Other Classes: Archer
True Name: Anton Chekhov's Gun
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Place of Origin: Russia
Height: 189 cm.
Weight: However heavy a man made of metal of this size would be.
Likes: Coherent storytelling. Setup and payoff. Advising other writers.
Dislikes: Deus ex Machinas. Hypocrites. "The writer's inability to verbalize my best and worst traits succinctly."
Natural Enemy: Homer
Parameters:
STR: D
END: D
AGI: E
MGI: C
LCK: C
NP: EX
Class Skills:
Independent Action (A):
At his core, Binder is directly tied into the “plot” of the “story”, meaning that even without a Master, he is able to endure past the point of disappearing for however long the “plot” demands. Sadly, much like other plot points in a long running tale, it’s possible Binder will be forgotten about the longer he goes “unfired”. If he is not able to reattach himself to a “main character” before a week has passed, both the reader and the writer will fail to remember he was there.
Binding and Fettering (D+):
As a concept that weaves throughout a story and holds it together, Binder should have a higher rank in this Skill. However, his ability to do so is directly related to a writer’s ability to properly utilize him rather than any effort on his part. Fittingly, he reflects this in his rank.
Binder is capable of lowering both Luck and to a lesser extent Agility with this Skill, preventing those that might deviate from the “plot” and making it harder to for them to escape the “setting”. He is able to reduce them even more if they are under the effects of Rifle on the Wall, whether by being integrated into the plot or some information about them is.
Item Creation (Bullet) (E):
As a gun would be useless without ammo, Binder has manifested this Skill as to allow him to reload himself. Given that this Skill has no basis in his legend, nor does he have any proficiency in it, all it can truly do is generate normal magical bullets that come out as strong as D rank Noble Phantasms.
Personal Skills:
Appreciation of Stories (C):
An Appreciation of the Arts variant that comes from a knowledge of literature that makes one more likely to recognize a figure that was featured in a written work.
While the Proper Heroic Spirit Chekhov would have a higher rank in this Skill, Binder has strange gaps in his knowledge that he covers up with the statement “They must have been works not worth remembering.”
Instinct (Plot) (A):
Rather than the ability to sense the flow of combat, it allows Binder to feel out how a “plot” will unfold in a given situation. In a sense, it gives him a vague Clairvoyance bordering on future vision where he can predict where the “plot” is heading based on past events. While this can allow him to make preparations and plans, it’s still an imprecise predictor, and one vulnerable to “subversions”.
Plot Relevance (EX):
A Skill that ensures that Binder will always be “relevant” in whatever “story” he finds himself in. That is to say, it ensures that, even if he’s only in the background, fate orchestrates it so he will have some sort of impact on the “plot” even if that only means dying.
This also causes him to be of the delusion that all of this is a product of someone else, a writer creating the world he lives in. This doesn’t affect much in that the only thing he tends to do with this delusion is complain to seemingly no one about “contrivances” and “shoddy writing”.
Markmanship (E+++):
Despite his status as a “gun”, Binder’s aim is horrendous to the point of parody. Were he not possessing chambers built into his fists, he likely would not be able to hit anything with the rounds he can load into himself.
However, when used in conjunction with The Rifle on the Wall, his ability skyrockets when using it to target weakpoints. Of course, given the low strength of his rounds, simply being able to hit a weakpoint isn’t guaranteed to be effective depending on its nature, but perhaps it will still tie back into the “plot”, which is the most he can hope for in such a situation.
Noble Phantasm:
Chekhov’s Gun: The Art of Anticipation (A)
Anti-Consequence
The act of presenting a Chekhov’s Gun is making a promise to the audience. “If something is presented or given focus, it should come into play later in some way” is the more widespread interpretation of this while the initial point was meant to be a lesson in brevity to younger writers, advising them on presenting what was necessary for the story rather than be bogged down in superfluous details. That is not to say either interpretation is incorrect. After all, it is the former that has brought this Noble Phantasm into existence.
Simply put, this Noble Phantasm can be simplified to affecting causality, but in a roundabout way. Rather than altering fate for a desired outcome, this is instead the prolonging of “cause” before it turns into “effect”. In the famous example, the gun on the wall has been presented, but the consequence, that being the rifle firing later in the story, does not occur immediately after. With this Noble Phantasm, Binder is able to stretch the “distance” between cause and effect out further, meaning anything fated to happen still will, but the road to get there is more of a travel.
Using this, he is able to pull off seemingly impossible stunts to a certain extent. If a Noble Phantasm is charging before it is used, he can prolong that state. An un-activated barrier will remain down even if all the rituals are in place and ready. Even if a fatal wound is dealt, Binder can either prolong the time before the wound is received or before the person dies with this power.
His ability to do these things is proportional to the magical capacity of what it is affecting. Things like a human going to the store or a normal boulder falling can be prolonged up to a day before they reach their destination, while something like Excalibur’s or Ea’s release cannot be impacted at all due to their divine nature being read as “Deus ex Machina”, which naturally clashes with the principle of Chekhov’s Gun. However, it does have advantage against other causality altering, as it simply nudges them away rather than preventing them, so something like Gae Bolg piercing the heart can be tossed a few hours into the future.
Chekhov’s Rifle: The Rifle on the Wall (EX)
Anti-Contrivance Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.
A Chekhov’s Gun, once revealed, must be fired. That is the rule that Binder lives by. This concept can be summarized akin to loading the gun before it is fired. To ensure something is set into place before it can be used later. Without this setup, there is no payoff, resulting in either contrivance or deus ex machina. Of course, this tends to only apply to things directly alluded to or focused on, but it instills an expectation that something featured will be relevant rather than a throw away detail.
This is an extremely dangerous yet invaluable Noble Phantasm, as it allows Binder to integrate items, people, statements, and information into the “story”. Whether it’s something as standard as learning of an enemy’s weakness to something as absurd as a piece of lint, Binder can alter its fate so it somehow returns later in the “plot” to impact it in some way, from a weakness being exploited so they’ll leave a restaurant to that piece of lint landing in the enemy’s eye at just the right time to clinch the victory.
To summarize, this Noble Phantasm allows him to arbitrarily create “Chekhov’s Guns”, the downside being that it can be activated accidentally if he is not careful. This has caused him to develop a habit of shifting his attention away from anything he is focusing on periodically, lest it suddenly become “relevant” to the “story”.
Lore
Anton Chekhov was a Russian physician, novelist, and playwrite whose impact is still felt to this day. Contrary to his own belief that he would be forgotten in a scant 7 years, his name and works would endure, many other famous writers of his time and after citing him and being inspired by his methods. Though, perhaps in the public consciousness, the thing he is best known for was an unintended creation of his that generated from his writing philosophy.
That being Chekhov’s Gun.
It was a simple concept. If a detail is present or focused upon, it should serve some sort of purpose. To introduce something whether through description in a story or in presentation in a play and do nothing with it was an error in Chekhov’s eyes. Rather than a hard rule, as it was one he himself subverted in a few of his stories, it was his advice to younger writers to help them focus more on the things they included in their writing, helping them evaluate what was and wasn’t important.
His example of a rifle on the wall needing to be used later for it to have any reason to exist highlighted a storytelling fact that, while broadly talked about in relation to other conventions, had not been so narrowly defined. As readers will already ascribe some meaning to whatever detail the writer chooses to reveal to them, letting it be anything other than integral was akin to breaking an unspoken promise to them.
