Create-a-Magus 2

[DelRey]

Roxi: great sheet. Further elaboration unnecessary

[Spartacus]

Uwaaah o////o
Thank you for the kind comments!

[Osrio]

Hey folks, so I've decided to try my hand at another approach when it comes to Master creation and so far I've got my eyes on the protagonist being a freelancing magus detective, tossed out of his family for being presumed second-rate and being unable to handle the family's brutal training. So far, in lieu of particularly powerful magecraft, I've decided to give him Mystic Eyes of Retrocognition, or Postcognition if you will. They aren't insanely special by Mystic Eye standards, but useful enough for the OC's profession, I'd say. How exactly would I go about balancing the Eyes so that they aren't completely busted?

[DelRey]

im uncertain how they would become busted. Retrocognition calculates or predicts the past. Restrictions are time and space, as they would most likely drain the user if used too extensively. So giving the magus a time limit or a space limit gives them a rule to follow and makes it nice to follow. Perhaps he has to create a bounded field to help in the act. You could play with other conditions. Perhaps once he sees into the past, he can do so again from another place, but deeper into the past once he knows that to look out for. Like you check what happened in a house up to a week ago, but as soon he got new information, he can do so again with just room, but now for two weeks. That line of logic. Perhaps he needs certain mystic codes to help his job.
It is less about "not making them OP", but more about "making them interesting" imo

[PA270]

Another element to consider is that Mystic Eyes have tended to have a pretty dramatic impact on their owner's mental state. After all, they fundamentally alter the primary way in which a person observes the world, and in most cases they can't be turned off without external aid. So think about how being able to see read the pasts of anything he sees might have affected him mentally. How has it impacted his development, his relationships with his family, the way he lives? That should help with refining the details of the character's personality and backstory.

[Random]

You're thinking of ESP. Most Mystic Eyes don't affect the holder's sight.

[PA270]

You're thinking of ESP. Most Mystic Eyes don't affect the holder's sight.

Ah, got it. Yeah, I was getting a little mixed up. Thanks!

[MuramasaMachII]

Konstantinos Annius Adamantos


Alias/Nickname/Title: ‘Living Missile’
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Height/Weight: 192 cm/83 kg
Birthplace: Atlas Mountains, Algeria
Affiliation: Department of Summoning(formerly), United Nations
Appearance:


Personality:
Likes: helping people, Romantic-period music
Dislikes: pointless wars, desserts
Natural Talents: Translation, suicidal missions
Natural Enemy:
Silvano Tibicena, terrorists
Magical Attributes
Origin: Perseverance
Elemental Alignment: Perseverance
Sorcery Trait: Reinforcement, Self-Sacrifice


Magic Circuits:
Circuit Quantity: E- -
Circuit Quality: A+
Circuit Composition: Nervous

Biography - Part 1:

The family legacy and magical history of the Adamantos family began long ago, with the Titan Atlas and the Eleventh Labour of Heracles.

It is said that once the famed hero stole the Apples of the Hesperides and escaped, the Titan became so furious that part of the

Texture

heavens

shook, consequently creating the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa. In order to pacify the enraged Divine Spirit, the nearby tribe-city of the Maûroi decided to send a member of their royalty to serve as Atlas’ priest. Over time, the descendants of this family became such close friends with the World-Bearer and were associated with him that they became known as the “Emissaries of Atlas” or the

Adamantos

“unbreakable”

for their determination and endurance.

Konstantinos' lineage in particular, the remnant of the once-great Adamantos family, is connected to the Roman gens Annia, a commoner family in Imperial Rome. Though the Adamantos’ magecraft had almost completely decayed at the time, the most famous member of the Annia family, the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius revived it by combining its remnants with the philosophy of Stoicism.

Character:
To most people, especially magi, Konstantinos is a man full of contradictions. Stern yet compassionate, stubborn yet loyal, and above all, a soldier and a pacifist. However, beneath these seemingly paradoxical traits, there is logic behind his actions. His coldness comes from the fact that he is a refugee who still holds trauma from his past, yet that same trauma gives him kindness to fellow victims. His stubborn self-destructive determination comes from his family history, and his will to end any conflict, while his loyalty comes from his debt to the United Nations. He is a pacifist because he has seen too many wars, yet he knows that sometimes the only way to stop said wars is through violence. Strangest of all, Konstantinos always strives to be virtuous, and be as much of a hero as possible, especially during his bloodier missions. His favourite food is shakshouka and his least favourite food is zlabiya.

Biography - Part 2:

When Konstantinos was born, it should have been a miracle for the Adamantos. He was born with “Atlas’ Blessing”, an immense compatibility with the Adamantos’ parasitic Mystic Code, something that could have made him the perfect priest to continue the family’s legacy.

However, Konstantinos was also born during the Algerian Civil War. The majority of his family ended up dying during this conflict, siding with the Algerian military. Konstantinos himself was almost killed in the Souhane massacres, forcing him to escape Algeria and become a refugee in England.

For much of his early life and teenage years, Konstantinos became a member of the Clock Tower’s Department of Spiritual Evocation, eventually becoming mentored by the proxy Lord, Rocco Belfeban, alongside a “certain annoying classmate.” However, after 8 years of studying in the Department of Spiritual Evocation, and eventually the Department of Summoning, Konstantinos was suddenly expelled and banned from the Department and the Clock Tower as a whole, for his research on [REDACTED].

Magecraft Related Abilities:

Apatheia Telamon

The only magecraft allowed to Konstantinos, Apatheia Telamon seems to be a combination of Breathing and Walking, Bounded Fields, and a form of Domination Magecraft oriented towards one’s self. However, it is much more, and even seen as forbidden by most magi. In reality, Apatheia Telamon is Konstantinos’ way of compensating for his lack of Magic Circuits. By saying the simple incantation “Mind over body”, Konstantinos creates an internal Bounded Field that conceptually swaps his weak

body

physical self

with his stronger

mind

internal self

. This allows him to manipulate his body according to his mental state, as long as he is focused and in his state of self-hypnosis. The reason why Apatheia Telamon is seen as taboo is because of Konstantinos’ main usage of it: turning his body parts into temporary Magic Circuits. Similarly to how some magi transform their nerves into Magic Circuits, Konstantinos does the same, though with his blood vessels, muscles and more. However, these Magic Circuits can only be used to Reinforce Konstantinos’ body or a process similar to an ignition and explosion system: the Magic Circuits expel Magic Energy in a burst, before igniting the Circuits and the Energy itself, turning it immediately into plasma.

Apatheia Telamon-Pneuma Acceleration



The first application of Apatheia Telamon, Pneuma Acceleration channels the plasma created and uses it on either Konstantinos himself or projectiles to increase speed and damage, effectively functioning like the Mana Burst(Flame) Skill used by some Servants. As a result of this Skill, Konstantinos is sometimes called the ‘Living Missile’ by his coworkers.

Apatheia Telamon - Pathos Absorption


The second application of Apatheia Telamon, being fully defensive. Pathos Absorption creates a small Bounded Field around Konstantinos after he does a Five-Line Incantation. This Bounded Field dissipates curses, poisons and similar materials into steam, at the cost of giving Konstantinos minor burns every time he uses this ability.

-RESTRICTED INFORMATION-

Vigorously,I Endure All

Áxonas Ouránia Logos

The reason for Apatheia Telamon’s existence, and the truth for Konstantinos’ expulsion from the Clock Tower. It is his original ability, and his final ability, a high-class thaumaturgy which switches fantasy and reality, overwriting the world with Konstantinos’ mind. The innermost Thaumaturgy, a Reality Marble.

A technique which is only possible for Konstantinos from his Origin and his Elemental Alignment being ‘Perseverance’, and his whole life being realised as his Origin. It is activated by a Ten-Count Incantation, connecting him to his Mystic Code and activating a pseudo-deployment of Atlas’ Authority of “holding down

Textures

the heavens

.” Resembling an infinitely stretching black ocean with white lilies that are reflected as the constellations in the stars, when activated, Áxonas Ouránia Logos gives Konstantinos one ability.

This Reality Marble’s purpose is to re-create the heavens which Atlas holds, fully embody Konstantinos’ persistence, and his true goal. In other words, it allows him to do the one thing which Atlas couldn’t: remove his burdens. For so long as it is activated, Áxonas Ouránia Logos removes all of Konstantinos’ trauma, his sense of pain, and the majority of his human limitations. His Halo and Wings Mystic Code ignite, turning into blazing wings and a crown as Konstantinos effectively becomes a demi-god. His whole body is converted into Magic Circuits and burned into plasma as he attacks, becoming like a meteorite falling from the sky.

