No. Dead Apostles are, despite all impressions to the contrary, vampires. Zouken is a lich.
かん
汗
ぎゅう
牛
じゅう
充
とう
棟
Expresses the exceeding size of one's library.
Books are extremely many, loaded on an oxcart the ox will sweat.
At home piled to the ridgepole of the house, from this meaning.
Read out as 「Ushi ni ase shi, munagi ni mitsu.」
Source: 柳宗元「其為書，處則充棟宇，出則汗牛馬。」— Tang Dynasty
Oh, you think just because you do a shot of haemoglobin every Tuesday brunch at the PTA you get to call yourself a vampire? Please. There are standards
かん
汗
ぎゅう
牛
じゅう
充
とう
棟
Expresses the exceeding size of one's library.
Books are extremely many, loaded on an oxcart the ox will sweat.
At home piled to the ridgepole of the house, from this meaning.
Read out as 「Ushi ni ase shi, munagi ni mitsu.」
Source: 柳宗元「其為書，處則充棟宇，出則汗牛馬。」— Tang Dynasty
Class: Berserker
Other Classes: N/A
True Name: Xu Wei
Alignment: True Neutral
Place of Origin: China (16th Century)
Stars: 3/5
Parameters:
STR: B
END: C
AGI: D
MGI: C
LCK: C
NP: C
Height: 183cm
Weight: 110lbs
Likes: Painting
Dislikes: Failure
Talent: Painting in the bird and flower style
Natural Enemy: Tintoretto
Attribute: Man
Traits: Humanoid, Male, Weak to Enuma Elish
Armament: A long paintbrush, coated with ink
Catalyst: One of his paintings
Class Skills:
Madness Enhancement B: A person utterly obsessed with glory and rafe with paranoia, it becomes extremely challenging to form mutual understanding.
Personal Skills:
The Four Cries Of A Gibbon C: The sublimation of his play collection, known as the Four Cries of a Gibbon. The overarching motif carried through is that of identity and what makes someone their natural self. This manifests as a skill that permits him to take on a "different identity", primarily those through his works: a monk, a man in civil service, a soldier, or a faceless citizen.
Bird-And-Flower Painter A: He was one of the most renowned painters in the "Bird and Flower" style, a style of painting utilizing the beauty of nature to communicate the artist's views and personalities. This manifests in a capability to speak the "language of nature", understanding communications by things such as flowers, birds, frogs, and insects.
Splattered Ink B: The sublimation of his status as the forefather of the style of painting known as "Splattered Ink", where ink is used in great quantities and practically poured onto the page. From his paintbrush, ink constantly flows, which becomes solid at Berserker's will, becoming a sharp point or painting a rope tied around someone. However, these have to be continuous, or else the ink pour stops and the creation fails.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Chrysanthenums and Bamboo
Green Vine, Engulf Flowers
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: C
Range: 10 meters
Max Targets: 1 target
The sublimation of Berserker's madness and paranoia, as well as his pen name of "Green Vine", and his status as a revolutionary painter. When the true name is called out, from the ink on his pen, several titanic vines emerge, grasping for the nearby target that he believes is the most "threat" to him, grasping them and absorbing their Mana into the vine and back into Berserker.
Lore: Xu Wei (1521-1593) was a Chinese painter, poet, and playwright. During his life, his paintings were relatively ignored and he was fairly poor. He failed his civil service exams six times, and following that, began to get more and more unstable, culminating in his murder of his wife, following which he was jailed for seven years.
Personality: A paranoid and desperate person. He strives desperately to grow more fame. He deeply believes that all those around him are going to betray him in the end, attempt to steal his work and attack him. Thus, he doesn't form many close bonds with anyone. His wish for the Holy Grail would be to continue growing in his art.
Relationships:
Tintoretto: "I know your plans. You want to destroy my work! My precious work! Well, don't think I'll let you. Stay back!"
Nikolai Gogol: "Keep away from me with that fire!"
Carlo Gesualdo: "Betrayal is inevitable, don't you agree? But I know you also are going to betray me."
Since Zouken technically has a phylactery in the form of the worm next to Sakura's heart, lich is more accurate than vampire.
Do you like jazz short stories? Do you want something to distract from making Servants? Do you wish the idea of Shirou Kotomine didn't immediately bring edgelords to mind? Well, I can't promise it's good, but some would disagree with me. Fate/Without Justice
Class: Caster
Other Classes: N/A
True Name: Ikkyu
Alignment: Neutral Good
Place of Origin: Japan (15th Century)
Stars: 5/5
Parameters:
STR: E
END: A
AGI: C
MGI: A
LCK: C
NP: A
Height: 182cm
Weight: 100lbs
Likes: Romance, tricks, music, skeletons
Dislikes: Politics
Talent: Achieving enlightenment
Natural Enemy: Sessyoin Kiara
Attribute: Man
Traits: Humanoid, Male, Weak to Enuma Elish
Armament: A bowl filled with ink, from which skeletal figures come forth, and a flute, which is played and used as a brush.
Catalyst: One of his poems
Class Skills:
Territory Creation B-: Although he doesn't normally use it much due to his priority being wandering, he is capable of creating a Workshop-level territory which empowers his skills.
Item Creation C: He can create many types of mundane items, causing them to emerge from his ink bowl.
Personal Skills:
Blowing Meditation B: The sublimation of the type of meditation he pioneered, wherein the monk contemplates while playing the flute. This allows him to enter into a state of meditation while playing the flute, sensing all that around him and dodging out of its way while his mind becomes more clear of any blocks.
Skeletal Dance A: The sublimation of his ability to "bring forth skeletons and dance with them", as stated by the Hell Courtesan. This manifests in the capability to manifest skeletal figures, usually merely arms or jaws, from his inkbowl. He can occasionally also summon full skeletal figures. These serve as his primary weapon, and also enhance his enlightement.
Wandering Enlightement A: The sublimation of his status as a vagabond, as well as his enlightenment coming from traveling. As long as he continues moving, a state of serenity will befall him wherein worldly troubles will no longer concern him and his mana cost massively drops. However, if he stops for longer than 8 hours, this seals itself for a day.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Naraka Reform
Come Forth, Oh My Spirits
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: A
Range: 30 meters
Max Targets: 100 targets
The sublimation of his status as the teacher of the "Hell Courtesan", a woman who achieved enlightenment through his teachings and became one who managed Naraka. As one with those same powers, he can call forth those same gates, opening one of the gates of Naraka at his will over a small area, though this lasts for a short time, choosing between a Frost gate, wherein a devastating blizzard emerges, or a Heat gate, wherein the area massively overheats and flame emerges.
Lore: Ikkyu (1394-1481) was an eccentric and Iconoclastic Buddhist monk. He was very influential as to the traditional ideals of the Zen monk, being one of the creators of a branch that focused on flute-playing rather than sitting in silence, as well as a large influence on the tea ceremony and calligraphy.
Personality: A mischievous and cheerful person. He enjoys tricks and pranks a lot, especially against those he views as far too political. He also deeply enjoys romances, whether being part of them or matchmaking others. Naturally, however, he hates politics, which he views as the "worst of worldly pleasures". His wish changes by the day, but a likely one might be to manifest his favorite student.
Relationships:
Sessyoin Kiara: "It's so strange how you view yourself as the opposite of a Bodhisattva. Most of your actions would surprisingly fit, at least with my version. I'd love to chat about this a bit more."
Ono No Imoko: "I love flowers too! Wanna go to the gardens later? At 7, maybe?"
Ennigaldi: "Treasures? Interesting. Mind if I come to see? Let's say at around 8 today?"
Louis XI: "Sorry, no, you're too political for my taste."
Louis Wain: "Those cats are certainly strange. Oh well, can't be worse then those of Naraka. Anyway, shall we go on a walk?"
I love both of them but Karna was the character that got me into the franchise in the first place.
Or rather, I was looking around for depictions of him after a friend had introduced me to the original in the Mahabharata and latched onto this one even if it's not necessarily tremendously accurate (accuracy is a loaded term when it comes to that text anyway.)
Caster of the White-Feathered Fan -- Moonflower Blooming Beside the Crouching Dragon -- ~ ♬ ~
"Hi there, You must be the one who summoned me, yeah? You can call me Servant Caster, and my True Name is... wait a second. Caster? Really? I'd take Rider or maybe even Faker, but Caster!? If that's the case, I wouldn't be able to... Sigh, never mind. Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Anyway, now that I've manifested as a Caster, I should try acting like one. Let's see, if I were in his shoes, how would I go about this again..? Ahem, allow me to start over..."