It is this idea that brings us to this current iteration. This merging of writer with concept to the point that writer has barely become a template for embodying it. Anton has effectively become a living plot device in whatever “story” he is summoned into. He is not the Heroic Spirit Anton Chekhov.
He is Chekhov’s Gun.
Personality
“Brevity is the soul of wit” is an apt way of describing Chekhov. Both in life with his writing and in his interactions, he tries to find the shortest distance between two points, only trying to keep what he believes is necessary within. In the hands of other, this desire to break things down and only use the most important parts could become a stew of miscommunication or misunderstanding, but it is both his ability as a writer and his willingness to be flexible with this rule that makes it not only possible, but what helped propel him to fame.
It is this attitude that he brings into using his Skills and Noble Phantasms as well. Seeing where a narrative is going and crafting paths and key parts of it as he goes on to make it come to a succinct and satisfying conclusion. While his normal self is very inclined towards good, becoming the embodiment of his own metaphorical weapon has changed him to prioritize the “story” over morality, a sentiment somewhat comparable to Shakespeare.
In between tales, he simply enjoys interacting with other “characters” in his free time. Talking to fellow writers about their own philosophies and methodology. Reading novels and watching plays he couldn’t in life, or even writing new ones of his own. Were he his more traditional self, he’d even work in some flirtations with the women of Chaldea, but becoming a writing device has robbed him of some of his normal desires. Still, a good conversationalist should you have the pleasure of speaking to him.
Relationships
William Shakespeare: A good writer. The man himself is a bit unorthodox, but it only makes for an entertaining story.
Don Quixote: Cervantes would either weep or laugh upon seeing you. I am not sure which is the correct response.
Lafcadio Hearn: A yearning man still holding his love of stories. Now, if only he could say anything understandable.
Lucian of Samosata: Hmm~ Consumed by his work. Still, I believe there is an interesting story that can be made from this. Such power would be boring otherwise.
Sir Thomas Malory: Another molder of the story. This one’s ideas of what a story must be are too rigid. I will need to fix this.
Gorgias²: I-! This, I don’t-! What am I supposed to do with this?
Hans Christian Andersen: He is rather severe a critic. Maybe you should mix in some more positive feedback.
Craft Essence
Aim and Fire
An effective story is much like a gun.
It is very important for the base to be solid. Hours of work and design bringing out something to hold onto.
You can give it fancy engravings and cosmetics. Add on attachments and modifications, but so long as they are not glaring, they can enhance it.
Yet, all of these things, as amazing as they can be, mean nothing if only one detail is missing.
They forgot to load the weapon.
It is funny. In all the mess they slap onto the gun, they can forget the single thing that allows it to work.
That one detail at the beginning that would become so important down the line yet forgotten until it was too late.
Bang.
I think my Servant making itch I've been riding is done for a bit. Really got my fingers working for some reason.
Given the way you've explained this being more the gun than him, this might've actually been a good case use for the Maker Suppression thing I used for Crush imo lol
The sheet's pretty alright, especially the first NP, but there are a few mentions of brevity in it, and I think it's the wrong word to use in context - brevity is implicitly on a temporal and/or spatial dimension, and doesn't really have to do a necessity for pieces that have been presented in focus to become relevant later. As you've alluded to in The Art of Anticipation, one of the more famous things about Chekhov is that in his plays actually have quite a lot of long and seemingly uneventful yet meaningful silences.
Class: Assassin
Other Classes: Caster
True Name: Mefitis
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Place of Origin: Oscan Mythology
Stars: 4/5
Parameters:
STR: C
END: B
AGI: A
MGI: A
LCK: D
NP: A++
Height: 148 cm
Weight: 20 lbs
Likes: Kindness, peace
Dislikes: Disturbances
Talent: Suffocation
Natural Enemy: Geras
Attribute: Sky
Traits: Female, Divine, Humanoid, Mental Pollution, Weak to Enuma Elish
Armament: Semi-solidified toxic gas, frequently used as a garrote
Catalyst: Ash from Pompeii
Class Skills:
Presence Concealment B: Much like the gas she was the goddess of, subtle and hidden, hard to find, but immensely dangerous when she grew near.
Delusion Trigger C~A: A goddess distorted by her worship. Originally a deity of peaceful underground springs, their association with sulfur made her turn into a goddess of toxic gasses and volcanoes. In her normal state, she has trouble seeing violence as violence, her vision blinded by peace. But when someone disturbs that peace, her mind spills outwards, producing her toxic gas.
Personal Skills:
Oracular Insight A+: As the goddess of the toxic and hallucinogenic mist that was used by most oracles, prophets, and seers in Ancient Greek and Roman times, she gains an incredibly high rank of the skill, capable of forcing visions in anyone through inhalation of the toxic mist. These visions can even theoretically harm the people that see them, though in general this is mostly used for her to "pacify" opponents in any way necessary.
The Liminal Divine B: A skill denoting the divine core of a Cthonic god who resides at liminal spaces. Persephone, Demeter, Dionysus, and other such gods would also obtain this skill. The ability to "cross the boundaries", stepping into the spiritual world or through walls, crevices in the earth forming at the will of Mefitis. Ritual magecraft is possible through this.
Fog of Sulfur B: The gas of Mefitis, a highly toxic compound that's easily capable of causing death. As a visual cue when she's wielding it, ash will "weep" off it as though an endless volcanic eruption flows from it. It can be solidified and controlled completely by Mefitis, used as a shield, a garrote, a spear, a bludgeon, or just as going down a throat. As a side effect, souls killed by this are considered to be "offerings to Mefitis" and expand the strength of this ability.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Mefite
One Peaceful Dream for the Springs
Type: Support
Rank: D
Range: 5 meters
Max Targets: N/A
The original goal of Mefitis, manifested. A small pool of water that appears under her feet when this ability is cast. Although leaking weakly toxic fumes that can harm people, this ability isn't truly dangerous for most, and in fact the water from it is healing and able to soothe pain, while the fog can easily be avoided. And doing this will not incur her wrath. But if you attack her...
Pompeii
The Reality of Demise
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: A++
Range: 500 meters
Max Targets: Infinite
As the goddess of toxic gasses, she was beloved by the people of Pompeii, who lived right next to a volcano that continually spewed them. And after the eruption, she became intimately tied to all volanoes through this. An ability that only activates when she snaps, her perception filters unable to keep her from realizing the war surrounding her and the death caused. The pool of Mefite appears beneath her, and transforms into lava. Waves of ash, soot, toxic gas, lava, and rock flood out from her, death emanating from her stance. And once it's done? Mefite will return, and so too will her perception filters.
Lore: Mefitis was a minor Oscan and later Roman goddess. At first, she was a goddess of underground springs, liminal places, and rituals on some level, worshipped by the local oracles and maguses. But when the Romans came, she became the goddess of toxic gasses instead. Then, after Pompeii, volcanoes became a part of her domain as well.
Personality: Quiet, serene, and calm, often found peacefully meditating or relaxing by streams or pools. She has a hard time noticing conflict due to her perception filters, and generally hates loud noise of any kind, or just noise of any kind, but when her Delusion Trigger activates this shifts into an enraged, furious and violent personality. Her wish is to strip away her toxic gas domain, returning to only her pools, although under most states she wouldn't realize this due to not 'knowing' that's her domain.
