Qiú sǐ bùnéng zhī tíngyuàn: Garden of Unobtainable Death
Rank: A++
Type: Anti-Populace
Range: 1-99
Max Targets: 1000
"Within this world it is I who rule, my Eternal Pavilion! Fire, Fang, Branch and Pool, they shall taste them all”
“Welcome to my garden of paradise, Qiú sǐ bùnéng zhī tíngyuàn!”
The ultimate Noble Phantasm in the possession of Da Ji, while the framework of this is based on the ‘Torture Tools’ King Zhou created for her it is in actuality a potent curse that brings forth her diabolical torture gardens from Da Ji’s very own soul. To clarify, this curse is woven by the Void Fox possessing Da Ji and engraving it into her soul which then allows her to draw out the attributes of her gardens onto the outside world, a pseudo reality marble which upon True Name release brings forth the entire gardens in the form of a mental landscape. Essentially this curse also works as a foundation for magecraft due to its properties but that's neither here nor there for now. Each of the so called torture tools are expressed as magical phenomena to the surrounding space but still retain their capabilities as ‘tools that inflict continuous agony’ thus conceptually the effects of the ‘Torture Techniques’ skill is applied.
It is also imperative to note that not all of the tools are being deployed and their power passively has been somewhat dampened outside the True Name release but nevertheless they are still not something to scoff at as they are capable of easily dealing damage up to A+ rank with an added overtime damage up to A rank. The instruments that are deployed are the burning pillar, the serpent pit, the wine pool and the meat forest but the Happy Terrace Pavilion is not accessible. This is due to the fact that the Pavilion itself is the main core of the gardens like a tree with numerous branches it can be said the torture tools are the branches connected to the Pavillion. The magical attributes between all of the torture tools are as follows:
The Burning Pillar: “Torture the innocent until they confess!”
Rising from the ground in the shape of a ‘Pillar’ which can be either a stake or a pole ties the target with numerous chains immobilizing them. Then by judgment of Da Ji they are determined either ‘innocent’ or ‘guilty’, if it's the former then she burns them alive and if it's the latter she ends them swiftly without trial, the innocent suffer whilst the guilty do not is the concept of the burning pillar. Those who are deemed innocent the chains tighten around their body whilst the guilty are capable of escaping. However, due to Da Ji deeming everyone ‘innocent’ until proven ‘guilty’ they suffer regardless.
The more innocent they are the higher the overtime damage dealt, essentially going past A rank. To be truly able to have a chance to escape the burning pillar, one must either confess their guilt so that the damage is reduced to its base ranking. Lying only further elongates the pain so the target must spit out their most heinous crimes to even have a chance to be set free. The pillar is in essence a trial with Da Ji as the judge, seeing those proclaimed as innocent hide their crimes is essentially euphoric to watch for Da Ji, their faces contorted in pain as they suffer until the moment they break is something she relished from the moment she descended to earth.
The Serpent’s Pit: “Torture the loyal until they betray their master!”
Calling forth snakes that rise from the ground or dismantling the earth itself to create a pit full of them, the snake's poison siphons the ‘life force’ from the target and directs it to Da Ji. The concept of this torture method is to renounce ones allegiance with their master, making this particularly effective against servants. The more resistive one becomes the more potent the poison. Da Ji threw the maids loyal to Queen Jiang to the snake pit lest they confess where her sons escaped to but they chose to grit their teeth and endure the pain as the snakes melted their bones away.
The longer ones loyalty remains the faster the life force is siphoned, on the contrary should one truly revoke their loyalty and for a servant that would mean they deny their contract at which point a curse of ‘binding’ occurs which seals their magical energy from their master causing them to rely on their own mana with the life siphoning poison still running through them. And so ‘those who renounce their own liege must fend for themselves’. The ultimate test of faith that can only be matched by those possessing the strongest of will. It is also possible to utilize the snakes as familiars.
The Meat Forest: “Torture the prey until they are hunted!”
The creation of a forest where Da Ji agonizes her prey until they are succumbed, to ‘hunt those that are suffering and watch their fruitless efforts of survival’ is the nature of this torture method. Calling forth numerous roots from the earth that coagulate to form a forest or utilize an existing forestry terrain to designate the target as the prey. The branches of the trees are inflicted with a curse that will then try to hunt down the target, inflicting cursed wounds that will not heal easily. Significantly halting the healing process, this animated forest also inflicts a sort of ‘fear’ onto the target. Though skills such as ‘Valor’ can mitigate the effect. An adrenaline rush that causes them to run for their life until Da Ji hunts them down completely, should they be able to survive the forest the curse is nullified however should they not then their bodies are sliced up and pieces are hung onto the branches of the trees. A forest which ‘creates a playground for the hunter and the prey’ with the hunted being displayed as a prize is actualized.
Da Ji sent several of the Empire's officials into the meat forest, enjoying them as they killed each other for survival but in the end she never gave any of them a chance whatsoever. King Zhou called this his most favorite pastime among all the torture methods he had created under her command. The ultimate survival of the fittest game with no actual winner, kind of cruel don’t you think? Though once the prize has been displayed they are actually sent into her ‘mental landscape’ since aside from the creative punishment game the meat forest behind the scenes was a way for Da Ji to rejuvenate her magical energy by eating the flesh of those that were hanged, thus by sending it into her reality marble she can disintegrate the flesh into magical energy whenever she desires.
