A.D. 2054 Maddening Sea of Light, XanaduHeretical Sage's Garden
Servants of Alf
Kublai Khan|Ruler: He is the founder of the original Xanadu, an oppulent summer Palace later spoken of in many works of literature praising its beauty. He is summoned by the Baghdad Battery as the war's Overseer in order to enforce the rules of the Alf Grail War in an impartial manner.
George Washington|Lancer: The Servant summoned by the representative of the Clock Tower for the Alf Grail War, a grizzled War Veteran. George Washington, the first president of the United States of America and one of the country’s founding fathers. He and his colleagues wrote the Declaration of Independence and later the Bill of Rights. Their ideals and way of government would also go on to inspire many nations and become the poster child of modern democracies. As such, George Washington has been immortalized, not only through his accomplishments but the ideals which have been passed on to his successors.
Ponce De Leon|Saber: The Servant summoned by an ambitious Atlas Alchemist. Saber and his master want to research the supernatural properties of the Baghdad Battery and the seemingly unlimited magical energy it produces. Ponce de Leon is the Spanish explorer who discovered Florida and was famous for his quest in search of the Fountain of Youth. He is excited to fight for the power of the River Alf, which is said to hold the secret to immortality and great power.
Lee Harvey Oswald|Archer: The man who assassinated US President John F. Kennedy... or was he? Incidents such as this always garner a certain amount of suspicion and there are many conspiracy theories that surround the truth of what happened the day the president was shot. The muddled perception of this incident in the minds of the populace caused Archer to be summoned as a naively idealistic man who dreams of being some sort of “Hero” that leaves a mark on history.Exactly the type to be easily coerced by Soviet Agents into assassinating the US President! He is still quite the marksman due to his time in the army, but he has also gained a conceptual advantage against people in positions of power or against beings of seemingly insurmountable power. Archer's master is an unassuming journalist dragged into the war while visiting Xanadu.
Neil Armstrong|Rider: Armstrong was the first man on the moon, the first to step on soil completely foreign to the planet Earth. His famous words “That’s one small step for a man, and one giant leap for mankind” have been immortalized as a symbol of exploration, discovery, and the human will to push forwards, and Armstrong’s name has become almost synonymous with not only the Apollo Missions but Space Travel in general. A “pioneer of the Stars” in every sense of the word. His master is an MIT Student who aspires to lead humanity into the next age of Space Exploration.
Nicholas Flammel|Caster: The famous 14th century alchemist who is said to have successfully produce the Philosopher’s stone and become immortal through the Elixir of Youth. His master is an Atlas Alchemist hired by the CIA and a faction of American Mages. He is tasked with investigating the supernatural properties of the River Alf and bringing samples back to the US. As such, he gladly encourages Flammel’s research into creating an Elixir of Youth using the river’s water. However, they end up being the cause of a great cataclysm when Abdul and his master hijack Flammel’s project to corrupt the River Alf.
Dorian Gray|Assassin: The protagonists of the novel A Portrait of Dorian Gray. He is a man who seeks eternal youth and discovers a way to connect the aging of his body to a painting. He is the first to get a glimpse into the War's true nature and teams up with Chaldea to undo the Horizon Gate. His master is a representative of the Holy Church trying to investigate the motivations of the other factions, of particular note to him is Libera Echter Vondgren, the war's instigator.
Abdul Al Hazred|Berzerker: "The Mad Arab" Abdul Al Hazred is the author of the Necronomicon, an encyclopedia that contains knowledge of forbidden rituals, lost civilizations, supernatural creatures, and the monstrous Great Old Ones and Outer Gods who reside outside our reality. He is a character created by H.P. Lovecraft, the prolific Cosmic Horror author, based on an unnamed monk who wrote the mysterious grimoire and gazed upon the Outer Gods. Abdul has been driven mad by the whispers of the Great Old Ones and the knowledge he wrote down. As such, he is become a puppet for carrying out their wills. His master is a Russian Mage tasked with sabotaging any foreign attempts to harvest resources or knowledge from the Great Spirit River and bring back samples themselves.