...
"Greetings, Magus. I am Servant Caster, True Name Huang Yueying. I have arrived here following traces of my beloved Lord Kongmi- er, I mean... I-I have arrived here in response to the terrible crisis that humanity has found itself in! Gah, I'm really not one for formalities. That should be enough for introductions, yeah?"
"Ooh, you're saying I was looking at this all wrong? Grand Orders, Lostbelts... that's a lot to take in, but the point is that this is not your average Holy Grail War, right? That means I can still see Lord Kongming here, right!? I know he might qualify as an Archer thanks to that crossbow, but Caster feels like a more obvious Class for him, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to see him, since we share the same Class and all. But I was worried for nothing! Let's go, Master! It's been far too long! Take me to him! I can sense his presence veeery close by!"
...
"Hm? What's with that weird look, Master? Ooh, I know! You're worried that our relationship might not stay the same after so many centuries has passed? Or maybe Lord Kongming had undergone some... changes ever as a Servant? Well, don't worry about it! I'm a very open-minded woman, you know? Even if he became some weird mechanical centaur thing like what happened to Lord Xiang Yu, or if he somehow became a she under questionable justifications like so many others here, so long as he remains my beloved husband at heart, my love for him will only grow stronger!"
Class: Caster Other Classes: Rider, Faker True Name: Huang Yueying Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Origin: China (2nd century AD)
Parameters:
STR: C
END: D
AGI: B
MGI: B
LCK: A
NP: C
Likes: Zhuge Liang, showcasing her inventions, being acknowledged for her talents
Dislikes: Shallow-minded people, conforming to societal expectations, Pseudo-Servants
Talent: Martial arts, engineering, magecraft, strategizing
Natural Enemy: Lord El-Melloi II
Armament: Fists, magecraft, automatons
Catalyst: A crane feather taken from a certain fan (small chance)
Class Skills
Territory Creation (C)
The Skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus, such as for the purpose of collecting mana. The creation of a small workshop is possible. However, due to Caster's chaotic demeanor, she is generally reluctant to create more elaborate territories beyond what is strictly necessary (or at least her own definition of "necessary").
"Aesthetics? Who cares about those? In war, functionality is everything! This room may not seem like much, but every item here is optimized just for me! Manufacturing automatons, observing the enemy's movements, divination... point is, just as Lord Kongming taught me once, every action, no matter how small, must serve a purpose. Even if said action may seem redundant at the moment, like this unassuming, ornate rug on the floor here, you still have to- WAIT, DON'T STEP THERE!"
...
"Phew, that was close. Stepping on the switch hidden under that rug would turn this entire room into a deathtrap. A little something I picked up from that maze he made. I did skip on most of the furnishing here, but that just means that the parts I didn't skip on serves a purpose, one way or another. Trust me, these countermeasures are absolutely necessary."
Item Construction (B)
The Skill to manufacture magical items, from implements of war to items for daily use. Due to her vast knowledge in magecraft, engineering, and natural sciences, Caster can create a wide array of items, from simple mystic codes and impromptu weapons to potions and complex parts required for her inventions.
"Fufu, I am a woman of many talents, after all! Some would even attribute a number of Lord Kongming's inventions to me, and vice-versa! The repeating crossbow, the mechanical tiger, the signal lantern... As for who actually invented what... W-Well, why should it matter!? Let's just say we invented many things together as husband and wife! He served as a valuable source of inspiration for me, and I'm sure he feels the same way about me. Ah, to have a significant other who shares your hobbies, constantly pushing each other to reach new heights... Now that's what you call 'relationship goals' in this day and age!"
The two layers of face-covering veil that Caster once wore as a "trial" for her suitors. According to rumors in her hometown, it was believed that Caster was an exceedingly repulsive woman. So much so that she almost never left her estate, and whenever she did, she would wear this veil to conceal her face. Most people would not spare a second glance towards her, instead actively avoiding her. More mean-spirited individuals would mock her for her face, which they had never even seen, though she seemingly remained unfazed by these acts. No man wanted to wed her, until the legendary Zhuge Liang visited her personally and took off both layers of her veil without hesitation.
By wearing this veil, Caster creates a certain aura of "disgust" around her, suppressing her presence as a Servant and causing others to instinctively avoid her. Those affected will not feel any sort of suspicion or hostility towards her at the moment. Their minds would simply be overwritten by an overwhelming compulsion to stay away from her for reasons even they cannot fully understand. Only those with strong, unwavering resolve may overcome this effect. Certain Skill-sealing or ability-nullifying abilities may also accomplish the same thing, but due to the veil having two layers, such abilities must be applied twice in quick succession.
"The people do not understand your beauty."
"That's what he said the moment he took off my veil. Whether he meant that the people's assessment of my physical features were mistaken, or if by 'beauty', he meant my intellect, which supposedly could rival his own... I'm not sure. I prefer the latter interpretation, but I was too stunned to speak at that moment. I... Back then, I had always believed that the townsfolk's mockeries, their cruel words, they all meant nothing to me. That's what I had always tried to convince myself. But the moment he said that... the first time someone finally looked me in the eye and acknowledged me for who I truly am... I felt as though a mask I'd worn in my heart somewhere cracked, and shattered into a million pieces. Fufu, in a way, maybe this veil concealed more than my face... and I'm forever grateful towards Lord Kongming for taking it off."
Tactician's Bridesmaid (A)
The woman who stood beside one of China's greatest tacticians as an equal. While Caster's own legend was largely overshadowed by her husband according to most contemporary sources, there was no denying that her wisdom and talents were instrumental to her husband's rise to power, as well as several subsequent events during China's Three Kingdoms era. Their lives were so closely intertwined with one another that in some instances, it was left ambiguous who invented certain contraptions or who made certain military decisions. Caster herself chooses to stay silent regarding these ambiguities, believing them to be "a testament to their love".
Were she summoned as a Faker based on a certain feat accomplished after the tactician's death, this Skill would grant her access to all of Zhuge Liang's Skills and a weaker version of his Noble Phantasm. Under this particular Class, however, this Skill exhibits a different function. In essence, "a set of abilities deemed necessary to become a woman worthy of Zhuge Liang". A variation of Expert of Many Specializations including Magecraft, Divination, Tactics, Chinese Martial Arts, Inherent Insight, and Combination. The last Skill mentioned functions best whenever she fights beside tactical-minded individuals (with her best partner unsurprisingly being Zhuge Liang). That said, due to... Chaldea's unique circumstances, this effect does not trigger at all with the Pseudo-Servant bearing the name of the legendary tactician... at least, whenever the host's personality is in control, which is... most of the time. Yes, she can be that petty sometimes.
"Haha, funny how life turns out sometimes, huh? I spent most of my childhood and teenage years being bullied by the entire village. For so long, I thought that was my entire world. But the moment Lord Kongming showed me that the world is much larger than that... well, before I knew it, I was married to one of the country's most powerful men! It felt like something straight out of a fairytale, and there were moments where I stopped and wondered if everything was... really happening. But in the end, I wouldn't exchange the time we shared together for anything."
...
"Oh, and by 'we', I am referring to me and Lord Kongming, naturally. Not me and... that poser wearing his name. THAT'S JUST NOT HIM, OKAY!? Give me that brush over there! If I were to depict his features more accurately, it would be something like... this!"
It was a legend that happened during one of the many confrontations between Shu and Wei. Between two of China's greatest strategists, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi. During an expedition to the north, Zhuge Liang was tasked with capturing a certain city. The city was well-fortified, and a full-frontal siege was deemed too risky. Thus, the Shu resorted to a battle of attrition, hoping that the city would run out of resources before they do. Zhuge Liang placed most of his forces on the nearby Mt. Qi, but unbeknownst to him, he had already fallen into a trap laid out by his rival, Sima Yi. After the army made it atop the mountain, the rival tactician mobilized a great number of Wei soldiers to close off the main roads leading down the mountain, leaving only the small footpaths and steep cliffs that were too small or dangerous for a large army to traverse. With this sudden reversal, it was the Shu who found themselves cornered and in danger of running out of supplies. It was during this dire time that one of Caster's most famous inventions saved the day. Through a mix of magecraft and engineering, she built small carts capable of traversing narrow, perilous terrains and bypassing the Wei barricade. By utilizing these carts, as well as a small amount of soldiers to man them (it was said that a single cart pulled by one man could hold enough rations to feed four men for three months), she established an effective supply line, delivering rations and even exchanging messages with the men trapped on that mountain. It was a brilliant idea that even her husband did not think of, one that sealed Shu victory during that specific battle.
