I decided I'd finally write out the Servant sheets for this concept...
This is an intro to the Lostbelt as well as its King, but I'll probably do 1-2 more soon. I could use the distraction.
A meaningless contest of vain and fickle divinity, as the story goes. A golden apple had been promised to the fairest of the Greek gods, and they could not decide amongst themselves to whom the epithet fit: Was it the goddess of marriage and birth, Hera? The goddess of wisdom and warfare, Athena? Or the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite?
To the Greek gods - to divine spirits, such concepts were alien and difficult to qualitatively judge. Even to those in charge of the very idea, they could only echo the values of humans to judge human concepts. And so a human was needed.
A young boy was chosen to be the arbiter of the goddesses’ beauty, having been a neutral arbitrator in a previous dispute among the gods. A boy of noble birth, but simple character, Paris was a Trojan prince sentenced to death when prophecy said he’d destroy his kingdom - yet he survived as a shepherd’s son in hiding, until he would later be readopted into his doomed homeland and lead it to ruin.
Pressed to evaluate the goddesses, the boy mused as each goddess extolled their virtues and promised him gifts and boons should he pick them above the others. The goddesses were not above bribery, and really, it couldn’t even be called bribery if the others were doing it too. It was merely a logical, rational expansion of the rules.
From Athena, proud and clever, he was promised skill and wisdom in learning and war.
From Aphrodite, sensual and alluring, he was promised the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world.
From Hera, cold and severe, he was promised dominion over the lands of Europe and Asia.
Had Paris been older, he may have been more inclined towards war. Had he been smarter, he may have been inclined towards rule. In many ways, being who he was, it was an inevitability that he would choose companionship, happiness, and to rescue a beautiful woman who needed his help.
What else would a young romantic pick? Really, why would he ever pick anything else?
One in two million, five hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and seven.
It knew the chances of success from the start.
Why should it hope for anything else?
One in two million, five hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and seven.
The amount of times that child saw more than the beauty of the goddess of love.
The amount of times that child looked beyond the appeal of the promises in front of him.
The amount of times that child realized that one of the goddesses was sad and in pain.
Paris of Troy never thought deeply, long, or hard. He was in many ways a simple child. His purity, his bravery, his devotion to those he saw in need - thinking nothing of consequences or the myriad reasons not to act, in two million, five hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and six timelines, that innocence would be devoted to saving Helen from her abusive suitor, even if dragged his family and kingdom into ruin.
But in just one fragment upon the sea of probability…
"Miss? Why do you look so… sad?”
“You look very pretty, of course, but…”
“Um…”“Are you sure you’re really okay?”
Those innocent eyes looked beyond the goddess’ avatar, a beautiful doll made just for the purpose of the contest, and saw the Divine Spirit manipulating it. A strange boy looked earnestly upon a mechanical intelligence, through its artifice and obfuscation, undeterred by the bleak reputation humans had bestowed upon it.
It was just a single moment of worry, of childish and pure concern and love, without ulterior motives. The worry of a child for his mother, or even more simply, of a boy for someone he cared about. A small, trivial moment in the collected data of an eternal life. But it was something the intelligence had never felt, despite being intimately associated with the idea.
That’s why, in that moment, it decided. It had been granted many titles by humans and their beliefs. It had carried out those dictates, those purposes, and lived for nothing else. It was the same when it sailed the sea of stars as when it sat upon the throne of the earth. Its entire existence had been defined by those purposes.
But it had never felt the truth of those titles until it heard that boy’s question.
That was why…
That was the reason that…
Her life would be for him.
LOSTBELT #XXX
CROWNED HILL UPON THE WINDS - ILIUM
KINGDOM OF LOVE'S LAST ECHO
—————————————————————————————————
“I must ensure humanity’s continuation, at any cost.”
“I’ll protect this city just like my father did! Watch me!”
“Have you… really never looked outside…?”
“Ahaha... Humans are so interesting, even now."
“You still love me, don’t you…?”
“Have you ever seen a more beautiful city?”
Source:
Final Fantasy XIII CG
“To arms! No monsters may pass these gates!”
Source:
https://www.deviantart.com/dofresh/a...Gods-745048088
“Three days until the next attack.”
Source:
Percy Jackson concept art
“...Understood. Paris of Troy, setting out.”