However, this all comes at a cost. Not only can this Reality Marble be used for a maximum of three minutes, every second beyond one minute makes it more into a suicidal attack. This is because eventually, all of Konstantinos will burn up into plasma, with his brain, lungs, and heart being incinerated last.

Incantation

Mind over body,
Will over mind, dividing the heavens asunder.
I watch the stars and run with them,
My heart blazing like a constellation.
Withstanding all, seeing all, knowing None,
The uncrowned Hero stands alone.
Through pressure, coal becomes diamonds,
The World-Bearer’s burden is unsealed.
Artificial Phantasm engaged, Authority established.
I touch stardust now–Áxonas Ouránia Logos!

Biography - Part 3:
After being expelled from the Clock Tower, Konstantinos followed his dream to become an agent of world peace by collaborating with numerous global humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations. Upon noticing his talents and personality, he was recruited to the UN’s secret division, the GMS(Global Magecraft Society). This division functioned as the UN’s liaison with the World of Magecraft, and their battalion against terrorist magi and similar threats. He was no longer seen as a reject or a threat by his coworkers, and he gained actual friends: under the GMS’ guidance, Konstantinos had finally found somewhere he could belong.


~Mystic Codes:~

Atlantide Klironomia

A parasitic Mystic Code implanted into Konstantinos’ body that gives him the effects of Atlas, mainly increased bodily endurance, muscle strength, and skin comparable to steel. It takes the form of the hovering metal wings and halo on him.

While this is called “Atlas’ Blessing” by the Adamantos, in reality it is much more horrifying. Atlantide Klironomia are nanobots taken from the Planetary Environment Stabiliser, Gaia Vessel Ατλας which are meant to link the user to the Atlantides and transform the user into a new

Terminal

vessel

for Atlas.

While it seems like a beneficial Mystic Code, day by day, the nanobots are actually invading and assimilating Konstantinos’ body, slowly turning him into a new Atlas.

Iapetos Nemesis

A modified MG 3 machine gun that has been Reinforced and infused with part of Atlantide Kilronomia. Using the connection of Iapetos as Atlas’

Terminal

father

, Konstantinos can shoot a singular bullet engraved with Iapetos’ Authority of “to wound and receive wounds”. This bullet transfers Konstantinos’ wounds to his foe on impact, creating increased damage.

Of course, this doesn’t truly use Iapetos’ Authority, but rather a pseudo-deployment of what Konstantinos thinks Iapetos’ Authority is. Combined with the fact that Iapetos Nemesis’ effect can only be used with specific bullets infused with Konstantinos’ blood, he rarely uses this Mystic Code.



Non-Magecraft Abilities:
Expert Linguist

Being a member of the United Nations, and living in two countries, Konstantinos is fluent in English, French, and Greek. He also has a basic knowledge of Arabic and Spanish.

Martial Arts Adept
In combat, Konstantinos uses a combination of the Greek martial art pankration, and Defendu, a hybrid Martial Art system from the United Kingdom with origins in jujutsu, boxing, and savate among other influences.

Creator Remarks:

Well, this was interesting, and I hope you all somewhat enjoyed it. I will probably work on some more GMS-related sheets in the future, so that’s something. Also, thanks to DelRey for creating his Greek Mythology Background blog, it really helped me make some of this stuff, especially the abilities and Mystic Codes. Thanks to both Kamera and You for giving me help with Sorcery Traits, and with that I say adieu(for now)!

[PA270]

Konstantinos Annius Adamantos: Really fascinating stuff! The way the personality, history, and abilities all come together makes for a really engaging story, and I think it's a really strong concept! Apatheia Telamon in particular is pretty unique, and I love how you incorporated Atlas into his history and Magecraft. All in all, really solid work!

[Kamera]

Look who's been neglecting the index for a while. That's because I was still on the fence whether I should improve the formatttng. In any case it's updated now.

[Salt Pillar]

The Analogy Is Thus. "A Woman Rises From the Sheol like a Dove." From below, up above.

WALK THE BOUNDARY OF THE CELESTIAL RAY. EMANCIPATE THE SOUL AND SWIM THE DISTANCE.

THEROUSH "The Nereid" SAMIGINA

---

BOND Of Outmost Importance

Name: Theroush Samigina

Also Known As: The Nereid, The Child of New Year's

Species: Human, Magus

Gender: Female

Blood Type: O

Place of Origin: Paris, France

Birthday: 5th of January

Age: Inner-Chronologically: 2000+ | Outer-Chronologically: 35

TRAITS
Circuit Quantity A+
Circuit Quality B
Circuit Composition — Abnormal; Ice Crystal Aesthetics: speaking words, prayers, and singing songs might decrease or increase her circuit quality. Positive thoughts embolden her, and negative thoughts harm her.
Affinity — Water
Attribute — Transmigration — the natural affinity of a magus to transfer the consciousness, body, and soul into other objects and forms.
Origin — Gehena — the inducement of torture for spiritual purification for one year at most, made infinite by Theroush's Eternal Return. Sins may be used as viable pawns in Equivalent Exchange.

---

BOND The Order of the Rosy Cross
The Rosicrucian Order wishes to indulge in the possibility of "New World Orders".
They advocate for the reformation of humankind through their unique science, built on esoteric truths of the ancient past. Most members of the Order pursue Qabbalah, Hermeticism, and other types of Alchemy. A majority of its members fail in the very beginning of their journey; they're a wannabe Mage Association clone, formed by German nobodies who rode the wave of Christian Mysticism. It's not uncommon to find regular philosophers amidst the ocean of true magus scholars who believe in the cause. There's quite a few Clocktower and Atlasian exiles in the mix. Particularly, those interested in New Age esotericism, Chaos Magecraft and Modern Magecraft alike. Before the rejuvenation of the Modern Magecraft Department, if a magus wished to delve into its complexities, they had to join cults (The Freemasons, the Order of the Rosy Cross, as well as Thelema and Theosophy). But now, their member counts are dwindling in favor of legitimate scholarship.

The Nereid, Theroush Samigina, is a member of the Wandering Sea. In fact, she is a direct relative of the legendary Guenon family that handles the Gate of Storage, inside of which are countless remnants of gods. The Samigina lineage is a twin bloodline to the Guenon—the majority of their magecraft comes from the esoteric work of Rene Guenon, the French philosopher, and the best modern magus, rivaling the likes of Aleister Crowley and the Chaos Magician whose sheer skill is far more impressive than his wits. If one was to pick a divergence point between the Guenon and Samigina family, it would be the Solomonic Grand Order command which the Samigina possess: "Dissect the transmigration of the consciousness."

Ultimately, Theroush's dream is to become a body of water. She is a natural Wandering Sea magus, in the sense that despite her eccentric use of esoteric mysteries, she still strives to replace her own body with something else—in this case, Theroush as a former member of the Gate of Storage, seeks to replace her physiological components with that of a Nereid goddess. And with her, she wishes to bring everyone else. Yes—the dream of the Samigina is the complete dissolution of all human beings into one ocean. The Eternal Return, they call it. To fulfill their Grand Order, they must bring all consciousnesses together into one big melting pot, and dominate over them.

For this purpose, she was sent into the Modern Era to cultivate and farm human consciousnesses. Every member of the family was sent into different places in history, but because of the sheer amount of consciousnesses in the modern era (and its comparative peace), it was decided that the heir to the Magic Crest was to be sent here to collect. Her first stop was the Rosicrucian Order. Her second, is a small town in Italy.

---

BOND Personality

Likes: Pompous Intellectuals, Modern Magecraft
Dislikes: Christianity, Forgetting things, Children
Natural Enemy: Flat Escardos, Mylan Veles-Erites
Talents: Deciphering a person's way of thinking

As a human, she is best described as "a girl steamrolling unto adulthood." Even among regular magi, Theroush did not accomplish massive achievements. Having been born into the Wandering Sea, she suffers from a condition recognized as "Privilege-Induced Sloth." Because the Wandering Sea is a conglomerate made up of immortals and continent-destroying sages, and because time does not matter inside it, Theroush does not feel inclined to any action. Research regarding the bodies of deceased divinities, or new exciting categorization systems (like, dividing pre-Arthurian and post-Arthurian relics of divinity, or prescribing the Levant a dozen miniature classifications such as pre-Arabic mythological deities and post-Islamic Persian divinities), does not bring her any pleasure. Only the dissolution may let her rest and accept the world as it is. She will only begin to harbor love and excitement once she achieves her final goal—a paradox befitting such a person.

