A.D. 2132 Underland Capital Expedition, ShambhalaHollow Continent of Purification
Elysium Society / Expedition Force
Masters
Servants
Bridge Gracefield: A member of the Elysium Society and a missing Sealing Designate who once worked with the Atlas Institute. He was a Homunculus designed by the Gracefield Family, an American mage family connected to the Scroll & Key Society. His primary directive is to calculate a path towards enlightenment.
Carter Aldoa: A mysterious time traveler from the year 2377 A.D. He is an accomplice of the Elysium Society who helped them create the Horizon Gate and the Master of Rider of New Hampshire. He has joined Bridge's expedition company for unknown reasons and has a keen interest in learning about Chaldea. Carter disappears along with his Servant sometime between the expedition's arrival and exit from the fourth layer of the Hollow Continent.
Arné Saknussemm|Lancer: An alchemist from the 16th Century who discovered a passage to an undiscovered land in the center of the Earth. He is a fictional character from Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth and would normally be impossible to summon, due to being a Phantom Spirit. However, Bridge was able to summon him with the help of Zazari Nahui of Elysium using the OOPArt which has a powerful connection to the Hollow Earth Continent, and by merging his Saint Graph with three famous warrior kings who embody the folkloric archetype "King in the Mountain".
Rider of New Hampshire|Rider: A mysterious Rider Class Servant contracted to Carter Aldoa. His identity is unknown but Kadoc seems to have a vague idea of who it might be, though he claims this answer to be impossible. He can summon a ghost ship, cause minor rainstorms, call forth poisonous winds, and seems to be accompanied by an ominous bird of unknown variety.
Chaldea Security Organization
Masters
Servants
Ritsuka Fujimura: One of the two Master candidates of Chaldea. An average person whose only experience using magecraft is provided by the Mystic Code provided by Chaldea for field missions. He wakes up in a holding cell on board Bridge's mobile colony alongside Ritsuka with a gap in his memories as if something was missing between the Rayshift to the Horizon Gate and his imprisonment. Throughout the expedition, he occasionally experiences headaches and flashbacks of events he has never experienced.
Kadoc Zemlupus: A former member of the Crypters, the team originally created to resolve the Singularities of the Human Order Incineration. He has a constant desire to prove himself capable of "saving humanity" after having lost the chance to do so in the past. He wakes up in a holding cell on board Bridge's mobile colony alongside Ritsuka with a gap in his memories as if something was missing between the Rayshift to the Horizon Gate and his imprisonment.
Mash Kyrielight|Shield: The Servant of Ritsuka Fujimaru. She is a Demi-Servant who was merged with Sir Galahad of the Round Table. Though she can no longer draw on Galahad's full power, she makes up for it using the Ortinax Armor to fight. Still, she is mainly geared towards defense and support. She wakes up in a holding cell on board Bridge's mobile colony alongside Ritsuka with a gap in her memories as if something was missing between the Rayshift to the Horizon Gate and her imprisonment.
Giacomo G. Casanova|Assassin: The Servant of Kadoc Zemplupus. Casanova is a famous 18th Century author and adventurer infamous for his exagerrated tales of romance and intrigue. He wakes up in a holding cell on board Bridge's mobile colony alongside Kadoc with a gap in his memories as if something was missing between the Rayshift to the Horizon Gate and his imprisonment.
H.G. Wells|Foreigner: The “Father of Science Fiction” has taken on the form of the infamous “Time Traveler” and his enigmatic machine. He has traveled with Chaldea to this Horizon Gate, rather uncharacteristically. He explains to the rest of the team about how they have arrived too early in the Horizon Gate, but he seems to know more than he lets on.
Schrodinger's Cat (Olga Marie Animusphere)|Moon Cancer: A Pseudo-Servant sharing a body with Chaldea's former Director. The embodiment of Henry Schrodinger's famous thought experiment explaining the concept of Quantum Superposition. She is equipped with the Disentanglement Cannon, a powerful Noble Phantasm created with the to undo to disentangle the Quantum Time Locks maintained by the OOPArt. She is protecting a corrupted mission report that mysteriously appears in the data on Mash's Ortinax Suit.
Helena Blavatsky|Caster:The founder of the Theosophic Society which helped popularize the significance of the Shambhala myth and the Hollow Continent amongst occult circles in the early 1920s. Helena was summoned by Ritsuka on instinct when they reached the Crystal City and helps them explore the ancient ruins to learn more about the Hollow Continent's origins.
St.Martins Land Fairies
Servants
King Herla|Avenger: An ancient king of the Britons who was said to have traveled to the world of the Fairies to attend the Dwarf King's wedding for 3 days only to find that 300 years had passed when he resurfaced. King Herla leads his men on an eternal journey through the night as part of the Wild Hunt. Oberon summoned Herla to act as his right hand man and general after having arrived in the Horizon Gate.
Oberon|Assassin: The King of the Fairies spoken of in many English stories, most famously in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Unlike the Pretender from Fairy Britain, this is the real Oberon. Normally, summoning him to the human world would take a ritual of considerable power capable of opening a gateway to the Reverse Side of the World and maintaining his existence. However, the anomalous nature of the Hollow Continent and the high concentration of Magical Energy allowed him to slip through quite easily and leading an small invasion force of Fairies to take over the surface world out of jealousy towards humanity. While he is very skilled at illusions and curses, Oberon doesn't have the same mass destructive capabilities as his Pretender.
