie or her Master, every single new target caught in the causality effect will double the mana cost. It will quickly spiral out of control if forced to spread across too many targets and prove lethal to the user as well-- however, this is a risky strategy to attempt to stop her, as it requires exposing multiple combatants to her assault. If that many expendable bodies are available, however, it is possible.

Indirect methods may also create opportunities-- sealing off the area Lizzie is engaging her target in or preparing a trap to trigger at the moment of Forty Whacks’ ceasing will not cause the ability to activate, and is therefore a potential weakness.

Ultimately, while Forty Whacks can do devastating damage to a large enemy force, its main purpose is to isolate a small number of targets. Lizzie herself no longer knows the truth of her own misdeeds-- indeed, some part of her is aware that even if her hands are the ones that wielded the famous axe, this level of ferocity is beyond what she used to be. But as she is now, she is freed of such things. She is the vessel of the audience, ever craving their own version of the tale to be realised.

And upon releasing this Noble Phantasm, she hears their cries for blood.

Deals damage that ignores defense buffs to one enemy.
Inflicts Buff Block status to them for 3 times, 3 turns.
Decrease Buster Resistance for all enemies for 3 turns. <Overcharge>

Relationships:

Fisher King Pelles:
”What an interesting story you have, mister. But it seems like you’re more the kind who prefers to listen, aren’t you? Or to watch, I suppose. Okay, then-- watch, Watcher, and tell me what you see in this story. Oh, and by the way. If your legs don’t work, why don’t you just chop them off? I can do it for you if you’d like me to. No? Are you sure?”

Nero Redivivus:
”Another story! Curiouser and curiouser. But, hmm... isn’t yours just the way you wished things had been? Surely you must know that not everybody reads it that way. Why are the people who hate her more wrong than the you who loves her? You should think about that.”

Umar Al Aziz:
”Just because you’re only a first draft doesn’t mean it’s not a story worth reading. Even if you could stand to be a LITTLE more interesting.”

Charlot:
”My, my, my! There’s all kinds of stories in you, isn’t there? With all of those different tales spinning around and around you, how are you so sure of who it is that you are? Mmm... Perhaps you might...”

Jerusalem Syndrome:
”Hmmm... Master, there is a part of me that gets very, very angry at this. I was a very good Christian woman, after all. At least, so some say. That’s their interpretation. I think that I should very much like to chop him up with an axe. But... I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. After all, isn’t this the greatest story of all? And to think of all the ways to read it. I’m simply impressed. Maybe this liar is a fitting Messiah for a lie like me. Oops, is that a sinful thing to say? I suppose that’s subjective~!”

Zahhak-e Mardoush:
”I know that a story contains multitudes, but don’t you think this is a little too literal for the audience? Anyway, anyway, it seems like it’s all only your own fault. You only listened to the version of the story that you wanted to hear and never thought about seeing it from a different point of view. Evil’s only real if you let good be the one who reads the story, but it seems like that’s exactly what you did. Look where it got you! How silly.”

Wakanuke:
”Hmm? You seem confused, looking at me all funny with those pretty eyes! Oh, oh, now I see what it is. Those pretty eyes are supposed to see everything, aren’t they? And you just can’t puzzle it out! Honestly, how ignorant. I’m ALREADY every possibility at once. Nobody can read ALL the stories in the world. You’d be much better off picking the one that you like and going with that! I won’t tell you it’s wrong. Aah... it’s so sad. Reading everybody else’s stories and thinking you know what’s true when you’re not even the one writing your own.”

Sandman:
”Dreams are such wonderful things. Like a special story only you can see, and any way you read it is the truth. Don’t you think so? Hmm... But then what does that make you? Do you write the stories? Or are you just somebody else’s story yourself? A story dreaming of a story dreaming of the first story, going around and around and around... Nonsense? Maybe. But it doesn’t make no sense, does it, now? Heehee.”

Mr. Glass:
”Hmmm... I like you. You understand. Just because it’s the most popular version of the story doesn’t mean that it’s the only way to read it. There are ever so many ways to see the truth... like a broken looking glass. I’d ask how you know that you aren’t really the story you’re pretending to be... but I don’t really feel like it right now. Now make me something pretty, so that I might decide some things that it is.”

Perdix:
”Goodness me, I can see why you’re so angry. All stories are good, and all ways to read a story are good. But what is the point of a story if it ends before anybody can make up their minds? Just the thought of it... Nephew Perdix took an axe, and gave Daedalus forty whacks. That’s a much more entertaining version, don’t you think? Aah, that really brings me back... But I’ll chop off his legs if you’d like to make sure he doesn’t run away. It sounds like such fun!”

Priapus:
”Ugh. So... UNAMBIGUOUS. I mean, there might be readers who like to interpret things that way, certainly, but... what’s the point of a story when your intent is so obvious that there’s no room for anything else? How tasteless... And they said what I did was a crime.”

Nannerl:
”La la la... Music is a special kind of story too, isn’t it? Everybody gets something different when they listen to it, and it doesn’t very matter what you wanted it to be. It’s the very best when there aren’t even any words to take the story and twist it up and down and all around in everybody’s heads. It’s so very... pure. I don’t know if I like the way this story makes me feel, but I should like you to tell it for me all the same, please.”