Mary Curie|Foreigner: A servant summoned by Abdul Al Hazred as part of his plans of corrupting the Great Spirit River. She is the famous chemist who discovered Uranium and won a Nobel Prize for her research on radioactive elements. Something is not quite right with her though. Something has latched itself onto her Saint Graph and she shares the same eerie glow that has begun appearing in plant life near the river.
Elysium Society
Libera Echter Vandergren: A member of the Elysium Society and the "manager" of this Horizon Gate. He used the AQUARIUS System and to shape this patchwork future in his image. He is a laid back, easy going person who believes that "going with the flow" of things will always lead to getting what he wants. He is known for his rebellious streak and dislike of authority. In the past, Libera started a small cult in an attempt to share the secrets of his magecraft with others. After they got in several skirmishes with law enforcement, the Clock Tower got involved and Libera was ousted from the Association. He met Lou Rgisgaia while on the run, and he has been hiding out in Oasis Classroom ever since.
Sun Wukong|Avenger: Also known as the “Great Sage Equal To Heaven” or the “Monkey King”, Sun Wukong was a powerful immortal who wreaked havoc throughout the court of Heaven in Chinese Mythology. He was one of the protagonists of the famous “Journey To The West” as one of the monks who followed Xuanzang. Libera intends to power up Sun Wukong and have him open a hole into the Reverse side of the World, hoping to harness the power of the gods and phantasmal beasts which lurk within to further Man Kind's prosperity.
Chaldea Security Organization
Ritsuka Fujimaru: 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 and his Demi-Servant Mash arrive in Xanadu and team up with the Master of Assassin to investigate the true nature of the Alf Grail War and Libera's plans for it.
Mash Kyrielight|Shielder: 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.
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 and his Servant Casanova are also sent to Xanadu to investigate the faint traces of foreign magical energy in the Great Spirit River.
Giacomo Girolamo 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.
Schrodinger's Cat (Olga-Marie Animusphere)|Moon Cancer: A Pseudo-Servant using the body of Chaldea's former Director as a vessel. 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 help of H.G. Wells to undo the Quantum Time-Lock bound to the future by the OOPArts and AQUARIUS.
Key Noble Phantasms:
Distillation of the Fifth Element「Alchemil Magnum Opus」
A representation of Nicholas' greatest achievement, the creation of the Philospher's Stone and the Elixir of Youth. It is not an instantaneous creation but requires several days to complete, using pure, unpoluted water as a base and following a simplified version of the original process of creating the Elixir. Different types of water will affect not only the speed and efficiency of the creation process and the final product. The Elixir itself grants its user an increased lifespan and heals them of all sickness and injury. In Xanadu, Nicholas uses the waters of Xanadu's river as the base solution.
Fell a Tree, Fell an Empire「E Pluribus Unum」
George Washington's Noble Phantasm that represents both the famous anecdote of him chopping down a cherry tree on his family farm and the concept of overcoming an insurmountable foe and attaining freedom, like the revolutionary war. The stronger the foe, the harder they fall. George's Axe will deal more damage the stronger the oppoent, and then cut them down to the "roots", leaving absolutely no traces behind.
Innocent Assassination「Paranoid Shot-Fatal」
Lee Harvey Oswlad's Noble Phantasm which embodies the concept of a perfectly concoted conspiracy. Framed? Innocent? Guilty? Once the shot is dealt, the true suspect's identity becomes muddled and shared among those present. The perfect distraction, no? Additionally, it's a shot that is guaranteed to hit the target in their weakest physical point.
Usurp Heaven and Earth「Ruyi Jingu Bang」
Sun Wukong's main weapon, a size changing staff that used to be a pillar in the palace of the Western Sea Dragon. Libera intends to imbue Sun with the power of all the defeated servants in the Alf Grail War and use the staff to pierce a hole into the Reverse Side of the World in Xanadu.
Light of Uncertainty「Disentanglement Cannon」
One of Olga-Marie's Noble Phantasm created in collaboration with H.G. Wells. It's a weapon that makes use of the idea of Quantum Superposition, destroying the concept of a guaranteed fate. Essentially, it was created to undo the Horizon Gates, patchwork futures that have been forced onto human history.