Others
Servants
Grettir|Saber: A hero from the Icelandic family saga known as the Gretisaga. He is an impulsive warrior who loves fighting and gets bored easily. He doesn't mind helping strangers with their problems, usually slaying monsters, but may lash out violently just as easily if annoyed. He is a Servant summoned by the Counter Force to observe and eventually oppose Elysium's expedition to the bottom of the Hollow Continent.
Leif Erikson|Rider: A famous Icelandic explorer who became the first European to set foot in the New World centuries before the Age of Discovery. He is also sometimes known as Leif the Lucky. He is a Servant summoned by the Counter Force to explore and investigate the Hollow Continent created by the OOPArt. He is has been lost in the Fourth layer for some time before the expedition company finds him.
Vanir|Gate Keeper: A collective of Sages from the Sirius Star System who were following one of the Umbral Star's anti-cells. Known as the Vanir, these sages tracked their enemy down to Earth and defeated the anti-cell alongside their allies: the Aesir. It is uncertain whether the Norse gods in Chaldea's timeline also has this origin, but this Gate Keeper Class Servant has been summoned into the Horizon Gate where such possibilities are truth. It is said that these Sages barely survived the end of the Age of Gods and chose to seclude themselves in a temple in the Himalayas. They are now refered to by those who have encountered them as the Nordic Aliens.
Odin|Watcher: The Norse god of Knowledge, Magic, and Warfare who was the leader of the Aesir. In this Horizon Gate, he rests at the bottom of the Hollow Continent within the control terminal of ■■■■■■■■■, guarding one of the primary entrances to the Reverse Side of the World. He is only capable of exerting a small fraction of his power to interact with the outside world through Shadows who appear before the expedition company multiple times during their journey.
Key Noble Phantasms:
Azure-Eyes Specter of Vengeance「Glamr」
A Noble Phantasm belonging to the Icelandic warrior Grettir in the form of a curse placed on him by the monster he slayed, Glam. Grettir is cursed to cause misfortune and chaos wherever he goes, which manifests as a form of Madness Enhancement that seems to grow in strength whenever he kills demonic beasts or enemies with an "Evil" alignement as if absorbing their malice into himself. In addition, the glowing eyes of Glam will follow Grettir around in darkness and haunt him forever. Whenever Grettir's Madness Enhancement reaches its peak, Glam will summon itself as a powerful Wraith to rampage.
Hollow Eyes of the War God「Odin's Eye」
Also called the "Treasure of the Hollow Continent", this is the eye plucked out by All-Father in exchange for all the knowledge of the world. It lies in a shallow lake of water at the bottom of the Hollow Continent. By exchanging one's own left eye with this Noble Phantasm, it grants omniscience and a degree of divine power at the cost of human emotions. It is part of the Trial which turns one into a Ruler Class, and the answer offered to those who seek an "forbidden" wisdom. However there must always be more than one choice, so for those whose path has arleady become clear and "enlightened", the true answer is...
Data Expunged! File may be Corrupted
Eternal Observer of the Fourth Dimension「The Time Machine」
The Noble Phantasm of H.G. Wells. It is a machine belonging to the character of "The Time Traveller" in his titular science fiction novel. Using the principle of "Time being the 4th Dimension", the Machine can move across this dimension backwards or forwards allowing one to travel between time periods. The way this is achieved seems to be some absurd miracle but using it on a Pseudo-Spiritron body such as a Rayshifter can pose a great risk. The Chaldeans were forced to use it to travel 3 years in the past after their first confrontation with Bridge in 2135 failed.
★★★★★ Arné Saknussemm
Class: Lancer
Alternate Class: Caster, Alter-Ego
Attribute: Man
Source: Literature, Mythology
Region: Northern Europe
Alignment: Lawful Good
Likes: Fighting dangerous monsters, an honorable duel, chivalry, spelunking
Dislikes: Unreasonable people, noisy delinquents
Strength: A+ Agility: B Luck: D+ Endurance: B Mana: C Noble Phantasm: B
Class Skills
Territory Creation: D++ Lancer's ability to create an area advantageous to himself. This skill would normally create a simple workshop for performing mundane chemistry and transmuting metals. The modifications to his Spirit Origin however greatly enhance the effectiveness of his chemical solutions and alchemy while underground. Item Construction: D The ability to create magical items and tools. Arné Saknussemm has this skill because of his alchemy but due to his level of skill, the rank is quite low. It's not very useful without the boost granted by Territory Creation. High-Servant: C A skill that denotes a composite Heroic Spirit. Lancer's Spirit Origin has been merged with that of three famous kings who all share the folkloric archetype of the "King in the Mountain" or the "Sleeping Hero".
Personal Skills
Slumbering Hero: B A sublimation of the folkloric archetype of the "Hero slumbering under a mountain" that boosts Lancer's parameters while underground. Additionally, sleeping for long periods of time will heal Lancer's wounds by using magical energy in the environment around him. Saint of the Abyss: A An evolution of Arné Saknsussem's Navigator of the Abyss. As the one who discovered the path to the center of the Earth, Lancer has an intimate familiarity with navigating cave systems. This skill acts somewhat like an extension of Lancer's Territory Creation, putting him at an advantage so long as he is underground. He can cause minor Earthquakes, cause rocks to fall at convenient spots by striking the ground, and even find valuable recourses by following what he calls the "call of the abyss". The Hollow Continent seems to lower the effectiveness of this skill, ironically. Charisma (Sage): A- A skill which denotes the natural talent to lead nations and armies. The three great kings that merged with Arné Saknussemm grants him the charisma of a wise man who could probably be seen leading a religious movement. As such, this skill is more effective when leading others to follow some sort of ideal or grand ambition otherwise, its efficacy is rather uneven.