One of Caster's greatest specialties. Allows the creation and mass-production of wooden automata to serve as non-sentient familiars. While its most basic form closely resembles a simple cart only usable for transporting small items, with enough time and materials, it is possible for Caster to add modifications, adopting new designs and functionalities. Furthermore, as these carts were originally used for transporting rations, each unit comes equipped with the conceptual ability to "store" both buffs (healing items, parameter boosts, weapon enchantments, etc.) and debuffs (curses, poison, viruses, other status effects), preserving them for a certain period of time and deploying them later on should the need arise. The amount of "items" storable within each unit varies depending on the design and the quality of materials used in its production.
Unit examples
Basic model
"Boxer"
"Barrel"
"Wolf"
"Peddler"
"Soldier"
"Truth to be told, that cart wasn't exactly the most original of my inventions. There were documents depicting similar contraptions as far back as the Qin dynasty, if not earlier. I just improved on those concepts using my knowledge of engineering and mysticism. Tinkering with machines have always been one of my hobbies ever since I was a little girl, you see. I initially built simple toys to serve as playmates whenever my father and teacher weren't around. At other times, I built them to help out with chores, like what happened with the cooking automata. But I wanted... more. I wanted to push myself further and see just how far I could take this hobby of mine. In the end, when the war came knocking, it granted me an opportunity to truly give it my all for the sake of defending my family, my home, and everything else dear to me."
The Faceless, Feathered Mask Conceals a Warrior of Many Faces Mingliang
"This old thing? I... borrowed it from Lord Kongming for this manifestation. Come to think of it, isn't it a bit awkward to borrow a precious gift you gave for your spouse a long time ago, only to use it for yourself? I know this fan is one of the few things most commonly associated with my legend, but still... Oh well. I should return this thing to Lord Kongming- the real one- when I have the chance one day, but for now... I think I'll have a little fun with it myself. Try to keep up, will you?"
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: C
Range: 1-5
Max Targets: -
Zhuge Liang's famous hand fan, a mystic code elevated into the level of a Noble Phantasm. A fan made of crane feathers, inscribed with the characters
Bright
"Ming"
and
Clear
"Liang"
, which also happened to be the tactician's given (Zhuge Liang) and courtesy name (Kongming). It's possible that the actual Zhuge Liang might possess a variation of this Noble Phantasm under different summoning circumstances, although the one summoned by Chaldea doesn't seem to have it ("Why? Obviously because his fan is just a cheap imitation! And as we all know, there's no chance an imitation could ever beat the real thing! To begin with, while it works well enough as a mystic code, it doesn't have the... love and care poured into its creation! Eh? How do I know that? W-Well, um...").
The story goes than one day, Caster came across her husband and her father amidst a political discussion, accompanied by a round of go. As expected of a master tactician, Kongming dominated the board game easily. However, when the topic of the warlord Cao Cao was brought up, his expression changed ever so slightly. Her father- a gifted scholar in his own right- noticed this expression and successfully anticipated his next movements, pulling a reversal which resulted in one of the few times the tactician found himself completely outmatched.
A few days later, Caster presented her husband with this handmade fan, saying that "A master tactician should not reveal his emotions so easily on the battlefield.". From there, he brought the fan with him everywhere he went, using it to conceal his expression amidst heated discussions and military briefings, earning his reputation as a cool-headed and rational strategist, no matter the situation. A perfect poker face, one may say.
A simple, cost-efficient Noble Phantasm that invokes the concept of "unpredictability". It does not stop at simply concealing one's intentions. A poker face also serves to keep the enemy constantly guessing as numerous possibilities of what Caster might do next rapidly course through their minds. While Zhuge Liang might have used this fan under the context of strategy meetings and large-scale battles, Caster devised a different application of this Noble Phantasm, combining it with her knowledge of martial arts.
So long as Caster holds the fan in one hand, it manifests the possibilities of "what Caster will do next" as false images laid on top of the world. As an example, if an enemy sees Caster lunging towards them and anticipates three possible directions from which she might attack (left, right, and center), this Noble Phantasm conjures two moving images representing the "possibilities". Naturally from the three Casters simultaneously attacking the enemy from three different directions, only one strike is true, while the other two would harmlessly phase through them. These images then vanish the instant the attack lands, quickly replaced by the next set of images depicting Caster's next possible attacks.
This Noble Phantasm takes into account the enemy's ability to predict their opponent's actions and uses it against them. The more possibilities the target is able to visualize in the few miliseconds prior to the attack, the more images this Noble Phantasm will conjure. While it deals no damage on its own, Caster utilizes the fan in a manner similar to a dance, using it to pull off a flurry of fast-paced combos.
The nature of this Noble Phantasm makes it a good counter to most warriors and seasoned fighters, as the act of "thoroughly analyzing an opponent and anticipating their next movements" is a process that comes almost instinctively to them, meaning in most cases, they would have to deal with the greatest number of images rapidly disorienting them and leaving various openings for Caster to strike. Conversely, it's not very effective against fighters who show little care towards Caster's actions; those who fight like mad beasts with no regard to technique or finesse. Skills such as Clairvoyance, Instinct, Evaporation of Sanity, and certain mind-reading abilities might be able to mitigate this Noble Phantasm's effects, while Tactics, Eye of the Mind, Knowledge of Melee Combat, and other abilities denoting extensive mastery in combat and martial arts would instead backfire on their users.
"Am I really a Caster if my Noble Phantasm is only usable in direct physical confrontations? Well, I usually try to act like a Caster using my automata and observing the battlefield from afar, and I won't deny that it would be cool for me to have some sort of, say... giant magecraft-fueled wooden kaiju or something as a Noble Phantasm, but there are times when I just get... impatient, you know? It's a little embarrassing to admit, but unlike Lord Kongming, I still have thoughts like 'Things would be over much quicker if I can just get down there and punch the enemy commander's face myself' from time to time. Haha, I guess that's just the kind of girl I am!"
"How do I look in this one, Master? I tried modernizing my appearance a bit. I could just wear some of the more expensive robes I had from my own era, but... admittedly, I don't wear luxurious clothes all that often. To spend money on extravagant dresses and capes while most men were out there, risking their lives for the state would be in poor taste. Whenever I had coin left to spare, I'd rather use them for the war effort. B-Besides, when you consider my 'hobbies', I feel like those luxuries just clash with my character, you know!? Ahem, in any case, even if I wasn't very good at waging all-out wars myself... I still wanted to help my husband- and by extension the Shu- as much as I could. That's all there is to it."
__________________________________________________
Lore
"Ah, Master! Get this, so I was looking through Chaldea's
character materials
database
just the other day, and when I found Lord Kongming's page...there was barely anything about him! Sure, there was a brief overview of his contributions to the Shu, but that's basically it! There was little mention of his character, the strategies he employed, his inventions, the woman he loved, or anything else of the sort! Instead, most of the data there seemed to focus on his host and the nature of Pseudo-Servants or something like that... I swear, can't you just keep a separate entry for that?"
...
"Eh? That guy survived a Holy Grail War? So what? It's not like that automatically makes him more interesting than Lord Kongming. You've got loads of Heroic Spirits who started, survived, and ended wars here, he's not special. From what I've seen, even a bunch of folks with lesser-known accomplishments compared to China's greatest tactician still managed to get more elaborate write-ups than him. Gah, that does it! Since I've made it my new life's mission to oppose him, I'll tell you a detailed account of my own life. Or, well, more detailed compared to what you got for Lord Kongming, at least!"
Act 1
My childhood is not a time I'm too keen on remembering. For the longest time, everyone just considered me... different. As you probably know by now, I'm not exactly the most feminine lady in the world, and that just felt worse during my time. I preferred to practice martial arts and experiment with machines rather than cook or clean the house, like what the old traditions dictated. Furthermore, this yellow hair of mine... I don't really know what's the deal with that. Supposedly, my mother's ancestors might have hailed from some faraway land in the west, but she passed before I was old enough to speak, so I never got to ask her personally. Whatever the case, my appearance also went against the classic beauty standards of the era. No one would pick yellow hair over the usual long, silky black. Furthermore, I didn't leave the house all that often either, so all things considered, it didn't take long for rumors to surface and get out of control. Rumors saying I was a hideous woman who was so terrible in both appearance and personality that my father was too ashamed to ever let me leave the house. Of course, none of this was true. My father was appalled by these rumors, and he tried his best to dispel them, but by that point, there was just nothing we could have done.