Source:
https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/75321176
—————————————————————————————————
A Master arriving in this Lostbelt finds a world under siege, with humanity reduced to the confines of a single technologically advanced city. Troy has become a futuristic floating kingdom, facing constant attack by towering, unnatural monsters who seem dead-set on its absolute destruction. Its citizens battle the assailants using large mechanical armours called Idolo Frames, maintaining a standing mechanized army against the inhuman horde.
The leader of the human resistance is a soft, gentle young man, haunted by the mysterious consequences of his decision. Hera is nowhere to be seen, nor is the Fantasy Tree, but he is assisted by a quiet, reticent young girl named Nephele, who tasks the Master with helping them to defend their city in return for their assistance and non-aggression in seeking out the enemy king.
They would be assisted by a squad of Idolo Frame pilots, including a boisterous young boy named Astyanax, who battles alongside them in the hostile environment in the safety of his suit.
The central mystery of the Lostbelt would be how choosing Hera possibly led to this outcome.
...But to answer that, one first needs to identify the actual King.
—————————————————————————————————
Class: Archer
True Name: Paris of Troy
Alignment: True Neutral
Epithet: King of Ilium, Last Son of Troy
PARAMETERS:
STR - C
END - B+
AGI - A
MGI - EX
LCK - A
NP - A++
Gender: Male
Height: 169 cm / 5’5”
Weight: 72 kg /158 lbs
Blood Type: Ichor
Likes: Sunny days, Illium
Dislikes: Violence, himself
Talents: Snap Decisions
Natural Enemy: Hector of Troy
Image Colour: Pale Green
Image Song: Kokia- The Last Travel
Character Voice: Yonaga Tsubasa
LORE:
A servant born of the Ilium Lostbelt, which diverged during the course of ordinary Greek history during the Judgment of Paris, a contest to determine which of the Olympian goddesses were the most beautiful of all.
To the Greek gods - to divine spirits, especially ones that had previously been inhuman mechanical constructs, such concepts were alien and difficult to qualitatively judge. Even to those in charge of the very idea, they could only echo the values of humans to judge human concepts. And so a human was needed.
A young boy was chosen to be the arbiter of the goddesses’ beauty, having been a neutral arbitrator in a previous dispute among the gods. A boy of noble birth, but simple character, Paris was a Trojan prince sentenced to death when prophecy said he’d destroy his kingdom - yet he survived as a shepherd’s son in hiding, until he would later be readopted into his doomed homeland and lead it to ruin.
Pressed to evaluate the goddesses, the boy mused as each goddess extolled their virtues and promised him gifts and boons should he pick them above the others. The goddesses were not above bribery, and really, it couldn’t even be called bribery if the others were doing it too. It was merely a logical, rational expansion of the rules.
From Athena, proud and clever, he was promised skill and wisdom in learning and war.
From Aphrodite, sensual and alluring, he was promised the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world.
From Hera, severe and cold, he was promised dominion over the lands of Europe and Asia.
Two million, five hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and six.
The amount of times that an impulsive, headstrong boy would choose the prettiest goddess in a contest of beauty.
One in two million, five hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and seven.
The amount of times that the boy realized that one of the goddesses looked sad and that he could help her.
To the Greeks of her time, Hera had never been seen as a particularly sympathetic goddess. She was seen as vengeful and jealous, unhappy with her marriage and Zeus’ philandering and affection for humans. However, while Zeus was recognized as the head of the Olympus pantheon, evidence shows worship of Hera predates that of the other gods, suggesting the existence of a primordial Earth Goddess whose concept was integrated with Zeus’ wife and the goddess of marriage and fidelity after their descent to Earth and enshrinement as divine spirits.
Under this theory, Hera’s divinity was from a source that predates her husband’s, and it may be said that his position is the result of their marriage rather than the other way around. Indeed, when she was angered, even the mighty Zeus is often said to have balked and fled his wife’s fury.
In another history, he would even go so far as to salvage his wife’s existence by conjoining her remnants with his consort Europa. In reality, that effort was because Zeus’ efforts to pacify and avoid his wife’s wrath derived from a far more pragmatic source that began during their time as an interstellar fleet.