Background
Lore: There is a common trope spoken of in many myths and legends all over the world. A valiant warrior king goes to sleep beneath a mountain, only awakening to defend his homeland in its greatest hour of need. This is known as the "King asleep in the Mountain" or the Kyffhäuser in Stith Thompson's index of folklore motifs. Arné Saknussemm was a fictional 16th century alchemist from Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth and would normally a mere Phantom Spirit. When Bridge intended to summon a Heroic Spirit compatible enough to weild his OOPArt, his colleague Zazari Nahui helped him summon Arné as a High-Servant with the components of three "King in the Mountain" Heroic Spirits. This was not only to increase the quality of Arné Saknussem's Spirit Origin but also to give him an even greater advantage in the Hollow Continent.
Personality: It is unknown what the original Arné Saknsussemm's personality was like, though the riddle he left behind in Jules Verne's story might indicate some cunning or mischievous attitude. Lancer presents himself as a wise, patient mentor with romantic view of the world which made him compatible with Bridge's ideals. The three kings added to his Spirit Origin have greatly affected his ability to lead and understand his subordinates as well, which has put him in the role of Bridge's spokesperson when morale is low. This will occasionally get him to butt heads with Bridge when compromises must be reached, but he will usually side with his Master anyways so long as their goals do not conflict. He can be best described as some sort of PR manager, though Bridge's critics see him more as a indecisive fence sitter.
Noble Phantasm
Legend of the Slumbering HeroKonungur í Fjallinu
The fateful hour arrives. The promise is fulfilled. The homeland beckons your soul to march. Onwards to glorious death: Konungur í Fjallinu!
Rank: B+
Classification: Anti-Army
Range: 10~99
Max. Targets: 1000 People
Lancer's primary Noble Phantasm, a sublimation of the folklore archetype of the "King in the Mountain". Lancer can open a giant chasm in the Earth to swallow up his enemies, an attack which is particularly effective against demonic beasts, "Evil aligned" enemies, and threats to humanity. In addition, an army of undead knights can also be summoned from within this chasm to aid Lancer in battle. The number of knights summoned is always set to match the number of opponent's that Lancer is fighting and they seem to grow stronger in great numbers although they can't become stronger or directly as strong than Lancer himself. These knights also grow stronger when in territory with strong ties to a "King in the Mountains" like Fionn MacCumhaill, Frederick Barbarossa, King Arthur, or Charlemagne.
Fragmented Possibilities
After analysing the anomalous phenomena at the center of the Horizon Gates existences, Chaldea with the help of H.G. Wells, Chaldea uncovered the manner by which the Horizon Gates were being made. The supreme Mystic Code AQUARIUS used the OOPArts as catalyst to pinpoint certain “world lines” which it would then force to converge into a Quantum Time Lock. The OOPArts and the development of these eras as footholds in humanity’s future would then serve to stabilize the Time Lock properly into Pan Human History, and the linear timeline it created not only allowed for an awkward but effective communication system between the eras, each Horizon Gate also ensured the existence of the next Time Lock in the chain.Exoanthropic Hollow Continent
Many stories are told of an age in the distant past where Earth was inhabited and dominated not by humans, but by outsiders from the distant stars. While Bridge's research did confirm some instances of extraterrestrial visits to Earth in the distant past, any traces left behind by these visits are incredibly sparse. So, when offered the chance to piece together his own ideal future, Bridge saw his chance to enact his greatest passion project. Bridge sought the mysterious key to the Hollow Continent in Singularity and found it in the form of the Stainless Iron Lance to use as a catalyst for the AQUARIUS. He set the centerpiece of his Horizon Gate in Iceland's Snćfellsjökull Volcano after being inspired by Journey to the Center of the Earth and summoned a modified version of the fictional chemist Arné Saknsussemm to weild the OOPArt. With the stage set, Bridge now had the Hollow Continent he had always dreamed of exploring: a patchwork underground world riddled with extraterrestrial technology and lost knowledge.An Alternative Origin
There was one more "possibility" that Bridge's OOPArt added to his ideal Terra Incognita. Long ago, an Ark of the Stars fell to Earth, carrying with it a massive giant ■■■■, a being that fed on Magical Energy and recorded the data of life forms it devoured. However, before this giant could cause much damage to the Planet, it was defeated by two groups of Alien Sages: the Vanir and the Aesir. The sages could not acclimate entirely to Earth's ecosystem and chose instead to use the giant's advanced biomechanical body to create a large Divine Construct which would anchor multiple isolated textures for the sages to inhabit. This was the Star Tree ■■■■■■■■■. Overtime, the sages found a way to repopulate their barren wintery home terrtory of Scandinavia with recreations of the species who had been devoured by the giant, offering them homes within the Star Tree as well. Time would pass and humanity would eventually emerge and these sages would be regarded by the local people as gods.