I... never complained about the rumors. As a senior officer of the Shu army, he already had enough on his plate. I just decided to immerse myself further in my hobbies. After all, if the outside world decided that it wanted nothing to do with me, then I didn't want anything to do with them either. So I locked myself in that estate for weeks on end, devoting more of my time to martial arts, engineering, and experimenting in general. Even when I had to leave the place for whatever reason, I used a veil to conceal my face from the public. I convinced myself that the rumors didn't bother me the slightest bit. Even so... whether you'd like to call it a father's intuition or whatever, my father seemed to notice that I was suppressing a whole lot of issues from these rumors despite my best efforts.
Then, he proposed that I get married. He was always the kind of kooky old man who means well, but there was no denying it was an outlandish idea, and I had no clue how that would fix the problem, but I decided to humor him anyway. After being a shut-in for so long, I figured that at the very least, meeting some new people who hopefully shares my interests would do me some good, marriage or not. Still, if he really wanted me to get married so bad, then I should get to filter the candidates with some sort of test. It was the least I deserve, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life with any random schmuck who waltzed through the door. Luckily, my father agreed to my terms.
As for potential suitors... well, that part happened a bit surprisingly. I was talking with my teacher one day when he told me that he also worked as a shaman and matchmaker on the side. Then he gave me a reading for free, and revealed that my most compatible soulmate would be a man bearing the name "Liang" or "Ming". I didn't buy any of that, but when I told my father, his eyes seemed to lit up. He said he knew someone from work who had not just one of the prophecized names, but both. A junior of his who showed promise as a tactician in the army. I didn't pay it any mind then. Little did I know...
Act 2
"I have a daughter I'd like you to meet. She's... not exactly a looker if you believe the rumors, but I believe her talents could match yours."
...That's what my father said to that young, up-and-coming tactician he mentioned, and he agreed to a meeting. I didn't experience any of this part directly, so I'm only piecing the story together from my father and Lord Kongming's accounts here.
When Lord Kongming made it to the estate, he found that the place had been... booby-trapped, for lack of a better word. That was my test. All potential suitors must make it to my room and personally judge whether the rumors that had plagued village for so long was true or not. Supposedly, when Lord Kongming first entered, he was fascinated by the strange contraptions he came across. Automated dolls capable of cooking and performing simple chores, wooden carvings of animals wagging their tails and moving back and forth, moving garden decorations... Fufu, those were the products of my hobbies, which I worked on for so long! In any case, he made his way deeper into the estate, and at one point... a tiger jumped at him! He stood there, shocked but not deterred. The tiger stopped just inches away from his face. When he examined it closer, he realized that it was one of those automated wooden dolls, like the ones he found at the entrance, just more... elaborately designed. And then, he opened the door to another room... and a bear jumped at him! And then an elephant! Well, you get the idea. A few shocking-but-ultimately-harmless traps later... he made it.
The whole time, I was just waiting in my room. I wore two layers of my usual veil, and extinguished all the lights. The room was dark, illuminated only by the faint moonlight piercing through the windows.
When I heard the door creaking open, I steeled myself. Unfortunately, it was also at around that time that my doubts started to resurface. Sure, I kept telling myself that the rumors were wrong, and most of the people who made them never even met me face to face before, but... it just happens, you know? After dealing with those things for so long, can you really blame me for feeling overwhelmed from time to time? Anyways, while I was internally grappling with myself, I could hear the footsteps getting closer...
"This is a terrible idea."
"Why did I even agree to this?"
"I'm going to get my father for this later."
"In the end... what if they're right? What if I was the foolish one for rejecting their words for so long?"
Those thoughts swirled endlessly in my head, until...
With a single motion, he lifted both layers of the veil without hesitation.
"The people do not understand your beauty."
...And that was it. My worries, my doubts, which had plagued my mind for so long, he threw those away, as easily as he lifted that veil. I didn't know anything about him then, and I'm sure the opposite also applied to him, but that was the first thing he said to me. Everything that had been weighing me down for years, he dispelled them like it was nothing.
Ahem, and so, he passed the test. There was no room for doubt. My father was overjoyed by this outcome. Our wedding was held a few months later. Even then, I still heard whispers from the neighbors. On the day of the reception, some people were surprised that it was my wedding. They thought that the prodigious young tactician must have gotten the wrong house, or maybe he came for a sister I didn't even have. There was even a saying going around in the village at the time; "Don't be like Kongming when you choose a wife. He ended up with A-Cheng's ugly daughter.", referring to my father, Huang Chengyan. Well, none of those mattered anymore by that point, though. For the first time in a very long while, I felt as though those words were truly meaningless.
Act 3
Now, what else is there to tell..?
Over the next few years, conflict between the three kingdoms continued to escalate, eventually culminating in an all-out war. I accompanied Lord Kongming in his campaigns. Despite my talents, I was hardly familiar with warfare at first. Still, I've always considered myself a quick learner. It didn't take long for my strategies and inventions to be incorporated into the army. I didn't hold any official positions myself, mind you, but I stood beside my husband in meetings, mission briefings, and political arrangements. My words and contributions were valued, and not simply because I was married to one of the state's most influential figures.
Aside from that, we had two sons, and then there was that incident with the fan, and then the cart, which I've told you already... ah, there was one more thing!
It was the final battle between Lord Kongming and Lord Zhongda, er, that's Sima Yi to you. Except Lord Zhongda didn't get to face him after all. Because... my beloved fell to illness a short while before then. The entire army was in shambles, and our foes were rapidly advancing. It didn't take long before rumors of his passing reached our enemies' ears, further bolstering their determination. Lord Zhongda personally led the charge, believing that he would finally crush the Shu once and for all. Meanwhile, I...
Following my beloved's funeral rites, I figured that if the enemy's all-out attack was motivated by their belief that Zhuge Liang was dead, then there was one thing left I could do to drive them away. I donned his robes, his headdress, and his iconic fan. The one I gave him all those years ago. Some say I used a statue, a scarecrow, or one of those automata for this operation, but they were wrong. I personally impersonated him and made my way to the front lines, knowing full well that my life might be forfeit. As for why... I figured another genius tactician like Lord Zhongda would be perceptive enough to see through cheap tricks such as statues and scarecrows. Besides, Lord Kongming dedicated his entire life to the state with all the responsibilities he shouldered. I thought that just once, I should do the same to honor him. Or maybe there was no deeper reason to it all. Maybe it was grief, you know how it drives us to do the things we would never even consider otherwise. Hah, grief is funny like that.
...And yet, I lived. Apparently just seeing "Zhuge Liang" commanding the troops from afar was enough to intimidate the opposing army. Perhaps a part of them thought that the rumor of his death was a lie used to trick them into lowering their guards. I didn't know if Lord Zhongda actually bought that trick, but he retreated along with most of his forces.
Afterwards, the war entered a relatively stable period, at least for a while. I spent the rest of my days back in my hometown, near Xiangyang. Several army officials visited me over the years to ask for advice, but my time in the front lines was up.
I did not long survive my husband. In my final moments, I imparted some valuable life advice to my children as I reminisced on my own life. It was their turn to leave their mark on the world, and while a part of me was sad that I had to leave them so soon, another part was happy that I didn't have to wait too long to be reunited with my beloved. All things considered... I was content with my life.
Likes:
"Even after getting married, fighting beside my beloved, and now becoming a Servant, I don't think my hobbies have changed much. I still love martial arts, engineering, magecraft... ooh, I've also taken a liking to those kung fu movies and wuxia novels ever since I was summoned here! I know the trends and traditions have changed greatly ever since my time, but something tells me none of my hobbies are especially, um... feminine, even by current standards. Well, not that I care. You wanna know the most valuable thing I learned from my life, after everything I went through? It's the knowledge that no matter how unusual your hobbies are, how much of an oddball you think you may be, and how much your very existence goes against what most people would consider 'normal'... chances are, there's someone out there who shares your views. Someone willing to fully accept you for who you are, flaws and all. So, even in those moments where you feel like you're completely alone... just keep moving forward. I'm sure you'll meet them someday, if you haven't already."