Relationships:
Hassan of the Serenity: Complete peace and total calm. The two get along extremely well, although Mefitis is sometimes annoyed by her loudness.
Empress Wei: Not an ideal pairing. keep them apart as much as possible, as Wei will either latch on to Mefitis as a mentor, which will lead to problems, or attack her, which will be just as bad.
Baba Anujka: Pretty happy duo together, though Anujka's more murderous tendencies will be almost completely unnoticed by Mefitis..
Caster of the Yurei-no-Hi -- Mistress of Horrors, Star of the Decadent Stage --
"So this is Chaldea... It's certainly a less interesting place than I'd expected. I swear, you must be possessed to call someone like me here. I mean, how can you expect me to create anything new in a place so dull and devoid of inspiration? Yes, yes, I know, Chaldea is a place where humanity's finest gathers, but that's exactly the problem. Wise, virtuous kings and dragon-slaying warriors have never quite piqued my interest. I prefer the lives of... normal, yet significant individuals. They are much more promising subject matters for my work. On that note... My dear Master, it seems you are the closest one here to fulfilling that criteria, so I might as well stick around for the time being. I am Servant Caster, True Name Tsuruya Nanboku IV, playwright, kabuki actress, and folklorist extraordinaire. Please don't bore me to death, now. I died once already, and I can't say the sensation was entirely pleasant." ~ ♬ ~ Source
"Since the year 1825, Japan dubbed July 29 the Yurei-no-Hi; Ghost Day. Now, the question is... why? What exactly happened on that fateful date? Was there some terrible disaster involving malevolent spirits, or some demonic curse plaguing the nation? Not at all. In fact, that day happened to be rather fortuitous for me. That was the day my magnum opus, the Yotsuya Kaidan, made its debut in Edo. Do you see the significance of such a feat, Master? An annual celebration, and the entire country's fascination with the supernatural, neither of them were rooted in those old folktales! The various yōkaiand yūrei told in our bedtime stories, the poor, unfortunate souls that became the foundation of my fame... My stories had eclipsed them all! Do you have a better understanding of the individual standing before you now, Master? ...Good, because I have no plans of stopping anytime soon."
Class: Caster
Other Classes: -
True Name: Tsuruya Nanboku IV
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Origin: Japan (18th century)
Parameters:
STR: E
END: D
AGI: C
MGI: C+
LCK: B
NP: E~A
Likes: Horror stories, angst, writing, cooperative performers, dark humor, urban legends, fame and fortune
Dislikes: Fairytales, happy endings, Deus Ex Machina, incompetent performers
Talent: Performing arts, writing angsty horror stories, spreading misinformation advertising
Natural Enemy: Prince Charming (Beast), Rags-to-Riches 510A, any of Japan's Three Great Onryō
Armament: Magecraft, familiars, stage props
Catalyst: A script to a play meant to be performed at his funeral, small chance to be summoned through any catalyst meant for those with the yūrei attribute
Class Skills
Territory Creation (B)
The Skill needed to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus. At this rank, Caster is able to create a "theatre" to serve as a base of operations. Modeled after Edo's Nakamura-za kabuki theatre, many things can be done here, from collecting mana, monitoring her surroundings, to manufacturing new tools and familiars. As her own personal "stage", Caster has the ability to modify the theatres interior as she sees fit, turning it anywhere from a lavish palace beckoning visitors, to an impenetrable fortress or an endless labyrinth. Furthermore, within it, the lines between "reality" and "play" is especially blurred, increasing the effectiveness of his second Noble Phantasm.
"As much as I want it to be, managing a theatre is not a one-man job. I can handle the writing and performances. In fact, I would not entrust it to anyone else. You, on the other hand... would you be interested in becoming my official promotor? You just have to design some posters and advertise my productions when the time calls for it. Maybe you could handle recruitment as well under my supervision. Of course, this is strictly a part-time position, I understand you are a busy person, with humanity in the middle of a crisis and all that. Oh, that said, please do not expect to receive payment anywhere above minimum wage. I doubt such laws still apply with the present state of the world anyways, fufu."
Item Construction (C++)
The Skill to manufacture magical items, from implements of war to items for daily use. As an amateur magus whose specialty only lies in very basic, self-taught invocation magecraft and curse arts, her mastery in this Skill is rather middling. Initially, she could only produce stage props and simple mystic codes (such as charms and talismans). However, as the lines between the worlds of the living and the dead are blurred through a combination of Grudge Eater and her Noble Phantasm, this Skill's rank may increase. Taking advantage of the public's fear, fascination, and unrest, it may be possible for her to manufacture imitations of various "cursed objects", from straw dolls meant to inflict misfortune on others, to the kotoribako, a puzzle box that would devour human souls (especially women and children) if opened.
"Oh please, this humble playwright is nothing compared to the likes of Abe-no-Seimei or Ashiya Douman. Props; at the end of the day, that's all my creations are. Some of these objects may not have ever existed in the first place, instead being a byproduct of folktales and urban legends. Still, I take quality very seriously, you know? I spent a long time approximating and recreating the effects based on those legends. Besides, what's real or unreal... who cares about the specifics anyways? For a performer, what matters is how it makes the audience feel. Atmosphere is important. For my dear audience, the cursed box that devours souls, or the creepy doll that follows you back to your doorstep after you abandon it are very much real, and that is all that matters. Why let something as boring as the truth get in the way of a good story?"
Avenger (False) Grudge Eater (D+)
A variation of the Avenger Skill, representing an existence that gathers the people's hatred and grudges into oneself. Except Caster could never qualify for an Avenger. A poor merchant's daughter who followed her dreams and achieved countrywide recognition as an artist, Caster's own life was mostly free of tragedies, never having any kind of unjust misfortune forced upon her. And yet, she continued to obsessively thirst for angst. Different from a certain Indian Maharaja. her obsession does not stem from any deep-seated curse or dissatisfaction with her own life. Rather, she simply considered (other people's) angst to be her greatest means to fame and fortune, as her plays had demonstrated in the past.
It is easier for Caster to accumulate hatred and resentment of others. These negative emotions empower her, but unlike the true Avenger Skill, Caster does not truly "take in" the grudges of others. Instead, like an author taking inspiration from other works, she devours these emotions, twists them- sometimes to the point of barely even resembling their original forms- to suit her story, and uses them to fuel her next creations. Due to this act being closer to "
bastardizing
adapting
" rather than simply "amassing", its rank its low. However, her nature allows her to sacrifice efficiency for versatility.