Husk of the Star TreeHollow Continent - ■■■■■■■■■
An underground ecosystem filled with fantastical creatures and ruins of ancient alien civilizations from before the dawn of mankind. The entire Hollow Continent exists on the burried remains of a powerful and large divine construct which belonged the Norse gods. The walls of this vast underground world is subtly lined with an unknown metal and ancient circuitry.Mobile Ark Colony
A caravan of high tech vehicles built by Bridge Gracefield with the help of various exploration companies, the Horizon Gate's version of the Atlas Institute, and several prominent universities including the mysterious up coming GENESIS Research Center from Greece. The caravan includes excavation machines, a mobile lab, several small mobile homes, and a mobile command center.
Ice Caverns
The first layer of the Hollow Continent consists of a vast glacial cavern. Trapped in the icy walls are the fossils of extinct extraterrestrial species whose advanced civilizations once dominated the Earth, the race of ancient aliens spoken of by H.P. Lovecraft.
Prehistoric Forest
The second layer of the Hollow Continent is a jungle of prehistoric plants, dinosaurs, and phantasmal beasts which have traveled up from the Reverse Side of the World. Somewhere within this merciless jungle where the only law is strength lies a hidden oasis guarded by a certain swordsman.
City of Rainbows
The third layer of the Hollow Continent holds the ruins of a technologically advanced city made of crystals. It was once home to a prosperous extraterrestrial civilization. Their whereabouts are unknown but it is likely they adapted to the planet and left for the Reverse Side of the World once the Age of Gods ended.
Interstellar Scrapyard Ocean
Deep beneath the sewers of the Rainbow City and past a large stone gate is a series of subterranean rivers and lakes which makes up the fourth layer of the Hollow Continent. It is home to the remains of spacecrafts and boats that have sunken into the sea since long ago.
Saint Martin's Land
The fifth layer of the Hollow Continent is a verdant countryside illuminated by an unknown light beyond the the rocky plateaus. This gives the entire layer an appearance of being in perpetual twilight. This land was once inhabited by humans with green skin but it has recently been overrun by actual fairies from the Reverse Side of the World.
Hanging Mountains
The sixth layer of the Hollow Continent is an upside-down mountain range with raging winds. The ground below is hidden by a sea of clouds. An ancient temple is built into the mountains, home to a group of mysterious immortal sages.
Shambala
The deepest layer of the Hollow Continent is the core of the divine construct ■■■■■■■■■ built from the remains of the Ark of the Stars belonging to one of the Umbral Star's anti-cells. At its center is a small lake of water in which the ruined Ark is halfway submerged. The Ark blocks an entrance into the Reverse Side of the World, the light from which illuminates the ancient chamber.
Starting Point Unknown
The members of Chaldea wake up in a holding cell with no memories of their arrival in the Horizon Gate and their communication with Chaldea's main headquarters cut off. H.G. Wells, browses through the mission log recorded on Chaldea's communication device only to find corrupted files protected by a digitized Olga-Marie. The only discernable words are Wisdom, Trick, Gracefield, and Reject. An armed guard welcomes the captives to the headquarters of the Shambhala Ark Expedition Company, an exploration group attempting to colonize the Hollow Continent, a vast underground world which Mash deduces to be a result of the Horizon Gate's OOPArt. The Chaldeans are introduced to the company's leader, Bridge Gracefield of the Elysium Society who eagerly invites Chaldea to join him on his journey and judge the worth of his ideals for themselves, offering to settle things fairly only once they reach the bottom. When confronted about Chaldea's intentions to dismantle the Horizon Gate, Bridge informs them that the Horizon Gate is still years away from stabilizing and the journey to their goal at the bottom of the Hollow Continent has just begun. Realizing why Bridge is so willing to negotiate a temporary truce, Ritsuka reluctantly agrees and so do the rest of the present Chaldeans.Mobilize: Ark of Enlightenment
Kadoc can't shake off a strange feeling of familiarity and unease though. Before the expedition begins, Bridge Introduces the Chaldeans to the expedition company which mainly consists of enthusiastic archaologists, a few mages sympathetic to his cause, and members of a up coming research society from Greece called the GENESIS Academy Alliance. Ritsuka gets another flashback as they pass through the Ice Caverns and “predicts” the arrival of a mysterious specter who claims to be a great historian from Scandinavia. The specter explains the danger of the Hollow Continent and about the trials that will await them: each layer of the Hollow Continent is a relic of an age long past and contains some sort of trial. The final prize is the “Treasure of Enlightenement” that lies within Shambhalla, the supposed city of enlightenement at the bottom. Kadoc experiences a headache at the mention of a treasure and feels compelled to question Bridge's goal. The latter reveals that the Expedition Company wishes to share the knowledge and technology left behind in the Hollow Continent with the surface to kickstart a new age of enlightenment. He also states his desire to create a nation "free of evil" and hopes this treasure will grant him the necessary wisdom to become a great ruler.