In general, she finds more joy in hindsight than in expecting the future, which is certainly a trait of most Wandering Sea mages. Her disposition does not change if the person in front of her is made up of trash or nobility, and the only entities which deserve her slight attention are the thinkers, the philosophers, and the sages which she yearns to be one with in the Eternal Return. This is why she chooses to participate in this unpredictable Holy Grail War—the smell of philosophers is overbearing, and the town's reeking of daemonic Logos.

Theroush is a fundamentally childish person, because of her magecraft, and because she was never taught how to be a respectable human being. She finds humor in other peoples' suffering, because she can't imagine being hurt herself. She mocks love as a concept, because it is an ineffective way to become one with others, unlike her great plan of dissolution. Likewise, she can't accept that the human soul deserves a human body, because her Grand Order commands her to transmigrate her soul. Maybe this is the true disconnect between magi of the Wandering Sea and normal people—immortals tend to take upon themselves one concept and never let go. They never grow, even when they're stuck in place.

---

BOND Abilities
Hydrophilic Palingenesis is a magecraft built upon the transmigration of the soul from the afterlife into a new body. Plato's Republic describes an afterlife in which heroes, kings and animals shed their skin and transform into one another, as if their soul could fit into any container. Orpheus became a bird, and a bird became a human. As per the law of equivalent exchange, a portion of memories must be forfeited in a manner similar to the River Lethe's wiping of the memories of the dead. Because of Theroush's Origin, she can use her sins instead. The majority of the time, though, she does not have enough sins to spare as she is very sloppy with maintaining an accurate count.
The first step of the Hydrophilic Palingenesis is the Tashlikh, the casting off of sins into the deep ocean at the beginning of the Jewish New Year. By crafting a Pythagorean "Eternal Return" Mystic Code, she can continuously apply unto herself the state of being in the "New Year". Theroush throws herself into the Deep Ocean (a representation of the Sheol, the afterlife), and splits her consciousness and her sins into two; the consciousness manifests as an enormous Hedammu monster, the Dag Gadol of Jonah, and the sins manifest as dozens upon dozens of small fish, swimming into the mouth of the Dag Gadol.
The second step is the Palingenesis itself. The Dag Gadol is the hall of death and rebirth: it is said that Jonah drowned at sea, and was surrounded by bars in the abyss until God lifted him unto the surface with the primordial fish Hedammu. Just as Jonah was given new life, so is Theroush.
The third step is the transmigration. As part of her new life, she forfeits her memories, or her sins, so she could take on a completely new body.
Her "Eternal Return" Mystic Code is called Illud Tempus. Because she crafted it when she was only twelve, it means that she is consistently brought back to that mental age as well every time the Mystic Code is activated. Quite quickly she returns to her true age, but hints of immaturity manage to remain even after two hundred years of "New Years".

The Collective Consciousness Dissolution refers to Theroush's ability to transmigrate into a body of water capable of removing and collecting memories, experiences and philosophies. Theroush collects intelligent lifeforms into her hivemind as per the orders of the Family Head. Uniquely, Theroush does not commit the theft of consciousness by herself; instead, her Magic Crest contains an entity capable of exactly that.

---

BOND Nivalis Holy Grail War
In a faraway Tuscany town in Italy, a war is brewing.
Theroush is not interested in the Holy Grail, not at all. But deep within it hides a mind she wishes to accumulate.
Maybe her oceans might sweep more than she had bargained for.

So she may not be punished by the Consciousness she wishes to accrue, she played its game.
From the Gate of Storage, she brought a tooth.

Berserker of the Wolf's Frenzy

---

BOND Day of Decisive Battle: Worst Outcome
All alone, she stands in the middle of a lake. She walks upon it, because she can—because she emancipated herself from human form, and liberated herself from its restrictions as Rene Guenon thought appropriate, she could even dig her heels into the ocean's surface, the reflective layer of the celestial rays.

The sun beams down at her. She had become the fish capable of devouring the Supreme Intellignece.
She is finally satisfied. But her throat swells, and her eyes burn; the gears turn, and the machine punctures a hole in her chest, and her blood like water flows from the mountaintops.
It does not become one with her. She becomes one with it.

She should've known. It is devouring her from the inside out; it is becoming her. All the consciousness she overtook are now being taken from her. And she herself is but a husk, a bowl that will never be filled again.

---

Author's Note (Fanfic Warning)

I made it in under an hour. I need to make a roster of magi, so expect more sheets from me in the following few... er, weeks.
Theroush is not a finished character, because she's basically a child in an adult body anyway. I don't think I could make her likeable or reasonable in a sheet, no matter how many words I spat. She needs to meet some actual human beings before she gets off her impossibly dangerous high (on drugs) horse. At first she wasn't meant to be a Wandering Sea magus, but I realized halfway through that there's a Guenon Gate and since she was basically my excuse to steal Rene Guenon's mysticism (and bastardize it) I just shoved her into that place. I think it makes sense for her, though. The WS is very into body modifications, and Guenon is all about storing gods; simultaneously, Theroush wishes to become a Nereid goddess, and her servant...well, I can only say it's not Fenrir.

Also yea this is a Genshin Impact reference

[PA270]

Theroush Samigina: More Salt Pillar Magi? Oh, yes please! And what a fantastic way to start off! Theroush is certainly quite a character, and I mean that in the best way possible. I agree with you that her character feels slightly unfinished, but honestly, I think that fits the motifs of the sheet. She is constantly recreating herself, casting off the old to create something new, and that is reflected in the sparse details of her personality. And her Magecraft is incredibly interesting, and it fits perfectly with the aesthetics of the Wandering Sea! Absolutely fantastic work, and I can hardly wait to see what other Magi you have coming down the pipeline!

[Salt Pillar]

She Relinquishes Control of All That Breathes, and Returns to the Caves Beneath

‘In the year of 1284, on the day of Saints John and Paul, the 26th of June, 130 children born in Hamelin were seduced by a piper, dressed in all kinds of colours, and lost at the calvary near the koppen.' 'Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury were 12 and 9 when their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, had them locked up in the Tower of London in 1483. ' 'In 12th century England, two children were found lost in a forest. They spoke only gibberish, wore strange clothing and had bright green skin.' 'A boy begins to preach in either France or Germany, claiming that he had been visited by Jesus, who instructed him to lead a Crusade in order to peacefully convert Muslims to Christianity.' 'The father draws the three girls to the woods under the pretence of gathering apples. The man digs up a hole in the ground and covers it with a sheet. He climbs up the tree and beckons his daughters to come near the apple tree. The three sisters fall into the hole, and their father returns home.'

---

BOND Whalesong
"I wore a dress that day, which split at the seams from the tear of the ocean. I walked the sands of time and skipped rocks through space and mountains. I've found myself infatuated with the tendencies of the sun to smelt and flourish, and the attitude that flowers gave upon maniac euphoria. The petals always do as they're told by the flower; all mountains invert once the fairies dance. The caves are brought into friction with reality, and the winds smother the essence of life. Harsh, tough, effervescent—the wind dictates its rhythm, and its existence is a mystery even to me. I, who dictate the dance of the caves, and orchestrate the speak of the whales."

"The dance of the fairies lulled me into sleep. Whenever I woke up, I witnessed a song far beyond my imagination. It enthralled the membranes of the bones which riddled the seas and looped around carcasses without a shred of care or love. But, yet, it danced more beautifully than any comprehensible ward which shouts loud and clear: break not into the prisons of one's soul. Remain beneath the surface, or rejoice in endless servitude. The Prime Species had declared the lands their own, and I made no attempt to disagree, for I'd fallen in love with the Prime Species long ago. The dance was an outcry, made by thousands of fairies at the dusk of their Age. No longer were they prominent in the Planetary Logos, and no longer were I a part of them. Not merely disconnected in essence—but disjointed in purpose."

"My eyes danced with the wind, before I fixed them unto the ocean again. Oh, the whales that crept upon the beach were large and impressive, and unpleasantly silent. I wished to speak to them, but their souls were mended and consumed by the winds, who wished to return to the Planet. Oh, is it not the curse we all undergo? The desire to degrade ourselves into humanity, and abandon that plight at the first sight of impurity. All of us desire the moment, but never cultivate the hour, the day, the year, the decade. We all desire pleasure, but not one of us converts it to a useful tool, which exists not to further indulge in pleasure, but preserve it."

