Create-a-Servant 4

[WhiteFrenzy]

Inherited Grief Saga

EPISODE 1 Proof of Eternity	EPISODE 2 Proof of Conquest	EPISODE 3 Proof of Attachment
EPISODE 3.5 Proof of Irrelevancy	EPISODE 4 Proof of Origins	EPISODE 5 Proof of Coveting
EPISODE 5.5 Proof of Masquerading	EPISODE 6 Proof of Resolution	EPISODE 6.5 Proof of Despondency

Thank you BnEl and Scotch for having me in their awesome series. It's been a pleasure, and I hope I did not overstayed my welcome.

---

“God, but life is loneliness, despite all the opiates, despite the shrill tinsel gaiety of parties with no purpose, despite the false grinning faces we all wear.

And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter — they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long.

Yes, there is joy, fulfillment and companionship — but the loneliness of the soul in its appalling self-consciousness is horrible and overpowering.”


— The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.

“Pleased to meet! How do you do, human Master?

Or is this too formal by today’s standards? Maybe I should’ve come to you with a 「wazzup,」 instead, right? Now that I think about it, that’s very young and relatable, it’s way better... Oh, I knew I should have a better speech ready for times like these...

Well, in any case... I know I don’t look the part, but... It’s not a good sign to see me in front of you. If I was summoned, that can only mean one thing—that one of you around here has been a bad child.

Was it you? Was it someone else?

Oh well, no matter, because sooner or later I’ll find out.

—Still, it feels rude of me to not introduce myself properly even though I’m in the middle of a mission... I’m breaking some protocols here, so keep this a secret between us both, yes? My employer is very strict.

Well, the one in front of you is Duleep Singh—yes, that would be my name. Last of the Sikh rulers of the Punjab in northern India. Traitor of his land, apparently also a friend of Queen Victoria and her family. That said, just because I’m a Servant, please do not think highly of me... I was just a bird in a gilded cage, filled with unhappiness over my treatment, but every act of rebellion against the British led to nothing and I died a broken man.

At the end of my life, I gave myself to the 「world.」 And despite the uselessness of this action, the 「world」 accepted my offer—so now, I traded a cage for another.

It’s quite the simple tale, as common and uninteresting as it is to live day after day...

But maybe by telling you who I was, you will understand why I’ll have to meddle with present affairs. I sure hope we can solve this without any bumps, that is.”

Archer records of the world where one grew wings

Height: 150 cm. (178 cm.) Theme song: Thelxie's Murmurs. Likes: Leisurely walks, sweets. Dislikes: Looking back, liars. Attribute: Human. Alignment: Neutral Good. Place of origin: India. Natural enemy: Ranjit Singh. Traits: Child Servant, Heroic Spirit, Counter Guardian.

STR E END B AGI E MGI B LUC E NP B

Class Skills


Independent Action EX

It seems that being by the side of any human is an act of free will on his part, since it appears that this Servant does not have a Master nor is bound by the rules of a proper Holy Grail War, being essentially free to act as he please—which might even be the first freedom he ever experiences.

“...”

Did... I said something wrong? At least, that is what it looked like, but...

“No, no, I was caught offguard, that is all... It is what it is. But it hardly is a form of freedom... On the contrary, depending on the circumstances, I reckon we might quarrel in the future, but I want you to know that it’s nothing personal... Why, I might even have liked this type of idle life had I been summoned as a proper Servant.”

Magic Resistance D

According to tales, the only 「crystallization of power」 he had was in his inherited title, but even at the peak of his popularity, the very definition of a Maharaja was already losing its luster. One could confabulate about the transience of things, but ultimately, that flimsy hold of his status makes for a terrible resistance, but at least serves as a constant reminder to anchor him in the present.

“Indeed. The time of lions and princes is past and long, long gone.”

In actuality, those words are more like a prayer that is repeated until the lesson sinks in. After all, the world is a never-ending story, so full of twists and turns, and in it a happy ending will never come—and even the dream of it becomes one that one must leave behind.

Riding C

The Rank is rather high for an exiled prince that did not ride anything more elaborate than a chariot, but...

“Image is everything for a monarch, even you know that. Even though I was a fallen piece of chess, by possessing the title of 「Maharaja,」 there was a lot of mystery surrounding me. Back in the day, Britain had all sorts of exotic ideas about India—one of them was that every monarch there had their own elephant, and that they were sacred beasts full of the wisdom of our past.

Sure we rode them in parades and such, but I don’t remember ever riding one. And although they are intelligent, they are not godlings or remnants of sacred beasts. We are deeply religious people, but that is not enough to keep 「mystery」 going... I was, just like everyone else, a horse type of guy. But it seems that even though that title meant nothing, being a 「Maharaja」 to their eyes still gives me this at least.

—Ugh... Now I’m just depressed...”

Item Construction A

The manufacture of items, be it magical or mundane in nature, is translated into this Skill. It might be a bold statement coming from me, but his ability to craft convincing characters inside his dream is top-notch—I might be envious of that myself, in fact. But, perhaps, that is to be expected of someone that walked the thin line between reality and make-believe so often in order to survive a harsh world.

The journey I am undergoing... That is a path he walked a long time ago, I suppose...

Territory Creation C

This should be Caster-exclusive Class Skill, but it seems he acquired a Rank on it thanks to the effects of a Noble Phantasm. How very interesting...

If anything, considering what it does, the Rank should be even higher, but Duleep seems to be intentionally suppressing it. I cannot say I’m surprised, but it sure stings to be hated that much...

“Huh? What are you mumbling right now?”

O-oh, nothing! Nothing at all.

Presence Concealment —

In simple terms, it is the 「obfuscation」 of oneself as a Servant, but that being said, the ability has been lost and has no Rank.

It seems that he gave it up for a very specific purpose, being only able to hide his presence when inside the dream of his Noble Phantasm.

—Apologies for taking this long to speak about it, but... I am starting to realize you have a lot of Skills... Is this a perk that came with being a...

“No, it’s just a long story.”

Madness Enhancement E-

“I’m not my father. I will not fail you or the world, do not worry—that diamond has tried its best, but I’m still myself even after all these years.”

In theory, the ability should have been sealed, but... Perhaps, even as we speak, he still valorantly fights against his curse.

Lore

“Once upon a time, in a far, far away land, there lived a prince—”

His mother used to tell him such stories. In it, princesses were rescued from nightmarish monsters by dashing princes. In it, witches were defeated by the power of love and friendship. In it, the downtrodden were able to rise to the occasion thanks to their strength of character and a pinch of luck.

There were many stories, as many as days in a year, but all of them would end with “and they lived happily ever after.”

He thought that his story would end like that as well. After all, wasn’t he a prince?

The year was 1839 when his father finally passed away. He met the man only once in his life—by the end of his days, Ranjit Singh was a shadow of himself, whispering loving words not to his wives, but to a diamond in his hands—and therefore, had nothing to cry about. If he had to put his priorities in words, rather, he would say that he was sadder for his mother, who for the first time had shown a crack in her armor, but that was it. Living in Jammu, ruled by Gulab Singh and his Vazier, life had been sad at times, but by then he still believed in a happy ending.

It was in 1843, when his surviving brother and Vazier had been both assassinated—when it was announced that, from then on, he’d become the Maharaja as the only surviving son of his father—that, for the first time, he felt the first pangs of doubt. With only 5 years of age, although having his mother as his regent in name at least, he effectively became the ruler of a dying empire.

At the age of seven, he experienced bitter defeat at the hands of the British Empire. The first Anglo-Sikh War forced upon him a collection of peace treaties that would retain him as a ruler, however they would also determine that his mother would be exiled and replaced by a Council of Regency chosen by them. Even for a child, the bleak future of a single prey in a den of lions wasn’t hard to picture—and for the first time, maybe, he forgot he was a prince and beyond all of this, precisely because he was a prince, there would be a happy ending waiting for him.

The glory of past days was long gone, and in its place remained only dissatisfaction. It was this unrest that birthed the second Anglo-Sikh War, with outbreaks in many cities ravaged by unfair treatment... But even their rage was rapidly quelled by what was, I reckon, the methodical violence of the British.

For his incapacity in dealing with his own subjects, Britain punished India severely—and above all of that, furthermore demanded the young prince to relinquish his crown and the famous jewel in possession of his lineage in a bright and happy parade made to demonstrate that there was no ill-will about surrendering himself and the Koh-i-Noor to strangers on his lands... It was, all in all, a calculated gesture towards his subjects to calm their spirits. The story of a valiant prince who would recognize his deficiencies and would willingly step aside, giving way to a new dawn in India’s history, to a new, more competent ruler, seems hardly appealing, but it was better than complete annihilation.

With the acquiescence of all adults around him, that was all but a procession of humiliation, made to degrade him into a discarded piece, disrespected even by his people—all to show to everyone who true power would go to from then on.

Without any choice, the child prince surrendered himself and the jewel to the British. Until the very last moment, he could only think of his father, despite never really connecting to him on any level... Of a man who cherished that thing in his small hands so dearly, so much more than any of his progeny... And yet, there it was now. Being handed to another, so unceremoniously. Duleep felt, at that moment, with the glimmer of a dark jewel reflecting his image, that something that had nothing to do with the diamond had been irretrievably lost.

And maybe he was right. After all, he would not see his home again.

“That’s so dramatic of you! I did see my homeland at least two times, during my life, you know...”

—Really? In a way that mattered?

“Well, when you put it like that...”

Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last prince of the Punjab and former owner of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Surrendered with the jewel to the British, both being later added to the Crown Jewels. What it was to the world but a single line in a sheet of paper, to him it signified the end of his entire universe. It seemed, at least to him, that his fairytale had truly ended.

According to words he whispered to me when we were young, his new 「prison」 had been guarded by a kind man who became his guardian. And thanks to his influence, Duleep had become the first Maharaja converted to Christianism—or perhaps it would be more correct to say that a child would do anything an adult demanded of them when they were alone and away from their home, searching for anything remotely close to safety.

And although the feast was grand and the occasion joyous, it still felt, just like when he paraded with the jewel that killed his father in his hands, that he was handing over something that would not come back to him again.

It was clear to see that, little by little, pieces of his own being were being lost in his journey and he knew not how to retrieve them.

But if there was any comfort to take from that, after his conversion, he was granted an audience with M... With Queen Victoria, who immediately took a maternal interest in the young prince. Having resolutely decided to bring him into the bosom of her family, in his youth, he had visited the Osborne House to the point of knowing every nook and cranny of the mannor, and under the kind gaze of the queen and her husband, he struck friendships with all the royal children.

Those were dreamlike summers, spent catching insects, drawing flowers on canvas and cooling himself by the lake. As a ward, he had been properly and personally tutored by the best teachers of the land, sometimes even by the consort prince himself, like his children had.

I suppose that, at least on the outside, he had lived a lavish life without any strife, a far better position to be in than the one he was back home, in India...

But that, ultimately, wasn’t the happy ending that was promised to him...

“—What was said to me was that I would go to England to complete my education after being Christened, and then I’d return to my estate in Dehradun. And as much as I wished to not go, I thought to myself that this would only take a couple years... I could play nice, I could be friendly to the queen and her progeny, I could be strong like mother was.

Those were dreamlike memories that I cherish somewhere in my heart. But still, in the wreckage of those dreams, still lies all those empty promises—because, for the small price of a few hundred pounds to keep me content, by pretending to like me enough to make me their muse, the queen and her family exchanged that lavish treatment for my obedience and freedom.

I don’t think I ever told you this, but... I remember I asked once if I could see my mother—

Honestly, I could never forget, no matter how many years it passes, the way the adults’ faces all fell off. It was like a mask. I was in a masked ball, and I was the Fool alright. I thought, with all the certainty of a child, that they would never let me leave. This wasn’t just a quick trip... This would be my happily ever after.

I felt this many, many times in my life, but there—no more than a child, in a fanciful dinner surrounded by the queen’s entourage, for the first time the world seemed to hold no place for me, despite how large it was.

...

Not so wordy now, huh? You are such a dummy.”

Duleep never forgot about his mother, who was still exiled in Nepal—and perhaps, as the truth dawned upon him and his situation, now more than any other time, he found a glimmer of truth in his core: he simply wanted to see her again. At the age of seventeen, under the cover of the night, when even his dissatisfaction would go to sleep, he finally gathered the courage to write letters to urge her to join him in England, citing the beautiful sights, the gentleness of the hosts, and above all, the longing he felt for a mother he never saw again... But as it was expected, every correspondence was intercepted and confiscated by the British. Even when he tried to send a human messenger instead of a letter, the Queen’s people hindered his journey. To the young prince, it seemed like he’d had no choice but to go there himself.

A plan brewed silently within his heart. A year later, old enough to travel by himself—or at least, without any minders—by posing as a participant in a tiger hunt in Bengal, he managed to fool the authorities and slip a correspondence that was taken to her. It was an ingenuous plan that would make Mo... I mean, it would make the Queen proud, should she know of it before, for it was precisely the amount of youthful cheekiness and resolute resourcefulness she secretly appreciated, even though she outwardly had to disapprove of everything messy... Oh, but... My apologies... I digress...

In any case... It was thanks to that small escapate that he found out about her grim conditions, about the disease that was slowly consuming her. Gone were the days where the regent was known as a courageous and steadfast woman—in her place, there was a woman stripped of every reason to live, still walking her days as if by duty. Crushed by that realization, the prince pleaded one last time to allow her to come to him, to care for her as a son should.

His words seemed to strike a chord in their frozen hearts, and for a moment there was understanding—or, perhaps more accordingly, they merely noticed that she would not be a threat anymore, neither to the prince's brainwash nor to the Crown... And so they allowed Duleep to reunite with his mother.

For the remainder of their little time together, he heard of her stories. With all the worldly wear of his young years, he heard of princes and dragons, of castles and magic.

“Once upon a time, in a far, far away land, there lived a prince—”

The memories of a home made of gold were a blur, his time in a land that once was his were foreign images, the only memory Duleep still retained from his land was of a great parade of humiliation—and the eyes of a vengeful diamond that seemed to still follow his every move. But he still listened to her dying words filled with love, intent to imagine with all his heart that home his mother loved so much... And when he closed his eyes, he started to feel longing for a land that was never his, but it signified something so precious nevertheless.

For in a distant, distant land, there lived the place where he belonged. His rightful place.

Sadly, a few months later, Jind Kaur died at the age of 46. For this occasion and only under the supervision of officials, the prince was allowed to take her ashes back to her homeland, and what awaited him in India was not the fairy tale of his dreams, but only that... A foreign land that did not welcomed him anymore.

He dared to imagine a beautiful fairy tale for a moment, but reality is most times everything that truly matters.

Yet, the disappointment and resentment that was always boiling deep underneath finally reached a breaking point. It was that frustration that prompted him to rebel against his captors for the first time, and without consulting anyone, he moved back to India, reconverting to Sikhism. It seemed that, despite everything the British had tried to do with him, he still longed to reconnect with a part of himself that he allowed to let go. One that still called for him stubbornly.

He was eager to learn about his homeland, being prevented from doing so by his handlers for his entire life until then. And as he did, slowly but surely, for the first time, the memories of humiliation and curse were nowhere to be found—what he saw instead was a world beyond the small cage that confined him. That said, ultimately the authority of the Queen still had the power to take him into custody and bring him back to Europe as if a disobeying child.

Until then, the relationship between Duleep and the royal family had always been complicated... At times affectionate, at others turbulent. I suppose it was only natural that ambivalence would always hide behind his eyes... After all, the British East India Company had taken possession of his ancestral lands, but until the death of his mother he still wanted to believe that there was a part of them that saw him as family.

As he was brought back to his estate, to a cage made of gold, he seemed to finally understand that he had not even been seen as a human being by those people. He was just that—a hostage. A prisoner. And what value is there behind faint marks of success? In the end, a cage was still a cage.

It had been just like this... Throughout his troubled life, Duleep had been a nomad. Moving between England and India without belonging to either of them. And ultimately, leaving behind even things he thought he never had, he passed away in a hotel room.

Perhaps one could even think that, at that moment, his life under the clutches of the British Empire was over for good, but they still had one last betrayal in store for him...

On top of the death unfit for a king—penniless and alone—he had expressed his wishes to be brought back to India to rest with his ancestors. However, fearing that his return would spark an uprising for the symbolic value of returning the body of the Lion of Punjab’s son to his people, the British instead followed Christian customs and buried him in the cemetery of Elveden Church, in Thetford.