Garden of Primordial Order
The expedition company arrives in the second layer, the Prehistoric Jungle, and Mash seems on edge as the caravan stops in the middle of the jungle and the crew takes shore leave to go resupply on natural recourses in the woods. All is well at first, Bridge encourages his crew to enjoy the “primeval order” of nature and live off the bounties of the land. During a hunting trip with Kadoc, and Casanova, Mash rushes off into the woods following some sudden instinct as if searching for something until she leads the confused party to a small campsite littered with traps. There, they encounter the swordsman Grettir who begins to help the crew survive and navigate the prehistoric jungle over the next few days. Soon, the frailer scholarly types among the expedition crew begin finding it harder to survive in the merciless environment of the prehistoric jungle. In addition, a shadowy beast with glowing blue eyes has been terrorizing the forest at night, throwing the animals into a wild frenzy. Amid the growing tention, a rogue scientist tries to start a violent uprising as Kadoc and Casanova try to deescalate things.Kadoc experiences a strange vision of the jungle and tracks down the beast’s hideout to a waterfall oasis where the shadowy creature leaps out of the shadows and possesses the rogue scientist, turning him into a large hairy, ghoul-like monster. Bridge helps fend off a stampede of enraged prehistoric predators while the Chaldeans defeat the possessed scientist. The expedition safely escapes the jungle onboard the Ark and descends into the third layer through a cave behind the waterfall.Trial of Greed
The expedition company arrives in the third layer, the Crystal City, and meets up with Snorri, who congratulates them. Ritsuka remembers the city being more alive and asks about any previous visitors, but Snori says they were the first to ever explore the continent. While exploring the sewers beneath the city; Bridge, Ritsuka, and the newly summoned Helena Blavatsky encounter a spectral figure calling themselves Prestor John, an ancient king who claims to have found “knowledge from the divine” at the heart of the Hollow Continent. Prestor even goes so far as to claim that this knowledge turned his kingdom into an empire when he returned to the surface. Helena is suspicious of Prestor, who's name she doesn't recognize from any history, but Bridge's determination to reach the bottom is sparked further by this encounter. The discovery of a giant gate separating the rest of the Hollow Continent sparks another rift in the expedition company, with some researchers weary of the dangers further below opting to stay and rebuild the Crystal City and the members of the GENESIS Academy eager to keep moving forwards. Bridge is stubborn about reaching Shambhala, especially after encountering Prestor John and accuses the splinter group of "falling into greed". The tension reaches when a serial killer hidden among the crew begins picking off members from both sides.
Battle of the Crystal City
Ritsuka has a flashback of a lively, bustling Crystal City and tries to reason with Bridge as the tensions rise. He offers they stabilize the Horizon Gate here and settle their original agreement, but Bridge won’t have it and forces his way through the ruined sewers while the crew members on Bridge’s side enforce a lockdown. Ritsuka, Helena, Mash, and Olga descend into the Sewers to confront Bridge and Arné Saknussemm in a battle. Olga and Helena experience visions during the fight allowing them to gain an advantage. But while Arné distracts the Chaldeans, Bridge fixes the Gate and uses the OOPArt to open it. Meanwhile, back in the city, a fight between the insurgents lead by Kadoc and Carter, and Bridge’s enforcers is interrupted by a stampede of prehistoric animals lead by Grettir who is revealed to have been the serial killer after succumbing to madness and paranoia. Back in the sewers, an army of phantasmal beasts, enraged spirits, and fairies rush throught the gates lead by a mysterious Avenger Class Servant. Bridge reluctantly rushes to his people’s defense and a two-front battle against Grettir’s forces and the sudden army of Fairies ensues. Kadoc and Casanova manage to knock some sense back into the berzerk Saber Servant just in time to push back the Fairies, forcing them to retreat deeper into the Hollow Continent. At the end of the battle, Grettir awkwardly agrees to be detained for the safety of the crew while Carter and Rider have disappeared.Deep in the Darkness
The expedition company is left severly dwindled after the battle with Grettir and Avenger's horde of Fairies. With the Crystal City even further damaged, the crew finds themselves with no choice but to move forwards into the fourth layer, river of scrapped spacecrafts. Bridge experiences a conflict of self after realizing that his single minded obsession with getting to their destination lead to the Fairies attacking his crew, and it's at this moment that he explains his origins as a Homunculus and why he is so fixated on reaching Shambhala. Kadoc asks Bridge just what the “enlightenment” he’s searching for at the heart of the Hollow Continent is, reminding Bridge that Prestor John and Snori were quite vague. Bridge almost seems ready to lash out, but pauses when can’t find an answer. Despite this, he maintains his resolves and redefines the expedition's priorities from reaching Shambhala to study the ruins of in the Hollow Continent to understand what lead to the rise and fall of the ancient civilizations within it. the expedition crew encounters Leif Erikson, a Servant summoned by the Counter Force to investigate the threat of the Fairies which had popped up in the Horizon Gate. He reveals that he is an ally of Grettir and when the expedition crew shows suspicion towards Leif, he reassures them that he isn’t as hostile as the angry Saber, explaining Grettir's madness enhancement and the curse of Glam's effect on his psyche. As the mobile ark sails through the underground river, they stumble another mysterious specter, a red haired emperor weilding an elegant sword, who challenges both Bridge and Chaldea’s convictions on their respective missions, this causes Ritsuka to suffer another flashback. The specter vanishes as the ship’s security system activates to attack the trespassers.Memories - Synarchic Underland Capital
The expedition force makes it through the Interstellar Scrapyard with renewed conviction to reach Shambhalla and a stronger sense of unity. Bridge, the idealistic but naďve ruler he is, wishes to work alongside Chaldea and understand why they’re opposing Elysium. Kadoc is still surprised at how oddly reasonable the members of Elysium can be, but Bridge repeats that he would have likely been more hostile if they had rayshifted to a later point along the timeline. This catches Ritsuka’s attention who experiences a headache as all the memories flood back to him and blacks out. After regaining his senses Ritsuka finally remembers what happened before they woke up in the cell and recounts to his friends how they had originally rayshifted to the year 2135 and encountered Bridge's fully realized nation centered around the entrance Hollow Continent in Iceland. He talks about how Bridge seemed a lot less human and ruled with an iron fist over mindless, obedient people "purged of evil", reminding him somewhat of Qin Shi Huang from the Chinese Lostbelt. Ritsuka finishes by saying that the Bridge of that time had seemed far more powerful then the current one to the point where H.G. Wells had to use his Noble Phantasm to send the Chaldeans 3 years to the past and that future Bridge had mentioned obtaining the "Wisdom of the War God".