Future ImperfectAfter returning from Singularity A, Chaldea manages to successfully repel the Mages Association's scheming. Though the mood is much more disturbing as the events of Singularity A are brought to attention, most importantly of which being the involvement of the Elysium Society in the Singularity. Investigations into their whereabouts are held for the next few months, but they seemed to have completely disappeared from the face of the Earth, leaving no traces. Soon, records of their existence begin to vanish friom both writing and memory. Soon enough, strange events begin occuring around the globe. Reports of memory problems, disappearing monuments, natural disasters, and other unpredictable catastrophes. The light of Civilization in the CHALDEAS Simulation begins glitching and with some investigation, Da Vinci and Wells deduce that the present is being changed by the Future. This is soon confirmed as two Quantum Time-Locks are detected by Chaldea's monitors. Both are set decades in the future. Wells speculates this as the results of Elysium's experiments and modifies the Rayshifting devices for Future Travel according to the specs of his own Time Machine. Thus begins Chaldea's next big mission: Resolve the Advent Order Usurpation and undo these fantastical futures forced onto history by Elysium.
A World Overflowing with TreasureLibera isn't the type to look forwards too far, so the Horizon Gate he created is rather simple. His vision for a prosperous mankind is one with access to a vast amount of recourses. But from where does this plentiful harvest spring? Libera sets the ruins of Kublai Khan's oppulent summer palace as his seat of power and uses AQUARIUS and the Baghdad Battery to create a modern version of the resplendant capital based on the description of Xanadu from Colleridge famous poem and accounts of the city from Marco Polo's records. The Baghdad Battery fills the rivers of the land with immense magical energy creating the Great Spirit River, Alf, which acts as the city's source of prosperity.The Great Occult WarThe River Alf’s growth causes magical energy to contaminate the surrounding bodies of water along with patches of the Pacific and Indian Oceans via undersea vents and caves. When various governments discover these patches of magical energy and their potential for the future, a war of espionage and subterfuge over these pockets of magical energy begins. The Clock Tower and Atlas Institute intervene in the conflict to prevent the complete reveal of magecraft and the potential degradation of mystery causing the Great Occult War to escalate.The Alf "Grail" WarDistressed by the chaos caused by the Great Occult War, Libera does what he does best and improvises. Libera acquires a Stone Egg and connects it to the Spirit River as a form of Lesser Grail, setting in motion his own sup-species Grail War. He contacts the various factions of the Great Occult War and invites them to send representatives to fight for complete control over the Spirit River and of course, a single wish. He advertises it as essentially a quick and easy way to end the Great Occult War and further humanity's progress without causing too much widespread damage. Of course, he demands them to keep the details of this ritual as secret as possible. To help enforce this, he also invites representatives from the Mages Association and the Holy Church to participate as well. Of course the Association is aware of Libera's reputation and participates in hopes of being close enough to him to reign him in should things go awry. Of course in any Grail War, there are always stragglers given Command Seals to fill in the numbers: An inquisitive journalist and an archeologist mage whom Libera invited in hopes of using as an agent.
Sanctum of SummerSpecial Administrative Zone-Xanadu
A city built on the ruins of Kublai Khan's opulent summer palace. Xanadu is a city founded by Libera of the Elysium Society as the growth point of his Horizon Gate. It is a technologically advanced metropolis reknowned for its state of the art medicine, abundance of natural recourses, powerful leylines, and high concentration of magical energy that seems to empower and envigorate its residents (whether they are aware of it or not). As such, it has become a popular site to visit for medical researchers, alchemists, and those with an interest in the spiritual. This city blessed by heaven is the background for an illegal Holy Grail War that is more than meets the eye.
Great Spirit River, AlfThe river that runs through Xanadu and the source of its supernatural properties. It originates from a cavern beneath the Summer Palace and has a deep connection the Baghdad Battery, the OOPArt that keeps this patchwork future stable.
Summer PalaceThe main administrative building of Xanadu. It was inspired by the original palace where Kublai Khan lived and includes a lush garden, history museum, living quarters for the mayor, and a mysterious temple that no one is allowed to enter.