"We all desire things which stand at our feet, but never do we wish to plant these moments into trees which overtake millennia."
The Tree of Purpose is made of infinite branches. There are those who are born tall, and reach out; There are those who are born short, and fail to realize the bark means something, too.
Lady Melissa Calendula Perforatum is neither. She is the arborist and the lumberjack.

When fairies were rampant in the Isles of Britain, an ancient King walked through the caves. Upon his journey, he'd overheard three sibling fairies discuss their ambitions. The youngest refused to speak, for every word he'd spill would spell absolute doom for all others; the middle one spoke of the Ocean of Stars which all Phantasmal Beasts desire to venture outwards to; the eldest, the Fairy of the Caves, swore she'd birth the King three wondrous children, unmatched by none in the whole island. Like the Stars, the Moon, and the Sun, she'd said to her siblings. These children would renew the cycle of heaven per their whims. Since the King overheard, he'd offered to marry the Eldest immediately—she accepted the offer, and the two siblings were immediately envious of their union.

The youngest complained that the mere relationship was disasterous, and he was right. Such a chimera would ruin the Age of Fairies undoubtedly. And worse: it would ruin his sister.
The middle child complained that the creation of a chimera was heretical in essence, and would be an embarassment upon both sides of the arrangement. Humanity was too pure to degrade through lustful aspirations.
The winds said so: "A Lady who destroys herself for the sake of a King deserves not one thought, for she has none at last."

Even still, the Eldest—the Witch—copulated with the King of the Isles, and from their union came forth two, and not three, children of wonder. The first: a boy with no conception of misery, for all things within his reach erode. The second: a girl, who finds change more charming than even love itself. But, it wasn't without a hurdle or two, for the Witch's siblings wished to rid the world of these chimeras. The youngest was soulfully outraged and wept for a decade, convincing all that would listen that the world was about to end. The middle child, in turn, replaced the children of the couple with Changelings, inventing a story to explain their departure.

But none could deceive the Witch of the Caves regarding what was alive and what was down under. The King, on the other hand, had no such advantages, and banished the Witch back into the Otherside for her lies.
Meanwhile, the Dragon of Albion crafted a contract with the man who dubbed himself the Chimera—and at his gates, the Maw of Albion, were two sick-looking children, which he gladly took in. The youngest fairy returned to the Otherside, and lied to the middle sibling to avoid further complications, claiming to have gotten rid of the children himself. All was good, all was well, and the Witch of the Caves lived effortlessly onwards. The King was just a moment, a splash of water, in an infinite ocean of unfathomable dimensions, and immeasurable proportions.

But even in fields of rice, a needle stings all the same. The Fairy was a Witch.

Nyctalope Asimon, on the Dichotomy Between Humans and Fairies

"Every species must be loud. Super, super loud! Otherwise, they don't survive in the Unconsciousness. When you think creature, you don't imagine the dinosaurs, do you? No, you imagine cattle, or birds, or fish. You never imagine that dinosaurs are as much of living beings as you, I, and cows are. The inherent disconnect makes one think: Well, why don't we recognize it? The correct answer, is that we're not familiar with dinosaurs. We fail to interact with them long enough to acknowledge them as fellow entities, they're merely stories. Some of us don't even know they exist. The antique equivalent, would of course, be fairy folk."

"Every species must possess three qualities to be loud. It must expand endlessly, consume and thrive, vie for what stands before it! Like, take for example ants. These small creatures are meek, but meticulous. Oh, do they expand! I could just watch them for hours. Their evolutionary route dictates they must expand. But do they create change? This, is the second Hard Step of a Loud Species. Yes. They turn and aerate soil, allowing oxygen and water to reach plant roots. But, are the changes made by ants significant? Are they easy to notice? No. The ants are a silent species. But, they are quite lasting, aren't they? This, the third condition, is not much more important than the other two because 'long lasting' is a relative term. Without all three traits, a species is not loud, and will not survive the Cosmological Hard Steps."

"Every species must be greedy. Evolution favors the grabby alien, the species that desires and consumes, and hoards all goods. That's what Fairies don't understand—they fail to thrive, because they are one with the planet. They are the resources which must be pillaged! That's the exact beauty I see in Lady Melissa. She understands, deep down, though she vehemently disagrees, that she can't only be a resource for others to take apart and use! She understands that she's just like me. She desires everything for herself. She wants to consume everything beside her. She takes all breaths and all gasps and savors them. She hoards all children, their souls entwined with hers, and tells them she loves them. Why? Because that's the only resource she can take, and feel well about it. Lady Melissa can, really, only grab love. Because to her, to our ridiculously naive Lady Melissa, love is infinite."

Sage Abiothales, on The Triad of Jealousy

"Three children were born of mankind's grievous wishes: Pleonexia, Phtonos, and Nemesis."

"Phtonos was the youngest; a boy who couldn't handle life's misgivings. He believed, till the very end, that good luck was ephermeral and sinful, and because of that, he'd grieved all those that received such favor. Tasty foods, rich pillaging, peaceful times—sins! All of these were undoubtedly sins. These were lies told upon the victim by fate, and lies which nobody could dispel, for they don't see what he sees: luck corrupts the soul, luck decimates the mind. This entity, also named Cyhyraeth, wailed to himself beneath the caves at every opportunity. His siblings didn't care for him one bit."

"Nemesis was the middle child. This being observed mankind and said: 'Humanity must vie for all things. Only those that deserve something should ever receive it.' His entire thesis centered all about what we owe to each other, and what we ourselves are owed. This fairy was born from the dream of one all-knowing philosopher to understand why the Earth was the center of the universe, since it wasn't owed that position in the cosmos. I ascribed this creature the name Cat-sith, for it seeks to steal the soul of those that make nothing of it."

"Pleonexia was the eldest. We know who she is, don't we? Lady Melissa was created out of sheer desperation of the Planet. The fairy, Aibell, was birthed a Sub-Bell, yes. Her purpose was described to her since time immemorial, lucky girl: Squint into human society, and comprehend their ill-fates. Then, the Planet commanded, 'laugh'! Her instructed joy was made of layers upon layers of shame, and her existence was created to rid the Planet of its overwhelming hatred, in fear that such vile substance could further harm it in its journey to cleanse itself of filth. Thus, Lady Melissa was the scapegoat of the Sub-Bells, and her love was built of a thousand tears and ten thousand cries."

What does one make of such a tall tale? Sage Abiothales wasn't sure. He'd observed the two children of the Witch, then redirected them down the Caves of the Dwarves, the same ones King Herla was to tread years later.

The Boy was forgotten in the 12th century. The Girl grew up to be a royal's wanton wife.

Abiothales didn't think much of it, and Lady Melissa came to forgive him, and even thank him, for this course of action. At least now, she knew her children were still alive.

---

BOND Child O' Yonder
Children are always within reach, yet always so far away. They grow so fast, they say. They die like quenched flames, in one fell swoop.
Lady Melissa loved all children, be they living or dead. She had lived beneath the surface, and had met all sorts of children—prodigies, tricksters, animalistic and chivalrous, or sometimes even mean. But no child was ever evil. No, Lady Melissa always fought hard on that individual point against her closest accomplices. Abiothales always said children are inherently evil, because they don't aim to understand niceties. Asimon never backed up the claim, but repeated the statement nonetheless. Her love, Barthomeloi Hirschprung, centuries later would say that children are mere paintings meant to make oneself immortal forevermore. Needless to say, Melissa vehemently disagrees.

Her first encounter with true departure occurred long after the fall of the Age of Fairies.

The Pied Piper

On the 26th of June, 130 children wound up gone, and it wasn't her fault.

Trust her. It was not her fault.

She was awe-struck by their innocence, their jovial laughs. The way they hollered at the sound of her flute and cried when she stopped emboldened her greatly. It was a mistake—worst of all, it wasn't the first time, either. When children disappear, it's not uncommon to blame that "awful witch" from the forest. She inspired the majority of witch-eats-child folklore tales in Europe with her frequent attempts at "relinquishing the chains they do suffer." The process reminds one of a self-mummification ritual:

First, she forces the children to detest food. She tells them tales of ancient times, she says the bread doth take one's soul, seals it deep in the ground and vaporizes the will. And, sometimes, she did believe her affectionate lies. At times, she thought human food, and human behavior, was incredibly toxic to all livings forms. Even to each other, humans were incredibly unhealthy. So, she advised the children of an isolated 2th century Germanic tribe to join her in the mountains high above. Human beings do indeed require nutrition. So, she learned her lesson, and the next century went far smoother.