Arkadia of the Fairfolk
The expedition company arrive in the fifth layer, a luscious green countryside under an eternal twilight, only to find the place overtaken by the Fairies. They discover human inhabitants with pale green skin who call the place Saint Martin's Land and claim that they were people who have been lost and found there way here over the years. Leif leads the company through the woods and takes them to the hideout of a secret rebel army fighting to push out the Fairy invaders. While staying with the Rebels and fighting the Fairies, the expedition company find out that the Fairies have been keeping the occupied human villages under an whimsical illusion to pacify them, manipulating their memories to keep them carefree and unobtrusive. Bridge remembers Ritsuka's memories of his tyrannical self and is disturbed when he almost agrees with the Fairies. He sees the blissfuly ignorant arcadia created by the Fairies as peaceful and devoid of “conflict” or “evil”, and almost finds this order to be a good example of what he would’ve strived for.Rebellion of the Twilight Country
Resolving to show Bridge the strength of the human heart and get him to understand the driving force of the humanity, the rebel leader Agnese launches an attack to free the largest village. They get into a fight with Avenger who is revealed to be King Herla, the leader of the Wild Hunt. During their fight, Haerla explains the jealousy the Fairies feel towards humanity and the society they’ve built, which confuses Bridge further. After freeing the village and forcing Haerla to retreat, the expedition force and the rebellion use this advantage to push forwards towards the stronghold of the Fae on the other side of the river. When the rebels reach the riverside, they encounter another specter, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria who opposed the Crusaders, Saladin. He commends Bridge for having reached this far and assures the rebels that they will retake Saint Martin’s Land from the fairies. He further encourages Bridge to “look into the eyes of the Fairy king” and tells him that the City of Enlightenment at the bottom of the Hollow Continent is a radiant Ark, but the at this point the journey would be fruitless. Bridge refuses to back down, and declares his will to reach the City of Enlightenment, and judge for himself its worth. He wants to see just where his future self went wrong.In the Hall of the Fairy King
The rebels eventually reach the forward operating fortress of the Fairy King. With the help of Leif, Grettir, Chaldea’s summoned Servants, and the expedition force; the Saint Martin’s Land rebels storm the Fairy King's Castle to drive out the fairies and force them back to the Reverse Side of the World. The Fairy King has enchanted his castle into labyrinth of illusions, confusing the invading army greatly and allowing the Fairies to pick off their enemies one by one. Bridge uses his magecraft to calculate the path to the throne room and differentiate the illusions from reality. In the Throne Room, Ritsuka and Bridge meet Fairy King Oberon, who intends to rebuild the remains of the Star Tree to expand the territory of the Fairies to the surface. Chaldea has a climactic battle against the true Fairy King and the castle is destroyed in the aftermath. Bridge allows a group of his followers to stay behind and help Saint Martin’s Land rebuild while the rest accompany him and Chaldea to the last two layers.
Temple of the Secret Keepers
Helena Blavatsky agrees to ferry the expedition company across the mountains on board her Noble Phantasm. The company encounters a UFO which belongs to Nordic Aliens who introduce themselves as the Vanir, a Gatekeeper Class Servant summoned by the Counter Force to guard the entrance into Shambhala. After leading them to their temple, the leader of the Vanir asks Bridge and the members of Chaldea why they seek out the Hollow Continent. Since they were summoned to the Horizon Gate after Chaldea’s second Time Travel, they are aware of Bridge’s potential for tyranny. Bridge however, rejects the desire to reach Shambhala but also claims that while the journey down has been eye opening for him, he doesn’t want his followers’ wishes to be in vain and he wants to see for himself what they've all fought for. The Vanir use their Noble Phantasm to put Bridge and Chaldea into a trial, showing them a vision of various points along human history which they’ve observed as well as the experiences of the people who’ve sought out their knowledge. They reveal Bridge’s backstory and the experiences recorded within him and ask him what he wants again. Bridge refuses to back down, but then asks Vanir to accompany them to Shambhala, entrusting him temporary possession of Lancer’s OOPArt should the worse come to pass.Hollow Eyes of the War God
On the way down, the expedition force encounters leftover souls from the Wild Hunt lead by a weary and half-dead Oberon. He reveals that Lancer’s attack was destructive enough that Oberon was able to fake his death and escape to the sixth layer. From there, he tailed the expedition force until they entered the seventh layer. Oberon tricks Chaldea into blasting a hole through the barrier of rubble and makes way to the resting place of Odin where he replaces his left eye with the latter's missing eye which begins transforming his Spirit Origin to take on the power and knowledge of the "All-Father". Bridge, finally realizing just what caused his descent into tyranny in the previous timeline, steps up to fight him alongside Lancer who now wields the OOPArt once more and Ritsuka's party. It is revealed that when the Horizon Gate was formed, the OOPArt's power of stabilization was split between the Ark of the Stars and its activation key in the form of Saknussemm's Lance which has become some sort of ignition key for the Ark. The Horizon Gate begins to reach a state of forced stability due to Oberon's command of the Ark. The Disentanglement Cannon is used to empower the OOPArt and launched at Oberon who has become the Ark's terminal. This destroys both halves of the OOPArt and destroys Oberon whose physical form dissolves as he begins to fade into the Reverse Side of the World bellow the heart of Yggdrasil, though he swears vengeance on Chaldea.