Dislikes:
"You should already know by now just how much I hate that poser wearing my husband's name. But what is it exactly do I hate so much about him, you ask? Can I just say... everything? Let's see, putting aside the obvious fact that he robbed me of my promised reunion, I just can't stand his character, for one. Lord Kongming was a monster of rationality, yeah; he executed his strategies with such planning and efficiency that some doubted that he was even human. But there was also a more... chaotic, fun-loving side to him, you know!? He's not afraid to just toy with his enemies and rub his own superiority in their faces from time to time, like what happened with the Stone Sentinel Maze, which may or may not be considered a war crime in this day and age. Meanwhile, the guy you have now just feels like a teacher who's dead inside after spending too many years with bureaucrats and politicians! Ahem, what I'm saying is... HE'S NOT UNHINGED ENOUGH! HE'S WAY TOO HINGED FOR MY STANDARDS! AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF HIS MANY ISSUES!"
Wish:
"To bring Lord Kongming here, of course. Really, were you expecting anything else? Increasing my bond levels won't get you any deeper or more profound answers. Because this is my most profound wish, from the very bottom of my heart. No, really. My life had its fair share of ups and downs, but in the end, I truly have no regrets. Besides, even if I do, I'm just not the type of person who'd endlessly fuss over the past. I'd rather look towards the future and seize my happiness with my own hands. That's why I'll get him back, even if I have to personally drag him out of his vessel. As for what should happen to that guy... I dunno. See if there's any divine spirit or whatever willing to take him as a vessel, maybe? I don't really care what happens to him, but if it'll get Lord Kongming out of him- oh god, that sounds wrong- I'm perfectly willing to help you out in any way I can."
Reserved, calculating, and methodical. As expected of a tactician and a Caster, she prefers to observe the battlefield from afar, relying on her automata to do most of the heavy lifting. She analyzes her enemy's capabilities with a keen eye and a cool head, unbothered by feints, baits, or unexpected alterations to her plans. A genius whose cunning and tactical prowess could very well rival the likes of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, despite her lack of fame.
...At least, that is how she initially presents herself, out of a desire to emulate her husband. Even then, you may occasionally notice small cracks in her character. As she opens up by forming new bonds with those around her, you may gradually get a better picture of her true self. Tomboyish, blunt, and sometimes impulsive. She's a lot more chaotic and unhinged than she initially lets on. Liberated from the rumors which had shackled her for so long, she's determined to live her life on her own terms, with little regard for traditional norms or surface-level pleasantries. She may speak of actual profound advice on one second, only to go on some unrelated tangent in the next. That's not to say her more reserved side is a lie; she certainly has the makings of a great tactician and could play the part well if she truly puts her mind into it. She just... doesn't want to, in most cases. After all, what's the point of honoring her husband if she'll just end up stifling her own character in the process?
It goes without saying, but Caster despises bullies and gossipers, due to not wanting anyone else to go through the things she did. She'd confront them without hesitation, willing to forego the usual tactician-style calmness to personally fistfight them into submission whenever necessary (which is... most of the time, considering her more reckless side). It can be argued that her simple sense of justice is also partially motivated by an inherent disposition towards chaos. Still, she's generally capable of channeling these impulses in a productive manner through her hobbies... most of the time.
According to Caster's own accounts, there are many things she missed from her husband. The feeling of speaking to the one person who understands her best, discussing and complementing each other's strategies, encouraging each other to reach new heights in their respective endeavors, coming up with strategies that many would consider... borderline deranged, for lack of a better term, directed at their worst enemies... All of this fuels her single-minded determination to bring him back. A self-imposed duty that tends to lead to much chaos in a place like Chaldea.
"I see, so this is the one from that time... I don't have the best memories associated with these robes, but I think that's all right. He's... still not here, technically speaking. So until the day we meet again, I'll hold on to these for him. It's also a reminder that I shouldn't give up either. Yeah, I'm sure we'll see each other again. Until that day arrives, I'll keep trying my best. It's also what he would have wanted."
Sima Yi (Reines):
"Saying I'm jealous would be an understatement. I don't know if it's because of his personality or what, but he seems to have an easier time revealing himself and speaking his mind compared to Lord Kongming. On another note, I get along unexpectedly well with Lord Zhongda's host! Just the other day, she gave me this idea: knock that poser unconscious a few times, and the next time he wakes up, there's a chance that Lord Kongming's consciousness would be the one in control, at least for a short while. I'm not sure how the process works, but I think it's worth a shot. Oh, and don't worry, Master. I'm not going to lay a hand on him. If my test back then was anything to go by, I'm pretty good at engineering jumpscares when the situation calls for it. That should be enough to knock him out, right? Not counting certain Noble Phantasms, Servants can't die from heart attacks, right!?"
Sima Qian:
"Ah, Sir Grand Historian! Is there anything you need from me today? I'd be glad to help you with any questions you have on the Three Kingdoms era. I wasn't a major player back then compared to the likes of Lord Liu Bei or Lord Cao Cao, but then again, you're never the type to just accept one version of events while disregarding other perspectives, right? I can respect that."
Bai Qi:
"I really couldn't care less about your win streak, but even I have to admit that the mass burial was excessive. Not necessarily from a moral standpoint, no- I don't believe either of us have any right to talk about morals- but consider the time and logistics required! You're better off using all those manpower and resources to prepare from your next campaign rather than spend days performing mass executions just to satisfy your own twisted desires. I cherished the moments I shared with my husband amidst wartime, yeah, but I don't fetishize war the way you do."
Chen Gong:
"Lord Gongtai! I don't believe we've ever met back then, but I heard all about your exploits. Your strategies are just as ruthless as the stories say! Um, more importantly... is that Xia Dynasty technology I see over there!? I found a few old records of those in the imperial archives, but I never could reproduce them despite all the research and experiments I performed! Oh my gosh, you have to teach me how to manufacture them one of these days! Imagine the possibilities!"
Nongyu & Xiaoshi:
"The dragon and the phoenix... I remember receiving a sculpture of you two from my father as a wedding gift. Um, this kind of situation doesn't come often, so I think I'll use this chance to express my gratitude. Thanks for... everything. Yes, everything. There's just so many things I'm grateful for that listing out all of them would take quite some time. Seriously, love transformed my life in ways that I never could have imagined. Still, as you may already know... it seems I've found myself in another battle for the sake of love. I ask for your blessings in bringing my beloved here."
Sigyn (Lover):
"I wish you the best in your love life, goddess. Finding that one person who adds color to a dreadfully boring, or sometimes even lonely, world really does wonders for you, no matter who you are. Anyways, I fully support your wish! I didn't let a few war crimes get in the way of my love, so you shouldn't let the tragedy of Ragnarok hold you back either!"
Avenable:
"I'm familiar with the sentiment. I also spent years of my life chasing and keeping up with someone important to me, even if our stories ended very differently. Still, I'm curious... where did that pursuit lead you? Did you have any regrets?"
...
"I figured. Well, I'm really no good with serious matters, haha. Now, what do you say to a spar? I can tell you're a skilled warrior. Something tells me the deer is bad news, though..."
Charles Babbage, Avicebron:
"I am something of a mech otaku myself, so I'm glad these gentlemen are so eager to share their findings with me. Their foundations are very different compared to my own, but I find them fascinating nonetheless. You never know from where inspiration might strike next!"
St. Richardis:
"So your love truly did manage to reach him, even if just for a moment... ah, cliched as it may sound, the power of love truly is amazing! Seeing your devotion towards your beloved husband seriously renewed my spirits! On that note, mind if I borrow your bears for a while? I... have a little prank I'd like to try out, hehehe..."
"You have my thanks for taking me this far. I heard from the others that my husband has really helped you out throughout your quest. Now that I'm stronger, I should be able to relieve some of his burden. Er, of course, I'm still your Servant first and foremost! It's just that... I'm eternally grateful to you for making this reunion possible! W-Well, calling it a 'reunion' might be a little premature considering his... circumstances, but I'm sure we'll get there one of these days! Anyways, that promise of a reunion is enough to keep me going, so you can be sure that I'll give it my all for your sake as well, Master!"
__________________________________________________
Our love blossomed amidst the flames of war.
In place of fireworks, our ears were more familiar with artillery fire.
In place of expensive dishes enjoyed at fancy eateries in the capital, we had meager rations shared with the soldiers in the war camps.