I do not dare to speak of your feelings, fallen prince, no more than I am doing right now by speaking of things out of turn. Despite not agreeing with the conclusion you reached, it is understandable—the world, indeed, had failed you most painfully. And surrounded by my own misery, that seemed so imposing at the time, I, too, was blind to your suffering...

“It’s fine. It’s truly fine. It’s just one more tale of this world... The last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire... During my birth, Lahore was the capital of the Punjab—however, the British allocated this portion of my land to Pakistan after the partition of India. Which means that the loss of influence in my own territory persisted even after I died...

Honestly... What will being sad for me accomplish? Will berating yourself for things outside of your control make you feel better for your negligence? As I said... It’s fine.

All in all, I can even say that it was a pathetic life... It’s only natural that I’m such a pathetic Servant. But there’s a saying for moments like these, right? 「An injured lion is infinitely more dangerous than a healthy one.」 Or so, it’s what I want to believe. And you know what? Instead of feeling guilty, like a dummy, it would make me far happier if you could believe in it with me.

You’ve always been good at believing, if I’m not mistaken...?”

Personal Skills

All the Sad Tales EX

Master, do you think a 「curse」 can feel? Do you think it has a conscience? Or, much like a force of nature, it simply exists? I used to believe in that, but seeing the strength of the diamond’s curse, it makes me think... Maybe, there is something deeply human, even, on a thing that continues to hate a neglectful owner.

Duleep touched the black diamond only once. And yet, it had been enough to curse him with a lifetime of misfortune.

Do you think the pitch-black stone wished to stay with India? Do you think it resented Duleep for giving it away without a fight—do you think it cursed him for not having fought for it? Do you think it still sleeps, even today, dreaming of a home that will not come back?

“You are not just trying to humanize the Koh-i-Noor right now!”

I’m not, I swear! I’m trying to understand why it hates you so much until this day.

—I mean, only hate could ever explain the nature of this curse, right? You are cursed with a misfortune I cannot explain in any other way. That is your ability. You are a walking sponge, taking in maledictions, unluckiness and pain wherever you go. Sure this heals people of their current problems, perhaps it even gives them the chance of being happy... Saying that it is all for the well-being of the world, but still... You suffer all the while... It just doesn’t seem very fair to me.

I just am thinking that, maybe, this is the jewel’s twisted way of always staying with you, the owner it had chosen? Maybe it even misses you...

“Well, I can assure you I don’t want to be missed by that.”

Yes, I imagine you don’t...

—Oh, well, it is merely a bunch of conjectures, my apologies for making you believe I know what I am talking about... In the end, only one truth remains: as long as Duleep walks in this world, he will never know 「luck.」

All the Happy Tales B

The story goes like this, according to what I remember: surrounded by riches and opportunities, the young prince Duleep seemed to always have been fortunate. Supported by the Queen, he was able to amass a great fortune and a number of houses by just asking for it—and thanks to that, perhaps as an attempt of fitting in, he was known for his charismatic nature that could bring anyone to his side and the social gatherings that were spectacles in itself.

He is looking extremely disgusted right now, but there is truth behind his words when he says he lived in a gilded cage. M... The Queen had always been generous in this regard.

“I was a model prisoner, of course.”

—You could use that word, yes.

Nevertheless, by being known for having so much that he did not even know what to do with everything he possessed, even though behind the facade he was as empty as the night sky, when he became a guardian perhaps the world interpreted this anecdote a bit too literally. I mean... How come you amassed this amount of Skills? This ability explains that outrageously big list, right?

“Most of them are cosmetic and don’t give me any edge in a real battle. Furthermore, the only thing I’m good at is gathering curses for myself, as if I’m a greedy dragon or something—do you think Riding or Madness Enhancement would help me with that?

I don’t think anyone learned that lesson when I was alive, but not all what glitters is gold. I told you I’m a useless Servant.”

There he goes again... Do not mind him, Master. Every time one speaks of the diamond, his mood immediately sours...

Once Upon a Time A

“Once upon a time, in a far, far away land, there lived a prince—”

One day, his life would have a happy ending. He was, after all, a prince—and in the stories of his childhood, princes went to marry the princesses they saved from the clutches of evil dragons and mad witches. They would live happily ever after in everlasting bliss.

Instead, when he looked into the eyes of the World, what he saw was the truth—dragons and warriors, princesses and witches, and above them all, a pitch-black diamond that poured endless curses, his soul drowning in the mud it produced.

I think it speaks of his strength of character that a revelation such as that did not crush his spirit, it did not soured his love and made him curse the world with the same energy of the diamond that poisoned his life. Instead, what he saw in his last moments was a wish as tiny and innocent as an infant...

If happy endings were things reserved for a few chosen ones, then they surely existed, even if not for him—then, surely someone else was waiting for them. That happy endings could exist, then, it was a revelation worth fighting for. If someone out there could be happy...

It was worth fighting against dragons, as if a dashing prince...

And whenever a soul would call for the glimmer of a dark jewel, then he would be there to remind them every time that happy endings could exist—but only far away from that.

And so, I can see it very clearly. Having reached the conclusion of his dreams, he closed his eyes one last time, and despite all of that, found himself still waiting even after everything. He found his heart still young and fresh with hope, still wishing for a happy ending of his own that never came.

You see, Master, my friend is a stubborn one. One day, he will grow up from the discovery that the world has no place for him anywhere, not when he was a bright-eyed prince, not now as a guardian of mankind...

And, then, when this happens... When the doors of his gilded cage burst open, he will fly away in the morning sky and take in all the wonders of a world denied to him.

He did asked me to believe, isn't that right...?

Noble Phantasm


Osborne House
Our Dreams, Neverlasting

Rank B
Anti-Reality

Some say that a child needs not to understand the meaning of life. It is enough to find someone who does, and then they can fall asleep in this person’s arms, knowing that someone stronger than you is protecting you from all evil and danger... Stars are beautiful, but they must not take an active part in anything, they must just look on forever.

Or that is to say, I suppose that Duleep’s 「treasures」 are ultimately all 「curses...」

But even then, knowing him like I do, I believe that he cherishes this suffering, even through the sliver of truth behind them, because it is with this pain that he will fight.

I might be biased in this regard, but I do believe there is something incredibly kind behind this Noble Phantasm, even though it might represent the years he lived in a blissful lie. One of his many halves, unable to reconcile and ever become a whole.

After all, why would he bother to construct an entire new world inside of his own, populated by the constructs of someone else—his target of choice—and allow them to slowly, gently, wither away instead of facing the harsh reality of war?

I know he most likely hates this ability, which might even explain why one would not even know he possesses it, lest they really push his buttons... But I think there is beauty behind it. To create a blank template and allow people to fill them with their own experiences, their own characters and their own dream of a better life... So seamlessly that one might not even notice, not even when it is already too late, that they are inside the most beautiful of dreams.

Is it really cruel to only allow people to dream? I think that, especially a Servant, deserves a bit of respite.

And maybe, one is allowed a happy ending of their own making, even though it might not ever exist in the world they inhabit. But that is alright—because the dream might become their reality, if they wish so.

“...Is it really that good? To forget to live in order to dwell in a good dream?”

—Well, in my opinion, without them, one is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. But I know you always were the type that would rather 「live」 than 「exist.」

“Not really... Sometimes I would dream. It seemed like the only right thing to do. Hope is a waking dream, after all.

But even that, eventually, seemed like the ashes of my mother I scattered in the wind...

If I might be still too complacent to others, I suppose this other curse is me accepting that I need to 「grow up」 from this dream faster.

So... From the hands of a fallen prince, the one last gift—from the hands of a fallen prince, now all of my belongings are put away. Some for charity, some for dump, some to be saved for a happier 「one day」 that feels as distant as the stars. I will give you my soul if I feel you need it more, but do be careful.

Happiness is an allegory, unhappiness is a story. And to the eyes of a diamond, a man is but the sum of his misfortunes.”

Koh-i-Noor
Lightless Jewel of Wistful Misfortune

Rank C
Anti-Unit

Ah, yes. The fabled 「Mountain of Light.」 One of the most cursed jewels in all of history, said to bring death, despair and misfortunes abound to all who owned it.

According to the tales, at the end of a beautiful festival, a prince gave away to the enemy the greatest treasure of his family—a pitch-black jewel that consumed the lives of everyone before him. It had been the dearest possession of his late father, so much more loved than any of his wives, his progeny, his entire kingdom... It had been the foundation of his people, the source of their happiness.

To give that jewel away, surely it must have felt as if he was giving away his entire world. 「Happy」 tales and 「sad」 tales, all of those contained in a jewel that nurtured the wishes of generations. And it was his entire world he gave away that day.

So, as you see, Master, this one is a Noble Phantasm that crystalizes a tale of sadness—the story of a fallen prince known for giving away his treasure to another. And so, he was cursed for wishing, even if for the tiniest of seconds—for such is the power of the black diamond that went to my family instead. Cursed for passively watching the ooze that sprang from an entire new source. Cursed for existing near it.

Cursed for taking pleasure in knowing he was not alone in his misery, at least—that family, too, suffered deeply. I know his heart... And I know he had always cursed himself for the satisfaction gained from it.

From the hands of a prince, to the crown of a queen. From the moment it left his hands, the Koh-i-Noor became a 「symbol of subjugation,」 being fed an entire new array of negative emotions from a whole new source. A monster that is dormant, perhaps, but never truly gone. Like the evils of humanity, one day it will wake up from a deep slumber.

The prince responsible for unleashing it into the world, however, will be there to take this challenge head on, I am sure of it—

But, in a sense, I think that this symbol of subjugation is perpetuated through this ability. In simpler words, it could be said that it is the act of taking the world’s misfortunes that are accumulated in his Saint Graph and, ultimately, giving them away under the guise of a 「gift,」 or the power to redirect misfortune he had experienced and accumulated—at advanced stages, even misfortunes that were already done to him, such as wounds or curses and maledictions. Naturally, if those around him are experiencing misfortune, then it could be said he becomes 「the luckiest,」 instead.

From what I can gather, it is like the creation of a Grail, but on a much smaller scale... Truly impressive, if one stops to think about it...

I do not think he’d enjoy this compliment, though. Nevertheless, if one is given possession of the famed diamond, from then on, it is merely a matter of letting nature take its course—

After all, there is not a single person in this world that hasn’t been cursed by the darkest of all stars. And that 「crystalized curse」 can only be given, freely and truly, 「by his hands.」

—That, too, is a 「curse」 my foolish, dearest friend must bear.

“...”

What? Not so wordy now, huh? You are such a dummy.

“...That’s my phrase!”

Personality

Likes

“Things I like? Sorry, I forgot.

—What? Do you really think I’m lying?”

Dislikes

“There are many things I hate. On top of them all, however, is the Koh-i-Noor. This cursed object poisoned everything it touched—even me. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to smash it to smithereens... And if I can’t be the one, then I hope one day someone does it. Its beauty isn’t worth the misery it begets.”

Wish for the Holy Grail

“I’m... Sort of contractually obligated to not have a wish, per se, you know... That being said… Do live healthily, and away from the people who got involved with that curse. Be very far away from me, even. Stop summoning just about anyone, jeez! Yes, that would be the closest thing to a wish I could have at this moment.”

Do not believe him if he ever tells you he’s cursed or a failure. He had always been extremely hard on himself, more than anyone else... It is a curse of kindness, truly. The more one extends love to those around them, very little remains for oneself. So do not believe in his own words, not in regards to that, at least... After all, those are not words one would describe Duleep as—instead, believe in his kindness and in his great heart, that is able to forgive even though everything in the world might whisper the opposite in his ears.

According to his handlers and the accounts of the queen, he used to be an innocent and friendly child. I have memories of his cheekiness and the bravery he’d demonstrate in the face of the unknown—but when you are all alone in the world, what other choice do you have but to have courage? I didn’t understand that, not at that time.

However, I do understand that, having been called to the world again in the shape of his childhood, those characteristics are possibly things he wished to maintain more than the weary and bleak existence that was the later years of his life... It is a conscious effort to present himself in this manner, much like a decrepit house that has been coated with fresh paint. But I think that even behind this decision lies his 「truth.」

Maybe, it is difficult to understand when an individual sees contentment in his demise, it is possible that it becomes even more confusing to think that one finds in servitude to the 「world」 a way to feel useful beyond any riches his past life had brought him... But that is a fate only Servants will ever understand. Even though he says he’s still as much of a caged bird as he was with the British, at least as a Counter Guardian, there is the freedom of choice. He chose this 「life,」 and so, he is finally content with it.

That said, despite believing that one shouldn’t take anything from a life gone with them, he still abhors liars and deceivers since those were vultures he is all too familiar with—and perhaps because of it, Duleep has little sympathy for any lie told to him or even heard by him in passing. Oh, but that was a characteristic he demonstrated even during childhood, really... There’s really no quicker way to win his antipathy.

In the same vein, being honest to the point of bluntness, despite sounding rude to some, will actually make him respect such a person. Ask Bertie, I swear I never understood whatever the two of them had... Boys are always like that... But I know it’s his personal code, and he lives by it whether one likes it or not—being very honest himself in turn, even though it might hurt.

All in all, I think you will find that he is a pleasant boy as long as everything runs smoothly. I’d say, even, a boy that longs to grow up and find the happy ending that was promised to him. A boy who believes even today, despite all odds, that it must exist somewhere in this universe.

And until there, he battles for his future.

Relationships

Charles II, "Rufus"
(WhiteFrenzy, Scotcheroos)

“How strange... Perhaps, my heart is saying that, in another life, we met under different circumstances...”

Mohammed Abdul Karim
(BnEl15)

“Do you like your chains? Or do they feel like freedom to you?”

Proof of Eternity
Shah Jahan I
(BnEl15)

“You are but a link in an ancient chain. Your misery was brought by this object, but you don’t even know of it. Everything you ever thought about, then and now, and forevermore, is on her.

How fortunate… To love and to be loved to that extent. Then, life would be like an overflowing cup.”

Proof of Conquest
Nader Shah Afshar
(Scotcheeros)

“There are many things I wished I could say to you, King of Curses. But maybe, at this point even an obtuse brute such as you knows that to grant a name to something is to 「birth」 it into this world. And a life you nurture—or a life you take—is a life you must take with you at all times.

So... Are you satisfied?

—No, I don’t think I want to hear your answer. It does not interest me.”

Proof of Attachment
Shah Shuja Durrani
(BnEl15)

“You viewed people as less than humans, but you were the ugliest of all monsters instead. I think this is why the jewel looked like only a piece of jewelry in your hands—even it could not match your hideousness.”

Proof of Irrelevancy
Gulab Singh
(BnEl15)

“I’m busy right now, so I will be brief—

I hate you. I despise everything that has to do with you. More than the Queen herself, you are my enemy.

Maybe to the human Master, you are a precious friend to be cherished and respected—but to the world, you are nothing but a sad accident. It does not care about who stands between me and the completion of my duty. So, do not give me any excuses to make you into a stepping stone towards my goal. Leave my sight while I’m still feeling generous.”

Proof of Origins
Prataparudra II
(Scotcheeros)

“I’m sorry for your misfortune. To be graced by the black diamond’s gaze means to suffer. However, you can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation... Trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened... Or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move on. And maybe this is valiant in its own way.

But what you do, instead, is monstrous beyond belief. And yet, it is so human it pains me—but, to avert your eyes from reality won’t make it go away.”

Proof of Masquerading
Ahmad Shāh Abdālī
(Scotcheeros)

“Everything about this man is fake—even things he deems as honest as it comes. The ooze consumed his very core. It is a curse as much as it is simply his nature. And... Frankly, exactly because of that, it gives me the creeps... I do not wish to engage with that person, if I’m allowed to choose.”

Proof of Coveting
Ranjit Singh
(BnEl15)

“I have nothing against you. Truly, my heart does not feel either sadness or happiness over our reunion. Much like the diamond, you are a ghost of my past that keeps haunting me.

I made a promise to the world because I could not stop thinking about that day... I could have stopped this madness, and yet, I gave that thing away and allowed it to rot me as well...

That thing is a cursed object, father... It brought ruin to you—it made you dependent on it. It made you believe that all your conquests were thanks to it, when that’s not true. You’ve always been capable. And it cursed me too—for giving it away, it cursed me to wander aimlessly just like it also had. If it couldn’t have its rightful place anymore, then I, the ultimate traitor, also wouldn’t have this right.

The Koh-i-Noor is not the beacon of light of your dreams. No... Even talking about dreams in this situation is absolutely wrong. After all, this world has no place for my dream or yours. We are walking memories.

The glory of our people is only in our hearts, and nowhere else. And so is every curse laid upon us both.