Brilliant Unclear Horizon
In the final moments of the Horizon Gate, as the Quantum Timelock begins to unravel, Bridge uses one of his Mystic Codes to connect a path through the unravelling Space Time anomaly, connecting Chaldea to their original destination of 2135 and allowing them to Rayshift back to their Headquarters. Bridge parts ways with them to travel to the other Horizon Gates to see how his allies manifested their vision of an ideal future, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of what truly drives humans forward. Bridge’s followers cheer him on as he leaves , telling him to remember how humanity has survived to this point, even in other timelines, and to keep the bright future he promised them in his heart. Bridge makes a promise to the Chaldeans to meet them again once he has his answer so that they can settle their score. Before he departs with Lancer, he leaves Chaldea with a final warning about Lou and Zazari, claiming that those two are people who whole heartedly despise the Present and that they are not nearly as unattentive as Libera, not only that but Lou is likely already aware of Chaldea's progress through the GENESIS Academy Alliance.Horizon Gate cleared! Possibilities Restored.
"Do you seek the light beyond the trial of evil? Allow me to calculate the path for you, it is your destiny to reach enlightenment."
Name: Bridge Gracefield
Aliases: The Gracefield Homonculus, Star Road Commander, Cryptographer, Tutor of Azoth, Magnum Opus
Age: 178
Country of Origin: USA
Height/Weight: 186 cm / 130 kg
Element: Hollow
Origin: Formulation
Circuit Quality: D~B
Circuit Quantity: A
Affiliation: Scroll & Key (Former), Atlas Institute (Former), Elysium Society
Servant: Arné Saknussemm (Lancer)
Command Seal:
Background
The Gracefields are a disgraced family of Mages from the United States who are rather infamous among their peers for their long history of trial and error. It is for this reason that they see Bridge as their greatest work in which they find both great pride in his existence and bitterness for "abandoning" them. The Gracefields are members of the secret society known as Scroll & Key which holds mages among its upper ranks, where the distinction between actual mages and eccentric scholars who use mysticism as a basis for mundane philosophy is hard to find. Their roots go all the way back to the ancient Germanic tribes as royal advisors and court mages. With the quality of their Magic Circuits dwindling in the Middle Ages, they focused their studies on theoretical alchemy and the development of the "perfect human". In pursuit of their goal, they took to arguably mundane means: studying and translating alchemical texts in the perspective that they were encoded messages written not just for the purpose of enacting magecraft but also texts of “heretical” philosophy. While they worked on other research, the Gracefields worked in the background on a long and arduous project.
For generations, they would raise their children following the translated philosophies from the alchemical texts, combining mundane philosophical education and thaumaturgical knowledge. With each generation, the leads of this project would record the effects on the subject’s life and growth as a Mage. With every step they took towards success and every failure, they recorded the experiences of these subjects as memories implanted onto a single homunculus, Bridge Gracefield, a patchwork masterpiece with a miraculously invaluable origin of Formulation and a genius intellect. Their hope was that these memories would create an “algorithm of enlightenment” until the right answer could be pieced together and calculated. Bridge's Origin of Formulation and his genius intellect upon being first awoken was a resounding step forward in the eyes of the Gracefields, and so in the mid 1700s the family, which had grown secluded and forgotten by Mage society, quietly slipped out of Europe to the New World.
In the 1800s, the Gracefield family joined the ranks of Yale’s mysterious Scroll & Key society, continuing their experiments by observing Bridge and the various aspiring Mages he took under his tutelage. When rumors of a wise hermit and genius mages from Yale began circulating among the fractured secret Mage societies of North America, Bridge caught the attention of the Mages Association and he was given a Sealing Designation due to the sketchy nature behind his creation. His seal was liften in exchange for collaborating with the Atlas Institute where his Origin and Gematria Magecraft proved a great asset. One day however, while on a rare contract job in the outside, all traces of Bridge mysteriously vanished from the face of the Earth. He has become the stuff of urban legends among young alchemists as a the legendary "Gracefield Homunculus" and rumors persist that he joined the illusive Elysium Society.
Personality
Bridge Gracefield is a mix of incredibly wise yet deeply naive and self confident. He was created to rule and guide the Gracefield family but having been sheltered amid the elite of a secret society for most of his life, never truly grew to understand the human heart or what drives it. He would eventually grow ambitions beyond his designated purpose as he wished to spread his "enlightenment" to the rest of the world. This ambition only boiled deep inside him during his years working with the Atlas Institute until a chance encounter with Lou Rgisgaia of the Elysium Society lead Bridge to fake his death on a job and disappear.