"Tragedy has always been my most favorite subject matter. That was the genre that propelled me to fame, after all. In the Yotsuya Kaidan, I took what I presumed was a mundane case of a break-in gone wrong from the 1600s and adapted it into a tale of passion, betrayal, and vengeance. Critics would argue I bastardized the oh-so-tragic tale of Oiwa and Iemon for some quick cash, but... well, they're absolutely right, actually. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. A poor housewife killed when a band of thugs broke into her house or whatever? No one wants to hear HER story. They want MINE. My version of how things went down. And look at that, even today, both performers and horror fanatics still visit Oiwa's grave to ask for her blessings! It was all thanks to ME. Forget royalties, if the real Oiwa and Iemon are summonable, they should be the ones paying ME instead. You could say it's thanks to me that people bothered to remember their names at all!" ... "Ahem, I realize I went on a tangent again. If you're more curious on the practical aspect of this Skill, well... this is rather grotesque, but I aside from absorbing negative emotions from my surroundings, I could also just... literally devour a fallen Servant's Spirit Origin to absorb any lingering grudges they may have left behind. Am I not worried about being overwhelmed by absorbing so much negative emotions, you ask? Ah, how considerate of you, my dear Master! Your empathy is an admirable quality indeed, but allow me to answer your question with another question; do you break into tears every time you read a sob story, or fly into a rage every time your favorite manga character does something especially stupid? I'd say you need to regulate your emotions better if that's the case, but I certainly don't. At the end of the day, these poor, tortured souls are nothing more than fuel for my work. Do you think I would have been able to write the stories I wrote if I keep thinking too hard about the poor housewife and her unfaithful husband? No, there's a degree of... divorced-ness between them. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I know my materials best, after all. And it would be unbecoming for me to get too carried away by the source material."
Personal Skills
Knowledge of Horrors (A)
With the Yotsuya Kaidan, Caster brought ghost stories and the supernatural back to the forefront of Japan's public consciousness. Tales of oni, yōkai, and yūrei has been a part of the country for as long as anyone can remember, but for most of the general public, Caster's production was deemed the first time these hauntings and otherworldly vengeance could feel so... real and close to home. The ghost of Oiwa felt both terrifying, yet driven by real themes familiar to the audience. Compared to other supernatural creatures preceding her, such as fellow onryō Okiku, Oiwa's vengeance was more direct and brutal, with her deceiving her unfaithful husband Iemon into slaughtering his new bride and her grandfather, followed by the rest of the new bride's household before driving the man himself into madness through psychological torment. All this was further enhanced through the use of special effects such as lighting, makeup, and other props to depict Oiwa's disfigured face and convey a sense of inescapable dread to the audience, much like how Iemon must have felt in his final days. Due to the fame garnered by this play, it would not be an exaggeration to consider Caster as the "Father" of Japanese horror. From classic traditions such as the Hyakumonogatari (100 Ghost Stories) to modern internet urban legends, it's possible that none of them would reach their current level of fame were it not for the success of the Yotsuya Kaidan.
From psychological thrillers to guro, Caster is a Master at inciting responses of anxiety, doubt, and primal fear through various forms of stage illusionism and storytelling techniques. Every human has a breaking point, and a potential for angst that comes with it. Her stories serve to bring the audience as close as possible to that point, without even personally laying a finger on them.
"Oh, I could spend hours educating you on my love for the genre, but for now, I shall grace you with just one. Objectively speaking, there is but one way for an individual to reach a perfect 'happy ending'. To do absolutely everything right, cultivate your talents to their fullest, work at a job you love, marry the right person, and just reach 'self-actualization', as they say these days. But no one likes perfect, unreasonable standards! To say otherwise is to delude yourself into a childish escapist fantasy! No audience wants to see that 'one right answer' that they know they could never attain in real life! Instead, they want to see aaaaaalll the ways a human life could go wrong! The way a small misunderstanding spirals into something much worse, how friends drift apart and lovers break up, the painful sting of betrayal from those you love the most... now THAT'S what makes a truly captivating story! You don't watch a movie expecting an unchanged status-quo and characters who emerge perfectly unscathed and trauma-free, do you? Some would even argue that 'suffering builds character'! I swear, you all yearn for horror and tragedy deep down, under the guise of 'plot' or 'character development'... you're just too afraid to acknowledge it."
Kizewamono (A-)
One of the most popular kabuki genres in the Edo period was the sewamono (contemporary play) that focused on the daily lives of Edo citizens as opposed to the jidaimono (period pieces) which depicted historical plots and characters. The kizewamono (naturalistic/raw-life plays), which Caster revolutionized, was a subgenre of the sewamono, focusing not on royals or the nobility, but the lower strata of society at the time. Instead of lords and samurai, Caster's plays tended to feature thieves, courtesans, poor merchants, and disgraced ronin in the leading role. Unsurprisingly, the kizewamono was also often used to depict societal issues and fears at the time, which was something the upper class was generally unfamiliar with. Caster was the same; she excelled at taking "ordinary" subjects and designing an intricate tragedies around them by incorporating themes of social unrest such as classism, gender inequality, and the displacement of the samurai class, while weaving them with the supernatural. This resulted in stories that are both realistic, yet mind-numbingly terrifying.
A variation of Human Observation denoting Caster's perceptiveness in "understanding his subject matter". She is capable of discerning and hypothesizing about the lives of others, especially for those she considers "ordinary". The closer they are to mundanity, the more "human" their motives and preferences are, the easier it would be for Caster to understand them inside and out.
But for her, mere observation is not enough.
Caster takes inspiration from the daily lives of "ordinary people", but she does not stop there. A simple exposé on one's day-to-day life does not make for a compelling enough story for the audience, just as a tale without conflict would only serve to bore the audience. Thus, much like many other writers, even if she does hold a genuine interest in showing a social commentary, Caster still cannot help but expose her main characters to suffering on top of suffering for the sake of a good story. This Skill functions in a similar manner. Whenever her attention is fixated on an individual, said individual would experience gradual reduction in luck, confronting them with increasingly unfortunate situations that push them to their limits. In simpler terms, a natural "angst-radar" that notifies Caster of "potential leading actors" and actively makes their life worse over time to further provide her with that sweet inspiration she needs to finish her next work.
"Tch, you are safe for now, Master. As of now, your life is just too inherently extraordinary for me to make a good play out of. An inspirational story of Heroic Spirits banding together for the sake of saving humanity? Who on earth would want to read that? Why, that sounds like a boring story to a two-bit mobile game that drags on for far too long! No, the kizewamono is something that escalates, requiring proper buildup. It should start with a status quo that is relatable to the audience, then it slowly goes further and further, while still keeping that relatability in mind. That way, by the time the performance ends, the audience leaves with the lingering dread that these tragedies could happen to just about anyone! That with just a few more bad decisions, they too could suffer just like the characters on stage!"
...
"Now, won't you please go back to your administrative duties at the theatre? Those flyers won't print itself. As I said, you simply do not exude enough 'lead protagonist' energy for my preferred genre. Now, if you could point me to someone even more mundane and forgettable than yourself, maybe I could cast you as a background actor as a reward. As I have learned, it is usually the ordinary townsfolk that holds the greatest potential for tragedy, as well as themes that truly resonate with my audience. Oh? What's with that concerned expression? You think I would exploit the poor, butcher a person's entire life story, and defile their legacy solely for the sake of some cheap angst? Goodness, no! Do you truly take me for some perverted angst fetishist? A lady has her standards, I'll have you know. Most importantly, angst is hardly 'cheap'. In fact, it paid rather well in my time, and none can deny my talent in that field anyway."
Dissonant Comedy (E~A)
A recurring technique Caster often employed in her plays. Emotions, both positive and negative, are enhanced through contradictions, achieved by blending different "worlds" together. A wedding was held at a crime scene (Yotsuya Kaidan), a princess was stripped of all her privileges and forced to work as a prostitute (Sakurahime Azumabunsho), a pompous court noble was revealed to be a depraved nymphomaniac (Shitenno Momiji no Edoguma), and so on.