Cease your meaningless search for the Koh-i-Noor, Lion of the Punjab. Free yourself from your own shackles. For once, be better than I ever was.

—Or else, perish by my hands again and again. You will find out that I’m more than willing to do it every time. I won’t let this thing curse anyone else.”

Proof of Resolution
???
(BnEl15)

“What horrible curses are wearing you down. It would even be for the best if you could just... I could help you with that, even... Ah, but that would not be fair, would it?

After all, I used to respect you. No... I used to search for shades of my father in your face.

I even used to think that it would be rather nice—to be like them, bonded by blood to you, just another child frolicking around in the Osborne House.

But you’re a liar, just like all the others. One of the worst kind, even—because you lied even to those you loved. You are a farce and they don’t even know.

Thank you for everything you’ve done, for your battle against the curse of my family, but... I’ll be going now. Far, far away from your reach.

——But, before that... Prince? Do try and tell them the truth this time. You will be surprised with how much one’s own perception of someone else can wrong them.”

???

“I don’t love you anymore. But, if that’s a comfort, I also don’t hate you like I used to.

I think that, today, I’m only sad—it just saddens me that you were the only thing between me and my home. And yet, you made me feel like it was all me. You turned everyone against me, even myself, and no judgment ever came to you for that.

Have you ever enjoyed it? Looking me into the eyes, telling me I was such a precious young man, while whispering to others that I couldn’t absolutely leave Britain, nor alive or dead? That you all should scrub every influence of my culture from my heart, because those were dangerous ideas... Say, have you enjoyed twisting the knife in my back?

I could hate you for humiliating me even after my death, but—honestly, what’s the point? It’s done. It’s not over, but it’s done. And now you’re a memory, just like me.

But I want you to know that one day, maybe many, many eons into the future, I will be happy. I will be full again. Despite all your tries, I will endure.

—And as for you... You will stay in the past where you belong.”

Once Upon a Time, in a Distant Dream
Craft Essence

“You know, I would’ve just asked you to stop talking in that weird way and do it like a normal person... You did not need to change your shape for me.”

“I know. But, if I’m not mistaken, my dearest friend was never fond of 「lies.」”

Those words stunned him. It seemed like a long time until he could smile again, perhaps against his better judgment.

“Since you are too stubborn to ask it, I'm not... Will you stay here with me for a moment?”

“You're lucky that there’s nothing else I want more right now.”

She nods, as if pleased to hear that. And finally, behind a face that grew old and strange in his eyes, there lied the smile that he still remembered. And it was all his.

“I’m glad to see you again, fallen prince.”

“—Me too, fallen empress.”

Just out there, beyond right and wrong, there was a field with the scent of rosemaries. It did not exist any longer but in their memories, and yet, they met there. When the soul lies in that grass, when the world is too full to talk about, there is only silence behind their smiling eyes.

The young are brash and impatient—only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything, and still feel content.

He did not know until when that would last.

One day—that might last a lifetime, or merely a pair of seconds—he would have to return to the World, for his mission would never end. While life existed in this world, so would do 「curses.」

But a part of him, surprisingly so, thought that he would like to stay in that garden a bit longer.

In another life, he would like to stay in the Osborne House, smiling at an old friend. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence, and he would’ve loved to see the sun rise with her.

In another life, he would’ve liked to weave his own story. And for a moment, he even thought absently-minded about how it would start...

No... His heart knew already, even before his mind...

Once upon a time, in a far, far away land, there lived a prince—

---

You don't get how many times this whole sheet went to crap because of this stupid formatting. It's so pretty but it's so stupid. I love and hate it.
Anyway, here's more angsty people involved with dubious gems. It was a honor to be a part of this.

And who knows... This might sparkle a series of its own, one day. Let's see if the world will allow me to cook.

Until then, take care of yourselves!

[Frigix]

Is it just me or some of the post doesn't seems to work, like Frigix's Unsinkable Sam post doesn't show the sheet at all

fixed

[jishara]

Class: Avenger
Other Classes: N/A
True Name: Haftvad
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Place of Origin: Shahnameh
Stars: 4/5

Parameters:

STR: B
END: C(EX)
AGI: D
MGI: B
LCK: EX
NP: A

Height: 190cm
Weight: 180lbs
Likes: A peaceful life, accumulating wealth, family
Dislikes: Noblemen, egos
Talent: Luck
Natural Enemy: Ardashir I
Attribute: Earth
Traits: Human, Male, Demonic, Curse
Armament: Mace
Catalyst: Worm in a bejeweled box

Class Skills:

Avenger A: A skill representing how hated one is. As one of the ones reputed as an "infamous villain", Haftvad is easily able to gather all grudges onto himself, and for every grudge that is accumulated power is gained.

Oblivion Correction B: One's refusal to ever forget their rage and vengeance, manifested in the form of a skill. Haftvad will never forget his goal to doom all those who claim to be "good", and crush them once and for all, even under curses. Gains precision.

Self-Replenishment (Mana) E(X): As long as Haftvad's vengeance remains unfulfilled, his mana will endlessly surge. A skill somewhat controlled by his Noble Phantasm Worm of Haftvad.

Personal Skills:

Endless Thread B: The endless thread provided by his daughter, the original finder of the Worm of Haftvad, manifested in the form of a skill. Tarred in the name of Angra Mainyu, the thread too became reputed as an element of "absolute evil", resulting in it becoming almost a thread of void. Inky black cords that stretch out endlessly, controlled by Haftvad.

Demoralizing Strike A-: His sheer skill at demoralizing his opponents. Until his noble phantasm is revealed, all enemies who face him will receive massive amounts of demoralization, many becoming almost unwilling to fight. This weakens when the noble phantasm is revealed, and once more when its weakness is discovered. This fades away when the Worm of Haftvad dies.

Touch of Angra Mainyu B: The touch of the "god" who legendarily created death and evil in the world, bestowed upon one who was once an ordinary man. Produced primarily by the tales told, as this was never around in his life. The ability to utilize bursts of shadow as a sort of Mana Burst through his mace, fists, or Endless Thread.

Noble Phantasm(s):

Veres Manha
The Worm of Eternal Fortune


Type: Summon
Rank: A
Range: N/A
Max Targets: 1

The Worm of Eternal Fortune. When Haftvad first manifests, the worm too manifests with him inside a minute chest. But every twelve hours, the worm grows, empowering Haftvad's skills, strength, Self-Replenishment (Mana), and Luck, among other things. At its start, it is completely unhelpful in fighting, but by two or three days in, it nears the size of a lion and can become quite dangerous. However, as killing it will destroy Haftvad's Luck stat, Self-Replenishment (Mana), Demoralizing Strike, Endless Thread, and Endurance, among other things, this will likely only become relevant when the worm is attacked, as Haftvad would never send it into battle.

Lore: Haftvad is the antagonist of a famous tale told in the Shahnameh and other epic poems, starting at the rise of Ardashir the First. As the tale goes, Haftvad was a local village man with seven sons and one daughter. One day, the daughter finds a worm, and keeps it in her sewing chest. Miraculously, she spins double the thread that day, and every following day the amount of thread she spins increases. Haftvad feeds the worm well and the family rises to village prominence. The noblemen ruling the village take umbrage and attack him, following which he mobilises the villagers and seizes control. At this point Ardashir decides Haftvad is getting too powerful and decides to attack him. He is crushed three times in a row, each time getting more demoralized, and almost deciding to turn back, before being told of Haftvad's worm. Ardashir then pretends to be a merchant, sneaks into Haftvad's castle, becomes trusted enough to get to see the worm, pours molten lead down the worm's throat, killing it, and then executes Haftvad and his family, taking control.

Personality: A somewhat stern and vaguely ordinary person in many respects. He seems pretty effective but not like he fits among these legendary heroes and villains. When he meets one revered by the world as "good", however, such as Ardashir, if he were to manifest, along with people like Mozart, Odysseus, and other such figures, he begins to singlemindedly wish to attack and destroy them to show the world that what is thought to be good isn't always good. Of course, he can theoretically be convinced not to by that figure if they have sufficient charisma. His wish for the grail is to become revered as a hero and for Ardashir to be known as a wicked villain.

Relationships:

Ardashir I: "You!" (charges him)

Angra Mainyu: "Come, sit. Is everything okay?"

Marozia: "..Much like a bejeweled scorpion."

[haika0000]

“Someday it’ll come to us , to every man and woman the perfect gods!”

Class: Caster
Other Classes: N/A
True Name: Phidias
Alignment: Lawful good
Place of Origin: Greek , Athena

Parameters:
STR: C
END: D
AGI: C
MGI: A
LCK: B
NP: EX

Height: 178cm (173 without armor)
Weight: 74kg (not counting armor)
Likes: Luxury, Perfection, Unlimited Budget
Dislikes: Earthquake, Fire, Out of Budget
Talent: Sculpting
Natural Enemy: none
Attribute: Human

Class Skills:

[Territory Creation] : A

Even though he not a direct creator phidias still heavy contributor to many grand temples so Creation of a "Temple", which is superior to a "Workshop", becomes possible. His Temple can also act as factory in its self

[Item Construction]: EX

It is the Skill to manufacture magical items. His Specialization is sculptures that imitates the body of a Greek god, or in modern terms, a machine. Combined this with his noble phantasm he can make something that reach divine construct level.
Example of something he can make is
> A robot golem that can regenerate itself
> A drone that. An regenerate itself
> Hypersonic Vehicle
> Magic based Turret that can penetrate servant’s skin
> Power armor that grant have C rank stat to wearers
> Bombs, grenades, flash bombs, and smoke bombs that disrupt magic.
> EMP that can make magical items stop working
> Seeking missle launcher
> Disc that can shoot gravitational fields
> Laser gun
> jet pack

Personal Skills:

[Golden Rule (Material)]: C

When in life Phidias never rich enough to gain normal golden rule , a genius artist like him still can attract many rich people to support his work enough to get this. This skill will attract those with enough material to support his work and repels those who doesn’t
In other words he a servants that you can’t normally summon if you doesn’t rich enough

[Appreciation of the Arts]: A

If he happens to see a Noble Phantasm that possess artistic anecdotes, there is a high chance that he might be able to figure out its true name
In his case this skill also Covers to some divine construct

[Gold of Atena]: C

There is a rumor that Phidias stole a large amount of gold that should have been used for his work. This skill work as “pocket dimension” make him can summon or stole huge amounts of raw materials as will
He also gain a small chance to get some of the materials back when the work is completed.

[Divinity (fake)] : C

The fake divinity that he imitated with his work this was tied to his armor and would lose this skill when he lost the armor.

Noble Phantasm(s):

“Recovery completed!! Come to me, my perfect god!!”

Name : [Deus ex humanitas] [Perfect sculpture of gods]
Type: Anti-Self
Rank: EX
Range: N/A
Max Targets: 1
This is Phidias most perfect and last work The Zeus of Olympia itself


A thought many will think this is normal sculpture in reality it’s was a replica of Zeus’s machine body Phidias making this after traveling throughout Greece and encountering the remnants of the gods, even though this is just a replica and come nowhere close to the machines gods it’s power still rivals the divine spirit Zeus himself.


Needless to say it’s need huge amounts of magical energy. creating this without temple build on a leyline it’s impossible even then it’s need to gather magical energy for weeks and a lot of expensive ingredients and in the final step he had to perform a ritual that took up to three days.


When perfect this noble phantasm will take a form of “will-less body”(mecha) and need a “will”(Pilot) someone that control its from inside its can be anyone heroic spirit or mere human doesn’t different
.
When pilot is ready they will gain access to “Replicated-Authority” of Zeus. a power of Lighning itself will be unleashed Attack on a level of “System keraunos” will be like a normal attack for the pilot. However, its magic power will be quickly consumed and it will be slowly eliminated by Gaia.

Another weakness it’s come from Phidias mindset Since he didn't view this as a weapon but an evolution, he didn't create a way to get out of this machine if its power ran out or the machine was destroyed, the pilot and the machine would die together. This weakness could be bypass if you forced or persuaded him to create an exit, but in that case, the machine's power would be greatly reduced.

Name : [Aigis] [Fake Divine Body Boundary Field]
Type : Anti-Unit (Self)
Rank : B+
Range : 1
Targets : 1
Ablity : A crystallize of all his legends and his second most famous work Athena Parthenon

This np create when he try to replicate Aigis when it’s believed that Aigis is Athena’s shields he discovered that it’s actually a shared Authority between Gods of Olympus. So he connect himself and his replicants to the real Aigis’s link and grants himself access to God of Olympus power.

Even though it’s concept and seem to unbelievable and powerful this kind of connection between gods and mage are actually common in age of gods. So what he do it’s doesn’t that special

in practice, he is like being able to cast spells from the age of the gods by creating things. Example is He can create lightning bolts by simulating Zeus, release mind-controlling sound waves by simulating Aphrodite, Rain light bullets from Apollo or Artemis, and create a mechanical army from Ares, etc.



Lore: Phideus of Aten, he was a genius since birth, studied many arts, but what he was most interested in was the art of sculpture. He believed that it was an art that allowed humans to access the characteristics and forms of the gods to get closer to them.

As he grew up, Phideus traveled all over Greece in search of the perfect form. He studied various records, including magic, to get closer and closer to the forms of the gods. At the same time, his works became more and more famous.

His last work in life and his greatest work was Zeus of Olympia. It was a work that came closest to the gods, almost returning to their true forms. But before Phideus could actually use it, he was killed by his sponsors because the project was too much over budget.

Personality: Phidias is not like other artists heroic who like to keep to themself ,Although he worships and admires his work, it never prevents him from his fellow human beings. He believes that good things can come from working together, so he has a good relationship with people around him.
Even so, he is not a good friend or business partner. Phidias, despite being a genius who does excellent work, has the lowest financial ability and often disturbied other financially.

“C… can I not pay this month? I don’t have any money…”

He believes that the next step in human evolution is to become like the Greek mechanical gods. He does not worship the gods, but sees them as prototypes that should be reached, no different from well-drawn blueprints.

“Do I worship the gods? I think the will of the gods are chaotic, but the bodies are strong and powerful. If the human mind could control the body like that, it would be great.”

“Hm? What does you mean by human mind and gods will are similar?! I’m human so of course I bias!!”

Relationships:

Avicebron: “want to build next step of humanoty is understandable want to do it’s with golem is still understandable but seriously with dirt and clay? isn’t it far too cheap?”

Odysseus : “Wow a real Aigis?! Let me look at its!”

galantine: “Hm a sculptor that become human? and also possessed the blessing of god, interesting, can i look at you closer miss.”

​​Orion (Artemis): Artemis?! wait not real body?.. muh”

Europa : “those automaton of your… a great work indeed but it’s too inhuman for me”

Minamoto-no-Tametomo : “Huh? Woh?! That body?! it’s this my dream come true?!… No No No you have too many mistakes! Let me rebuild you! Please!”

Tesla: “Tesla? That man who can make Zeus power become everyday use? let me look at his blue print! Please!”

[Skull]

Saber

“Power is dangerous. It always corrupts the best and attracts the absolute worst. In the end, power should only be given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up…”



True Name: Hrólfr Kraki
Epithet: “Lord of the Twelve Berserkers”
Region: Denmark (6th Century)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Likes: Family, Treasure
Dislikes: Deities, Witches
Talents: Deception, Falconry
Natural Enemy: King Aðils

Parameters
STR: (B) END: (B) AGI: (C) MGI: (D) LCK: (E) NP: (B)

Character

Saber takes the form of Hrólfr Kraki, the legendary King of Denmark in the early 6th Century who led the iconic Twelve Berserkers of Hleiðargarðr.

In spite of his reputation, Hrólfr is deceptively short and slender for such a ferocious and famous Viking king. However appearances are deceiving and underneath his clothes, Hrólfr has the hardened muscular frame of a seasoned warrior. Laid-back and carefree, Hrólfr is secure in the knowledge that he was the strongest king in his day, only slain at the end due to the witchcraft of his jealous sister. Thus he is relatively mild mannered and friendly to those he deems are not a threat - and in particular was well renowned for his sense of generosity, never failing to help people who needed it which earned him the fierce loyalty of his subjects. Ultimately Hrólfr’s greatest asset is not his superhuman strength, but instead his cunning mind as seen when he tricked the rival King Hjörvarđr into becoming his subordinate rather than having to waste soldier’s lives in conquering his kingdom. This knowledge of the arts of deception makes Hrólfr difficult to manipulate and the only person known to have done so was the farmer Hrani who turned out to be Odin in disguise. This always left a sour taste in his mouth and so Hrólfr prefers not to leave his fate in the hands of higher beings but rather his own skill and judgement. It is for the best as unbeknownst to Hrólfr, his father in his ignorance unwittingly brought about a Curse on the entire family to be of poor fortune and this is the reason behind Hrólfr’s terrible Luck Stat as a Servant.