Daedalides Theos:
”What a most curious thing. You’re a lot like me, aren’t you, mister metal man? You’re just a story beaten into being, pretending to be something that doesn’t exist. I think it’s a little sad that you’re so sure that your way’s the only right way, but I suppose that doesn’t mean it’s not a good way. But don’t you think you’d be a better teacher if you were a little more creative? There’s no such thing as a wrong answer, after all.”

Serru:
”Every story is a good story, and every character in the story is somebody’s favourite, no matter how small they might seem. Like a pebble rolling down a hill into a rabbit hole, like drink-me-eat-me, the shortest line of dialogue can change the whole meaning. Don’t be so hard on yourself, mister snake. I liked it.”

Bess Houdini:
”Bravo! Encore! Love is such a wonderful story, and the danger is so endlessly entertaining! Not really enough blood for my taste, but I guess that’s the appeal to some. It’s only a shame that you feel you have to tell it in such a specific way. Why not just embrace what you are? That story is valuable too. But I suppose I’m hardly one to talk. Still, I do it because it’s fun. You don’t look like you’re having any.”

Tokugawa Iemitsu:
”Hmm, your Noble Phantasm... I hate it. I’ll kill you for it. I’ll murder you entirely to erase it. I’ll whack you with an axe until you’re dead, dead, dead. How dare you say that yours is the only way to tell the story?! How DARE you trample all over everybody else’s imagination?! If you won’t allow change, then change won’t allow you, so THERE!! Lizzie Borden took an axe--”

Geoffroi de Charny:
”What an interesting story. It’s a shame that they tried to tell everybody it’s not true, that isn’t any fun at all. I think your fancy cloth is all the more interesting for being scary. Are you sure that the memories you’re making are real, though? Everybody has their own point of view. You should know that when your secret friend has all of those eyes.”

Mother Babylon:
“Hahaha! Oh, you are EVER so funny! You’re a story who doesn’t even know you’re a story! You have no idea that you’re just following along with whatever the author tells you you are. I’m not scared of you. How could I be? I’m everything all at once, and you’re just one lonely perspective. Maybe if you tried a little harder.”

Tubalcain:
”Inventing things is fun! It’s like a story you can hold. But what is so wrong with war, either? It’s not the fault of the author what people choose to take from their stories. To make something is the most important job of all, but you’re worthless for having made it in all the best ways. War stories can be fun too, if people have a good reason to fight them. Or even no reason at all! The only thing that matters is that somebody believes in it. Isn’t that why anybody makes anything?”

Craft Essence:

If you take an axe and you replace the head, it’s still the same axe, isn’t it?

If you take an axe and you replace the handle, it’s still the same axe, isn’t it?

If you take an axe and you replace the head and then the handle... is it still the same axe?

I took an axe once. Everybody knows that part of my story.

But did I really do that? Or rather...

Am I still the same me who did those things when none of that's true about me anymore?

...Master, can you tell me a story? It starts like this.

"Lizzie Borden took an axe..."

...

...Wait, that isn’t how it goes, is it?

You tell me.

When equipped to Lizzie Borden, increases party's Buster Cards Star Absorption by 100% while she is on the field.

CREATOR'S NOTES

Make sure you click on the ending text so you don't miss the secret surprise inside! Come back here when you're done.

---

You've heard of death of the author, now get ready for axe-murder of the author.

Yep, everyone and their mum is doing a Pretender this time, but fuck it, I've had this on the backburner since WAY before Pretenders were even a THING, so I can HAVE this one!

Lizzie-as-Alice was always a weird concept I've had floating around due to seeing some really interesting parallels between the stories and realising I could do something completely off the wall there. She's meant to be the companion Servant in my Wonderland Lostbelt, in case that wasn't obvious. Maybe I'll revisit that concept more now that I've got its protagonist and antagonist out. Maybe I'll even see the same success I did with Carroll here with Lizzie.

I definitely think this is my very best work here yet-- and honestly, it feels pretty good to come back in what I feel is a big way. Even if I think my work is pretty heavily eclipsed by some of the other amazing entries, for the first time in a while I'm satisfied with my work. I'm happy with that. I hope this makes you happy too, dear reader. That's all that matters, after all, isn't it?

Also, I don't know how ANYONE makes ANY formatting work with the stupid collapse3 drop down thing. Every single time I tried to make it anything except plain text it would break the entire sheet top to bottom, so that's the best I can do, I'm broken beyond caring now. I HATE BBCODE.

[BnEl15]

Realcas is back, and I welcome you to our "Fuck BBcodes" club. Seriously though, what a great sheet. I especially like your interpretation of Forty Whacks beyond the usual "40-hit combo attack", which I've seen in other versions of her here. Speaking of stories, distorted legends, and killing, it makes me wonder how she'd react to a certain cat and mouse...

[realcasually]

Realcas is back, and I welcome you to our "Fuck BBcodes" club. Seriously though, what a great sheet. I especially like your interpretation of Forty Whacks beyond the usual "40-hit combo attack", which I've seen in other versions of her here. Speaking of stories, distorted legends, and killing, it makes me wonder how she'd react to a certain cat and mouse...

I literally haven't checked the core thread in... I think since the last time I posted in it. So this is the first time I'm seeing this. I was about to comment that it's WAY too meta for my taste as hysterical as it is... and then the reveal hit me. Holy shit but I have missed some absolute gold. I'll have to go back through the thread and see what else passed me by.

As for Lizzie... I think she'd give them a pep talk that may or may not actually have any effect about the value of their stories, and then... probably beg for an autograph. Or at least find a good seat to watch from. In other words, Funniest Shit She's Ever Seen.