In place of a honeymoon, we went from one battlefield to the next, hoping for an end to all the fighting.
Our story unfolded in a way that many would consider strange, from start to finish.
Sometimes, I look back and wonder, what if we were born in a different time?
Would our dates consist of visiting famous places, enjoying delicious cuisine, and exchanging flowers with one another?
Could we ever be a "normal" husband and wife?
I've always stopped myself there.
I have no regrets over how everything turned out.
Besides, when have either of us ever concerned ourselves with what others consider "normal" anyways?
Despite everything that happened... I am truly happy.
Thank you for everything, my beloved.
For choosing me of all people to stand by your side.
...Now it's my turn.
No matter how many more lifetimes we have, I will always choose you in return.
And that's why I'll find my way back to you, come what may.
Creator's Notes
Get yourself a girl who'd commit war crimes with you.
- An unofficial complaint letter to TM's handling of early Pseudos. C'mon Lasengle, give him an alt or a costume that's not just Waver, pls. And give the actual Zhuge Liang more than a single sentence in exactly one event/interlude (I forgot), seriously.
- Funny story I had when writing this sheet. I was 75% done writing her lore in standard third person. Then I hit a certain part that just feels... irreparably awkward. Then I considered writing in first-person, but then I was worried about the potential bloat. So you know what I did? I finished the third-person lore, wrote first-person from scratch, compared the word count, and cut off a few unnecessary details. Why do I torture myself like this?
- Can you believe it's been more than a year since my last Caster? Reworked Alcina was posted in March 21, 2022, while my last, non-rework Caster, Pope Alexander VI was released in January last year. Time sure flies.
- I like the whole "the better you are at fighting, the more disadvantaged you will be" NP I came up with for her. Engonasin was a step in the right direction, now give us more Casters who cast fist as their main weapon!
- Her line to Sima Yi specifically said "Servants can't die from heart attacks, right?" instead of "Servants can't get heart attacks, right?". It's a small difference, but the implication is... let's just say life isn't going to get any easier for our favorite farmer.
Last edited by BnEl15; March 26th, 2023 at 08:26 AM.
Reason: Updated fc and a few lines
Justice for Ya Boy, Kongming! She can't diss the master tactician that way!
I also didn't realize that was the purpose of his fan. The more you know.
Do you like jazz short stories? Do you want something to distract from making Servants? Do you wish the idea of Shirou Kotomine didn't immediately bring edgelords to mind? Well, I can't promise it's good, but some would disagree with me. Fate/Without Justice
“Like you say, I might be a fool for believing in things like honour and chivalry, but this duel won’t go the way you think! I know I can still win, because when I fight - I FIGHT!!!”
True Name: Walter of Aquitaine AKA: Waltharius, Walther von Kärlingen, Wdaly Walczerz
Epithet: “The Humming Knight”
Region: Aquitaine (c. 5th Century)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Likes: Camaraderie, Shiny Objects
Dislikes: Strife, Huns
Talents: Larceny, Orienteering
Natural Enemy: Kriemhild
“Aw, don’t be like that Master. This whole Grail thing wouldn’t even be happening if it weren’t for you guys, you support us every step of the way - we need you. Sure you and I might have different roles, but it’s being different that makes each of us special, and once you figure out how you can best help others - anyone can be a hero!” (*Thumbs Up*)
Saber takes the form of Walter, the King of Aquitaine who encountered many colourful characters in his youthful travels across Europe such as Attila the Hun, Dietrich von Bern and Siegfried the Dragon-Slayer.
Despite his reputation as a fearsome general of Attila the Hun, Walter is a pretty laid back and cheerful fellow who dislikes strife. His father instilled a belief in him that there is no such thing as a true “enemy” to strike down and everything can be resolved honourably if people put their honest feelings on the line in a fair bout. It is for this reason that Hagen von Tronje called him “a naïve sap who cries for his slain enemies”. To a fault, Walter is the kind of guy who would try to befriend even the worst villains. But do not be fooled, even he has his limits as found out by the Twelve Knights of Burgundy whom he slaughtered one after the other when they tried to harm his fiancé. Indeed the notion of “family” is very important to Walter as seen when he sacrificed his honour and refused to fight his cousin Dietlieb to the death. To the point where those that would threaten the people close to Walter (potentially including his Master) or even worse, harm their own family - this would make the normally cool Walter lose his temper and rage.
Although he is a selfless and altruistic man, spending his adolescence in the harsh society of Hunland has taught Walter that people need to be able to take care of themselves in order to grow. For that reason, while he has agreed to be his Master’s sword and shield, he cannot make the hard decisions for them and they must ultimately accept the consequences of their actions. Nevertheless, he will continue to offer his support until the Master no longer needs his help, to which it will likely be time to part ways. Of course Walter’s wife Hildegyth would chime in and say that this is all rich coming from Walter who is only “hardworking when poor, lazy when rich”. But in spite of his reputation as a flaky guy, Walter is who goes hard when it counts. As a retort to his wife’s comment, Walter would respond by pointing out Hildegyth was a terrible influence on him growing up who only encouraged his less than heroic decisions. This particular strain of vice they refer to is Walter’s impulsive kleptomania that has caused him to “borrow” various trinkets and artefacts from the various kingdoms he visited on his travels. The other primary bad habit that Walter has is that although a nice guy, he shares Hagen’s penchant for sarcastic wit yet lacks his social awareness and so Walter often unintentionally antagonizes people by running his mouth with sass. The final oddity is his fascination with the macabre, in particular his attempt to collect the works of the legendary blacksmith Wayland which led to him wielding objects that his allies thought were too evil and/or grotesque.
In a Holy Grail War, Walter would actively avoid the other Servants at first, preferring to spend time goofing off with his Master so that they would feel more comfortable placing their life in his hands. Despite having ruled his country as King, Walter has no issue taking orders where appropriate but he does have a limit and a villainous Master would definitely need to compel him with Command Seals in order to have him do anything seriously unethical. Since he was undefeated in life and with no weaknesses to take advantage of, Walter has no qualms about announcing his identity, but if his Master insists on keeping it a secret then he will comply and pretend that he is the Polish Count “Wdaly Walczerz” from the 12th Century. When a fight becomes inevitable, Walter will relish the opportunity to test his mettle against heroes from other countries and ages, and will request a more formal bout with everything being kept fair and square. Walter is a rather orthodox Servant that fights head on with his sword in hand and is primarily a close range combatant, which makes Archer and Caster his natural enemies.
His Wish upon the Holy Grail? Walter is a rare individual who obtained everything he wanted in life, but that’s not to say he has no Wish to make. There was a certain tragedy that he narrowly avoided but took the lives of many of his friends - that being the death of many a warrior in the burning castle of Attila, orchestrated as an assassination plot by Kriemhild. In order to stop the calamity that took so many lives, Walter would use the Grail to go back in time and prevent the murder of Siegfried Fáfnirsbane from taking place.
“I didn’t come to the Modern Era to kill a man, I came to sever the chains of malice that snuffed out so many lives. Everyone is depending on me to change their future - that’s why I can’t give up, not for me, not for my friends!”
Skills
Class Skills
Magic Resistance - (C)
The protection granted against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether. As a warrior from the age of swords and sorcery, Walter has a decent immunity to magical effects even if he does not use them himself. He will naturally cancel out spells with a chant below two verses, but it will not work on anything on the level of greater Magecraft or Great Rituals.
Riding - (C) A Class Skill of Rider and Saber class Servants, denoting the ability to ride mounts and vehicles. Rider-class Servants will typically possess a high rank. It is said that dragon type mounts are an exception, requiring a different ability other than Riding. For Walter, he has a bevy of experience in horse riding due to his time as a General of the Hunnish army, patrolling the Eurasian Steppe and conducting raids on disobedient tribes. As a result, he can handle most vehicles and animals with above average skill, even vehicles that did not exist in the time period he was alive in, for they are no exception. However, he cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts.
Personal Skills
Knight of the Night - (B) The title given to the warrior who has become inseparable with associations of the nighttime. Walter’s most famous trial came when he had to battle the Twelve Knights of Burgundy one after the other in life or death duels with no time to rest. The Knights themselves found Walter rather unnerving in the way that no matter how bruised and battered - and sometimes even on the verge of death he was, whenever the sun went down, Walter would rise anew with restored strength and vitality. They never caught on to the fact that it was the songs sung by Walter’s fiancé Hildegyth during her night watches that contained magical incantations that would rejuvenate him. Now incarnated as a Servant, Walter claims that he can still hear the sweet music of his wife at night which accelerates his Health Regen and removes any Debuffs. Unbeknownst to Walter, the “music” he hears is actually himself subconsciously humming the tunes when he doubts himself, which is the source of his epithet. Yet it is a fact that Walter is not a Mage and so the incantations shouldn’t have any effect, so what is the source behind this Skill? A placebo effect or…?