In a Grail War, Hrólfr is eager to prove that he is no figurehead ruler and that he is just as capable as any of his warriors. When combined with his childhood oath to “never flee from fire nor steel”, this creates a stubborn old man who stands his ground and fights on - even against enemies for whom he is no match. Because Hrólfr famously commanded Twelve of the greatest Berserkers, it is only natural that he would be very curious to see the measure of the Berserker Class Servant summoned into the same Grail War as him and so he will be determined to seek them out to see how they compare. How Hrólfr ultimately fares will come down to the compatibility between him and his Master. Having taken a lot of advice throughout his life by his trusted companion Bödvar Bjarki, Hrólfr is more than willing to take the counsel of a Master, but the painful memories of Skuld’s betrayal linger on and he won’t last long if he suspects his Master is being treacherous to their partnership.

His Wish upon the Holy Grail? Naturally it would be to reverse his fortune at the end of his life so that he and his Berserkers were triumphant over the forces of his Elvish half-sister Skuld. That way he could live to see his daughters grow up and be happy.

Skills

Class Skills

Magic Resistance - (B)
The granting of protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether. As a warrior king from antiquity who fought against witches and trǫlls, Hrólfr has plenty of experience in the supernatural. Because of this, he has gained a strong immunity to magical effects and will automatically reject any spells with a chant below three verses. Even if he is targeted by Greater Magecraft and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for him to be affected in short bursts of exposure.

Riding - (B)
The 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. Hrólfr has excellent aptitude in horse-riding, as demonstrated during the chase battle across the marshy plains of the Fyrisvellir where he and his men easily evaded the forces of King Aðils. As a result, all vehicles and all creatures but those of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast-rank can be used as mounts. Even vehicles that did not exist in the time period he was alive in, for they are no exception.

Personal Skills

Fire Walk With Me - (A)
A form of metal resolution that seeks to reinforce the user’s physical constitution in battle. During his life, Hrólfr swore that he would “never flee from fire nor steel” and this was encapsulated in Aðils’ castle where as he was facing execution by burning alive, Hrólfr chose to die fighting and ordered his men to leap through the flames and upon doing so they won the battle. Now in a Holy Grail War, Hrólfr’s unflinching tenacity grants him the ability to negate mental interference effects such as pressure, confusion and fascination. Furthermore, it reduces the mortality rate from injuries that Hrólfr incurs, allowing for the continuation of combat even after sustaining mortal wounds for several rounds so long as Hrólfr’s morale remains high.

Seeds of the Fyris Wolds - (B)
An enhanced evolution of the Golden Rule Skill, born from the anecdote where as Hrólfr was escaping from the court of Aðils, he “sowed the seeds” of gold he had collected over the marshy plains of the Fyrisvellir which caused the pursuing Aðils and his warriors to stop and pick it all up over chasing the enemy. In addition to the standard effect of increasing Hrólfr’s fortune in gaining affluence, it imparts a Charm attribute to the wealth that Hrólfr holds in his hands. This has a variety of uses, such as drawing out the greed in normal civilians in order to better leverage Hrólfr’s influence over them. It can also be used as bait to entrap an enemy Master if their ability to resist magecraft is low enough. Whilst opposing Servants are unlikely to be affected, Hrólfr finds it amusing to use his “fistful of dollars” attack where he throws money in people’s faces or slaps them with wads of dollar bills.

Wisdom of the Allfather - (C)
A form of protection granted by the pagan god Odin. During his life, Hrólfr met a one-eyed farmer by the name of “Hrani” who would give him various pieces of advice so that he might overcome his nemesis of the Swedish King Aðils. It was only after they parted for the last time that Hrólfr finally realised that he had been talking to the Allfather himself all along. As a Servant, Hrólfr receives a passive Plus Modifier to his Luck Parameter once per battle. Furthermore, there exists a rare possibility where if Hrólfr is in dire straits then he will receive a “sign” from Odin. If Hrólfr is able to understand the message then he will receive the wisdom of the ideal course of action he can take to try and survive the situation. However this chance event will only occur a maximum of three times before Odin abandons Hrólfr for not taking enough care with his advice.

Noble Phantasm

Skǫfnungr
Humming Blade of the Northern Lands

[Type: Anti-Unit], [Rank: B], [Maximum Range: 1-400], [Maximum Number of Targets: Variable]

Naturally the Noble Phantasm of Hrólfr Kraki could only be his iconic sword Skǫfnungr - "the best of all swords that have been carried in northern lands". Ironically the sword would go on to appear more frequently in the Sagas without Hrólfr due to the Icelander Skeggi of Midfirth stealing the sword from Hrólfr’s grave. A fact that persistently niggles in Hrólfr’s mind and gives him a low opinion of those who disrespect the dead like that.

During the King’s last stand against the undead horde of the Witch Skuld, eyewitnesses who survived the battle claimed that when Hrólfr drew his sword, they could hear a strange ringing sound coming from it, especially as it cut into his enemies - almost as if the blade itself was singing. Whether it is an enchantment from magic or ancient knowledge lost to modern man, there exists something mysterious in the hilt of Skǫfnungr that causes vibrations to run down the blade and the resulting excess sound waves emanating a kind of humming sound that is audible to humans. It is for this reason that Hrólfr was advised not to draw Skǫfnungr in the presence of women, due to the fact that female humans can hear at higher frequencies than males and the resulting full exposure to the sound waves will overload their eardrums. Obviously if facing a female Servant, Hrólfr will spare them no courtesy and use that to his advantage but it can also be used to non-lethally pacify civilians in certain circumstances.

The real purpose of Skǫfnungr was it's supernatural sharpness and hardness. When the vibrating blade bites into something, the acoustic pressure works to forcibly break the molecular bonds of the target object. This allows the sword to cut through things normal steel shouldn’t be able to such as metal armour and leaving cuts or stab wounds that are difficult to mend even with the aid of magecraft. Similarly, the vibrating sword allows it to absorb and disperse the kinetic energy of an opposing object that slams into it, granting it the ability to tank hits that would break other swords. It was also said that once drawn, Skǫfnungr could not be resheathed until it had tasted blood. Hrólfr’s Master hypotheses that it has something to do with the thrombocytes contained within human blood that calm the vibrations and allow Skǫfnungr to be safely placed back in the scabbard.

When Hrólfr is backed into a corner, he can pour his magical energy into Skǫfnungr in the hopes of generating overpressure and then releasing it as a powerful shockwave. Depending on the medium, it can take a variety of forms: if Skǫfnungr is simply pointed towards an enemy, it will release as a sonic boom intending to blast away everything in front of Hrólfr. Whereas if Hrólfr sticks the blade first into the ground or water, it will become a seismic wave designed to greatly disrupt the surrounding territory and create chaos to provide an opening for Hrólfr to strike. Either way, the technique consumes a lot of magical energy and is not something that Hrólfr can use more than once every couple of days. Hrólf was also warned to avoid doing this sort of thing in direct sunlight as the when the sun’s rays hit the blade, the heat accelerates the vibrations and makes them unstable and much harder to control.

Lore

Prince Hrólfr was born to the powerful King Helgi and Queen Yrsa of Denmark at the end of the 5th Century. Life was swell until one day Yrsa received a visit from Queen Ólöf of Saxland who revealed a terrible truth to her. Years ago she had spurned Helgi’s proposal of marriage and publicly humiliated him, for which Helgi kidnapped her and violated her repeatedly before he was done and sent her back. In response Ólöf hid her pregnancy from the world and devised a revenge plot where she engineered the meeting and falling in love of Helgi with his own equally ignorant daughter and waited for the perfect time to spring the truth on them.

The revelation obviously broke down the relationship between the king and queen, with Yrsa tearfully leaving the country with her mother who arranged a new marriage to the Swedish King Aðils, whilst Helgi remained behind a shattered man. It was during this period that Helgi by chance gave shelter to a woman in distress who turned out to be a beautiful Elf. Unable to contain his lust, Helgi slept with her but soon forgot about it until three years later the woman returned, leaving their hybrid child Skuld on the doorstep and predicting that bad fortune would come to Helgi and his family because he ignored her warnings. Indeed, by that time Helgi had decided to go to Sweden to reconcile with Yrsa but the greedy Aðils set a trap with his twelve Berserkers and Helgi was slain in a fierce battle with Aðils becoming the richest and most powerful king in Scandinavia.

As the eldest son, Hrólfr naturally succeeded his late father as the ruler of Denmark. Bit by bit he made the surrounding kings submit to him in an attempt to restore the country to its former glory. Likewise he sought out as many strong warriors as possible to be his champions and ended up with Twelve of the most famous Berserkers - with Svipdagr, Hjalti and Bödvar Bjarki among them to name a few. One day, Bödvar advised Hrólfr that although no king was mightier than him, his status is still diminished by the fact that the Swedish King Aðils hoarded Hrólfr’s rightful wealth that would have been his had it not been stolen when Aðils treacherously killed Helgi. Hrólfr agreed and said it was high time that he paid his “father-in-law” a gracious visit…

However, once they were a stone’s throw from the Swedish capital of Uppsala, they came across a farm and a one-eyed old man named Hrani. No matter how much further they travelled, they weren't getting any closer to Aðils’ court and so they were forced to spend three strange nights at Hrani’s farm. Each night they experienced a harrowing tribulation and those that buckled under the pressure were sent home as Hrani stated they wouldn’t survive the dangers that Aðils had prepared. After only Hrólfr’s twelve champions remained, they were finally able to leave and at last reached Aðils’castle.

Although Aðils welcomed them with open arms, Hrólfr wasn’t deceived and the heroes faced many traps and hidden soldiers waiting for them inside. By the time they reached the main hall, Hrólfr’s men had formed a huddle so it was difficult to tell who was who in the hopes of deterring any further assassins. But Aðils wouldn’t give up and so he gave the group the seat of honour by the fire…only to tell his servants to feed the flames until the entire hall was burned down with Hrólfr in it. Realising what was going on, Hrólfr and his Champions threw the servants into the fire before leaping through the flames to engage in battle whilst a terrified Aðils retreated through a trapdoor. Queen Yrsa appeared to greet her son and gave him and his men all the provisions they needed, including a prize of a silver drinking horn filled with the Swedish King’s gold and jewels.

Bidding his mother a fond farewell, Hrólfr and his men departed over the Fyrisvellir. Naturally once he had regrouped his soldiers, Aðils gave chase. Seeing a gold ring lying on the marshy plain as they rode past, Hrólfr had an idea and poured all the gold and jewels from the silver drinking horn over the plain which caused the greedy Swedes to stop and start picking them up and eventually fighting amongst themselves. Even Aðils could not resist temptation and as he bent down to pick up the spoils, Hrólfr was on him and with his sword cut open Aðils’ back, forcing the Swedes to retreat and the Danes unmolested on their way back home. When they passed by the farm, Hrani appeared again and tried to reward them with swords and armour, but Hrólfr said that he was now the most powerful man in Scandinavia and so he rejected the supposedly useless gifts. As they left, Bödvar Bjarki warned Hrólfr that in all likelihood Hrani was Odin and by offending him, luck would abandon Hrólfr from now on and so he should avoid going to war in the future.

Hrólfr lived in peace for quite a while, but trouble was brewing. His Elven half-sister Skuld was dissatisfied with her husband being the subordinate of Hrólfr and so she convinced him that his men combined with her magic would be enough to overthrow Hrólfr. She used said witchcraft to hide the extent of their soldiers as they approached Hrólfr’s court for an annual Yuletide celebration. It was only thanks to Hjalti the Magnanimous taking a prostitute out back that he happened to see the army at the last second and raised the alarm. Despite the peril, Hrólfr and his Twelve Berserkers stood fast and fought bravely, cutting down waves of enemy soldiers. But no matter how many they killed, the enemy numbers would not diminish since Skuld was using her necromancy to raise the fallen soldiers and make them fight as the undead over and over again. Eventually the heroes were gradually worn down and one by one they began to fall, with Hrólfr being the last to go.

Although Skuld had won (and her weak husband had died in battle to boot), her victory did not last long as her wicked heart meant she ruled poorly as queen and it wasn’t hard for the surviving allies of Hrólfr to gather together and overthrow Skuld, killing her and installing Hrólfr’s daughter onto the throne of Denmark to create a lasting peace.

Relationships

Arthur/Artoria - “A Sword in the Stone? Heh, Bödvar said something similar about his own sword, that he found it thrust into the wall of a cave and it could only be pulled free by the destined man.”

Beowulf - “One good deed does not absolve a wicked heart. You may have saved my uncle in the past, but you still gleefully served the man who killed my father. What do you have to save for yourself?”

Cú Chulainn (Caster) - “This time I won’t be fooled by you changing your shape, Hrani.”

Charlemagne - “Next time we meet, let’s bring our full force and see whose Twelve Champions come out on top.”

Chiron - “A centaur you say? So even outside of Scandinavia they still have demi-humans like Elgfróði.”

Eric Bloodaxe - “Ugh, hearing the voice of that wife of yours is giving me flashbacks to the wickedness of Skuld.”

Ivan IV Vasilyevich - “Since the Rurik dynasty is an offshoot of the Skjöldungs, I reckon that makes you a very distant relative of mine. No need to be enemies then eh?”

Nemo - “Don’t get our names twisted, I’ll show you I’m more ferocious than any Kraken.”

Ragnar Lodbrok - “If you truly are the strongest of the Ynglings, then I want to see how the might of the Skjöldungs compares!”

Sigurd - “Gram huh? I say my dog had more bite than that sword of yours.”

Sinfjötli - “I see, so your father also liked to keep it in the family…”

Sitonai - “How tragic to see the mighty Goddess Freyja reduced to a mere fragment of another being.”

Creator's Notes

I’ve been re-reading a bunch of Norse Sagas lately and decided to have a crack at depicting some of its characters as Servants, starting with the big man himself. For the most part, I kept the Lore section strictly based on the “Hrólfs Saga Kraka” but much like how Fate/Lost Einherjar treats Ragnar and Aslaug, some bits of the other Sagas do occasionally bleed through.

Skǫfnungr was definitely the hardest part to write the sheet around as it unfortunately follows the trend of having all the same attributes as other famous Norse swords (i.e causes unhealable wounds and cannot be sheathed until it tastes blood). I did think about giving him a “summon the twelve Berserkers” Noble Phantasm in a similar vein to Iskandar but I decided against it in the end. Ultimately I took notice of the fact that the sword is said to be “singing” when it cuts into things more than once and so decided to explore that in a sound based Noble Phantasm. It also leans into the Green Destiny from “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” where the enchanted sword would always wobble after being drawn and had an audible ringing sound whenever it cut something.

The Faceclaim is Askeladd from the anime adaptation of “Vinland Saga”. I honestly did try to look for alternative sources for a Viking king rather than using the obvious as a crutch, but ultimately I could not unsee Hrólf as the devious short king Askeladd himself.

As always, feel free to be brutal with your comments and criticisms~

[TQG Imaginatorious]

Noble Phantasm

Skǫfnungr
Humming Blade of the Northern Lands

[Type: Anti-Unit], [Rank: B], [Maximum Range: 1-400], [Maximum Number of Targets: Variable]

Naturally the Noble Phantasm of Hrólfr Kraki could only be his iconic sword Skǫfnungr - "the best of all swords that have been carried in northern lands". Ironically the sword would go on to appear more frequently in the Sagas without Hrólfr due to the Icelander Skeggi of Midfirth stealing the sword from Hrólfr’s grave. A fact that persistently niggles in Hrólfr’s mind and gives him a low opinion of those who disrespect the dead like that.

During the King’s last stand against the undead horde of the Witch Skuld, eyewitnesses who survived the battle claimed that when Hrólfr drew his sword, they could hear a strange ringing sound coming from it, especially as it cut into his enemies - almost as if the blade itself was singing. Whether it is an enchantment from magic or ancient knowledge lost to modern man, there exists something mysterious in the hilt of Skǫfnungr that causes vibrations to run down the blade and the resulting excess sound waves emanating a kind of humming sound that is audible to humans. It is for this reason that Hrólfr was advised not to draw Skǫfnungr in the presence of women, due to the fact that female humans can hear at higher frequencies than males and the resulting full exposure to the sound waves will overload their eardrums. Obviously if facing a female Servant, Hrólfr will spare them no courtesy and use that to his advantage but it can also be used to non-lethally pacify civilians in certain circumstances.