Domed TempleThis closed off, high-security building acts as Libera's base while in Xanadu. While he is not the city's official leader, as its founder, he is considered a VIP and was granted this small temple to live in. The ground floor contains a luxurious entrance hall, dining room, and living quarters all fit for a king. The uppor floor contains Libera's workshop, and the lower floor leads to an underground chamber where the Baghdad Battery is hidden.
Water Treatment FacilityA facility for treating sewage water and for managing the supernatural components of the Spirit River for safe distribution in the city's water supply. It is hijacked by Berzerker and his master and becomes their base of operations throught he duration of the Grail War.
Biological Research LabA large laboratory for researching the Spirit River's effects on living things and finding beneficial uses for its supernatural properties. It also houses pure samples of the Spirit River's water, which is normally heavily regulated due to its incredibly potent nature. Caster and his master disguise themselves as employees and use a small apartment near the facility as their hideout.
Temple of PlentyA Bhuddist temple located on the outskirts of the city. For the duration of the war, it serves as Ruler's base of operations and a refuge for defeated masters.
Oswald the RabbitRitsuka and Kadoc arrive in Xanadu close to the Summer Palace in the middle of the day and end up causing a ruckus. After getting chased by guards, they hideout in an abandoned building which becomes their base while in the Horizon Gate. Not long after, at night, they are attacked by Kublai Khan who doesn't want them to interfere in the war. Kublai proves quite a hassle to deal with and while fleeing him, the two run into a man in a Rabbit Costume being chased by slimy creatures later revealed to be Shoggoths. This turn out to be Archer, Lee Harvey Oswald. After helping Archer deal with them, Ritsuka and Kadoc meet Archer's master, a journalist who explains to them what's going on after seeing their command seals. He mentions that he was caught by surprise while investigating something in the sewers and proceeds to share some of the results of his investigations. Some of this include strange noises heard near the entrances into the sewers, an incident at the water treatment plant that was covered up, and the arrival of some American researcher to the Biological Research Lab. For the next few days, Ritsuka, Kadoc, and Archer's master begin investigating the strange events happening.
The Light that Fell From HeavenAbdul Al Hazred and Nicholas Flamel meet shortly before the official start of the Alf Grail War and agree to collaborate their efforts to research the Great Spirit River. Abdul and his master also discover that Nicholas intends to use the river as a foundation for creating his Noble Phantasm, the Elixir of Life. The two hijack the Biological Research Lab and the Water Treatment Plant to gain access to samples of the Spirit River's water. As Abdul's sanity begins slipping , he kills Flamel and uses the Necronomicon to taint the Elixir solution, contaminating it with samples of an extraterrestrial seed, the Color Out Space. The Color begins to spread through the Spirit River, slowly draining life from plants and eventually even people and animals who drink enough contaminated water. Eventually, the war is halted as the Color's influence begins mutating the plant life and even the some of the infected people. Soon, a "Zombie" outbreak fills the streets of Xanadu forcing the surviving masters to team up to survive. Ruler even joins in once he realized the situation has gone out of hand.Blooming Flower of MadnessNear the tail end of the war, Abdul notices that the energy of the defeated servants is split between the Color Out of Space and... something else. So, he summons Mary Curie and merges her with the seeds of the Color to protect them from whatever else is collecting the energy of the defeated servants. He also sends Curie out to defeat the remaining servants in order to collect their energy for the Color directly. In a similar bid as Abdul, Libera prematurely awakens Sun Wukong using a Command Seal and sends the powered up servant out to fight. Sun is very powerful but overly confident and while he manages to "defeat" the rampaging Curie, she manages to latch on to him in her last moments. The Color Out of Space, hibernating inside Curie, uses the accumulated energy of both her and Sun to awaken in its full form, absorbing the recently summoned Avenger in the process.