A high-risk, high-reward ability that Caster could bestow upon her
performers
allies
. It grants them temporary boosts in luck and other relevant parameters the more they perform actions that Caster would deem "out of place". An Assassin honorably dueling their target in broad daylight, a Saber engaging in long-range hit-and-run tactics, a Berserker winning over allies through civil discussion, an honorable knight abandoning all principles to brutalize an enemy, a murderer choosing to save a life over ending it, an arbitrator rejecting their impartiality for the sake of a selfish, self-indulgent goal... the list goes on. It is a very risky maneuver that could only result in overwhelming victory or crushing defeat. Of course, either outcome could still provide a good story for Caster, so she's not too hung up about the risks.
"A story is built upon contradictions. Subversions to audience expectations. Show a prolonged scene of a family going on a nice, wholesome road trip together, and people are already expecting a twist to it. 'When will everything go wrong?', 'Will they get into a car accident?', 'What if they're actually dead all along, and this scene is just the dream of the family's youngest child as he barely clings to life?', you name it. Emotions are not developed in a vacuum. One can only value feel-good happy endings if there is a tragedy of equal measure to compare it to. Similarly, a the value of a tragedy is further polished if the audience is aware of just how close the characters were to a happy ending. A 'hope spot', as they say. Therefore, those who claim to love those wholesome, sickeningly-sweet stories without ever acknowledging the importance of angst in shaping that perception are the greatest hypocrites of all. Goodness, I understand preferring one over the other, but have the decency to own up to the true nature of your desires, at the very least."
Noble Phantasm(s)
The Curtain Rises Upon the Theatre of Darkness Yotsuya Kaidan - Ishizue
"Fufu, so the time has come. Allow me to grace this night with a new tale. The malicious actions of people cause grudges, and grudges create spirits. It is a chain of hatred, one that begins with humans. Our evils are undoubtedly more terrifying, simply by virtue of us being real. Yotsuya Kaidan - Ishizue. Now, act out your parts properly and give me an ending worth a thunderous applause, yes?"
Type: Anti-Populace
Rank: E~A
Range: Varies
Max Targets: Varies
Despite bearing the name, this is not the crystallization of the Yotsuya Kaidan itself. Caster cannot summon the vengeful spirit Oiwa or the maddened samurai Iemon to fight for him as familiars. Rather, this is a crystallization of the story's fateful debut performance at the Nakamura-za theatre. It was a story that ignited the entire country's fascination with the supernatural, and truly cemented the position of ghost stories in mainstream Japanese culture. Moreover, the Yotsuya Kaidan also proved the superiority of "human horrors" over the tales of yōkai and kami of old. An entire celebration was named after the play's success, and this obsession with the supernatural- alongside themes of vengeance, decadence, and psychological horror- seemed to take the country by storm. In a way, it could be said that as the (self-proclaimed?) "Father of Japanese Horror", Caster found the perfect formula to tie the relatable mundane to the incomprehensibly horrifying. A bastardization of a tragedy that resulted in a masterpiece of a story that utterly eclipsed the source material.
A perpetually active Noble Phantasm that takes effect the moment Caster is summoned. Initially, it manifests as an eerie fog that gradually increases in range, enveloping her surroundings, and if she lives long enough, potentially an entire city. Prolonged exposure to this fog erodes the human mind with Caster's "bastardization of the narrative", essentially intensifying negative emotions, in particular paranoia and catastrophizing. A perfect setting for her plays. From there, Caster's day is basically divided in two phases, the daytime "writing" and the nighttime "performance". During the former she hides away, researching noteworthy events, designing her script, and spreading
rumors
advertisement
for the upcoming show. The real fun begins once night falls, revealing a foreboding stage blanketed by fog.
"Come one, come all. The stage is set, and the performers are all in place. Welcome, dear audience, to my theatre of darkness. Let us color this night with another sorrowful tale..." ~ ♬ ~
This Noble Phantasm's true nature lies in its "performance" stage. In the simplest terms, it allows her to "birth a new legend". She chooses a "performance venue", and through a mix of the emotions she amassed through Grudge Eater, the stories she gathered during the previous phase, and the rumors she disseminated to the public, she brings a new story to life. The tragic victim of a hit-and-run accident is recasted into a vengeful spirit that brutally mangles anyone who drives through the site of her accident after a certain time at night. A poor child murdered by hooligans transforms into a crazed killer who prowls the alleys at night in search of their murderers... through these depraved act of "bastardizing tragedies", it is possible for Caster to create a new kuchisake-onna or teke-teke every night.
One would be mistaken to assume this Noble Phantasm actually summons spirits of the dead. After all, Caster herself is fully human and has no talent in necromancy or anything of the sort. If anything, these "nobodies" who serve as the "main actors" of her plays should be an existence many times weaker than phantom spirits, being based on mere rumors and urban legends on top of their recency. Rather, Caster's true talent lies in elevating the value of these legends, essentially transforming them into messy, patchwork phantasmals, in a way. When the usual "ingredients" aren't enough to maintain their existences, Caster would often bind them with the concepts of existing yōkai and yūrei to strengthen them. Her particular favorite is the ubume, vengeful spirits of pregnant women, though the public tends to conflate the term with the vengeful spirits of women in general.
"The mangled spirit of a scorned woman, usually with long hair concealing her deformed face and draped in bloodstained robes... it's a proven formula, and not just in Japan! Think of the Resurrection Mary in the States, or the Pontianak of Southeast Asian folklore! As for why Japan has a thing for pregnant women specifically... perhaps there's just something morbidly fascinating about the contrast. The birth of a child should be a joyous occasion, and the furthest thing away from death and despair. The death of a pregnant woman forcibly merges these two opposing concepts together, triggering a sense of... indescribable, primal dissonance unlike any other. The darkest excesses of the human mind truly is an interesting topic to explore!" Source
"Ahem, putting folklore aside for a moment, what do you think of my... leading actors, Master? At the end of the day, the world only allowed me to create mere imitations- patchwork creations, or approximations strengthened by the audience's fears and expectations- but I am still quite proud at how they turned out. Do you think I can exto- I mean, demand my due payments from the families of those who I so graciously elevated to fame through these stories anytime soon?"
A single "performance" lasts until sunrise, and Caster can only manifest a single legend each night. The cost of maintaining this Noble Phantasm will increase every subsequent night the same legend is manifested. On the other hand, for every "recurring performance", the manifested entity's capabilities grow, potentially gaining new attributes based on the developing rumors and public perception regarding these "new urban legends". Furthermore, if left active for too long, these entities will develop some kind of conceptual advantage towards Servants (especially those with more supernatural traits), embodying "a complete shift in the genre" and Caster's own human horrors triumphing over more old-fashioned, supernatural monsters in the public consciousness.
"Incidentally, my dear, clueless audience, are you wondering why your little sacraments and purification rituals are ineffective against my creations? It is exactly because of that; because they are not otherworldly ghouls spawned from the Reverse Side. They are MY creations. Of course, that is not to say they are mere cardboard props on-stage. They are fueled by your rage, your sorrows, and your darkest wishes. How's that for audience participation? So long as humanity remains capable of experiencing those feelings, I can always write another best-selling production! Isn't that just wonderful? Now, cease your pathetic attempts to subvert MY narrative, if you'd please. I swear, golden sword-beams and army-summons have no place in a horror story. So long as the sun has yet to rise, you're in MY world. Act like it."