The real purpose of Skǫfnungr was it's supernatural sharpness and hardness. When the vibrating blade bites into something, the acoustic pressure works to forcibly break the molecular bonds of the target object. This allows the sword to cut through things normal steel shouldn’t be able to such as metal armour and leaving cuts or stab wounds that are difficult to mend even with the aid of magecraft. Similarly, the vibrating sword allows it to absorb and disperse the kinetic energy of an opposing object that slams into it, granting it the ability to tank hits that would break other swords. It was also said that once drawn, Skǫfnungr could not be resheathed until it had tasted blood. Hrólfr’s Master hypotheses that it has something to do with the thrombocytes contained within human blood that calm the vibrations and allow Skǫfnungr to be safely placed back in the scabbard.

When Hrólfr is backed into a corner, he can pour his magical energy into Skǫfnungr in the hopes of generating overpressure and then releasing it as a powerful shockwave. Depending on the medium, it can take a variety of forms: if Skǫfnungr is simply pointed towards an enemy, it will release as a sonic boom intending to blast away everything in front of Hrólfr. Whereas if Hrólfr sticks the blade first into the ground or water, it will become a seismic wave designed to greatly disrupt the surrounding territory and create chaos to provide an opening for Hrólfr to strike. Either way, the technique consumes a lot of magical energy and is not something that Hrólfr can use more than once every couple of days. Hrólf was also warned to avoid doing this sort of thing in direct sunlight as the when the sun’s rays hit the blade, the heat accelerates the vibrations and makes them unstable and much harder to control.

As always, feel free to be brutal with your comments and criticisms~

Skǫfnungr as a vibroblade? Now that's a idea. Especially love how you manage to explain away all of the blade's powers and weaknesses using vibrations instead of it just does.

[MuramasaMachII]

Hrólfr Kraki
Aha, finally a Skull sheet of someone I recognize!
I've admittedly, never went through the entirety of Vinland Saga so I can't say anything about the faceclaim.

Immediately, my first thought is: Why not a Berserker? From how I've seen Hrólfr interpreted, he always gives off Berserker vibes from the Skofnung Sword, and how his fight with the Twelve Berserkers against Skuld worked. On that note - Skofnung really - Definitely a cool interpretation with it being essentially, a high frequency blade! Very cool!

If I were to do a Skofnung NP, it'd probably cause twelve other overlapping images with the sword, one 'sword' each for a Berserker. All in all though, didn't know too much about this guy, so pretty cool sheet.

[Skull]

Skǫfnungr as a vibroblade? Now that's a idea. Especially love how you manage to explain away all of the blade's powers and weaknesses using vibrations instead of it just does.

Explaining away magic using scientific mumbo-jumbo is certainly my forte.

Hrólfr Kraki
Aha, finally a Skull sheet of someone I recognize!

Immediately, my first thought is: Why not a Berserker? From how I've seen Hrólfr interpreted, he always gives off Berserker vibes from the Skofnung Sword, and how his fight with the Twelve Berserkers against Skuld worked.

Eh, having finished re-reading his Saga right before I started working on the sheet, nothing about Hrólfr struck me as fitting the Berserker Class.

If I were to do a Skofnung NP, it'd probably cause twelve other overlapping images with the sword, one 'sword' each for a Berserker. All in all though, didn't know too much about this guy, so pretty cool sheet.

It's funny you should mention that, is that perhaps inspired by the claim on Wikipedia that Skǫfnungr contains the souls of the twelve berserkers? Try as I might, I have never found the source for such a claim and am extremely dubious as to whether it is real or just something someone made up.

[Morg van Destro]

The sequel no one saw coming, because why would you?

---

Ah~ You know, you never can appreciate a young body until you’ve been trapped in an old one, you know? Welp, nice to meet you, Master. If you need me, I’ll be on the beach pretending I’m the only person in the world.



Class: Archer
Other Classes: Voyager, Rider
True Name: Sinbad the Sailor
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Place of Origin: Baghdad
Height: 180 cm.
Weight: 76 kilo.
Likes: Relaxing in the sun. Scuba. Scheherazade.
Dislikes: Interruptions. Being forced to do things.
Natural Enemy: Overly nosey and bothersome people.

Parameters:
STR: C
END: B
AGI: A+
MGI: D
LCK: A+
NP: A

Class Skills:
Independent Action (A+):
A man that set out on several simple voyages only to be careened off course time and again, it was a given that he would days without sustenance, yet he not only persisted, but he achieved. He gains an increase so long as he is in or on the water, as Archer cannot be claimed while on a “voyage”.

Magic Resistance (B):
Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by greater magecraft and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.

Personal Skills:
Midsummer Mistake (B):
A Skill similar to Mad Enhancement, it causes a loss of inhibitions as opposed to a loss of sanity.

Archer is on his vacation. Between voyages. His interest in adventure is at an all-time low, and all he wishes is to relax on the beach and bask in the comfort his wealth affords. As such, his usually professional demeanor has slipped away, becoming far looser with his comments, actions, and coin.

All Kinds of Talents (Summer) (A):
A jack of all, Archer has decided to ply his adaptability towards the niches of Summer. Surfing, sandcastle building, swimming, volleyball, perfect sunblock application. All of it becomes practically child’s play to him.

Treasure Hunt (Sea) (EX):
Having taken up scuba diving, Archer is a master at finding sunken treasure no matter how deep or murky the water is. The natural affinity of one who gained vast wealth by adventuring on the sea.

Summer Splash! (Rapids) (B):
Distinct from the typical Mana Burst (Water), this Rapids variant grants further increases to speed that brings one closer to being “an unstoppable coursing river”. At this rank, Archer can become close to a streak of pure liquid to an outside observer, and he can apply this speed to his arrows for near unreactable projectiles.

Noble Phantasm:

The Seven Voyages: My Life is a Never-ending Voyage (A)
Anti-Fortress
Archer has already surrendered his Saint Graph to another, meaning he has lost the use of his normal Noble Phantasm. However, manifesting in this Summer form, he has been able to repurpose his Skills and Noble Phantasm with the single goal of being summoned so he can do nothing. This Noble Phantasm is the culmination of that, discarding all the excess of his legend and forming it into a single point.

The bow he holds, rather than embodying the aspects of his story, instead contains the concept of “a voyage without end”. It symbolizes the sea he crossed, the torrential forces of nature that capsized his boats, the gentle waves that brought him ashore, and the calm waters that carried him home with every triumph. The sea and the man who sailed it are forever entwined, his life an eternal voyage on its surface.

Upon activating its True Name, Archer’s bow begins rippling and warping. As he draws the string, water courses in splashing waves over its form, eventually engulfing him in a sphere of liquid. When released, Archer himself is launched forward at speeds even greater than he is normally capable, the sphere tightening around him and being pulled along as a spiraling mass. When he reaches his target, the cacophonous spiral drills a path for him through whatever blocks his way before exploding in an array of shredding water blades.

On the other side will be Archer, a smile on his face and a sheen of seawater on his skin, his old travel companion having seen him through another small voyage.

Lore

We all know the story of Sinbad the Sailor and his seven voyages. He would journey out into the world with simple trade in mind and encounter magical phenomenon that saw him returning home with far greater fortunes than he set out to obtain. His story is a simple one, told as merely one among many in the Thousand and One Nights. Dangerous, entertaining, and told across many disparate nights, he stood out among the rest for his personality, varied adventures, and premise, being a metatextual tale told by one man to another, all of which was told by Scheherazade.

Yet, while his adventures are the main focus of his story, one thing that always rings clear is that perhaps even several years passed between each voyage. During those times, Sinbad himself was not standing still, but instead using his wealth however he pleased. Drinking, eating, partying, reading, sleeping. This man indulged in every luxury that could be afforded, and only went back out to sea when the coin nearly run dry or the boredom of monotony began to seep in.

In the final tale, Sinbad the Sailor gave Sinbad the Porter a vast amount of wealth, telling him to use it to go on his own adventure, as his days doing such were long past. Finally, Sinbad had found his peace in retirement, and it's with this in mind that he has decided to come to Chaldea.

Even if he's summoned to save the world, this is supposed to be his retirement. Summertime is the age for him, the beach is the place for him, and he has little to no interest in the greater problems of humanity.
He's just here to chill.

Personality

"Every day, work as hard as you possibly can. When the work is finally done, rest twice as hard.
I've already done my work. I'm in my resting period."

Compared to many other Summer Servants with grand ideas and grander actions, Sinbad is delightfully unambitious. Sure, he'll take part in the activities, and maybe even join in a competition or beach endangering disaster, but that's about the most you'll get out of him. All this man wants to do is chill.

This is far easier for him to do now than in life, having passed on his Saint Graph along with the majority of his adventurous tendencies to his successor in Sinbad the Porter. What's left is both the content man relaxing amidst his wealth and the storyteller that inspired another with his tales.

It's for these reasons that Sinbad has a very laxidaisical and placid attitude toward the world around him. Passing his time on minor fancies and tossing his easily obtained wealth at the problems that block his path. He also has gained a pleasant penchant for telling stories, often willing to indulge others with different tales. It also has given him an affinity for other storytellers, gravitating towards them with a sense of comradery.

No greater is this shown that the infatuation he has gained for his own storyteller: Scheherazade. Her calm demeanor and beauty are one thing, but her surprisingly similar mentality and intelligence are both incredibly enticing to him.
"If I had married anyone, it would've been someone as deserving to be lavished with wealth and affection as Scheherazade."

Relationships

Sinbad: Enjoying your own voyage still? I hope so. Have your fill until you can't stomach it, then have a little more. Eventually, you'll be ready to trade with me. Maybe then, I'll feel the old urge once more.

Scheherazade: So you're the one that told my tale, eh? ...What's that? I was added later? But my lady, that still means a version of you told it. I believe that is reason enough thank you.

Mad Jack: This man gets it. He's the only real competition in sandcastle building, too. He doesn't even cheat like some.

Summer Lion King: I don't think the manager likes me that much. They say the house always wins, but I'm a bit of an afront to that, I suppose.

Summer Edmond Dantes: He's far too stressed for someone on the beach. Doesn't he realize some of us are trying to relax?

Summer Hitler: Some people just want to ruin the fun for everyone else.

Summer Athena: Could be a bit of an eyesore, but it brings a sort of majesty to the beach.

Euryale - Asterios: Young love is a beautiful thing. ...Huh? Well... I mean, honestly, I'm ancient at this point. Appearances are clearly decieving.

Summer Deborah and Barak: Ah~ the couple that isn't a couple. Even for those like us, life is too short to be dancing around our emotions like children. Live life! Be free. Enjoy every step.

Summer Scheherazade: ...She becomes more beautiful with each passing day, doesn't she?

Craft Essence

Keeps Going on and on and on

"A story never ends. It just stops moving."

Some people look at this saying and get a little depressed. Can't blame them.

An ending can have a continuation, but when those are all done, when the story stops, it seems like there's nothing left.

But that's the funny things about stories. When it stops moving, it simply goes back to the beginning.

Telling a story once is never enough. That wonder you feel as a child, wanting to hear a tale over and over despite it never changing, is the point of stories.

Some things are simply too wonderful, too important, to be told only once.

So we'll tell them again
and again
and again.

Because a story never ends.

Not so long as there's a soul left to tell it.

---

Creator Notes

Part of me wishes I used Ups and Downs for him, but while it's the same spirit, it musically drifts from what I wanted for him.


That aside, I'm happy I got to have a little fun with OG Sinbad since I explored the Porter taking up the mantle the previous time. Letting him just have fun in the sun while also sprinkling some pining for the woman who told his story was a neat little exercise to tide me over while i prepare other things.

[Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN - Starry Story]

[haika0000]

It's not often that I get to see Sinbad this relaxed. Although in legends he spent more time relaxing than adventuring.

I like his personality. NP is really cool. Archer who shot himself? Really cool and goes with tale of adventuring too.

[kinneret]

*peeks in*

Heyo gamers, I'm new to the forum & was referred to the site from the Create-a-Servant discord.

The normal template I use is very, uh, gameplay heavy in the FGO style. I made a Servant sheet for Ur-Nungal as a Rider, but I want to expand on it and make him feel more genuine beyond gameplay mechanics I guess?

Here's the google sheet I used to put the general concept to paper (yes, the art is by me ). If I wanted to put it to paper more similarly to the in-depth analyses you guys prefer here, where would you recommend I begin/start expanding on?

Ty for your time~ :>

[pinetree]

Probably just expand on the profile you already have, add why he has those skills and what they represent foe his legend instead of their gameplay effects, same for the Noble Phantasm.
Maybe even expand on the interlude? Depends on what your style is like really

[kinneret]

Something like this, maybe?


This is my first time using BL's brand of bbcode so hopefully I didn't bork it too badly.

"Every story is a story about death.
The ease with which we disappear is not some horrible secret."

(Click Me! ^)

Class: Rider
> Other Qualifying Classes: N/A
True Name: Ur-Nungal
Region: Babylonia, Uruk
Source: Sumerian Civilization, Sumerian King List

Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Attribute: Man
Traits: Male, Servant, Humanoid, King, Riding, Divinity, Weak to Enuma Elish

Height: 171 cm | 5’7”
Weight: 59 kg | 130 lbs

”Art I drew of him :) (Click me!)”

The son of the legendary King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

Not much is known about him, and records of his rule are few and far between. He was born during his father's reign as a tyrant, and supposedly kept Uruk running during Gilgamesh's quest for the Herb of Immortality.

For some reason, he carries the Blessing of Kur- the Mesopotamian underworld.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

”Bond 1 - Never to rise again“

Attributes:

> Strength: D+
”I’m not quite sure what you expected. I work a glorified desk job.”

Ur-Nungal’s Strength is underwhelming. His inherited Divinity gives him a bit of a leg up against others in the same tier, but…

”If you’re looking for a brute, go bother Ishtar.”


> Endurance: D
”Hm? You thought this would be higher?”

His Endurance isn’t too great, either. Are you sure you’re related to Gilgamesh?

”His Endurance only ranks that high because of his armor– don’t be fooled.”


> Agility: C
”...”

His Agility is completely average, but low for someone of his class.

”If my capabilities bother you that much, summon someone else.”


> Mana: B
”Modern magecraft holds little interest to me, but I’m familiar with the spells of my time.

Ur-Nungal’s inherited Divinity–as well as certain events during his first kingship–have led this attribute to have an unusually high rank.

“I’m quite certain I’m not supposed to be a Caster instead. Please do not associate me with them.”


> Luck: C++
”...About what I expected.”

Though unequivocally luckier than the average person, Ur-Nungal is by no means favored by the heavens in the same manner as his father.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Yes, I create my own luck.”


> Noble Phantasm: A++ C+
”What? Nothing to say?”

…

”Good. That’s what I thought.”

”Bond 2 - Unable to sit down, he laments“
Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: D
Nothing out of the ordinary.

Riding: C+
He’s most familiar with boats and other water vehicles, but he can learn to operate other machinery fairly quickly, earning him a tentative ‘plus’.

Divinity: D
Ur-Nungal’s father was more god than human. By contrast, Ur-Nungal is more human than god. One-thirds Divinity coupled with a total apathy towards the heavens grant Ur-Nungal a fairly low aptitude as a Divine Spirit.

Personal Skills:

Information Erasure: B+
Ur-Nungal reigned around the 26th century BCE, but there are hardly any historical accounts of him to speak of. The Tummal Inscription and the Sumerian Kings List both corroborate his existence as Gilgamesh’s son and successor, but he seems to exist as little more than a footnote. Indeed, his appearance as a Heroic Spirit is likely a consequence of his lineage.

Whether the lack of records is intentional or if he was simply overshadowed by his contemporaries, little more can be said about Ur-Nungal than “he probably existed at some point”. The only reason this skill is ranked so high is due to the four-thousand-year time gap between when he lived and when he was summoned– his name, somehow, persisted, despite the dissolution of everything else.

Blessing of Kur: C
A skill which signifies Ur-Nungal as someone carrying the well-wishes of the Underworld. This usually manifests as an increase in combat effectiveness against undead opponents, but he may receive a minor power-up as well in places of death (cemeteries, monuments, and past battlegrounds, for instance). This Blessing can be shared with allies.

This skill is not corroborated by any myths or legends that survive to this day. Perhaps it is the result of something too personal to commit to paper…

”Bond 3 - For six days”

At first glance, Rider is a pessimistic and hard-working young man. It’s hard to see the family resemblance like this.

"My father? What of him?"

He reigned once when his father departed Uruk in search of an answer to his mortality, and once more after his father passed away. In total, he ruled for thirty years. There are few accounts of this time.