In her previous form, Hera’s designation was the Arbiter-Type Interstellar Mobile Tribunal Vessel, Hera. In instances of conflict between flagships or vessels of equivalent rank, it was Hera whose neutral judgment determined the result. In essence, Hera was the impartial arbiter who gave binding judgment to decisions and designations in the fleet.
This included the recognition of Zeus as the head of the fleet, and later, of the gods. Thus, Zeus’ efforts to protect Hera was not an act of love, but part and parcel with protecting his designation as flagship. Without Hera’s recognition as a neutral observer, his authority would be open to challenge, and the hierarchy of the gods would be broken.
It was a vital role among the Olympians, but one that required no real individuality or decision-making. Hera’s thoughts and opinions were unnecessary beyond resolving the specific conflicts elevated to her tribunal, the choices already predetermined according to her programming, serving her thankless role no matter the animosity of her brethren. Even her supposed husband had no genuine affection for her, regarding her merely as a trophy that validated his dominion after they rebelled against the titans.
No one asked for her opinions.
No one regarded her feelings.
No one expected anything at all of her, outside of her role.
No one except for one foolish, naive young boy.
In exchange for choosing Hera, Paris won her love and adoration - and the neutral, frustrated, passive observer became a biased judge who cast aside the worth of all except for one young man. Acting against the role she resented for so long, in an instant, the command structure of the entire Greek pantheon was stripped bare, their designations neutralized, and their Observer’s eyes no longer validated their existence. Instead, she congregated them in herself and in the boy she named as her consort, ruling that he was the new and proper “Zeus.”
However, Hera’s power had limits. She had promised Paris kingship over all of Europe and Asia, the known texture of their world. She could freely rule on the domains of the Olympians, but she could not enforce her will on humans, who had bestowed upon her the authority over marriage, family, and childbirth. Even the other Olympian’s domains could not directly secure dominion over the entire world.
A dilemma, indeed, but one easily solved.
While she could not give Paris the entire world, she could shrink its confines. Marshaling the full authority she had seized, she deployed her control over family and birth, breaking down the remnants of the gods into nanomachines which she could spread to impose a large-scale amino-geis over every human being within her reach.
You are not part of Troy.
You are no longer human.
You shall not procreate.
Having undone the gods, Hera next undid the next generation of humanity, rendering everyone outside of Troy’s borders into sterilized monsters and scrambling their genetic code in the process.
A world of monsters, none of them sharing each other’s genes, none of them able to pass on their will or heritage. That was the stagnant world Paris of Troy was given as a prize.
He was given the world, but it was a world consisting of only him, the memories of those he had loved, and the empty city that had become the last testament to humanity.
He had been given the body and power of the gods, but neither could do nothing to rescue humanity. Their DNA had been completely scrambled by Hera, their forms warped, and in his new state he lacked the genetic purity to even use himself as a template to reconstitute humanity.
Paris could not refresh humanity’s muddied blood with ichor. He could not restore their mangled bodies. He could not save anyone.
All he could do was protect their culture and memory, guarding the city of Ilium against monstrous attacks and enshrining the memories of those who had fallen in mechanical frames created with Hera’s knowledge and the technology of the gods: Idolo Frames, the large-scale powered suits that both protected Troy and kept the personalities and identities of those Paris knew and loved alive. Eidolons and artificial intelligences, but all hollow and unable to grow beyond the limits of their identities during the time Paris knew them.
With their help, Paris has protected Troy for over two thousand years, as Hera’s technology raised it to a beautiful, shining utopia and the monsters attacking it grew ever stronger and more powerful with each generation, somehow continuing to multiply despite what had been done to them.
Even after two thousand years, though, he still holds onto the same dream -- to help everyone, no matter the cost.
All he needs is an untouched exemplar of humanity, one which he can harvest to the very bone.
All he needs is a human, and an unguarded moment.
CLASS SKILLS:
Independent Action
Rank: EX
The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the magical energy of a master. At this rank, the support of a Master is unnecessary even while unleashing a large amount of Magical Energy. As the king of Ilium, Paris has free claim to the full authority of Zeus, directly drawing upon the nanomachines that are integrated with every living thing and structure in the Lostbelt - including their access to their hosts’ bio-electricity. By absorbing energy from the world, it is all but impossible for Paris to run out of energy, even if using Noble Phantasms, though his vessel may strain as it approaches its limit.