An Undying Requiem, Ode to Paradise/Terminus Shidekado Matsu-go Manzai
"Aaaaand, encore! Not yet... Not yet! My stories will not be forgotten so easily! So long as humanity remains the way they are, so long as they are capable of shedding tears for one another, so long as they are capable of wielding hatred towards those who hate them in turn, my ink shall continue to flow forevermore! Now, let us begin the next act to this depraved play!"
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Rank: C
Range: -
Max Targets: 1 (Self)
Caster's most famous "play". It was nowhere as famous as most of her other productions, having only been performed once to a limited audience at the end of her life and technically both impossible and forbidden to reproduce. After all, the play starred Caster herself... or rather, her dead body. It was a grand celebration of her life and philosophy, one she had organized for months prior to her death. She wrote scripts and ordered them to be distributed to the visitors of her funeral. On that fated day, amidst the funeral processions, her body suddenly rose up, propped by strings. At the same time, the funeral director would shout out the punchline of the play, which roughly translates to "Long Live Paradise". The true punchline of the joke lies in the word "Matsugo" (]松後) in the title of the play, which is a homophone of meaning 末期 "the end" or "terminus". Thus, Caster's dead body would seemingly return from the dead, only to profess her love for
the end
paradise
. It was a perfect encapsulation of her own life, a woman who laughed at a mostly-mundane life, while finding herself morbidly obsessed with themes of death and the macabre.
A Noble Phantasm that activates automatically at the moment of Caster's death. A thirty-minute (reduced to fifteen minutes should she meet her end in her theatre)
intermission
"time-limit"
comes into effect. Once the time limit is up, Caster effortlessly resummons herself at peak condition, at full health and free from all debilitating conditions. There is no limit to how many times this Noble Phantasm can trigger, making her truly "immortal"... in theory, at least. The original play was a one-time performance that could not be reproduced for obvious reasons ("In fact, I would wager such a performance would be illegal to reproduce nowadays. Tch, what a shame. Can you really call yourself an artist if you're not willing to go all the way for your art? I really was too advanced for my time, though I doubt the masses in this day and age are much better."). The funeral-goers only saw this performance once and never again. Thus, in order for this resurrection effect to trigger, there are two conditions; first, there must be an "audience" in the vicinity to observe this "miracle". Secondly, one can only observe Caster's resurrection exactly once. Being in the vicinity for a second time when the time limit is up would instead cause this Noble Phantasm to fail, and Caster would be gone for good. As such, prior to her death, it is highly advised that she coordinate with her Master and other allies to ensure the presence of an audience in thirty minutes, while keeping repeat audiences out of the premises.
A kabuki actress, playwright, folklorist, and amateur magus during the latter half of the Edo period. She was born in 1755 as the daughter of a textile merchant. Her childhood name was ■■■■■■■■■ ("Come now, such things are of no importance when talking about my illustrious rise to fame. I'd rather not associate with that name at all, in all honesty. It makes me feel like a country bumpkin, which is antithetical to how far I have come."). She managed her father's textile store in her early years, but eventually left home to pursue her dream of becoming a playwright. For the next thirty years, she learned under various schools and masters, taking their names as proof of her education while slowly but surely finding her footing in the country's performing arts scene ("Hyozo Sakurada, Hyozo Sawa, Hyozo Katsu... those are but some of the stage names I had taken in my youth. I'd prefer you address me with my most famous name, Tsuruya Nanboku IV, but I suppose those names are acceptable, if you must address me in any other way. At the very least they embody who I am more than my birth name."). At 26, she secretly wedded Okichi, a daughter of Tsuruya Nanboku III, though it would still be 25 years until she would properly inherit the playwright's name. The couple's adopted son would later become Tsuruya Nanboku V.
The girl's first big break only happened in 1803, at the age of 49, with the play Yoni Hibike Sakura, which he wrote for senior playwright Bando Hikosaburo III. This play was the one that first catapulted her to fame, but it was far from the last. The next year, she wrote another big hit, Tenjiku Tokubei Kokubanashi, inspired by the accounts of adventurer Tenjiku Tokubei. The year after that, Shitenno Momiji no Edoguma, a court drama inspired by the legend of Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu and his four retainers, became another big hit from its first showing in the Kawarazaki-za theatre in Edo. With the great success of this play, the girl was finally deemed worthy to bear the name Tsuruya Nanboku IV. By then, she has also garnered a reputation as a genius playwright and actress who would bring a renaissance to the country's art scene. She first experimented with macabre themes in 1808 with the Iroeiri Otogizoushi, which told the story of a scorned actor's wandering spirit, mixed with the tragic death of a woman murdered by her own husband. Her success only grew with each subsequent play, and Nanboku continued to immerse herself deeper in themes of decadence, madness, and the supernatural. The Sakurahime Azumabu depicted a lover's suicide, and a man's obsessive pursuit of her beloved, whom he believed to have been reborn following the attempt. The Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma showed realistic depictions of prostitution and violence, with a particularly graphic scene where a murderer tortured his victim before dismembering them.
Nanboku's style was apparent in all these plays; with great originality, she creatively mixed realism with horror. Her plays were always deemed relevant and relatable to the lives of her audience, while remaining creatively fresh in their minds. No matter how outlandish the premise, she would always find ways to contrast different themes together into gripping narratives. She was also known for working together with carpenters and illusionists to improve her set pieces on stage. Some of her modifications were widely used by her contemporaries. And yet, despite the countless praises she received at the end of every performance, Nanboku's greatest claim to fame would only arrive some years later.
July 1825. Edo's Nakamura-za theatre erupted with applause at the end of the premier showing of Yotsuya Kaidan. Between the tragic relationship drama, graphic depictions of violence, and bone-chilling supernatural elements, the play was deemed to be a grand showing of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's greatest talents. The tragic, yet horrifying tale of Iemon and Oiwa planted itself in the country's collective consciousness, reigniting a countrywide fascination with the supernatural, with many other ghost stories being released in both kabuki and literary works in the following years. The Yotsuya Kaidan remained as Nanboku's most famous, most profitable, and best-regarded work. With it, she had finally achieved her dream of being one of the country's greatest kabuki playwrights.
Outside her performances, despite her genius, she was often describes as a difficult and overbearing teacher. Her disciples mostly remembered her for her high standards and short temper. While a senior playwright of her station was generally expected to entrust most of the scriptwriting to their disciples, Nanboku insisted to handle this process all by herself, which greatly reduced her disciples' workloads. On the other hand, she often neglected to tell her assistants and performers about the scripts she wrote until the last minute, and would often fly into a rage whenever they fail to understand her writings (which unfortunately happened quite often- underneath her classy and eloquent image, her scripts tend to be riddled with mistakes due to her distaste of reading) ("Tch, incompetent... every moment, inspiration flows to me like a waterfall. I am not illiterate. I simply could not be bothered to trouble myself with such minor details. Proofreading should be THEIR job. If they can't even glean my true intent beyond a few typos, how can I ever expect them to understand my vision? They should have figured out that much the moment they decided to study under yours truly.").