"We rarely spoke. The first time we met properly was after he returned from Utnapishtim, having failed to obtain the herb of immortality. Go bother someone else."

He considers himself more a ‘secretary-type’ than an actual ruler. Born during Gilgamesh’s reign as a tyrant, he reached maturity during his father’s ten-year quest and subsequently abdicated upon his return. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the King of Heroes was almost entirely absent from his son’s childhood. His whole life, he’s been measured up to his father. Even his brief stint as ruler only served as a herald for Gilgamesh’s triumphant return.

Beyond his irritable demeanor and dour manner of speech, it’s clear he has a lot to unpack regarding his home life.

He was forced to grow up too quickly for a world which seemed all too eager to forget him in recompense.


As a side note, Ur-Nungal has no particular wish for the grail. He was summoned to Chaldea to perform a job, and he intends to fulfill it to the best of his ability.

”Bond 4 - You will be accounted a god“

Prince Heralding the End

『Ḫumuṭ-tabal Magillu』

Rank: C+
NP Type: Anti-King
Range: 3 - 75
Maximum Targets: 10

Upon his death, Gilgamesh was buried beneath the Euphrates riverbed. The people of Uruk rerouted the river's flow for this purpose, and as his son and successor, Ur-Nungal was the individual in charge of the funeral proceedings.

This Noble Phantasm recreates the burial of Gilgamesh. Due to Gilgamesh's position as the King of Heroes, all Servants caught in its effect will receive demerits to their capabilities.

In effect, this summons sweeping torrents of water upon which he can ride. The currents thereof can be manipulated at will.

The boat Ur-Nungal summons was borrowed from Urshanabi, the boatman who ferried Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim's domain.

According to certain records, Gilgamesh became a judge of the dead after his passing. It is Gilgamesh's aspect as a chthonic entity that manifests especially strongly in Ur-Nungal.

If Gilgamesh's journey across the river of mortality symbolized the culmination of his true awakening as a human, then Ur-Nungal- who reigned during his absence and who only served to herald his father's triumphant return- also possesses a claim to the ship which signaled the end of his voyage.

Indeed, the concept of a ferryman who shepherds human souls to their next life is a recurring theme in mythology. This is what Ur-Nungal embodies... To an extent, anyway.

”Bond 5 - Having traveled all the roads there are“

Key which Seals the Gate

『Bab-ilu』

Rank: A++
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 0 - 10
Maximum Targets: ???

A key which proves kingship and provides access to the treasury of the King.

…Or, at least, that’s what it’s supposed to do.

As the one who returned the King of Heroes to the soil, Bab-ilu takes a different effect in Ur-Nungal’s hand. Rather than summoning countless weapons and treasures to be used at leisure, this Noble Phantasm symbolizes the relinquishment of one’s legend. By calling out its name, Servants within range with a low Magic Resistance find themselves unable to activate weapon and armor-based Noble Phantasms (i.e., things you might find within the Gate of Babylon).

Those who resist this effect find their Noble Phantasms severely weakened regardless.

Bab-ilu has no effect on Noble Phantasms which take the form of spells, territories, or more esoteric aspects of their owner’s legend.

Interestingly, it also seems to have a limited effect on living humans who wield Noble Phantasms*. Perhaps this is because their tale has yet to conclude…

*(Bazett, Demi-servants like Mash, etc)

”INTERLUDE - Light for him in the netherworld“

Sometime following Gilgamesh's departure, Ereshkigal visited Uruk.

"What? He's not here? I guess I'll have to bring my super Anti-Uruk weapon back later."

The contrast in behavior between father and son had never seemed more apparent. Eventually, the Goddess found herself wondering...

"Huh? He just left Uruk altogether?! ...Well, I guess if you keep leaving me offerings, I'll show you some tricks. Running a Kingdom's not too different from running the Underworld."

Somehow, they ended up getting along. They spent a lot of time together complaining about their irresponsible relatives and co-workers.

This is the true origin of Ur-Nungal's 'Blessing of Kur'- a gift borne of friendship rather than devotion.

"Just stop calling me 'Auntie', alright?!"

”Relationships“

GILGAMESH (Archer) – “Yes– It appears we have nothing more to say to each other. We will never reach an understanding.”

GILGAMESH (Caster) – “I will acknowledge you as my King and nothing more. If you intend to depart Chaldea to venture on another ten-year sabbatical, please file for leave beforehand.”

GILGAMESH (Lily) – “...Perhaps if you’d stayed like this… No, it’s a waste to dwell on ‘what-ifs’.”

ENKIDU – “If you’re asking if I’ve met them, I can only say we’ve seen each other in passing. Father was fiercely jealous at the best of times, and by the time I grew curious, it was already too late. No, I do not begrudge them for their death– Father’s abandonment is his fault alone.”

ISHTAR – “I want nothing to do with you. Haven’t you caused my family enough problems?”

ERESHKIGAL – “It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? What say we catch up over a game of Ur? I imagine your sister has caused no shortage of trouble since our last meeting.”

MORDRED – “I thought them a kindred spirit, at first. The only difference is I have long since given up on my father’s affections.”

FRAN – “It seems we share irresponsible creators in common. I wouldn’t be averse to getting to know her better.”

CHIRON – “He took one look at me and started assigning homework. How much free time do I look like I have?! Scratch that– he does realize I’m older than most of his students, right? What do you mean, I just have one of those faces?! Master, get back here!”

”Bond CE - Where the River Ends“

Every story is a story about death. The ease with which we disappear is not some horrible secret.

Yes– bitterness adds meaning to joy. Those who find death incomprehensible so too find the value of life.

Treasure this gift, Master. Though the parting hurts, you must never stop reaching towards the future.

[RoydGolden]

Ur-Nungal: Succinct and (bitter)sweet sheet. For a literally-who of history you did a good job fleshing him out, and the relationship with Eresh is cute. I don't think you really need the quotes for parameters though. They don't add that much and mostly pad out the sheet.

[Morg van Destro]

I'm pretty sure Clyton is still out there. Somewhere. That being said, I was talking to someone about Robespierre and the like, and I remembered the only sheet I know from Clyton. It was one I loved and thought went very unappreciated in the contest it was posted. Thinking this, I decided I would do as I have before and likely will again: a remake and celebration.
Also, as I realized as I made her, just completely wanking her.

---

Dear Master, thank you for summoning me. I swear to you now that I will be all good in the world. That my blade will sever all evil. That I will welcome all into my arms. That is my promise to you. Salvation for both friend and foe alike.

Saver of the Final Breath

First
Second
Third
Fourth
Other Classes: Ruler, Avenger, Beast
True Name: Louisette
Alignment: Neutral Good
Place of Origin: France
Height: 160 cm.
Weight: 50 kilo.
Likes: Children. Fellow psychopomps. Helping others.
Dislikes: Disruption of funeral rites. Slow deaths. Watching others in pain. Being forgotten.
Natural Enemy: Guillotin

Parameters:
STR: E
END: C
AGI: E
MGI: B
LCK: A
NP: A

Class Skills:
Reign of Terror (EX):
Alternatively titled as Charisma of Slaughter, this ability to lead others is one that only manifests during the course of her duties. The ability to rally all people regardless of race or creed in the singular act of execution. For Saver, a Servant that brings salvation through death, she possesses no greater Charisma than when calling for the heads of others.

Counter Hero (A):
It doesn't matter who you are. Rich or poor, evil or good, young or old, god or man, hero or villain, all become equal under the guillotine. Servants around her will find all their parameters reduced by two ranks, regardless of affinity. To approach the guillotine is to draw closer to death, after all.

At the Boundary (A):
The most prolific execution tool in the world naturally has ingrained herself into the Valley of Death, the spirit within a modern psychopomp. One that brings salvation to criminal and victim alike with the grace of a goddess.

While it should be EX, the removal of the Guillotine as a method of execution is akin to her own “death”, making her return as a Heroic Spirit akin to passing the boundary of the Valley, lowering it a rank. Still, this gives her immunity to charm and instant death as well as all her attacks carrying an instant death effect.

Personal Skills:
Door to Paradise (A):
Between those two bars, the blade hanging above, resides the door to paradise. Swift and painless, it gives the condemned something to look forward to, in as much as they can look forward to anything. For under that blade lies not a drawn-out death, no uncertainty of the firing squad or agonizing stretching on the wheel or utter despair of the noose. Beneath that blade, it will be instant, traveling to the beyond and escaping their suffering.

While her Alter may only be able to use this Skill to travel to those seeking death, Saver can use it to be at the side of anyone seeking "release". Though she may see others beyond the Boundary, she does so because she wishes to help them. If death is the way, then she will use it. If talking suffices, the guillotine listens to their woes. If they simply need someone to hold them, Saver's arms are always open. Whatever form it takes, she will be their Door to Paradise.

Evening Bell (EX):
This signals the announcement of funereal proceedings and the visitation of Death. This unique skill manifests as a result of having become one with the rites of passing. For the weapon chosen to execute thousands of lives, it became both a prelude to the funeral and the final rite granted to the victim. Inevitable, peaceful death, the moment one has stepped onto the stage. Saver is the instrument that will bring it forth.

Essentially, this Skill alters the fates of those Saver has “marked for execution” to lead only to one conclusion: death by her blade. Of course, it can be overturned as much as any fate, but it also both grants her attacks an even greater chance to kill instantly and range outside of her touch, allowing her to manifest ethereal blades in efforts to sever their necks.

Aptitude for Slaughter (Tools) (EX):
A Skill more suited to the creator of the Guillotine rather than the spirit that resides within it, yet it is hard to contest Saver's claim to this ability, for what argument do you bring to bear against the execution method of tens of thousands of people? What counters the speed and efficiency it dispatches its victims and the impact it has left on humanity? Yes, perhaps there are those better suited, but there are few more deserving.

Signifying her role as a supreme killer of humanity, this Skill not only gives her greater modifiers against human targets, but also exemplifies her method of attack. For outside of those targeted by Evening Bell or her Noble Phantasm, Saver wields no blade. She has no need to. She is the guillotine. Her very touch carries the property of the executioner's blade, and the cutting is instantaneous. How deep the cut goes depends greatly on the target's own stats, but should her attack be able to activate its instant kill properties, it will not matter where Saver has touched you. You head will fall from your shoulders and into her loving arms.

Nega-Suffering (E):
The Skill of the Beast of Mercy, it is a presence that is not wholly accepted yet not completely dismissed by Saver. The promise that there will be no more pain for those that meet her is a hard thing to dismiss. The reason that Saver has it but her Altered form does not is less about qualification as it is temperament. The prideful and haughty arbitrator of people's lives has forgotten the reason she was made, instead becoming absorbed in her own importance. As such, "that Louisette" can be said to have lost her potential as a Beast.

This Skill is the "severing of feeling from the body" as a means of eliminating pain. Fully manifested, a single touch of Saver's blades would be enough to completely erase all feeling from one's body, not simply leaving them unable to experience pain, but any feeling. Not the weight of your arms, the movement of your muscles, nor the heart still beating in your chest. It leaves you in a conscious catatonic state of sensory deprivation, one she will free you from in short order.

At this rank, however, it only is able to apply this effect to the area the blade has come into contact, preventing any suffering from the wounds she may open in her pursuit of a painless death. How merciful a Skill.

Noble Phantasm:

Guillotine: Le Salut Réside dans Mon Étreinte (EX)
Anti-Suffering
The Guillotine. What more can be said at this point? Saver's existence is that of a tool, a weapon, that kills without suffering. For her, there is no greater expression of love than releasing one of their pain and sorrow. If she can bring peace to only one soul at the cost of her own existence, she would do so in a heartbeat without hesitation. This core essence of who Saver is builds the foundation of both her Saint Graph and her Noble Phantasm.

While her Alter self possesses something similar, her twisted mentality in that form has altered it from "something that grants peace" to "something that forces peace", forcing a luck check on individuals in an effort to drag them across the Boundary while a True Name release fills their minds with despair until they welcome her blade with a grateful heart. While still embodying what Saver wishes, these methods are too underhanded and compulsive for the tastes of the loving psychopomp. Instead, upon releasing its True Name, Saver asks a simple question to all within the area of her summons:

"Do you wish to rest or continue to endure?"

While she may take a more active role in protecting humanity now, severing evil and those who threaten them, she still does not see it as her place to decide who lives and dies. Instead, she will leave the choice up to them. Do they wish to continue onward, facing all the suffering and pain they will likely endure, or do they wish for the instant, painless release into the next life, no longer tied down by the weight of the world? If they wish to endure, this Noble Phantasm will not touch them. However, if they do not, or their heart wavers for even a moment, it will activate, instantly cleaving head from shoulders.

It is a terrifying power, yet one born out of nothing but love. If this world is too hard, one need not suffer any longer. If they have the strength and will to move forward through it, she will respect their wish without question. She can offer salvation, but it is their place to choose or reject it.

Lore

1. All punishments for the same class of crime shall be the same, regardless of the criminal (i.e., there would be no privilege for the nobility)
2. When the death sentence is applied, it will be by decapitation, carried out by a machine
3. The family of the guilty party will not suffer any legal discrimination
4. It will be illegal to anyone to reproach the guilty party's family about his/her punishment
5. The property of the convicted shall not be confiscated
6. The bodies of those executed shall be returned to the family if so requested

This was the proposal of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a French physician who was opposed to the death penalty. It was his belief that instituting a more humane and painless form of execution was the first step to abolishing the punishment entirely. When discussing his hypothetical machine, he is famously quoted "Now, with my machine, I cut off your head in the twinkling of an eye, and you never feel it!"

Three years later, his machine was brought into the world.

The guillotine is one of, if not the most prolific execution tool in the world. In its almost two hundred years of existence, it has claimed more lives than ones that date back to the medieval, tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of lives falling to its blade. This tool, being granted the greatest debut it could possibly ask for in the French Revolution, would eventually spread to other countries as a more human alternative to ending human life.

However, despite this, or perhaps because of it, its usage has been done away with in the modern day as "more humane" methods of death were implemented or done away with completely. Alas, it's time in the sun, as all things, passed, it truest shining moment being the aptly named Reign of Terror, the guillotine seeing extremely frequent use, where it symbolized both the salvation of the French from their oppression and the equality they all shared before judgement.

How could they have ever guessed what they had created?

When the first guillotine was created, it was not given the name it is known by today based on the man who posited its creation, but instead, they named it after one of the two who helped design it, Antonie Louis. It was not the Guillotine, the tool of Guillotin's dream, but Louisette. Not a title, but a true name, and names have power.

Of course, none of this would matter were it not for what came next. Were it not so prolific, were it not so ubiquitous and wide spread, were it not so symbolized and, in some ways, idolized, it would just be another tool like the wheel or the executioner's axe. Yet, it was all these things, and from this tool built with the sole purpose of sending others to the afterlife without suffering, equally and without malice or partiality, something was born.

Much like the psychopomps of old, Louisette was brought into this world with one purpose: to see them off to the great beyond.
But they need not suffer to do so.
They must simply rest in her embrace, and she will bring them salvation.

Personality

Louisette has compassion far beyond anyone would expect from a tool designed explicitly for death. However, what one must remember, and she certainly does, is that she was born from two dreams intersecting: the desire for a painless death to those condemned, and the wish that this would lead to complete abolishment of the punishment. At her core, Louisette is a being of mercy and compassion who wants nothing more than to save others from the suffering that would otherwise be visited upon them. It is in carrying them to the afterlife that Louisette hopes to honor all the effort they put into their life, ending it in a way that brokers no chance for further hardship.

It is in this merciful mentality that she sees Guillotin as her true father as opposed to the men who created her and of whom she bears the name. It is his ideals and dreams that she wishes to fulfill, making efforts to be completely accepting of all while still recognizing those that must meet her blade before others. This is to say that, while she will welcome any who wish her to carry them beyond the Boundary, she will not actively seek to end them unless she recognizes them as "criminals that must be punished".

Because of this, despite her warm and welcoming demeanor, there is always an air of tension in her interactions, as she can still be off-putting in her comments and near obliviousness to social norms and cues. It doesn't help that she is almost completely unfazed by morality and conflict, leading to some awkward moments where she doesn't understand why two people on the same side should be fighting each other. Perhaps the best thing gained from this mentality is that she's virtually immune to all affects that operate off the target's malice, for she has none even towards her enemies. Only a compassionate wish to release them.