Fiery Rebirth From VoidThe battle against the Color Out of Space is an arduous one not only due to its size but due to the amount of energy it has accumulated while in hibernation. Eventually however, Chaldea teams up with George Washington and his master to deal a finishing blow by using George's Noble Phantasm to cut The Color at its roots. However, this victory is only momentary as Libera, in a last ditch attempt to salvage his plans, He uses up two of his command seals to call out to the seemingly half-dead Sun Wukong within the core of the beast. Using one of Sun’s Noble Phantasms based on his many successful attempts at reaching immortality, and an embodiment of his name’s true meaning, Libera brings Sun Wukong back to full power and has him absorb all the power accumulated by the Color Out of Space to ascend into a higher form. Then and there, Sun Wukong tries to use his power to puncture a hole into the Reverse Side of the World like Libera planned using his Ruyi Jingu Bang and the combined energy of the defeated servants. However, since there are still some servants remaining, Sun isn't at full power. Kublai, realizing that Libera never intended to grant the wishes of the War's winner, helps Chaldea fend off Sun Wukong's attack and uses his Noble Phantasm to pacify Sun's rampage. While Kublai and the other Servants distract Sun, Archer uses his Noble Phantasm to shoot a perfect shot at Libera's heart amidst the chaos. With Libera and Sun taken care of, the Chaldeans head down to the chamber beneath the Domed Tent and use the Dissentanglement Cannon to unravel the forced Quantum Time-Lock surrounding Xanadu's existence, returning the future to its once uncertain state. While the city of Xanadu remains as one of many possibilities, all the anomalies brought about by the Baghdad Battery and all connected to it disappear, leaving just a normal city and and a small flu outbreak in place of the zombie apocalypse.Horizon Gate Cleared! Possibilities Established
"Heh? Are you seriously gonna try and stop me? You're welcome to try but I make it my mission to stick it to the man. If you get in my way, I'll charge at you with MAXIMUM power!"
Name: Libera Echter Vandegren
Aliases: Free Bird, Rebel in White, Super Adapter, Cockroach
Age: 46
Height/Weight 185 cm/ 64 kg
Countery of Origin: Finland
Element: Earth
Origin: Survival
Circuit Quality: A
Circuit Quantity: C+
Affiliations: Department of Botany (Former), Prague Association (Former), Elysium Society
Servant: Sun Wukong (Avenger)
Command Seal:
Background
The Vandegren family was a North European Family whose magecraft centered around Druidic arts mixed with the warrior culture of Scandinavian Vikings and the ascetic monks from the middle ages who suffered as a way of attaining penance. In an effort to reach the root, they wished to understand the place where life and the truths of the world run abundant and self-evident: nature. They believed that living life without the conveniences of technology would let them understand the root of all life and thus the root of all magic as well. Of course, they took this in a very tough, warrior like manner, choosing survive in the harshest environments they can, building homes using nothing but the trees and rocks around them, using nothing but the simplest tools or their bare hands, and going only the bare minimum when it came to modern civility. For years the family lived in a large, secluded, wooden manor in the mountains of Scandinavia. However, in modern day, the family's way of life has stagnated, becoming more rigid, controlled, and refined, ironically devoid of the same harsh unpredictability of their ancestors.
This was the family that a young Libera was born to, one he found increasingly troublesome as he grew up with a rebellious, carefree personality. Once he came of age, he rejected his role as the family's heir and ran from home. He threw himself into the streets of Finland as a vagabond, and eventually travelling travelling around the world wandering and roaming around where the wind took him. He threw himself into learning whatever random bits of Magecraft he could find, got into fights, did drugs, and essentially lived a reckless lifestyle and powering through any consequences it brought onto him through sheer force of will and brute strength. This is what Libera saw as the true essence of his ancestor's way of life adapting to the conveniences of the modern world. He eventually wished to help others "stick it to the man", becoming a hired revolutionary working for various rebel groups and even starting his own cults which has required intervention from the Mage Association from time to time. This has earned Libera a place on the Associations "Most Wanted List". He was last seen in Italy working with a crime family, but left after being approached by Lou Rgisgaia of the Elysium Society. There have been rumors of him appearing in various places around the world ever since, but they have been unconfirmed.