Tsuruya Nanboku IV was a playwright until the very end. She spent her final years researching local folklore and making improvements to her stories. She passed away in 1829 at the age of 74. a woman who had achieved all her dreams and led a particularly fulfilling life for herself. She never saw the audience reaction to her final play, the Shidekado Matsu-go Manzai, but with it, for a moment, it could be argued that she too became a "ghost", much like the ones she loved so much.
Description
Likes:
"Hmm... I'm sure my love for horror and tragedy need not be said any further. You also know how proud I am that my legacy endures to this day, even if the form has changed, from high-budget theatrical productions to schoolyard rumors and internet urban legends. If anything, I welcome this change for the most part. It made this genre all the more accessible to the masses. Ah, but today, allow me to grace you with a different answer. I value creativity. I value those who can think beyond the confines of the stage. I value those who are willing to truly dedicate everything to their craft, whatever they may be. To give you an example, once, I ordered my disciples to spread rumors that my plays utilized heretical Kirishitan rituals for special effects. This incited an outrage, the Edo magistrate even launched an investigation to confirm these rumors, and a few of my performers almost got arrested. Of course, in the end, they could find no wrongdoing from my part. They gave me a formal apology, and this scandal only invited even more people to my shows in the coming following months. It was the publicity stunt of a lifetime! Another time, I had my actors- dressed as spirits from my plays- prowl the streets at night, or have them enact a violent scene seemingly impromptu in the middle of a bustling street... Do you see now, Master? That is my resolve, how far I am willing to go for the sake of my art. My disciples may say I have inhumane standards, and I certainly have my preferences when it comes to stories, but... if any creator is willing to show resolve as powerful as my own, even if it may involve crossing lines and trampling over others... I might just respect them more for it."
Dislikes:
"Is it not obvious by now? I despise sappy, feel-good fairytales. They are nothing more than pathetic distractions from the truth of our world. We live in the ugly world of adults! Drugs, money, and women! Desperation and madness! No amount of coin or privilege could paint over this rotten world forever, so why not indulge in it to the fullest? To turn your eyes away from it is tantamount to a child throwing tantrum over being forced to eat broccoli. Grow up. My stories depict humanity in their most truthful state, however unsightly they may be. Gaze upon this darkness head-on, do not resist it, and let it consume you whole. Only then will you have truly become 'human'."
Wish:
"I have no need for such a thing. The Grail is, at best, a means to an end. To treat it as the definitive answer for all my problems would be to compromise my artistic integrity. My stories shall be written only by my own hands. My performances will attract audiences only through my own efforts. I am far too prideful to entrust my vision to anyone else, after all, and if you were there on the Nakamura-za theatre back then, you would know that this pride was well-earned. Not even my my finest disciples could reproduce my genius in its entirety. Why should I trust the Grail to do any differently? My vision, it's just so... uniquely mine, you see."
Bond 5
"This is something my worst critics could never understand back then, but I would like to set the record straight once again; I do not have a... fetish for angst. I do not derive some obscene arousal from writing tragic horror stories. I do not write angst for the sake of pleasuring myself. Similarly, angst is not an outlet I use to express any dissatisfaction I have with my own life. After all, I led a very fulfilling life for the most part, and I truly died with no regrets. So why am I so attached to the genre, you may ask? Fufu, the answer is much simpler than you think. Because this genre... is a perfect encapsulation of my legacy. A winning formula I had created after more than three decades of hard work. Hm? Am I jealous of the rising popularity of fairytales, romcoms, and other wholesome stories? Fufu, can you really reduce such a thing to simple jealousy? Fufufu..."
...
"OF COURSE YOU CAN! I toiled long and hard to get to where I am today! I founded a winning formula, one that would incite thunderous applause from any audience, that would elevate any creator to a household name and drown them in fame and fortune in a matter of mere months, and you're telling me this formula is no longer perfect!? Am I not entitled to feel jealousy over such a thing!? The idea that the world no longer wants horror, the idea that everything I had dedicated my life to could be forgotten just like that... it infuriates me so. The Yotsuya Kaidan is 'me', and to deny the genre is to deny all that I am. Happy endings? The power of friendship? 'A tale of love and hope'? Bah, allow me to smash those delusions to pieces with my own hands! My stories have dominated Japan for two centuries, and it shall continue to dominate for another thousand years! That, is an undeniable proof of my existence!"
Anton Chekhov (Morg van Destro):
"You know, I do agree with that gentleman over there. A murder-suicide here, a tragic accident there... unfired guns are everywhere if you know where to look. Of course, they might still need some... modifications by my hands before they are truly worthy of being fired. As I said before, no one wants to hear the story of a girl who got ran over by a train or whatever. A ghost girl with her lower half missing slaughtering passersby near the train tracks, on the other hand..."
Prince Charming (Beast) (Sutaa):
"Tch, how deluded must you be to believe that humanity has a yearning for you? A definitive happy ending that skips all the process? Don't make me laugh! Your brand of 'salvation' is doomed from the start. Humans are unsightly beings. They yearn to inflict pain and misery upon others, they yearn to struggle, to tear themselves and others apart in pursuit of their own ambitions. Even those 'well-adjusted members of society' still cheered when Iemon was driven to madness and brutally murdered by a vengeful spirit as punishment for his misdeeds. They yearn for blood and violence. Dangle a perfectly blissful 'happy ending' in front of them, and the 'heroes' would rise up, claiming that to accept that offer is to deny the essence of humanity itself. Indeed, to be 'human' is to yearn for suffering, if not for yourself, than for others! That is what my plays have demonstrated! And unlike you... I will not let humans run away from this truth."
*Incidentally, Caster has numerous other "template arguments" she likes to use to justify as to why her brand of angsty horror is still relevant and is the absolute best form of entertainment, from variations of "suffering builds character" to "it is a mirror to the soul, a reminder to reflect upon our own characters". It's unlikely that she actually believes any of these, but in any case, even if her reasons are completely selfish, she would be one of the first to stand against this Beast, on principle alone.*
Rags-to-Riches 510A (TQG Imaginatorious):
"Even a lowly maid can become a princess. Anyone can reach the top... have you ever considered that the opposite is just as true? You are constantly just a few bad decisions away from plunging into the abyss. I'm sure you know this already, but the people love to see that, you know? They will not accept your happy endings unless they are properly earned. That is, until the characters have suffered enough. Shed no tears for that so-called 'necessary evil' of yours. It is an unavoidable process, and the least you could do is to embrace your role as a plot device. I swear, I have no patience for those who cannot devote themselves fully into the role they're supposed to do."
Minamoto-no-Raikou and her Four Heavenly Kings:
"They are... certainly different than how I pictured them back then. The Shitenno Momiji no Edoguma may not be my most famous work, but it was my first attempt to integrate action scenes onstage, on top of the political thriller. According to reviews at the time, the scene where Lord Watanabe no Tsuna slew the rampaging Tsuchigumo was a particular highlight for the audience. Now, I can picture our current Lord Tsuna performing that scene, but Lord Kintoki and Lord Yorimitsu's characters threw a wrench on my plans for a re-release... well, this is fine. I can still work with this. Maybe if I take inspiration from Lady Murasaki's Tale of Genji as well..."
Madame Tussaud (BnEl15):
"Oho, such realistic sculptures... You said you personally visited morgues and studied corpses at the foot of the guillotine in search of inspiration, yes? Now that is a dedication I can respect. Are you accepting commissions at the moment? I'd usually hate to spend so much on props, but for those of your quality, I suppose some additional expenses are perfectly warranted."