The Wine Pool: “Torture the greedy until they melt!”
Calling this a method of torture would be incorrect however for Da Ji it has assimilated as one, whilst it was originally a wine pool meant for Zhou and his ministers to drink, as a torture tool it manifests as a very potent alcoholic liquid. It’s potency to attract those to drink it is higher against targets who are of nobility, such as Kings or Monarchs and once they do drink this alcoholic drink Da Ji ignites the alcohol in a flash of fire burning the target alive. The greedy ones that drink it suffer a fate they deserve for the ‘greedy’ cannot have what they desire, essentially making this a smaller scale variant of the Happy Terrace Pavilion when its true name is released. It is also possible to submerge the target into alcohol and set them on fire though its power increases against those of royal heritage.
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Now onto the True Name release of this Noble Phantasm, once that is invoked the world around Da Ji ‘cuts’ itself as if space is being sliced and as it does a flood of blood starts to ‘bleed’ from the space filling the area which is followed by a crimson thundering clap as the mental landscape is completely brought onto the world. In the reality marble, the world is crimson with the sun completely devoid in color, a complete zone of massacre where the heads of those that Da Ji killed in life and those that she brought into the reality marble after she murdered them can be seen everywhere. The forest covers most of the mental landscape stretching as far as the horizon with the layout of her gardens in the center of this world. The wine pool and the snake pit are located side by side with the burning pillar on the front however in this world, Da Ji can decide how to operate them, bringing out the torture methods with a flick of her finger at any given moment and almost anywhere, meaning whatever their original locations were in legend are not tied to that spot in this reality marble thus her mobility is off the charts.
Any restrictions the instruments had when they were utilized in the Noble Phantasms passive state are removed such as the forest being ‘escapable’, since the forest is endless and Da Ji can simply call forth more roots to her side the ability to ‘escape’ the forest is not plausible in fact one must truly nullify this Noble Phantasm to even escape the agony it befalls on them. In this reality marble the concept of ‘sadism’ is actualized, increasing Da Ji’s attack power, the more the enemy suffers the more she wants to inflict pain and the more she wants to inflict pain the faster they succumb to their wounds. Not only that Da Ji also rejuvenates health via bloodshed, the more blood she has access to the faster the reality marble is able to siphon it, healing her and her allies. Now the last piece of the puzzle, the Happy Terrace Pavilion, an illustrious palace filled with gold inlay hallways with gems encrusted into its design. The ultimate palace for an Emperor and for Da Ji, she ordered the construction of this fortress as her private palace alongside King Zhou, the very fortress where her fox sisters were summoned for a banquet. This palace possesses an Anti-King trait in its effect, a fortress with a sealing curse which ties the target or a monarch into it as it designates them as the palace's King. Numerous chains arrive forth and latch onto the target, absorbing them into the castle. Whilst it does work against commoners it’s effectiveness increases with those that are tied with royalty. The so called King’s cannot escape the palace as the finally method of torture is actualized.
“Those that rule shall fall with their Kingdom!”
And with that the palace is ignited from within in a brilliant flame that burns the designated King alive, the last piece of torture, as they burn their capabilities as a monarch away meaning once the castle is set aflame should a servant with the King trait be within, their Noble Phantasms and skills are sealed. They are destined to fall here, like Zhou did as he burned to ashes. If the designated target is not someone of royalty then the sealing does not occur but once the fire burns down the castle, it burns the entire mental landscape, taking everyone within it except for Da Ji. As she was the one who caused this calamity, she is exempt from it’s destruction, to truly stop her one must kill her physically as ‘she will take as many kings as she desires to their downfall’ as watching those with authority fall is the ultimate entertainment for her. Should the target that is inside the palace be of nobility then the final torture method adds another + mod to this Noble Phantasms ranking. The + modifier is added without setting aflame the palace should there be someone with the 'King' trait. Increasing the overall effectiveness of this Noble Phantasm up to the point the entire reality marble is burned away. Another way to dissolve the landscape is to destroy the pavilion itself as it is the core that holds everything together either from the inside or outside. Aside from torturing and going about her usual massacring ways she can also utilize the palace as her torture dungeon. The ultimate Noble Phantasm for Da Ji, encompassing her entire legend, truly a terrifying fox.