Personality
Libera is a hot headed, carefree person with a tendency for getting into fights and arguments with people. He does what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants and anyone who tries to stop him will face his wrath. However, he can also be slothful and self-assured, regressing to a simple minded, reactionary mind set once his schemes have been set. This, combined with his mind set of “going with the flow” also means that his plans tend to be vague, disorganized, and usually only consist of a very simple plan with situational back-up plans that rarely come into play. He works best when supported by the other members of Elysium or someone more organized.
Magecraft
An application of Libera’s Origin of Survival which represents his nigh unshakeable force of will and his knack for surviving harsh environmental conditions. Using his knowledge of Eastern Alchemy and Druidic arts, Libera has turned his own body into a miniature alchemical factory. Over the years, he has consumed various drugs, plants, and materials with deep mystical connotations in order turn himself “superhuman”. Jumping incredible heights, incredible physical strength, improved vision and mental capacity, and more. Libera has even been seen breathing fire and healing wounds. Simply put, at least physically, his body is difficult to destroy.Physiology of the SaintNirvana
A defensive application of his first ability. Using alchemy with the substances inside his body as the materials and his own skin as the "catalyst", he can change the chemical composition of his skin, usually into different metals. He can, with enough concentration, turn into different elements as well, but only parts of his body, lest he lose his form all together.Self MetallurgyMetallica
Libera's application of the Malagasy concept of "Tromba", similar to the work of spirit mediums, where one either allows themselves or is forced to be possessed by ancestral spirits. People caught in a "Tromba" are usually said to move in a certain manner, like in a trancelike dance, mimmicking the likeness of the dead. In combination with his origin of Survival, he can temporarily take on the properties of a "ghost", as if adapting his body to its new cohabitant. Of course, due to the nature of this ability, this state only lasts for up 30 seconds, and any further is dangerous. Additionally, Libera needs to drink a special alcoholic concoction to induce this state.New Age Ghost ParadeBlack Sabbath
Extra Information
Miscellaneous SkillsLibera is a skilled martial artist and has an intimate knowledge of biology and medicinal herbs. He also has an acute understanding of how Social Hierarchies and how to tear them down. Despite all this knowledge and intellect, he is also care-free and a not very proactive once he’s satisfied.
At first Libera doesn't intervene too much in Chaldeas actions in Xanadu, believing that they will be caught in the schemes and plots of the various factions participating in the Alf Grail War and relying on the Ruler servant overseeing the war to act on his behalf. However, once he notices the danger in Abdul Al Hazred's plans involving the Color Out of Space, he intervenes himself to drive Abdul away from the water treatment plant. He doesn't make much of an appearance again until the Color Out of Space causes a zombie outbreak and Abdul's summoned Foreigner Servant begins picking off the remaining servants to feed to the Color. After the Color Out of Space's defeat, he uses 2 Command Seals to activate Sun Wukong's self-revival Noble Phantasm and strengthening the power of his Ruyi Jingu Bang. When Oswald manages to exposes a weakpoint in Libera's defenses and Kublai Khan repels Sun Wukong's super charged attack, Libera and Sun fight Chaldea in a stand off to their last breaths, going down in a blaze of glory.Maddening Sea of LightXanadu
Far away, in a valley lush with natural recourses, there once existed a mighty civilization.
Life carries on and then in an instant, is snuffed. The once mighty kingdom vanished seemingly without a trace.
Yet legacies remain and with it potential, prosperity, and most importantly of all Curses are passed on.
The adventurous Sailor King returns with a treasure and with it, a legend. Onwards to the Promised End, together!
NotesAnd it's finally here! I was kinda nervous to put this up and I kept revising it to find the right format for presention, but I decided to stick with the simplest(?) path in the end. I had a lot of fun writing Xanadu, though it took me a while to do more with the generic Holy Grail War concept. It was a tough job picking the Servants and since at first I wanted some of them to be related to the location or to Journey to the West because of Sun Wu kong, but I scrapped that and had them all fit a theme instead. That being "the search for immortality". Oh for those confused about the weird pick for Archer, I based him off of the interpretation of Lee found in the manga Billy Bat cause it was so interesting to me. I'm starting to get a rough idea of what I want for Horizon Gate 2, and hopefully this time the Servant on the banner has more of a role than Sun did in Xanadu.
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