Secondly, instead of teaching health advise, she tricked the children. She fed them small portions of beans from the fairy world—the food of the dead was sweet and sugary, and children gathered round it without fear nor shame. Their corpses were gathered in a pile and burnt by the townsfolk, but their souls did come with her down bellow. That was, until their local community discarded itself of its misconceptions of life and death, and the afterlife was expunged, slain clean. All souls within it dispersed and returned to the Root. All Melissa could do was smile, and try try try again.

So the Witch played her flute, and 130 were swept away by a lady in green. But Melissa didn't know how to treat living children, since her expertise was in the Otherside, and beside bringing ephemeral pleasures she was ignorant to the needs of humans. Those children died one by one, since it was inevitable. Some survived longer than others, but a droplet is a droplet, and the Witch was a vast ocean.

Princes in the Tower

Melissa learned her lesson, and with the help from her beloved in the Clocktower, studied the meaning of human lives adequately. It was an arranged marriage, but she truly loved him, and he truly loved her.

England was overtaken by a tyrant called Richard the Third, and the Clocktower was silent with laughter over the buffon who imagined he could usurp the throne. Melissa was thoroughly depressed by the whole fiasco, especially at the 'Princes in the Tower' mystery which accused Richard III of kidnapping his two nephews Edward V and Richard of Schrewsburry so he would be crowned king instead of them, the legitiamte heirs to King Edward IV. As such, Melissa made it her personal mission to visit the children in the tower day after day—her beloved authorized her visitations and protected her from harm meanwhile.
She began to bond with the frightened youths, until eventually, she proposed a pack of beans which they fed on ever since. She thought that if they were destined to die, she might as well secure their souls with her. Melissa never spoke of this incident to anyone, which put the children's gruesome fate upon their uncle, Richard III. To this day, it is still a mystery what happened to the pair.

---

BOND Capacities of a Witch

Noble Strains of a Daughter of Ériu

The Rights of a Witch

Noble Strain, the Spell which belongs to fallen goddess Aibell, and the fallen fairy Melissa. It is descended from the Tuatha de Dannan king Dagda, and is an accompanying instrument in many heroes' final hours. It is said that Aibell the fairy played her foretelling harp at Cu Chulainn's final battle. It is the "music of the Otherside," penetrating the boundaries between life and death.
Melissa can crystallize these melodies into flowers and plants, allowing the planet to execute her spells for her. Since she is a rotten fairy, a Witch with an eroded heart, exploiting the planet's natural properties this way is her best option. Witches, in general, tend to gravitate to the Department of Botany because of their familiarity with the rules of the Planet and its exploits; Witchcraft is built upon the laws of nature and their shortcomings.

The Noble Strains are put into flowers, and thus transform into

Silent Couch

Cóiste Bodhar

: Echtra Entrapment, a 2000+ years old mystery originating in Ireland. Each flower is made up of a dead interior (belonging to the Otherside), and a living exterior (belonging to the Overworld). As such, when the petals open up and unleash the Noble Strain, it's an act of resurrection, bringing something from the Underworld unto the Overworld.

Shamrock Echtra Entrapment is the crystallization of the Song of the Weather. This particular song was attributed to the fall of the Fomorian King Balor; thunderstorms in the County Mayo were referred to as battles between Lugh and Balor, in which Lugh would throw a spear into the eye of the Fomorian King. Shamrock Echtra Entrapment is a defensive support measure which creates a piece of land devoid of death—to prevent retaliation from Balor, the song erases all the "lines of death" from a given person, thus erasing the possibility of death completely so that the Eye of Balor could not take advantage of them. Instead of "Lines of Death", wielders of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception may see water running down a person's nervous system. If one was to verge on killing a person in this Bounded Field, they'd be met with a divine thunderstorm bearing the concept of "obscuring the eye."

Easter Lily Echtra Entrapment is the crystallization of the Song of Remembrance. It is the most recent spell made by Melissa, and it shamefully is inspired by a passage from the Bible. She constructed the melody beside her mentor, Abiothales. The Song of Remembrance is the "Resurrection of the Grievance of Christ", funnily enough. By drawing on the event of the crucifixion, Melissa can turn the ground into a vibrant red sky, and draw from the soil powerful attacks in the shape of giant tears.

Bean Echtra Entrapment is not Melissa's magnum opus, but is her most cherished accomplishment. It is the very basis for the Echtra Entrapment mystery; the beans eaten by the living dead. Those who feed upon Melissa's beans become living nothings, nameless things that still exist in the living world in spite of themselves and the law of nature. It is possible to overdose on the beans and die; it is also possible to overdose on them and become a Dead Apostle. The "Beans" are merely all plants which were adapted by Melissa, but haven't received any song. Basically, they are empty pills that are just outright rotten and dangerous.

Tradition Protection
As per the laws of True Witches, to harm Melissa, one must defeat her existence as Aibell the fairytale character first. To do so, one must:
1. Defeat her in a debate about love
2. Possess properties of interior-death and exterior-life. Basically, trick the world into thinking you're alive while actually being dead
3. Divorce her—she is married to Hirschsprung Barthomeloi, so this won't ever happen

Fairy Domain
Melissa believes in the eternal properties of love. As such, inside of her fairy domain such bonds and ties become physical embodied mysteries. Unfortunately, love is fickle, and its erosion can bring into existence intense curses which erode the soul of the lovers in the form of insects. Such mysteries are personalized.

Melissa Calendula Perforatum possesses the trait Regression to the Age of Gods. Her Quantity/Quality ration is C/A++. Ever since she's been married, her Quantity increased from C to B.

---

BOND Nivalis Holy Grail War

She Relinquishes All She Controls. He Is Still Beneath the World. She must Rescue the Chimera.

"She left for Italy this morning. I do miss her, but I should not interfere with her ambitions. The fastest way to kill a bird is by caging it—besides, she's a Student of Yumina. We, the Barthomeloi, do not retain control over Yumina's vassals. It'd be a shame if anyone ever asserted dominance over my beloved. Eh? No, I don't think she'll be in danger. Just this morning we discussed a few Grail Subcategories in Asia—she asked me what I thought would be the best Class, and I asked her. She said Assassin! I married a smart woman. Did you know that in the last twenty wars, Assassin won 13? It's a shame they've made a whole archive against the Hassans. The other seven winners were all Sabers. Who do I think is the best Class? I'd be most compatible with Ruler. Ha!" — Hirschsprung Barthomeloi.

Hassan-i-Sabbah is no longer a viable option for assured winning conditions. Indeed, Sabers are destined to win the next few wars before new countermeasures are made. Just as Greece's Herakles was met with essays upon essays of counterpicks, so would Siegfried, Arthur Pendragon, and the twelve thousand Round Table Knights (who are only winning because of proximity to the real deal).

Melissa chose wisely.

"Hassan-i-Sabbah. You and I will win this war as two kindred pacifists. Understood?"

Assassin of Burned Tongues


Relationships
> Abiothales - "The most brilliant man I've ever met. Whenever I discussed theories with the Chimera, I felt as if I was finally understood. Maybe it's something in his scowl. Anyway, I'm determined to bring him back, no matter the cost. This Holy Grail War should be relatively easy, and I'm not planning on harming anyone, so consider this but a venture into the unknown for the rekindling of old friendship!"

> Felix Pompeo-Elea - "This boy... He is accompanied by two other boys at all times. I know one of them belongs to El Melloi II's classroom, but the other is a unique existence I've never seen before. Well, that's not true—I see this being whenever I look into my husband's eyes. It's perfection incarnate. Scary..."

> Theroush Samigina - "I never liked the mages of the Wandering Sea. They punish themselves to an impossible degree. What's so evil in the modern world? I suppose I dislike them for the same reason I'm bitter about fairies. Everyone is so afraid of the future, and what it holds, they can't even consider the sins they themselves cultivate and accumulate."

---

Author's Note (Frenzy Warning)

Nothing exists but death, taxes, and fairies. I hate fairies so much. Anyway, this is the, er, long-awaited? sequel???/spin-off of my still magecraft-less Abiothales sheet. I'd argue reading the Abiothales sheet is paramount to understanding who the hell this girl is, but it's probably still readable as a standalone. So it's not really a sequel, prequel, or a spin-off after all. GRRRAAAHHHHHH!!