Personality
A woman who is quick to act, never skipping a moment where she cannot satiate her curiosity, she moves with a cunning form that slips past men and women alike but leaves a trail of auroma that captivates them into following her. In other words, she is sadistic, akin to a hunter that sees everyone as her prey, she feeds on the suffering of those around her and the longer they can hold themselves in her grap the more entertained she is. She has a melodic voice that gives the impression that she is a charming, playful fox girl but the truth is she is merely softening your heart before plucking it out of your chest. Completely ignoring the proper conduct of a servant she will instead make it clear who is in charge in a servant-master relationship, if anything, should the master try to control her via a command spell she will no doubt scheme behind them, likely killing them as well. Having a puppet master is far more ideal for her rather than an uptight noble master, though on the rare occasion someone as diabolical as her summons her, she might just be willing to cooperate. Da Ji never expects those around her to understand her mind, for even she cannot grasp the mechanisms of her own cruel nature, though those that do fall for her charm end up becoming just as vile as her. She simply observes others in awe to make sense of things but in the end she is doomed to cause more pain than to ever understand her own heart. With a playful bubbly nature, she goes around with a roguish smile on her face, reeling those around her to herself. She loves being the center of attention, enjoys being showered with praise and love of others. She also obviously believes that she is superior in every sense of the word, whatever she says it must be taken with absolute priority, failure to do so will result in a rather gruesome outcome.
With her playful nature she goes around messing with others' minds, casually slipping into their lives as if nothing is unnatural about it, one moment she will be your loving housewife and the other a woman you may have met for the first time. This intrinsic web of mind games ultimately will end the target, for in her eyes, those who have failed to entertain her need not to live. It is all for the sake of her and her amusement alone. There is also a secondary voice in her head, that which belongs to a young innocent girl that never wanted the carnage that befell in front of her eyes, the mind of the vessel the fox spirit currently possesses still lives on. Da Ji often talks to her or causes her to suffer, for she only exists to ease the fox’s frustrations though out of everyone who has ever known the vixen Da Ji, the vessel is more familiar with her than the fox is with herself. As for a wish for the grail, there are only two things she desires, first of which is the heart of the man who killed her, that vile repugnant man will never be forgiven in her eyes and secondly is her divine stature as a divine being, one that was stripped away by a certain Goddess of Creation. In other words, she wishes to regain her status as a █████.
Legend
Da Ji is one of the main antagonists of the Chinese Novel ‘Fengshen Yanyi’ She is featured as the corrupter and destroyer of the Shang dynasty by charming its Emperor. Da Ji was originally the daughter of Su Hu however one night she got possessed by the thousand year old fox sprite of the Goddess of creation, the possession killed the spirit of Da Ji and was replaced by the celestial fox. When Daji was presented in front of King Zhou he immediately became obsessed with her and took her as his concubine at first and later on as his wife.
King Zhou under the vixen's spell would neglect state affairs that were necessary to keep the Shang dynasty progressing. Da Ji using her priveleges would devise various gruesome and deadly torture methods that she and the Emperor took joy in performing on others.
After a long time Da Ji was blamed by everyone for the fall of the Shang dynasty King Zhou's tyranny incurred the anger and resentment of the common people, who eventually rose up in revolt against him under King Wu of Zhou's leadership. After the fall of the Shang dynasty, Da ji was sealed by Ziya and said to be thrown into the depths of the underworld, whereafter a rumor began to circulate that she went to Japan.
Combat
Her combat capabilities are quite intricate, utilizing extremely potent curses in such a gruesome way it is better to not fight her at all. Utilizing her torture tools alongside her spells she makes for a deadly servant who can inflict damage that stacks into higher numbers rather than be powerful from the get go. Even though her initial attacks are nothing to scoff at, she is better suited at taking down multiple opponents rather than a single one since taking one down is overkill for her.Aside from her usual torturous ways to fight, there are several intricacies in her own territory. A workshop latched onto the leylines, in the shape of a palace with a deep underground layout is her usual way to set it up.
Several dungeons span into the fortress, however the most notable thing about her territory would be a section that can be called the ‘Gu’ pit. Where humans, monsters, creatures and even her own foxes fight their own to determine the ‘strongest’. In this way, Da Ji can essentially assimilate a factory that generates extremely stupidly powerful ‘familiars’ that given enough time can even fight the likes of servants. Her curses usually delve into the likes of Gu and Wuism alternating between the two to gain access to a myriad of spells which then expand into other schools such as necromancy and illusionism. But her true power shines in her reality marble, once spawned in she can call forth her torture tools with such ease and mobility that they are capable of taking down not dozens but hundreds of enemies at the same time. A fox which, left alone can cause quite a bit of havoc.
Dialogue
Tamamo No Mae: “Ah! If it isn’t my beloved sist-ehhhh?! Why are you suddenly getting angry? What do you mean it's my fault? I am completely innocent!”
Yang Guifei: “Aha! It is nice to be acquainted with a fellow consort who befell an Empire much the same way as I did, between you and me I believe we are innocent wouldn’t you agree?”
Wu Zetian: “I did not expect someone of your caliber to be so…...small, are you sure you are a torturer because you seem easier to immobilize than your enemies”
Vlad (Berserker): “A fellow bloodsucker though I find it amusing finding a monster who can barely accept themselves….”
Carmilla: “I am curious about the methods you deploy, let us have a chat shall we? Coffee? Dinner? Or maybe…...a night in the crimson chambers..”
Ashiya Doman: “I see your desire to feed upon others is expressed in such a vigorous way that even the likes of me blushes at such display of affection” 
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Originally Posted by NailsInYourFeet
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