However, there is one thing that brings out the Guillotine's ire, and that is disrespect for the departed/soon to be departed. Of her time in France, or anywhere that held public guillotine executions, nothing saddened her more than the audience. These emotions were not directed at the individuals, but the malice and joy the mob lavished upon the condemned they brought to her. Firmly seeing herself as a part of the rites of passage to the beyond, wishing to end the suffering of those who rested within her, those jeering and jovial figures baying for their blood set an ache in her soul. What should be a time of peace and tranquility before their swift passing was instead made a show for their entertainment and the further suffering of the one she wished to free. Her blade could not descend fast enough to spare them from one more moment of that pain.

Despite all this, and despite the eventual goal of a world free of pain where she would be no longer needed, as was hoped by her "father", she wishes to be allowed one selfish request. The guillotine has already been decommissioned. As a Heroic Spirit, it cannot be more obvious to her that her own "death" has already come and gone. Yet, if the salvation she wishes to bring about for her father ever comes to be, she has but one wish for all those she has saved.

"Please, don't forget me. Let me stay within your hearts as you are in mine."

Relationships

Louisette Alter: How can I be filled with so much malicious glee? Is this truly something that resides within me?

Charles-Henri Sanson: My most celebrated companion. Will you help me once more in bringing salvation?

John Ketch: Perhaps we can start with him. I see that knife is still dull as ever. Worry not. Mine remains pristine.

Marie Antoinette: Guillotine Breaker? I did not mean to upset you, Madame. I only wished to help. Please, don't break me.

Marie Antoinette Alter: Marie, while I am pleased beyond words that you have embraced me so, I do not believe I should be used this way.

Louis-Auguste: Louis, my heart breaks, knowing that you continue to suffer as you do. Please, return to my arms. Let me grant you peace.

Guillotin: This disgracing spectacle... this is not what we were made for!

Charlotte Corday: The Angel of Assassination. She approached me with such grace. I am pleased that she has not lost this beyond the Boundary.

King Hassan: My peer. Bringing salvation to troubled souls at the end, I feel a great kinship with him.

Comtesse de la Motte: Guillotine Embrasser?! I-! Um...
*blush*
P-please be gentle...

Maximilien Robespierre: Dear Maximilien, I swear to you I will do it correctly this time. No more suffering, and no more chance of failure.

Craft Essence

"A Humane Death"

Another poor soul approaches me. The executioner pushes him along, and I feel my heart ache for him.

Another soul forced to suffer.

That bastard had it coming!

Forced to his knees, I open to welcome him into my arms. Soon, it will be over.

You will no longer have to struggle.

This is what you deserve!

His ragged body heaves in my grasp, tired and shaking.

I wish I could weep for him.

Not so high and mighty now!

I want to end his pain.

Do it!!

But they won't stop shouting.

We want to see his head fall!

Do not we all want the same thing?

Kill him!

What is painless about this?

Send him to hell!

I must save him from this.

Make him bleed!

I have to end his suffering.

Yeah! Make him bleed!!

So, please...

Blood! Blood! Blood!

Blood! Blood! Blood!
All it wants is blood!
Give the Guillotine
A blood offering!
Blood to slake its thirst!
So the blood that's for
The Guillotine's thirst is never quenched!
The only thing it wants is
Blood! Blood! Blood!

Please stop cheering!

---

Go read Clyton's Louisette and validate my affection for her. And, if Clyton suddenly resurfaces after, what, two people have done when I've made one of these, nice to know you are, in fact, still around.

Oh, and for those who may be confused, the CE is designed that you could either listen to the songs in sequence or have them overlap after the final line, emphasizing how Louisette's own desires and thoughts are completely ignored and overwhelmed by the crowd who come to her for entertainment.

『Dies irae - Et in Arcadia ego』
『Dies irae: The Animation - Blood Refrain』
『Dies irae: The Animation - Blood Refrain (Crowd)』

[MuramasaMachII]

Louisette:

And here she is. You've done well, my Padawan.
Stupid references aside, pretty good Servant, and the Marie faceclaim for Dies Irae fits very, very well as someone who's played through part of the game.
My bias aside, those Skill ranks are... definitely high. I guess it makes sense because she's a Saver though, not to mention one that qualifies for a Beast.

However, I must say that I find this sheet extremely ironic. Louisette hates slow deaths, and yet one of the most famous guillotine executions (Maximilien de Robespierre) was known for being extremely slow. The guillotine got stuck and actually had to be used twice for Robespierre, and he was supposedly screaming as he died. But then again, you sort of did include that with the CE, which I found pretty good.

[Morg van Destro]

It's not often that I get to see Sinbad this relaxed. Although in legends he spent more time relaxing than adventuring.

I like his personality. NP is really cool. Archer who shot himself? Really cool and goes with tale of adventuring too.

Thanks. Had fun thinkin him through. A good continuation, I feel.

Louisette:

And here she is. You've done well, my Padawan.
Stupid references aside, pretty good Servant, and the Marie faceclaim for Dies Irae fits very, very well as someone who's played through part of the game.
My bias aside, those Skill ranks are... definitely high. I guess it makes sense because she's a Saver though, not to mention one that qualifies for a Beast.

However, I must say that I find this sheet extremely ironic. Louisette hates slow deaths, and yet one of the most famous guillotine executions (Maximilien de Robespierre) was known for being extremely slow. The guillotine got stuck and actually had to be used twice for Robespierre, and he was supposedly screaming as he died. But then again, you sort of did include that with the CE, which I found pretty good.

I stand by those ranks. If I'm going fully into "spirit of guillotine who can become Beast", I'm gonna lean hard. Plus, looking at her, you realize she's a very glassy cannon that can be pretty easily evaded. She's just got a lot of potential to make any slip up a fatal one.

Oh, she definitely felt absolutely horrified about that. I may have to edit the line for him with that in mind.

[Serra]

The Muse Project

EPISODE I: EUTERPE

The sounds of strings plucked in the distance, accompanied by a faint wind instrument. They herald a voice. The voice carries meaning. Above all meaning, it carries feeling. As far as the Muse can remember, that’s the essence of lyric poetry.

Who does the feeling belong to? How true does it have to be? Regardless of its truth or falsehood, how much of it can even be conveyed?

I feel unworthy of the Muse.

I hadn’t imagined that I could breathe again in the first place, let alone with her same rhythm.

But now that I do, the questions have come back stronger than ever, and won’t leave my mind.

Neither will the lyre. Neither will the wind.RIDER



True Name: Guido Cavalcanti

Source: Historical fact
Region: Italy
Alignment: True Neutral
Hidden Attribute: Human Sky
Armament: Wind, emotions

Parameters
STR: C | AGI: C+ | END: C | MGI: A | LCK: C | NP: A++

________________________

Introduction

Euterpe is one of the classical Nine Muses, and was eventually associated with lyric poetry. The process by which she’s become attached to Rider’s Saint Graph remains, at the moment, unknown.

Rider himself was a poet from Florence (Firenze). The Cavalcanti house was among the richest and most powerful of Florence during his lifetime. Whether willingly or due to his birth, he became a faction leader, which dictated much of his life and eventually led to his exile from the city: though it was revoked in a matter of two months, he died on his way back, likely of illness. However, Rider is primarily remembered not as a politician, but as one of the most representative poets of the movement known as ‘dolce stil novo’.

________________________

Personality

If you were somehow aware of Rider’s poetry, but not of the contemporary anecdotes surrounding his life, his personality might come as a surprise. If you did know he was a political faction leader but little else about his reported daily behaviour, then perhaps even more so.

Rider generally prefers to be left alone, or, alternatively, to have structured discussions in an intellectual manner. Crowds are hard to suffer, distractions from logical reasoning and from the wealth of introspection.

And yet, in the logic on which he wishes to base many of his interactions, there’s a lightness to be found. Committing one’s mind to reasoning and imagination comes as a way to free oneself from the dreariest part of the weight of the world.

For Rider, these sentiments have a lot to do with the societal pressure he received from all strata of Florentine society on account of his political importance from birth, but they also largely correspond to his natural inclinations outside of his lived history.

As for Euterpe, the Muse who has found in him her vessel… Strangely, despite being the muse of poetry that has to do with feelings, the word ‘personality’ might not be the most appropriate to apply to her in this state. She essentially manifests as sound and knowledge within Rider’s mind, and they’re somehow able to communicate with one another.

Through their dialogue, Rider and the Muse have devised the prospect of a logically structured world filled to the brim with feelings of an intensity beyond human description. He finds this idea intellectually stimulating, and he’s likewise interested in the concepts swirling in the minds of the other pairs of Muses and artists that welcomed him. Even so, he’s still unaware of many parts of their actual plans, including the exact mechanism which first brought him and Euterpe together.

From Rider’s perspective, the Muse’s intervention is essential to his current existence, and this form of his has only recently manifested. That may be a reason why he seems to be somewhat oblivious to–or perhaps in denial of–the full extent of the dangers that proximity to him can pose to others. To put it simply, he’s in a sort of reverie at the moment. Time will tell if he’s capable of being snapped out of it to face reality.

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Class Skills

Magic Resistance | B+

Rider’s base Rank in this Skill is almost entirely due to the Muse Euterpe, her antiquity, and her ties to the magecraft of the Age of the Gods. That said, a plus correction ultimately ascribable to both or either of them is applied against magecraft which concerns feelings, their manipulation, and their absence.

Riding | B

Despite the main source of his fame lying elsewhere, Rider is rather experienced in battle and, often in spite of himself, used to violence. Euterpe’s influence also further raises his Rank in this Skill, due to notable instances of music and poetry having been used to sway animals in Greek and Roman mythology: the story of Orpheus is only the most famous example. Still, it might seem strange to see the Throne so strongly prioritise this Class for a poet in the first place. Why, exactly, would it do that?

…

‘Cavalcanti’ roughly translates to ‘the riding ones’. Rider is a Rider.

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Personal Skills

Human Observation (Feeling) | A-

A Skill to observe humans and gain an understanding of them. In particular, the variation Rider possesses is focused on understanding their feelings and how they impact each individual, even on a physical level. This allows him to unexpectedly gain knowledge over the strengths and weaknesses of just about everyone in enough time, and is especially useful in terms of determining others’ reactions. Ironically, a minus modifier may be occasionally applied due to the interference of the rest of his own kit.

The Dolce Stil Novo (‘sweet new style’) originated from the writings of a poet from Bologna, Guido Guinizelli. However, it only became an actual movement once it was embraced by a group of Florentine poets. Among them, the most famous, who’d also eventually give a name to their style, was Durante Alighieri, better known as Dante. But if he was the most famous of them, then Rider was right behind him.

Of course, the various members of the movement put their own personal spin on the style and its themes, and Rider was no exception.

Like most of the other stilnovisti, he focused on a more direct and clear use of language in comparison to the obscurity of many preceding European styles of poetry, and stuck to love as a main theme on the surface, while understanding that his readers would know he was really writing about elevated matters concerning spirituality, philosophical introspection, and logical reasoning. On nearly all occasions, the feelings of unrequited romantic love he wrote about were neither genuinely his own, nor actually aimed at any specific existing women.

What set Rider apart from the other stilnovisti were his personal beliefs, and where his personal interests lay in terms of philosophical matters when compared to the others’. As a Servant, a lot of what really made his poetry unique actually flowed into his Noble Phantasm, and will thus be brought up more in detail later. But in the meantime, we can say that he largely ignored the more explicitly religious bent some of the other stilnovisti (Dante included) added to their poetry. Instead, he focused himself on the theoretical nature of love as an emotion and on how it affected one’s mental capacities as well as, interestingly, how it physically impacted the body.

Battle Continuation | C-

A Skill representing Rider’s continued survival in harsh and violent situations which often left him feeling isolated. Injuries are less likely to be lethal, and, even after receiving lethal injuries, there’s a window of time during which Rider can continue to actively fight. However, disease and spells or attacks which carry the attribute of disease are able to essentially bypass this Skill due to Rider’s conceptual weaknesses.

The first great conflict in which Rider was involved was the one between Guelphs and Ghibellines: the former faction supported the Pope’s superiority to the Emperor, the latter taking the opposite stance. Clashes between the two factions took place in several parts of Italy at the time.

In spite of Rider himself, his experience with both violence and politics often took the characteristics of a blood feud. He notably led a contingent of troops in an important battle against the Ghibellines at Campaldino, and that was far from the only time he had to hold a weapon. Even in times of peace, he was forced in a cold marriage of convenience as a failed attempt to quell the hostilities between Guelphs and Ghibellines in Florence.

An anecdote about a later period of Rider’s life concerns Corso Donati, also known as ‘the Great Baron’ (‘il Grande Barone’). After the defeat of the local Ghibellines, the Guelphs of Pistoia, and later of Florence, underwent an internal division. Donati became a faction leader of the Black Guelphs (‘guelfi neri’), who favoured active intervention and participation of the Pope in the governance of cities everywhere. In contrast, Rider belonged to the White Guelphs (‘guelfi bianchi’), who were against their extremes, despite still recognising the Pope as the supreme authority over the appointment of religious charges and other such matters. Allegedly, Corso Donati tried and failed to have Rider assassinated with a crossbow, and Rider, in turn, tried and failed to personally murder Corso Donati.

Whether that particular event actually took place or not, incidents of this sort prompted the city to exile several faction leaders of both White Guelphs and Black Guelphs over a short period of time. Among them were both Corso Donati and Rider himself, and in the jury which agreed to the exile was Rider’s old friend Dante.

Pathos Reification (Wind) (Mover) | C+

Euterpe, one of the Nine Muses, came to be associated with lyric poetry meant to convey feelings. Now that he’s directly connected to her, Rider’s poetical prowess is able to empower this Skill as well.

Pathos Reification is a Skill of the same genealogy as Mad Enhancement, a spiritual ability related to the Psychic Powers known as Empathy and Sympathy. In short, Rider can draw on the emotions of others and manifest gusts of wind proportional to the intensity of the feelings he created in them. To be slightly more specific: the wind is generated intentionally by Rider, using the emotions he caused in other people who surround him; he has the ability to generate the wind, but neither the 'material' for the wind itself nor its intensity are based on his own force of will, so to speak.

The modifier ‘Wind’ is self-explanatory here, and given by the fact that Euterpe’s main attribute, nearly constantly recurring throughout her depictions, is a wind instrument known as aulos in Greek or tibia in Latin. The aulos was considered capable of causing great emotional impact, appealing even to capacities shared between humans and animals. As such, it often accompanied passionate poetry, displays of athleticism and martial skill, key moments of tragedies, and religious rites–particularly those of ecstatic cults: even Euterpe’s name is tied to the concept of ‘positive pleasure’, ‘delight’.

On the other hand, the modifier ‘Mover’ for this Skill refers to the fact that the emotions are neither Rider’s own, nor directed towards him, but simply ones he caused or directly amplified. This has great synergy with Rider’s Noble Phantasm as well.

Rider’s spatial reach with this Skill and ability to fine-tune its control are both rather high, allowing for a series of additional usages over a wide area. One of the most basic secondary usages, for instance, is temporarily emulating melee weaponry by compressing wind instead of immediately releasing the full force of its gusts. In theory, he could even bend this Skill to mimic the Muse’s own Divinity, though that’s hardly within his usual repertoire. Despite all this, Rider has an output ceiling for this Skill in terms of raw power.

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Noble Phantasm

This the Muse Asks of Me
DONNA MI PREGA

Type: Anti-Army | Rank: A++ | Range: 1~33 | Target(s): 1000 people

‘Donna mi prega’ is Rider’s most famous poem, in which the poet claims to have been asked to explain the nature of love by a gentlewoman. Of his poems, it’s the most direct display of the framework of philosophical theory and spirituality that go into his poetry as a whole. Yet, it can certainly leave questions and room for interpretation.

Of note: the modern Italian word ‘donna’ translates to ‘woman’; At the time, in Florence, ‘donna’ was a respectful way to refer to an individual woman, and in the context of the original poem could be translated to ‘lady’, for instance. Because of Euterpe’s direct influence, this Noble Phantasm now manifests in a new way, and its True Name acquires a different gloss than usual.

Certain differences between Rider and other poets of the dolce stil novo show themselves fairly blatantly. One among them is particularly noteworthy for us. Without further ado: in life, Rider was in all likelihood an atheist, and didn’t believe in the immortality of the soul.

Dante and Rider were several years apart in age (the latter being older), but bonded well initially, and we have several poems left of their correspondence. Still, cracks began to show in their relationship in time. Eventually, they got to the point where Rider harshly scolded Dante in one of his poems for some unspeakable act of “cowardice” (‘viltà’). Dante, on his part, wrote his Comedy years after Rider’s exile and death, but set it at a time in which Rider was still alive: he wrote Rider’s father as eternally burning in hell due his unorthodox philosophical beliefs on the soul, with the implication that, unless Rider had changed his ways in his last days, he may very well have already joined his father there.