Proof of Friendship - (A) The power that comes from the conviction that no one is your enemy and that everyone can be befriended under the right circumstances. In life, Walter was well known throughout the lands for his rigid belief in fighting honourably and ethically, a tradition handed down to Walter from his father and something he practised even in the brutal world of Hunnish society. “By duelling, you can really get to know someone you know? Anyone who steps up and duels honestly has got a friend in me.” Now as a Servant, the blinding idealism that radiates from this Skill will suppress an enemy Servant’s naked enmity to a certain extent, where then a dialogue can begin. Walter will try to persuade the opponent that things can be resolved peacefully without the pointless aggression and malice that a Holy Grail War usually entails. But if the opponent is under the effects of a mind-altering Skill such as Mad Enhancement or Mental Pollution then this Skill will be rendered useless. If Walter is successful and engages in a fair duel, he will receive a Plus Modifier to his physical Parameters. Furthermore, when it comes to constructing alliances with other pairs of Masters and Servants, Walter can gain a boost to any Checks he needs to pass if he has allies supporting him in his Party, so the more the merrier.
Sticky Fingers - (C) Born from the anecdotes of one who is famous for larceny, it is the ability to covertly "steal" something either from one's surroundings or from a person, even if the user did not make direct contact with the target. Despite his reputation as a noble and honourable warrior, it seems that the years spent working for the Huns with their constant pillaging and raiding has left Walter with the itch to take things that catch his eye, which included both of his Noble Phantasms. Useful for taking food without paying, grabbing an improvised weapon or even taking away a Servant's weapon without them noticing...How the Skill operates is that once Walter has identified a target, he reaches out his hand and concentrates on having the object in his hands. The distance is measured and calculated against a Check between the differential of Walter’s Agility and his Luck that he must pass and if succeeded, the object will have moved into his hand. Obviously the ideal scenario is to get as close as possible without being noticed in order to maximise the probability of the Skill resolving, and if he is trying to take an object from a person or animal, then Walter will have an additional hurdle in the form of the opponent having a Detection Roll.
Noble Phantasm
“Wearing the scars of endless battles, our spirit still burns! Behold as muscle and metal combine to create a revolution for peace!”
Wielandia Fabrica Eternal Aegis of Mithril
[Type: Anti-Unit], [Rank: C], [Maximum Range: 0 Metres], [Maximum Number of Targets: Self]
Taking the form of an unassuming scratched up piece of chainmail armour that Walter wears under his shirt, Wielandia Fabrica is actually the legendary armour that the blacksmith Wayland made for Beowulf when he went to fight the Dragon. Walter “borrowed” it when he defected from Attila’s army and simply forgot to ever return it.
Of course since Wayland was the King of the Elves, this is no ordinary chainmail. As soon as the slightest bit of magical energy is run through it like an electric current, the armour “wakes up” and proceeds to bury itself under the skin of its wearer, making it look like their body is covered in grotesque bulging veins. While in this form, the chainmail will squirm around the body to concentrate on the necessary limbs in order to reinforce them and increase Walter’s muscle output to make him stronger and faster. The chainmail can also fold itself into layers beneath the skin so as to harden it just before an impact to reduce physical trauma. This allows Walter a second form of defence should his sword-arm not be fast enough, so long as he can perceive the attack coming in time - so sneak attacks or something immaterial like certain magic based attacks can still bypass it. Nevertheless Wielandia Fabrica was still a very handy tool to help Walter keep up with superhuman freaks like Siegfried and Dietrich, so he likes it a lot…despite the disgusted looks from his allies whenever he hulks out with it.
But obviously becoming one with Wielandia Fabrica is unnatural and so the process is extremely uncomfortable and becomes increasingly painful as time passes. Most people would pass out after a few seconds which means it’s not the sort of artefact that Walter can casually lend out to people. As for himself, Walter is able to handle the pressure for up to Three Turns without problem. If the situation is dire enough, he can endure it a further Turn or two but his Parameters will increasingly drop from the exertion.
* * * *
“From the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awaken a great and terrible power! The Serpent of Destruction descends to pass the King’s verdict - Mimung!!!”
Mimung Cursed Blade of Starving Venom
[Type: Anti-Unit], [Rank: A], [Maximum Range: 2-3 Metres], [Maximum Number of Targets: 1]
The sword of legend and another artefact created by the evil blacksmith, Wayland. Just like with Wielandia Fabrica, Walter “liberated” it from its prison that was the Royal Treasury of Ravenna under the nose of Dietrich von Bern in the hopes that he would one day have the complete set of works by Wayland.
Mimung is an ornate Western broadsword whose most distinctive feature is the rain-guard being designed in the shape of a snake’s head to make it look like the blade is coming out of a snake’s mouth. This gives the sword an ill-boding aura when facing it in battle and for good reason. Wayland created this sword when he was captured by the Swedish King Niðhad and was not only ordered to forge the ultimate sword for the King, but had the smith’s legs crippled so that he could not run away. In response, Wayland used all of his Elven craft to make Mimung whose ability to cut through seemingly anything impressed the King. When he asked Wayland what it was that made the sword so good, the smith replied that it was all thanks to the “special ingredient” and gleefully revealed that he had murdered the Niðhad’s two young sons and used their blood for the quenching process.
As a result, the end product was a demonic sword whose blade contains the essence of the murdered boys’ anguish and terror, alongside the malice of its insane creator. Thus the foul miasma (that Walter affectionately calls its “venom”) that emanates from the Mimung’s blade is the source of its power as it greedily digests all manner of materials that comes into physical contact with the blade, thus its fame of being able to cut through anything is not truly accurate since the sword isn’t strictly “cutting” them per se. Nevertheless it is a powerful weapon as demonstrated when Dietrich von Bern used it to slice open the flesh of Siegfried Fáfnirsbane since even the latter’s Armour of Fáfnir was unable to maintain its defences in the face of Mimung’s venom. Naturally in the hands of a powerful warrior like Walter, the sword is a menace to the other Servants whose main recourse would be to use non-corporeal means of defending such as Magecraft where Mimung’s venom can’t eat through.
Lore
The year is 434 A.D - when the fearsome warrior Altera, became King of a united Hunland under the epithet “Attila the Hun”. The smaller surrounding kingdoms feared her strength and so they were told to send their princes and princesses as “guests” (hostages) to live in Altera’s court so they wouldn’t get any crazy ideas about disobeying the Huns. Of note, King Gjúki of Burgundy sent his wife’s son Hagen as tribute, King Herirīcus of the Franks sent his daughter Hildegyth and lastly King Alphere of Aquitaine was forced to send his only child, Prince Walter.
The trio spent their childhoods and adolescence at Altera’s court and became inseparable friends, particularly Walter and Hagen who were as close as brothers the way they ate, trained and slept together. Eventually the two boys became of age and were placed in charge of Altera’s armies as Generals, whilst Hildegyth excelled at administration and effectively ran the royal treasury of Hunland. Though they didn’t like their Hunnish ruler for holding them captive, life certainly could have been worse for the trio…But all good things must come to an end eventually. One day news arrived in Hunland that King Gjúki of Burgundy had died and that his heir Gunther had decided to disavow his half-brother Hagen and cut ties with Altera. Fearing retaliation from Altera, Hagen decided to flee when night came and would try his luck in Burgundy, which led to a tearful goodbye to his two friends. Seeing his friend off, Walter asked Hildegyth if she remembered that their fathers had betrothed them as children. Hildegyth coyly asked if Walter was proposing to which the young man started stammering nervously. Eventually the pair decided they would elope back to Walter’s court in Toulouse to get married, but before that Hildegyth had a neat little idea. Waiting for security to die down during a massive Hunnish feast, the pair snuck into the Royal Vault and whilst everyone else was drunk, they made off with a bunch of treasure to bring back as dowry.