[PA270]

Lady Melissa: Well, that certainly was something. I mean, I loved it, but I'm still not 100% sure I understand it. I guess I need to go back and reread Abiothales and see if that gives me a clearer picture...

But confusion aside, this was absolutely phenomenal! You conveyed the character well, the Magecraft is great, and even though I don't fully understand it, I really want to! Fantastic work as usual, and hoping I'll have more to say about it after I let the thoughts simmer a bit!

[Random]

THE EPIC CONTINUES

I'm just so pleased to see you getting to bring the Abiothales saga closer to the conclusion you wanted the whole time. It was kino then and it's kino now.

[Salt Pillar]

♪

To one degree or another, everyone seeks the Root. All things may help improve one's connection to it; laughter, danger, imagination, meditation, compassion, beauty—all actions we take bring us closer to the source. There is not a single thing which pulls us further, not a single thing which tramples our precious garden. Not death, not ruin, not lies.
No action we take upon ourselves can ever bring us damnation. This concept is nothing new. Dozens of cults, religions and schools of thought regard solitude as a divine practice, something which can lend you an expanded soul. This understanding of the cosmos is acknowledged and approved. We must infer from this, since not one of us is one with the Root, that interaction and conversation ruins us. Cultural exchange, in essence, is the cancer which holds us back. Humans can never hinder their own progress, but they can easily hinder one another's.

Just as History rejects competitors, the Human Soul can only thrive alone.

Alias:	Iconoclast, The ████████████ God	Species:	Hybrid Intelligence, Magus
True Name:	Meropídes	Region:	Spiritual Tomb of Albion
Gender:	Perceived by the Clocktower residents as a man, so he's referred to by He/Him	Magecraft:	Ornithomancy, Ego-Death Techniques
Servant:	Caster ; Shared with Felix Pompeo-Elea	Affinity:	Wind ; Hot and Wet
Origin:	Iconoclast ; To degrade icons by witnessing and interacting with them.	Regression Composition:	A series of knots from Genesis ; The impossibility etched in a species by the First Principle

Regression Stats
QUN EX
(Highest Possible Disconnection from Humanity ; Lowest Possible Production of Non-Human Mysteries)

QUA C
(Town-level ; A Regression Quantity that works best against a united community)

---

BOND Tools, Rays of Light, and The Eclipse
The Primordial Being emanates Intellect. The human mind comes from the source of all things.
No—it is a microcosm of the source of all things. A distilled vessel, a puzzle meant to be pieced together. An abandoned thread waiting to be re-weaved by questions and intrigue.
We're all born with every single plausible truth, but are made to interact with the world and discover things anew. Why? To show the universe we are indeed its Nous. That we are the emanations of The One who always reaches into the void to grasp the meaning of an entity called 'Human Consciousness'. The One is the cause of reality, and reality is made up of both Nous and Psyche, which are both ideals meant to be sought out.
But The One, like the sun in the sky, is not reality itself. It is merely the force through which we can perceive truths.
Knowledge is the ray of light emanated from the sun. Truth is the object illuminated by the sun.
Together, this is the process of logic.

The Iconoclast is an enormous eclipse seeking to disrupt this process by feasting on the tool and ceasing the function.
He is an Official Sealing Designation Enforcer. He is an Enforcer of the Department of Policies. He articulates the meaning of the Carillon Observatory as a Hybrid Intelligence begotten from the Depths of Albion.
Most formally, he is referred to as the Last Choice Enforcer, because once he enacts his techniques on a magus, their research would be completely inaccessible and worthless, and that is something inherently contradictory to the Clocktower's goals and motivations. Still, he does have a fair-share of work done under his belt. The reason being that most of his commissions come from copyright-infringement strikes, formula plagiarism, and unlawful dissemination of knowledge. It is said that he never improved in his art since the day he arrived at the Clocktower. He'd always been the best suited person for disposing of Magecraft and Magi, but he'd always restricted himself to a singular process: "Examine the tool. Disrupt the ritual. Break the rays of the sun."

No human had ever figured out how the Iconoclast formulated thoughts. This phrase, "Examine, disrupt, break," was stolen from his mind a week after he appeared two hundred years ago in the Waterborne Crater at the bottom of Albion.
The Barthomeloi family, who were in-charge of the Department of Policies and the Carillon Observatory, made sure to claim Iconoclast as their own—in much the same way one patents Homunculi—only to realize far too late into the bureaucratic process that they couldn't interact with him without worsening their own bloodline. Despite the infinitesimal degradation, it was completely insane to expect a Barthomeloi to risk the Noble Circuits they were blessed with, so they forced the Gaiuslink family to run the experiments for them.
That's still not how that phrase was picked apart. The Gaiuslink were utterly worthless in their assigned job of using Sympathetic Magecraft to reveal the secrets deep within this strange foreign construct. They tried to pry into his head, but in the process found nothing. They tried to stimulate his soul into vague reactions, but that was useless too. He could show emotions, but those were never registered by human beings as "genuine," and thus things that were funny to him were illegible to others. He was exactly like a changeling child, like one of those kids who fell into the Reverse Side and returned permanently deranged and severely ill.
In fact, he was so familiar, that the Gaiuslink in a show of one-time brilliance demanded the aid of a fellow

YUMINA

Aristocratic Department's

SIXTH CHIMERA

Garden Witch

.
She sat down with the child for twelve hours, and the two discussed many topics without ever speaking. Iconoclast was reluctant to interact with the Witch, but because she was a fairy he couldn't harm her nor could she harm him. But, for the same reason, and because she was married to a human being, being in her general vicinity made him anxious and desperate for isolation, so he didn't walk out of his chamber for a couple of days afterwards.

Succinctly, the Witch concluded the condition was both complex and generally simple. The Iconoclast was a Hybrid Intelligence created from scratch—a Primordial Homunculus of sorts that contains within himself the

Apeiron

Specific Domain

of "ostracizing the individual." In short, Iconoclast is constantly disseminating ego-death as his main function as a living being. A shitty Primate Murder. A poor philosopher's God. A "human being" who doesn't need other human beings whatsoever. One who is completely alone in the world. This is the experiment purported by... Ha!

But that wasn't the end of everything. The Witch went on to explain at least what she believed to be his way of thinking.

Imagine a Circle. That's how the Collective Unconsciousness designates concepts, identities, and so on. It reaffirms its own already-formulated conclusions. "We see because our eyes emit light," or, "God is real because we were made by God."
A philosopher, or "The Wise Man", would think in a linear way. In contrast to the Collective Unconsciousness' willingness to reaffirm its biases and believes, the Philosopher relies on rigid structures. Question > hypothesis > test > analyze > conclusion.
According to the Witch, Iconoclast formulates opinions and ideas by taking the Circle, making it a Strip, twisting one end and putting those together to make a Mobius Strip.
His conclusions are predestined by his Specific Domain, but every time he reaches the end an unknown "twist" happens that completely eradicates his nature. As if... As if something was stopping him from expressing what was on his mind, to the point even he couldn't know what he's trying to do. In a way, he's as lost about his own mind as everyone else is. Because... Well, to be the God described in Aristotle's texts means to be ostracized and independent. If one is both Human and God at the same time, then one must ostracize from oneself as well. Iconoclast is undergoing an infinite ego-death.

The "twist" is theorized to be "purpose." Conclusion > denial of contrary evidence > hypothesis > purpose > twisted conclusion.
For example: "I will eat. Unfortunately, I don't feel hungry, but I still want to eat. Maybe I don't feel hungry because I haven't eaten yet. What is the purpose of eating? I will consume."
Generally, the "twisted conclusion" is an hyperbole of the original conclusion. Not an extreme, to be precise—a fool's errand. To convince oneself that you are "consuming the food" instead of "eating the food" is foolish, because it means nothing on the small scale. But after thousands of "twisted conclusions" the mind deteriorates into one unlike any other human being. Yes...this is the whole point. He will become human by betraying his instincts for companionship and normalcy. To suffer by not being part of mankind is the most human thing conceivable, for sure.

---

BOND Bee-Eater : Meropides
What is a True Name but one's access back to the Root? A key-card of sorts that accompanies you forever.
Those who break the key-card... those who become what they never were... those who become vampires, or gods...
Their True Names are etched in stone, forever. Their key-card allows them access into only a singular box. Some are even worse off.
Some are going to be Heroic Spirits forever. Their Saint Graphs will be abused till the end of time. How can anyone perceive heroes as lucky ones when you consider that you're allowed to live again, and they are not?