Despite speaking of grandiose ideals like "reaching enlightenment", deep down Bridge doesn't really know nor understand what the "enlightenment" that he seeks is. His Origin compels him to piece together the experiences stored within him but the flaws in his personality from gaining self-awareness prevent him from reaching a satisfying answer for himself. Nevertheless, the trials endured by the Gracefield family members who compose his memories have shaped in Bridge a desire to "purge" humanity of the "evils" that plague it.
Magecraft
Origin: Formulation
Bridge’s name is quite fitting for the concept which drives his very being: Formulation. As a tool designed to compile and turn the road to enlightenment into a comprehensive curriculum for the Gracefield heirs, his origin compels him to connect the dots between symbols, and concepts; acting as a "bridge" that would one day connect the Gracefield family to The Root. His mind traces the paths that connect experience and truth, success and failure, fact and fiction! When applied to his Magecraft, he has a much easier time making connections between older and newer Mysteries, excelling at Modern Magecraft Theory. His understanding of how ideas and images connect with each other also makes elaborate rituals which require specific symbolism or rare materials as catalysts both much easier and much cheaper to perform. It is possible that due to his design being focused on maintaining long lifespan, Bridge might live long enough to calculate a path to The Root for himself, but as it stands with his current personality, it remains nothing but a pipe dream.Divine Translation NumeralsGematria
A system of Nemorology Magecraft that assigns values to words and phrases through an alphanumeric substitution cipher. These values can involve simple addition to lengthy calculations. Bridge’s origin of Formulation boosted and broadened the uses of Gematria, allowing him to cast powerful Formalcraft spells without expensive catalysts or time-consuming ritual circles. Bridge uses a combination of the classic Hebrew gematria ciphers and Babylonian logographic ciphers to break down the images and patterns found in the world around him to manipulate nature. While this process is normally time consuming, Bridge's origin and his Memory Partitioning greatly boosts the speed of his calculations.Authority of Man over MachineInvade
A spell that applies Numerology to corrupt and interfere with computer programming and electrical signals. This allows Bridge to hack into any machine he touches, though it does not circumvent the existence of security programs and firewalls. Bypassing such measures requires physical contact with a target machine and deep concentration.Conceptual Formula DecryptionBreakdown
Using his knowledge of Gematria and his Imaginary Numbers Element, Bridge can effectively disassemble objects to a conceptual level, turning a real object into the composite of ideas and unobservable possibilities that originates from the Imaginary Number Space. He can even temporarily store an object in Imaginary Number Space or into “containers” of information such as computer code or writing. However, maintaining too many complex objects in this state can be incredibly stressful to his circuits and his mind.Embroidered Temple IndexSyntax Grimoire: Mystic Code
A red robe tied around Bridge’s waste with various symbols drawn into meant to represent a temple and gateway to higher powers. Normally, it’s crude simplicity and haphazard assortment of barely related symbols would result in a barely effective enchanted object with unpredictable effects at best and a uselessly ornate apron at worst, but when Bridge uses it, its effectivity is vastly amplified by his origin. Effectively, it is a Mystic Code that would be useless in anyone’s hands but Bridge. It creates an advantageous territory around him similar to a servant’s Territory Creation skill at rank C, offering a significant boost to Bridge's Gematria based Formalcraft.
Extra Info
While Bridge has trouble understanding the wishes and desires or other people, he has a natural charisma when convincing others to follow his own ambitions, igniting the flame in their hearts which lights the way to the unreachable utopia. That is to say: a bright future, whether for themselves or for society as a whole. Bridge knows how to communicate the image of an ideal world that optimists and those with hope can’t resist. Of course, this is because he understands the pain of the struggles that humanity has endured for a brighter future. Even if all he can see is the unreachable destination and the path of suffering. This means that while he is easily capable of spurring people to action to aid him, he often falters when his grand ambitions are met with even the slightest of failures.
The Great King of Terror descends on a star of annihilation.
Lies and misdirection threaten to overturn the future.
The eye of prophecy is swallowed by darkness and the sky is dyed crimson.
The clock counts down to the blazing inferno at the end of the century.
Notes
After such a long time, it's finally done, Horizon Gate 3! A lot of changes went into this Horizon Gate, from the Servant roster to the plot and the title, though I'm not entirely satisfied with Hollow Continent of Purification. Something about it doesn't click with me entirely. Originally, this was gonna be a French Revolution story set in the Hollow Earth, with the two enemies being Bridge's absolute synarchy and Robespierre's radical Jacobins. But given how absolutely crazy Indus was with its miniature apocalypse, I figured a simple revolution would be too boring. Then I found a map of the Hollow Earth on Google Images and it reminded me of Made in Abyss, so I decided to go with a story about exploring this fantastical cavern instead. I rlly enjoyed designing the Servants for this one, especially once I got to the lore of the Nordic Aliens and Odin (although I never ended up using his full design). I ended up fleshing Bridge out a lot more than I originally intended and the story ended up focused around him a lot more, which was a little tough to execute but I'm somewhat satisfied with what I got. I can't wait to start working Horizon Gate 4, the story I have in mind for that one is particularly a challenge given its setting.
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Originally Posted by GhostKutenaiabi