Unfortunately this act of grand larceny gave the pair a new level of infamy and when they were spotted making their way through Worms, King Gunther of Burgundy was practically salivating at the chance to get his hands on a bunch of Hunnish treasure. Before long, Walter and Hildegyth found themselves taking refuge at the Château du Wasigenstein, only to wake up the next morning and find the castle surrounded by Gunther’s troops. What’s worse is that Walter could see that Hagen was standing next to Gunther, looking particularly gloomy. Exiting the castle, Walter confronted Gunther who explained that he was an honourable man and if Walter could get past twelve of his best knights, Walter was free to pass unmolested the rest of his journey. But when Gunther looked to Hagen for support, the knight merely sat on his shield and declared he would not fight Walter for anything. Encouraged, Walter spent the next few days fighting the knights one by one, defeating each one narrowly and when night came the songs sung by Hildegyth in the castle would rejuvenate and fill Walter with new strength thanks to their magical incantations. Eventually all the knights but Hagen were defeated but Gunther declared that it wasn’t over yet and the twelfth opponent would have to be him instead. Unfettered, Walter engages the Burgundian king in battle and although exhausted he eventually triumphs. Under the heel of Walter, Gunther calls out to Hagen, asking if he would abandon his own brother for pride. As the sword is brought down towards Gunther’s neck, suddenly a flash of steel appears and parries the blow. Walter reflexively swung his sword in the direction of the attack but he realised what was going on too late to stop as a spray of blood moved through the air. Standing in front of him was his old friend Hagen, bleeding from the head as Walter’s sword had carved open the right side of his face and irrevocably damaged his eye. But in response, Hagen merely chuckled and said that as the last of the twelve knights, he had been defeated and Walter was free to pass. With tears in his eyes, Walter said that any insult to him had been washed away by Hagen’s nobility and he took Hildegyth and quietly left.
After this, Walter and Hildegyth returned to Aquitaine and got married, with Walter succeeding his father as King. For the most part the pair lived quietly, but there were still the occasional adventure to be had. When Kriemhild became engaged to Siegfried Fáfnirsbane, Walter was one of the nobles invited to celebrate at Rosengarten. Among the many guests was the celebrated warrior Dietrich von Bern and the proud Kriemhild wanted to see if her fiancé was stronger so she challenged him and thus a tournament was organised with thirteen Burgundian heroes versus thirteen heroes from Bern, with the winning team getting a wreath of roses and a kiss from Kriemhild. In order to make up the numbers, Walter was added to the Burgundian team, but when he saw that his scheduled opponent was Dietlieb, both warriors refused to fight each other as they were cousins and thus their match was declared a draw. Ironically this proved to be the best result as otherwise the Burgundians lost every other match in an embarrassing defeat. Kriemhild got her comeuppance too as her lips started to bleed after having to kiss so many bearded cheeks.
Despite Walter’s friendship with Hagen, he was completely uninvolved with the murder of Siegfried, presumably because Hagen knew he would be too moral to agree to such a conspiracy to assassination. Coincidentally, he was also spared from Kriemhild’s own murder plot, mainly due to his intense dislike of Attila for holding him captive as a youth, he couldn’t let go of the trauma unlike Hagen and refused to attend Kriemhild’s wedding to Attila. After the demise of the Kingdom of Burgundy in the fires of Attila’s castle, Walter worked together with Roman statesman Flavius Aëtius to resettle the remaining Burgundians in Savoy under the governance of Gunther’s son. The last remaining anecdote is how when Dietrich von Bern retook his father’s lands from the evil usurper Ermenrich and took his rightful place as king, Walter was invited to the coronation where he spied the mythic sword Mimung which was created by Wayland the Smith on display. Thinking about how if he had that sword, Walter would have the entire set of items crafted by Wayland…he made a mental note of the layout of Dietrich’s castle. That night after the guests had all left, the sword Mimung had mysteriously vanished as it was being returned to the royal vault.
Eventually Walter grew old and passed away peacefully alongside his wife, and was succeeded as King by his son, Theodoric.
Relationships
Altera - “We meet again Attila. Don’t think I’ll be the same little slave boy you used to enjoy tormenting anymore!”
Beowulf - “To think I’m wearing the same armour as worn by the legendary hero of Götaland. Could…could I get your autograph?”
Brynhildr - “Queen Brünhilde? No, my apologies. I thought you were someone else entirely then. Still, the resemblance is sort of creepy.”
Charlemagne - “The fact that our glorious Aquitaine became reduced to a mere dutchy to serve as training wheels for your heirs to practice governing…I don’t think I could live down the shame!” That is...unless, you maybe want to give me Joyeuse?
Elizabeth Báthory - “Hmm!? Oh sorry, I heard you say you were from Hungary and I nearly had a heart attack.”
Helena Blavatsky - “A Slav eh? I’m afraid the only experience I have with them is when Attila briefly made me a Count in order to govern the subjugated Polish lands.”
Kriemhild - “Considering what a monster you became, suddenly I’m glad I didn’t win that kiss in the Rosengarten…”
Marie Antoinette - “I heard that during your time, Aquitaine was instead known by the name “Guyenne”? I am very glad it was changed back.”
Merlin - “Huh? Didn’t you also receive a sword from that legendary smith? If you don’t want it anymore, can I have it?”
Oberon=Vortigern - “Oberon? Yeah, I’ve heard of you - you’re Siegfried’s lackey eh? Nice to meet you.”
Richard the Lionheart - “I can’t say I care for the fact that Aquitaine passed into English hands, especially the idea of it being led by someone like you.”
Romulus - “It’s quite jarring I must confess, seeing the Founder of Rome be so much more impressive than the limp wristed Emperors I met when Attila was besieging Rome.”
Siegfried - “I had heard that the Dragon Slayer was meant to be impressive, yet all I remember seeing is a petulant child who ran crying to Kriemhild’s lap after losing to Dietrich.”
Sigurd - “Fun fact, the reason my sword is called ‘Mimung’ is because it means ‘Memory of Mímir’ and is from the days its creator spent as an apprentice to the same master you once studied under.”
Valkyries - “Strange, you remind me a lot of my wife, Hildegyth. I wonder why…”
Creator's Notes
Continuing on through my jaunt of characters associated with Dietrich von Bern, we get to some of the more minor characters as I continue to procrastinate in doing Dietrich himself. In fact if it weren’t for Walter’s appearances in “Rosengarten zu Worms” and “Biterolf und Dietleib”, you could argue that he isn’t really even a Dietrich character but more so a tangentially related person who cameos here and there.
Speaking of sources, you may notice if you read my Dietrich Cycle sheets back to back that their Lore sections don’t match up 1:1 exactly. This is because I was using the most detailed version of their story for each character so for example in this sheet that’s the 10th Century Latin Epic “Waltharius” but for Hagen von Tronje that was a mixture of the “Nibelungenlied” and the “Þiðrekssaga”. But don’t sweat the small stuff, just put it down to a Rashomon effect of everyone’s memories being a bit blurry on the exact details of their lives.
As you can probably guess, Walter’s first Personal Skill was a tortuous attempt to make a foil to Gawain’s whole “Knight of the Sun” schtick.
The FaceClaim is Roland Glenbrook from the only JRPG I’ve played it seems, “Triangle Strategy”. That said, the personality stems much more from an amalgamation of Yugioh characters. But yes, when an enemy strikes Walter and he blocks it with his NP-empowered fist, I totally headcanon a conversation where the opponent asks how this is possible and Walter simply responds “Nanomachines Chainmail son!”
As usual, all comments and criticisms are welcome~
Last edited by Skull; March 25th, 2023 at 03:31 PM.
Reason: Formatting corrections
"Here's a bangin lil' tune about takin' on The Man!"
(Check out my Super Special Awesome Servant Compendium here)
I was actually going to comment that I thought it was wasted potential that you didn't use EIKO as a faceclaim (since they are implied to be connected) to continue your Ya Boy, Kongming! faceclaim for Zhuge but you'd actually already thought of that.
Fun fact, I found exactly one art of her wearing traditional Chinese garb while fc hunting, which tempted me, but ultimately her modern vibe just didn't match the kind of character I was going for. If only there was more art similar to that one. I could've used plain Chinese garb --> modern clothes --> more ornate Chinese garb as ascensions.
Edit:
Oh? OH!?
By sheer happenstance, I found another one. A very fitting one at that. Expect a fc change later.
Last edited by BnEl15; March 26th, 2023 at 05:08 AM.
Originally Posted by Dreamerless
a lot of things happened and i just... couldn't
but now I'm back!
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