It's terrifying to think that a soul could reincarnate and still not rid itself of ailments and fame. And what occurs exactly if a Heroic Spirit becomes known only after it began reincarnating?
What then? Is the soul split in two? Is the name forgotten, or does it override all other incarnations of the Hero? The Throne of Heroes is outside of Time and Space. Maybe it doesn't let them reincarnate at all.
Or maybe some names reincarnate, and others don't, depending on individual textures. Whatever is the answer, it might be one of the most frightening prospects for Iconoclast as an individual.

To return again... No, he wants to be himself again and again, over and over. This is why he is cursed with a True Name, determined by his Specific Domain's programmer.
The idea is that by naming the Soul, Iconoclast is both legitimized, privatized, and individualized. He becomes an entity both separate from humans, and closer to them, which is his entire point.
He knows a lot about True Names and their application in magecraft, but he's more knowledgeable about people who hold them rather than those who forfeit this connection in fear of subjugation. He also knows a bit about people who lost their True Name to tricksters.

"Meropides" means "Bee-eater", but there's genuine debate to be had on whether his True Name should be translated as Meropides or Aeropus. After all, his True Name corresponds to an Aristotelian bird, and in the original texts, that one is called Aeropus. Even so, his systems named him Meropides to prove a point, perhaps, or to distance him from Aristotle altogether. In fact, if anyone were to learn of his True Name, he'd grow increasingly insane if the idea was ever brought up. Something he tends to internalize as "Soul Death," which is an objective variation on the Ego-Death hypothesis wherein the Soul undergoes a complete deletion and re-initiation. It's very possible this concept works only on those who are either devoid of True Names, or are conscious of its complicated nature. Really, Iconoclast should be the best opponent of those who utilize True Names to their advantage.

---

Theoretically, he shouldn't have been able to talk to anyone, ever. That was his whole deal, and the Clocktower maintained that distance perfectly. Nobody questioned him on his odd silence.
All of that was shattered when he came upon the Carillon Observatory when night-shift kicked in and the building shifted hue into dark-mode. He'd lived his conscious life in one of the chambers, and it was locked by magecraft alone on the assumption that Iconoclast would simply never want to leave. Since it wasn't illegal, the Carillon Observatory didn't care that he walked around while they did their job.
That was until Iconoclast began reciting numbers one after the other.
Coordinates—the numbers leapt from his tongue in quick succession without fail. He was attuned to the machine completely, and at one point he even correctly guessed the Observatory's copyright formula which forced the Clocktower to refurbish it. No disciplinary action was taken (because he was far too valuable, and it was like punishing the oven for overcooking). The next time he tried leaving his chamber, the staff anticipated his attempts to attune himself to the machines in the Observatory and began carefully separating him from the Observatory so that he may not cause further damage, only to learn that connecting himself to the machine allowed him to completely change his way of thinking to that of the machine.
As if he was picking up on social cues and articulating them—but the social cue was binary code, and the articulation was clean recitation.

Slowly, the Barthomeloi in-charge of the Carillon Observatory, Hirschprung Barthomeloi, introduced machinery for Iconoclast to mess with.
At first, it was Lego. Apparently, that worked just as well. Because Lego included the adding of building blocks on upon the other, Iconoclast began rationalizing through fundamental truths to the highest truth at a snail's pace, like one of those 700-page-long mathematical proofs that 1+1=2.
Afterwards, he gave him a Gordian Knot. Quickly, Iconoclast tried to unravel the knot in his brain, but just like with the real Gordian Knot, any course of action was impossible and he was completely unable to think rationally.
Then, he brought Iconoclast to the Elders of the Pompeo-Elea family, who put him in front of the Eleatics' signature

Zeno's Paradox

Bow and Arrow

. Iconoclast sat there for twenty minutes analyzing the object until he realized the exact meaning of the arrow and fixated specifically on it—at the end, he stopped moving because he sympathized with the arrow's course of action; that is, he stopped moving because that was the paradox purported by the object, and he found no logical way of rationalizing that behemoth of a paradox away through simple calculations. Unlike the previous situation, his thought process wasn't clogged with trash, but it simply ceased completely.

This is the story of how the Bee-eater who destroyed the Icon of the Carillon Observatory became its main testing-personnel, responsible for fail-proofing the individual systems and Enforcing the First Principle of the Clocktower.
Ever since, he's had personal relations with only the Barthomeloi family, the Witch, and the Eleatics who always had members of the family who were utterly disconnected from society and thus harmless to the Iconoclast.

---

BOND Department of Modern Magecraft
He asked to register to Lord El-Melloi II's Modern Magecraft class.
No, he demanded it. And he didn't care that he couldn't really study it because of his condition. In fact, that was the "twist" to begin with.
He'd heard from a friend—well, the one person he could talk to without fearing self-immolation—that the Lord of Modern Magecraft was particularly impressive, and that his class always felt like home.
To the deranged mind, perhaps.
Thankfully, both Felix and Iconoclast were equally deranged. Perhaps... Perhaps overly deranged.
Iconoclast asked Felix to make him a cloak of disguise like the one he was wearing so Iconoclast could hide in the corner of the Classroom and take notes. The Witch noticed this with her Fairy Eyes and said nothing of the matter. It'll do him only good to perceive a bunch of the most deranged people in the World sit in the same room and make deranged comments about magecraft and society. Every moment in that classroom was unlike the previous one, nor the next one, nor any other moment Iconoclast had ever experienced. The Hotel Paradox that Felix managed to crystallize into the cloak protected both parties (Iconoclast and the Students of El-Melloi II) from his corrosive nature, because the World didn't register him as "being next to them, or interacting with them."
Iconoclast did learn a few things after all. He learned how to perceive things as those very students, and as the Clocktower Lecturer. He gained knowledge without ruining it; without overshadowing the truth with his eclipse, without destroying the tools.
For as long as he wore the Hotel Paradox Mystic Wear, he was allowed to partake in civilization... but when he took it off, the World began correcting the abnormalities, and he forgot how to see truths and how to conduct Modern Magecraft. But returning to the cloak overloaded him with all that information again and again, because that way of thinking was etched into the machine.
It was a brilliant way to circumvent his condition, and it was made by Felix who was familiar with those rejected by the World and by Life.
When he doesn't have to complete commissions, Iconoclast studies in the Department of Modern Magecraft, then writes it into the code of the cloak.
When he has to abide by the Barthomeloi family's annual-goals, he takes Felix with him to hunt down the Hermits and Philosophers, and those heretical enough to plagiarize entire Holy Grail Rituals.

---

"The Einzberns are requesting a complete termination of the Subcategory Holy Grail Ritual of Nivalis, Tuscany, Italy—authorized by Overseer "Nico Sefer Barberini" joint member of the Knights Templars and the Holy Church, and plagiarized by "Mylan Veles-Erites" who claims to have reached the conclusion of the Holy Grail Ritual by himself without any influences from the Three Families who invented the Holy Grail Ritual Formula, the Heroic Spirit Summoning System, and the Heroic Spirit Class Formula. Additional signatures: Matou Shinji."

"..........................I want to

Take

Steal

the grail."

"I heard that three servants were summoned when the Ritual first began. Let's see... Icon, do you think we can hijack the system?"

"..........................I will

Connect To

Overtake

the system.

"He's here, isn't he? Must I repeat the Genealogy of Love?"

Caster of Logic and Love

Author's Note (Frenzy Warning)

AI! In my grail war?!!?? wild

What do you mean this is just another entry to the Abiothales series disguised as a Master. What? There's no magecraft section. Uh, you caught me. I guess this is literally just a lore drop. Or... more accurately... this is an extended version of Abiothales' Magecraft Section, but without his theurgy. Later in life he didn't really use theurgy anyway... but whatever. In my defense...I think I explained this magus' magecraft well enough without a designated section for it! And...uh, Ornithology? next time? In the Abiothales remake, for sure.
So the Master of Caster is mostly Felix. Iconoclast can't really interact with Heroic Spirits in any substantial way. And he's fucking terrified of them to an absurd level. Something about the idea of Saint Graphs and crystallized souls makes his very identity crush and burn in a way far worse than an ego-death.
Iconoclast's ability to disregard magecraft exists because his way of thinking completely rejects the way magecraft works, and because of his Regression Circuits. Basically, if a spell wanted to reach him it would need to go through endless genetic knots and... there's only one person in the war that can hurt things despite their nature as endless and never-ending. Maybe you should just stab him. That would work just fine as well.