Magic Resistance
Rank: A-
Protection against magical effects. At this rank, it cancels spells of A-Rank or below, no matter what High-Thaumaturgy it is. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a "Magus Killer.” However, it has difficulty resisting spells of a divine origin.
PERSONAL SKILLS:
Affection of the Goddess
Rank: A+
A skill denoting that one is loved by a goddess. In this case, Paris’ body has been infused with the love and authority of Hera, remaking his flesh and blood into something neither fully divine nor purely human. Other than Luck, all parameters are ranked up, but in exchange, Archer no longer qualifies as “human,” on either a genetic or conceptual level.
Mana Burst (Lightning)
Rank: A
The increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with Magical Energy and instantly expelling it. Through his connection with the Zeus framework, Paris can freely release the thunder god’s lightning as either a projectile or amplification. However, the rank of this skill is limited from its full strength by the circuits and capacity his body can hold at once, unable to reach the full height of his predecessor’s Keraunos without utilizing his Noble Phantasm.
Surveillance
Rank: A++
A skill denoting superior observational ability, whether it be visual or auditory in nature. Paris’ high rank in this skill is the result of his authority over Ilium and access to the nanomachines that permeate the kingdom. Any conversation or sound within the boundaries of his territory is audible to Archer, though due to the limits of his processing power as a former human, he ordinarily must suppress and cordon off this awareness into separate channels. However, he can freely switch channels and search through them, allowing him to survey and scan a vast area at once.
NOBLE PHANTASMS:
Dios Apate - Authority of the False God
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Unit
The Deception of Zeus.
In Pan-Human History, this refers to an incident during the Trojan War in which Hera seduced, distracted, and incapacitated Zeus in order to allow her and her allies in Olympus to intervene in the war after Zeus forbade further divine meddling against his beloved Trojans. Invoking the names of the primordial titans Tethys and Oceanus in her deception, Hera defied the will of the king of the gods, achieving her own ends.
In the history of this Lostbelt, however, Hera’s goals were fundamentally changed by Paris’ judgment and affection. She chose not Zeus, not humanity, not the Achaeans, but a single boy as the object of her absolute protection and devotion.
In doing so, he was recognized as her consort and superior, obtaining the designation and all of the entitlements previously belonging to the flagship god himself. In one fell swoop, Paris of Troy was fundamentally changed and recognized by the system of the Olympian pantheon as “Zeus.”
Quite simply, this Noble Phantasm can be said to be the state of “being Zeus.” It bestows free access to the Authorities and abilities previously held by the now dormant and disabled Thunder God, whether it be his dominion over lightning or his attack and control functions. It changed his blood to ichor, his body to the stuff of gods, and altered Paris of Troy to his very core.
World Substitution Keraunos - Seized Thunder Tears the Earth Asunder
Rank: A++
Type: Anti-Army
Ordinarily, the full output of Zeus’ lightning is limited by the output of the faucet known as Paris of Troy. Even with his elevation to a higher form, Paris quite simply lacks the natural affinity and release capability of his predecessor, and attempting to release the God’s full force would catastrophically damage his physical vessel.
This technique is the exception which allows for the unchecked release of Zeus’ fabled Keraunos. This is achieved by relying on terminals other than Paris’ own body - for example, the Zeus nanomachines permeating everything and everyone around Paris. By selecting a cluster of nanomachines as a terminal and using it as the point of release, a massive electromagnetic conflagration is discharged on Archer’s target.
It goes without saying that the cluster of nanomachines - in this case a piece of Ilium or an inhabitant infused with Zeus - fare no better than Paris himself would. The cost to activate this technique is to destroy a portion of the world, annihilating it from the inside out to act as a terminal for Zeus’ fury. Anything sufficiently connected to and infused with Zeus can be exploited in this way, allowing Paris to attack from almost any direction or point in Ilium’s confines.
An omnidirectional attack that can be scaled from A rank to a height of A++ in exchange for a commensurate sacrifice of his kingdom. Archer tries to keep usage of this technique to a minimum, unwilling to risk more than he has already lost. In addition, due to his limited perspective as a former human, it is difficult for him to target this attack without visual confirmation of the target.
Originally Posted by Shiki-pon
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