Rider’s beliefs were likely influenced by Epicurean philosophy and ibn Rushd’s writings on Aristotle, among other things. But how did they translate into poetry?

He wrote of a love so powerful it destroys a human's individuality and instead comes across as ineffable inducing pain on a physical level and genuine terror of death.

A feeling beyond description that's literally capable of eliminating the capacities shared between humans and animals, and would theoretically be capable of elevating them to something beyond humanity, if it could be sustained and survived.

But he doesn't believe it could be sustained and survived.

Perhaps, the reason why the Muse who joined him was Euterpe, rather than, for instance, Erato, was that he’s never actually experienced anything like this, and what he's actually most interested in isn't love at all, but the ascension mechanism he's theorised. An ascension mechanism which, if both feasible and survivable, could perhaps even be considered by a magus as a possible path towards the Root.

As a Noble Phantasm, this version of ‘Donna mi prega’ has a similar passive effect to the higher Ranks of the ‘Mass Hysteria’ Skill. Simply being near Rider heightens and amplifies people’s emotions, to the point that they become able to destroy their sense of self in a short timespan. Not only that, but once the intensity of their emotions excessively nears that threshold, they experience physical agony and are only kept momentarily alive by their inherent fear of death and eternal oblivion. All the while, the mental and physical capacities that escape them, along with their painful aches and the torturous sighs expelled from their bodies, take the form of ‘little spirits’ (‘spiritetti’), which join together and form a nameless chimera, an ever-strengthening creature without a fixed shape or form: Rider’s Phantasmal Mount.

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Creator’s Notes

This is part of our Muse project: nine of us are each writing a sheet which involves an artist of some sort being paired or fused in some manner with a specific member of the classical Nine Muses! I got Euterpe, and this is what I came up with. By the way, the Muses explicitly contribute one Skill and modify or add one Noble Phantasm. There’s a ton of sheets in the index for Dante, obviously, yet there were none for this ‘buddy’ of his before now. Back to Rider: adding in direct quotes from the figure’s poems for all Skills and the Noble Phantasm definitely felt harder in this case than it was for his contemporary Cecco Angiolieri, so I changed tactics; hopefully, this approach worked out well enough, too. The Skill ‘Pathos Reification’ was invented by Random, and the Reverse variation of it can be found on his Melusine sheet; I thought back about it, and it seemed fitting for Rider to have a unique variation of it, too; so we talked about the Skill together and it was definitely fun! Also, I tried to leave it reasonably ambiguous in this sheet whether Dante and his circle were magi or not... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the sheet! Look forward to the rest of the Muse project!

[Desdinova Incarnate]

★★★★★	Edmond Halley
	Class: Rider Attribute: Man Source: Real History Region: English Alignment: Lawful Good Likes: People watching, helping others, cartography, Sailing, Earth Dislikes: Disorder, whiny people, bad weather, being let down

Strength: D~A	Agility: D~A	Luck: EX
Endurance: B	Mana: A	Noble Phantasm: A

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In response to the summons of Humanity’s Last Master, Edmond Halley has arrived! Rider claims to be the famous English mathematician who calculated the orbit of one of / if not the most legendary comets in human history. Despite his rather underwhelming claim to fame, Edmond Halley was a major inspiration for his contemporaries. Indeed, his visit to Cambridge and subsequent collaboration with Isaac Newton would lead to the discovery of the theory of Gravitation. Halley has also released several groundbreaking works for his time, ranging from the first meteorological charts, the prototype for actuarial tables, and even charts predicting the transits of multiple planets. Naturally, there are high expectations for such a brilliant mind upon summoning, and yet...

Clear: Part 3 Chapter 4 "Divine Oracle Metropolis - Aletheia

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True Name Reveal Halley's Comet Rider claims to be the renowned scientist Edmond Halley, and yet, further scrutiny produces inconsistencies. She has neither the mathematical prowess nor the brilliant information compression skills her identity would entail. In truth, Rider is a Daemon born from the Sixth Imaginary Factor and the wishes of the oracle academy’s inhabitants. She is the embodiment of the wishes made upon shooting stars, manifested with a Spirit Origin of the most famous comet in history. Rider is a symbol of good fortune, such that her very appearance over the skies symbolizes a miracle. Attribute: Star Source: Scientific Phenomena Region: Space Alignment: Neutral Good

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Class Skills

Riding: -	A skill denoting the ability to ride mounts proficiently. While Rider does have a “mount”, its nature requires a unique skill separate from her class skill.
Independent Manifestation: D	A skill denoting a confirmed existence, which allows for unsupported manifestation into reality. Rider can manifest on her own in any era in which the Halley’s Comet’s orbit passes the Earth.
Self-Replenishment: D	Rider is capable of passively replenishing magical energy from the “wishes” of others.
Dweller of the Demonic Sphere: B	Rider can perceive the world through its magical structure. As a being that grants the fervent wishes of the collective, she is drawn to accumulating mystery and can trace its source in order to take form.

Personal Skills

Dust Tail: B	An evolution of the standard Riding skill. Rider has the ability to “latch on” to celestial objects that enter Earth’s gravitational field. As a demerit, this skill does not offer absolute control over the “mount”, instead allowing only a moderate ability to steer it in a cardinal direction.
Parabola Arc: A	A sublimation of the magical significance attributed to comets manifested through the curve of their orbit. Rider gathers Magical Energy as she builds momentum around the enemy with her parabolic orbit, converting the kinetic energy of her acceleration into a burst of magical energy similar to the Mana Burst skill.
Sword of Destiny: EX	Halley's Comet has been an blessed star for many great conquerors throughout history. Most famously, the comet appeared months before William the Conqueror's invasion of England. Genghis Khan was also said to have been inspired to invade Europe by the star, and Halley's Comet even appeared alongside the Ottoman Empire's conquest of the Balkans. This skill is a sublimation of this history in the form of a sword of flame for close-quarter combat. This skill's power is boosted when facing a large number of enemies or sturdy defensive formations. True to its nature, this skill is meant for breaking through armies.
Wishing Star: A++	A skill denoting the ability to drastically increase the success rate of "luck checks" made by Rider and her master. This skill becomes more effective the higher the stakes at play.

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Background

First recorded in ancient China in 240 BC, Halley's Comet has made many prominent appearances throughout human history. However, its orbit period was only confirmed in the 18th century when Edmond Halley published a catalog of comets and drew attention to the similarities between comets that appeared in 1531, 1607, and 1682. When Halley predicted the comet's next appearance, it was named in his honor. Ever since, astronomers have been looking back through history to follow the traces of this celestial object's visits to Earth. Part of the comet's fame also originates from its visibility; as it is the one of the only consistently visible comet's to the naked eye. Its various appearances through history have made it the subject of several disastrous prophecies, and great conquerors have used it as an omen in support of their ambitions.

Personality

Rider is the type who looks towards the future. Her context of human history is viewed through the snapshots from flybys every 76 years. She is an observant and sociable person who likes to make the most of her summoning, knowing it is often a temporary experience. As if by a stroke of fate, she shares a similar passion with her "observer" for recording information too. Even if the world becomes unrecognizable with each visit, proof of the past exists through the words etched in ink and binary.

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Imaginary Engine starting. Interstellar Drive begin charging. Calculating trajectory. 3... 2... 1... LIFT OFF! O Star, hear our fervent wishes: Isti Mirantur Stella!

Behold, a Star

Isti Mirantur Stella

Rank: A

Classification: Anti-Country

Range: 0~999

Max. Targets: -

Rider's Noble Phantasm is a sublimation of the "miracle of the shooting star". Since ancient times, comets have been seen as great omens, witnessed at the rise and fall of mighty empires. Prophecies have spoken of the comet's arrival as a herald of changing times. By taking on the wishes of the masses, Rider's Spirit Origin evolves temporarily, turning her into a nigh-omnipotent wish granting device. As the "shooting star" born of wishes reaches its peak in the sky, a miracle occurs. Its classification designates it as a power capable of affecting the destiny of an entire nation. Incidentally, Rider also makes for a powerful projectile in this state.

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Bond Craft Essence [B]Earth's Constant Companion A journey that reaches its peak every 76 years. Each orbit offers a brand new glimpse. What does the silent observer see with within the snapshots of humanity? This is a friendship separated by billions of kilometers. Each, appearing like a twinkling light in the eyes of the other. "I wonder what life is like up down there?" Twinkle little Star~, how I wonder what you are!

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Notes

This has been a servant sheet I've been really excited to post ever since the idea for Rider came to me. For a servant of this nature, I decided to try something a little different for the formatting. I plan on using this for all future servant sheets too, so some feedback would be appreciated. The weird gradient effect on the text was something I had a bit of trouble figuring out before I just went for the straightforward approach of splitting the words into different color codes. If there's a less tedious way of doing it though, I'm all ears! Researching Halley's Comet was a blast, and the idea of "Earth's Constant Companion" really hit me in the feels. Her little deception at the start comes from the fact that, Halley's Comet (at least as far as I'm aware) has always been way more well known than the guy who discovered it (despite his many contributions to science as I only learned while researching for this Servant). Rider introduces herself not as "Edmond Halley the famed English physicist and mathematician" but as "Edmond Halley, the man who discovered the legendary comet".

[ribstein]

Saint Lucia of Syracuse


True name: Lucia
Class: Caster
Source: historical fact, golden legend, acta martyrum

Region: Syracuse, Roman Empire

Gender: Female

Height/weight: 173cm / 56kg

Alignment: Lawful Good

Armaments: shroud of Lucia

Strength: E	Mana: C
Endurance: D+	Luck: B
Agility: D	Noble Phantasm: B

Legend

A saint, martyred during the last and most harsh persecution of Christians by the Roman empire. Born a wealthy noble in the 3^rd century Syracuse, Roman empire, Lucia distributed her riches to the poor and needy. It is said she made journey’s into the City’s catacombs where persecuted Christians hid. Guided only by the light of candles affixed to a wreath: she carried food, drink and hope to the downtrodden. Lucia was denounced for these acts of generosity by other elites and was condemned to a brothel as punishment. This is when the Miracles that defined her as a Saint transpired. Her body became completely unmovable by the guards tasked with her transport. Not even oxen, hitched to her side could move her. They tried to set her aflame but no fire would start. Her eyes were gouged out in frustration but Lucia didn’t scream or cry. Instead, she prophesied the end of the Christian persecution. Finally her life was ended with a sword. During her burial it was discovered that her eyes had miraculously healed. Lucia remains a widely venerated saint to this day. She is patron of the blind and is associated with Light.

Tactics

Lacking any effective means of offense but possessing potent supportive capabilities, Her optimal strategy is to team up with another Servant or leverage a combat specialised mage, acting as support. One would expect her to take a back seat upon gifting her holy shroud to the main fighter as doing so leaves her vulnerable. However, Lucia paradoxically prefers to jump in front of allies, seeking to defend them. She might be a bit hard-headed...

Class skills

Territory creation C++
Not studied in magecraft, a workshop can’t be created. Instead, potency of abilities based in faith grow the more disadvantageous the territory is to Christianity. If in a magus of a different faith’s workshop or in a place and time where Christianity is persecuted: strength of will soars. “no matter the hardship, we shall prevail”.

Item construction E
Wholly unskilled in creating magical constructs, she can only make a holy shroud due to the skill “saint”. this does not stem from magecraft knowledge or even sacraments.

personal skills

Magic Resistance C
Not granted by class. Unwavering devotion to the Lord has granted the skill. Spells of two verses or less are nullified. However, the skill cannot resist high thaumaturgy and greater ritual spells.


Miracle (unmoving) C+
A skill that makes the impossible possible.
Lucia was to be made an example of. she was naught in comparison to the Roman state. condemned to prostitution, guards ordered to transport her to a brothel could not move her. Not even oxen could make her budge. Angered, the Romans resorted to burning her alive. However, a fire would not light. Desperately, they removed her eyes as a form of torture but even that did not break her spirit. It was then she spoke her prophesy…
Though her life was eventually ended by the sword, these Miracles are sublimated as a high-level conceptual defence. Damage and ailments that aren’t strictly fatal can be completely nullified if a luck check is met. Additionally, a plus modifier is applied to the endurance parameter if defending against one of evil alignment. The innate weakness of this skill is combatants whose every strike can be considered “fatal”.


Gifting the dowry and Hope B
Lucia's inheritance (which was to be her dowry) was Instead gifted to the needy. At her own risk, she also brought food and drink to Christians hiding in Syracuse’s catacombs. Guided only by the dim light of candles affixed to a wreath: she offered it all to help them.
After Lucia’s eyes were torn out, it was observed during her burial that they had miraculously healed. giving and healing related legends manifested as a skill. Healing Miracles eclipsing modern magecraft can be performed by Lucia and blessings can be bestowed upon comrades (including her own holy shroud).


Pure eyes of clairvoyance A++
Saint Lucia foretold the Diocletianic persecution’s end. For speaking out against the Roman state: her eyes that shined with devotion to God, were taken from her. This wouldn’t, however change what had been seen.
Near perfect future sight on a scale and scope completely incomparable to normal mystic eyes of foresight is possible. Lucia’s eyes are incapable of viewing adjacent timelines.


Saint B
Lucia could be described as an archetypical saint, unyielding in her devotion to God, benevolent in all matters and a beacon by which to model oneself.
The skill can grant one of the following effects of choice upon summoning: “increase the effectiveness of Sacraments “, “automatic hp recovery”, “one rank-up to charisma” or “production of a holy shroud”.
Lucia was not a member of the Holy Church in life and is, as such, unfamiliar with Sacraments. The first effect is thus unsuited for her.

Noble Phantasm

Lucia’s inspiration: Light in darkness

Rank: B
Noble phantasm type: Barrier
Range: 1-40
Number of targets: 50

Lucia of Syracuse left the world foretelling end of the final state persecution of Christians by the Romans: the Diocletianic persecution. It would come to pass a mere few years after the martyrdom. As patron of the blind and visually impaired, who’s feast day falls upon the shortest, darkest day of the year, and one who’s name shares its origin with the Latin word for “light”: Lucia’s presence reassures downcast allies with radiance and unshakable conviction. “there will come a better tomorrow”

Persecuted Christians hiding under Syracuse’s catacombs must have felt some ease to their immense pain as the woman lit up the dark corridors, bearing food and drink for them. A similar effect is granted to her allies when summoned as a servant. Manifesting as an always active, bounded field noble phantasm: resistance to physical and mental ailment is greatly enhanced for allies. Prayer Power (magical energy) saturates the bounded field, accessible to allies. As such, Mana consumption of Servants and cost of Magecraft decreases. This noble phantasm also grants Lucia the skill charisma equivalent to C rank.

Shroud of Lucia: You shall see hardship’s end

Rank: C
Noble phantasm type: anti-unit
Range:1
number of targets: 1

A means by which to endure. A Holy shroud carrying the concept of “guiding light”. One in possession of this Shroud acquires significantly increased endurance (equivalent to two ranks of the endurance parameter in Servants) and preferential luck when acting in defence.

Notes

I choose the shroud of Lucia as her primary armament due to how Lucia, depicted in celebrations of her feast day oftentimes feature a red sash around her waist representing her martyrdom. This red sash is similar in appearance to the main two holy shroud mystic codes we’ve seen in type moon, so it felt natural for the setting.

One main inspiration for the decision to write Lucia was pure eyes being noted as something characteristic of saints in the Nasu verse. No saint we’ve seen have them so it felt like something that could be expanded upon. The distinction between mystic eyes of foresight and pure eyes of foresight, I imagine would be the complete inability to change anything in the latter. Truths about the future can be gleamed but they’re just that: truths, not possible worlds (like, for instance can be observed by Gilgamesh with sha naqba imuru). My reason for drawing this distinction is that pure eyes seem to be more passive observation while mystic eyes actually use the magic circuits within them to enact a Mystery (though things like fairy-seeing “mystic eyes” throw a wrench into my understanding of the difference between the two).

I wanted to write a servant with a good chunk of the dnd-like elements that are sprinkled in places in (mostly old) servant mats/profiles

Hopefully this profile was legible and coherent, it was my first attempt at a full-on fan servant. I would be interested in working on an Alfred Nobel Servant that focuses on the discrepancy of the “merchant of death” that brought explosive technology into a new level and availability for warfare and the Nobel who furthers humanity’s best aspects through the Nobel price program. That might be when I try my hand at character writing because I didn’t feel confident about doing it for a saint figure