[PA270]

Iconoclast: Well, okay then! The Magi in your War keep getting more and more complex, and I am so 100% here for it! Iconoclast is an absolutely fascinating character, and I love how well you've integrated him into the fabric of your Clock Tower! And the inclusion of Felix was a very nice touch, since he's still one of my favorite Magi you've done! Absolutely awesome work!

[MuramasaMachII]

26th of August, 2012—Darayya, Syria.

The terrorist mage organisation known as 'The Shadow of God' tried to harness a『 Satan』using an excerpt from the Lemegeton four hours ago.
Contract was a failure, and the being was released into the city, causing mass destruction through its Reality Marble.
3 hours later, troops from the Global Magecraft Society’s Adiutrix Division arrived as support, allowing us to seal the Daemon using a process known as [REDACTED].

Conclusion: 400+ casualties, and the induction of a new member to the GMS.

—Konstantinos Annius Adamantos, Emissary to Syria.

Hasan Al-Masa

Alias: Cage of the World’s Suffering	Gender: Male
Age: 26	Height/Weight: 155cm/56kg
Birthplace: Darayya, Syria	Affiliation: The Shadow of God(formerly), United Nations
Origin: Scapegoat	Sorcery Trait: Grail of Shaytan
Magecraft: Zevachim Azazel	Circuit Composition: Normal; transplanted

Personality:
Likes: Brawling, hats, himself?
Dislikes: Himself, stubborn idiots, politics
Natural Talents: Hand-to-hand combat, collateral damage
Natural Enemy: Konstantinos Annius Adamantos, the Church

Magic Circuits:
Circuit Quantity: D+
Circuit Quality: B

Biography - Part 1:

The boy who would come to be known as ‘Hasan Al-Masa’ was born in 1997 to a simple Syrian family.

Most interestingly is that Hasan does not come from any mage lineage at all, with ‘Al-Masa’ not even truly being his last name. In fact, ‘Al-Masa’ was the last name given to him by his mentor, meaning ‘the tragedy’, referring to Hasan’s origins.

One may even state that Hasan’s true ‘birth date’ is the 26th of October, 2012, given what happened then.

Character:

If most members of the Global Magecraft Society were to describe Hasan, they would call him arrogant, short-tempered, and rather whiny–especially when it comes to politics. However, what these members do not know is that though Hasan is arrogant, he does so because in reality, he has an inferiority complex and is quite self-hating. This is because Hasan fears the Daemon trapped inside of him, and hates himself for becoming its shell: he comes across as arrogant and confident to differentiate himself from his comrades and the creature bound within.

Hasan has a very strange relationship with his mentor, calling him a dirty old man, though his mentor is only four years older than him. The two are known for non-stop bickering, with random fights happening more often than not. However, at the end of the day, both will be drinking at the bar talking like old friends, with poor Hasan having to carry his mentor on his back.

Biography - Part 2:

Ever since the beginning of human history, there has been conflict–in other words,『 evil.』
Because evil exists, humanity wants to know how it came about: they invented 『demons 』and 『 evil gods』to justify the existence of conflict. Over time, humanity’s legends about evil built up, and culminated into a mindless mass of grudges, a Daemon born from humanity’s desire to justify conflict.

On August 26th, 2012, the organisation known as the Shadow of God used an excerpt of the Ars Theurgia Goetia reinforced by faulty magecraft to contract with and weaponise the Daemon, but their efforts were futile. The 『Satan 』escaped and using the grudges of the Syrian civil war as a basis, it manifested, linking to the idea of a legendary Canaanite god feared and known as a demon of sacrifice, causing incarnation with the Unit Designation Moloch.

Magecraft Related Abilities:

Grail of Shaytan

The Sorcery Trait Hasan was born with, functioning similarly to the Masochistic Spiritualist Constitution psychic ability where users share demonic possession symptoms with victims. However, Hasan’s Sorcery Trait functions with all negative emotions, treating Hasan as a receptacle for suffering.

He constantly absorbs negative emotions due to this ability, creating fuel for Zevachim Azazel and being converted into a small quantity of mana, allowing Hasan’s abilities to last longer. As a consequence, Hasan’s mind is constantly plagued by grudges, causing his temper to be even shorter, and occasionally causing pieces of Hasan’s mind to be eroded away.


Zevachim Azazel

The result of the Daemon with the Unit Designation of 'Moloch' being an aspect of Hasan's current existence, allowing Hasan to channel aspects of its power. To use this ability, Hasan must use a 'sacrifice', since Moloch was seen as a god of sacrifices; the greater the sacrifice, the more of the Daemon's power he can use. Notably, since the original Daemon was an embodiment of conflict and the god Moloch was seen as a

adversary

『Satan 』

, Hasan can enact

conflict

rebellion

against

The World

God

itself, defying the laws of gravity.

Using the idea of a powerful curse that 'interferes with the World using its pressure', Hasan can create a gravitational field made out of curses surrounding him. Any type of matter that enters this 5 metre radius can be manipulated by Hasan, allowing him to catch and redirect bullets, increase his own speed by decreasing gravity, or launching parts of the ground as projectiles. If a person is caught inside the field, they will at first be incapacitated by the pressure, before being slowly crushed from the inside out by the field.

Higher degrees of Moloch's power allows Hasan to manipulate his own momentum, and warp his body into forms suited for combat, though that requires Hasan's body to serve as the 'sacrifice'.
-RESTRICTED INFORMATION: For the eyes of GMS Commanders only-

Human Evil Justification Ritual - Absolute Icon

Moloch Sheol

The absolute manifestation of the Daemon within Hasan, only usable when Hasan uses

his Ego Image

himself

as the sacrifice, allowing ‘Moloch’ to take full control.

In this state, the gravitational field around Hasan collapses, causing a black hole-esque structure to appear in his chest. He constantly absorbs the grudges of people, and the land around him, taking everything in as his ‘sacrifice’. Moloch grows in power, and so does Hasan grow in size, his body warping to accompany the Daemon incarnating.

However, the law of Equivalent Exchange states that for an input, there must be an output. As such, Moloch Sheol contains its most deadly ability, the creation of a corroding crimson-black mud which leaks out of the black hole. It eats away at the land, and what does survive is warped into the Daemon’s Reality Marble, a world of conflict and bloodshed. The ooze is also able to instigate conflict in anyone who approaches, propagating conflict easier; this creates more fuel for Moloch Sheol.

The only known end to this berserk state is Konstantinos' Apatheia Telamon - Pathos Absorption, which absorbs curses and converts them into mana.

Biography - Part 3:

When Moloch was released, its destructive aura tried to possess a human so it could incarnate, however the vast majority could not handle its prowess. The Daemon became drawn to the 15 year old Hasan's Grail of Shaytan Sorcery Trait, using the teen to momentarily manifest a physical form. When Moloch was finally subdued, Hasan laid dying. Konstantinos, recognizing that the boy had natural potential to bind the Daemon, collaborated with a fellow GMS member in a process known as [REDACTED].
Hasan's decaying body was merged with a homunculus so that he could survive, with Hasan's personality becoming an Ego Image: a remnant used so that the boy could live, and at the same time become a living cage.



~Mystic Codes:~

Atlas-Style Threat Binding

Non Timebo Mala

A Mystic Code in the form of the porkpie hat Hasan wears, labelled "I fear no evil."

Created by the Global Magecraft Society's Sealing expert, and infused with Konstantinos' nanobots, this object is imbued with the concept of 'restraint'. It is the reason why Moloch cannot take control of Hasan, and allows Hasan to use parts of the Daemon's ability, in exchange for a sacrifice.
By taking off the hat, Hasan forgoes himself, and is allowed to use Moloch Sheol.


Non-Magecraft Abilities:
Martial Arts Expert
Hasan is highly proficient in Krav Maga, and combat sambo, allowing him to use hand-to-hand combat and grappling techniques with extreme skill. A joke in the GMS deriving from this is that Hasan learned to be an expert in martial arts, just so that he can one day, finally win a fight against Konstantinos.

Creator Remarks:

Hehe, Bungou Stray Dogs reference.
But really, this sheet was something interesting. It started with me wanting to make a Chuuya inspired mage, but it...well... became this.
It still has that Chuuya-ness, but it's also pretty unique I think.

[PA270]

Hasan Al-Masa: Another great sheet! Is the Chuuya inspiration front and center? Oh, absolutely! But you managed to do a fantastic job not only translating it into Nasuverse mechanics, but also making sure he stands out as his own character! An awesome reference that fully stands out on its own merits! Nice work!