Chirizuka-kaiō (Scotcheroos):
"The king of the Tsukumogami... well, forget that. The yōkai are on their way out since forever ago. But fear not, my dear. I see a place for you in this changed world. That Noble Phantasm of yours would serve me well. I mean, nigh-endless amounts of props to do with as I please, all for the price of one? You don't come across such a lucrative deal every day. How would you like to work as my chief stagehand? You just have to sign here and not look at the fine print. Eh? Sixty-hour work weeks? Payment below minimum wage? Fufu, my apologies, but my plays are just so popular, and who am I to deny the audience the opportunity to witness my genius firsthand? As for the payment, well... I am not familiar with labor laws of the present day, but... aren't those only applicable for human workers, or those who were at least once human? Well, not that those laws would still apply even if you do qualify either way, due to the present state of the world. Go build a union or something if you have complaints."
*In the following days, Caster proceeds to hound the king with various "incentives" and fraudulent deals to entice him to join her black company theatre. Say what you will about her methods, but she takes her work very seriously.*
Lady Caroline Ponsonby (BnEl15), Mae Nak (BnEl15), Mahsuri (RoydGolden):
"Aah, they are... they are absolutely perfect in every way! You there, for the sake of my audience... would you mind suffering for a little while longer?Hehehe, with some polishing by yours truly... you too can become a star that shines just as brilliantly as Oiwa!"
Iemon & Oiwa (Lambda-Nu):
"How validating, to see them summoned still painted with my colors. Would they even be here were it not for me? They truly are my finest work. Iemon was a reflection of the darkest aspects of samurai culture at the time. A perfectly relatable character for the working-class audience at the time. And Oiwa? Oh, Oiwa... it is said that an onryō draws strength from the wishes, grudges, and regrets surrounding their death. And there she was, a woman who died poisoned, betrayed, disfigured, and furious at the man who wronged her! It was one of the best conditions to become an onryō, and I could hardly imagine a better leading role for my story! It was all thanks to my genius for bringing that idea into fruition!"
Koizumi Yakumo (Sutaa):
"You there. Why don't you pay your proper respects to your senpai? Kneel."
...
"O-Okay, that's enough! Enough groveling! You're dirtying my kimono! A-Ahem, I can hardly make sense of what you're saying most of the time, but I suppose your passion has conveyed itself well enough. That Noble Phantasm is such an antithesis to my own that it's almost funny. By any chance, would you be interested in shifting the focus of your stories for a moment to explore more... human horrors? There is a darker side to Japan than what your mind pictured it to be, and it would be a shame to miss out on them. Fufu, here's a ticket to my upcoming performance. If you are ever interested in exploring that darkness, the doors to my theatre is always open~"
Toriyama Sekien (Shiki-pon):
"Tch, damn that old man. Even now, it feels as though the Hyakki Yagyō is one of the few things I have yet to fully surpass when it comes to Japanese horror. And I cannot fault the man's character for it either, seeing how dedicated he is to his craft. I suppose naturally, the burden of surpassing the Night Parade falls to me once again. Then I'll take that as a challenge. Just you wait, old man. I shall show you that the darkness of humans can surpass those of yōkai..."
Spiritron Dress: Western Formalwear
"You know, it's not unheard of for male kabuki actors to crossdress and play female characters ever since the shogunate banned female performers in the 1600s, but I believe I must be one of the first to do it the other way around. In fact, I presented myself this way beyond the stage so that my works could be recognized, with only my closest associates aware of my true gender. Method acting to its fullest. Is it any surprise that history remembered me as a man? It feels liberating that I could wear a woman's kimono anywhere now, but sometimes I still find myself slipping into these kinds of costumes out of habit. Fufu, what do you think of this one, Master? Not bad, isn't it?"
"Did you hear what happened to our classmate M-kun?"
"They say if you stop at this intersection in your car at two in the morning and honk three times..."
"If you call this number from a public phone, a woman's voice would pick up..."
"Just the other day, my friend was walking home from cram school when she..."
"Supposedly, Kokkuri-san could answer any question you have for it, but if you don't send it away before concluding the ritual..."
"The woman fell asleep on the train following a busy day at work. She woke up in an eerie station not listed in any railway line."
"The unassuming puzzle box hides a terrible secret. It devours human souls, particularly those of children and expectant mothers."
"'Next stop, Gouging Out. Next stop, Gouging Out.' The train conductor said, and the screams continued."
"The masked woman asked him a single question; 'Am I pretty?'"
"It is said that simply reading this poem would trigger feelings of anxiety, dread, and suicidal ideation."
"Hello, this is Mary-san. I am currently... right behind you."
"Poor Reiko Kashima threw herself onto the tracks. But she did not die right away, no. A train severed her lower half, and she..."
"The man's body was found days later. He had gouged out his own eyes, after having boarded up his windows and covered even the tiniest gaps between his furniture."
The woman smiles.
From internet forums to stories exchanged by students on a hot summer night, her legacy lives on.
She too has become a spirit that outlasts "death".
"And all is as it should be. That is all for tonight's performance, my dear audience."
Creator's Notes & Fun Facts
Aaand, done. How's that for a compatibility summon? With this, I have officially increased my number of genderbent Servants into... two.
- Wow, the last time I wrote a Caster was... more than a year ago. Damn, a year sure passed by quickly.
- To think all this really came from Scotch introducing me to that owl guy. You really are your own worst enemy sometimes, you know?
- Credits to You for translating the anecdote for her second NP. There is literally no account of that episode anywhere in the English internet beyond the Japanese Wiki Corpus, which didn't elaborate much on that either. I still might have butchered the katakana, or misunderstood some parts of the story here and there, though.
- She may talk big, but she's actually pretty mid as far as Casters go. Her strategy mostly relies on a very long setup to exert control over the HGW's narrative and switch the genre into a horror/thriller with her NP. Without enough setup, the most she can do is use very basic magecraft, charms, talismans, etc., and maybe reproduce some cursed items from urban legends with her Item Construction. She'd go splat real quick if she's forced to a prolonged confrontation with another Servant early on, even by Caster standards.
- I couldn't find a good place to include this anywhere in the sheet, but on a minor note, she hates mascot horror, and how "kids these days" have diluted the true meaning of horror with their possessed animatronics, the 500th unoriginal backrooms game, and their "memes" ("Think of poor Hanako-san! A ghost girl popping out of the toilet and threatening to drag you into the netherworld id supposed to be scary! But now, the kids are going crazy over heads popping out of toilets! What the fuck!? Apologize! Apologize to Hanako-sans all over Japan for your transgressions!"). That wouldn't fit with the tone of the sheet, so I can only put this here.
Last edited by BnEl15; September 22nd, 2024 at 11:50 AM.
Class: Berserker
Other Classes: N/A
True Name: Lai Junchen
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Place of Origin: China (700s)
Stars: 4/5
Parameters:
STR: A
END: D
AGI: C
MGI: C
LCK: B
NP: A
Height: 178cm
Weight: 150lbs
Likes: Power, skill, looks of fear, people who are willing to be cruel
Dislikes: People willing to be cruel to him, being disbelieved
Talent: False accusations and manipulations
Natural Enemy: Wu Zetian, Empress Lu
Attribute: Man
Traits: Humanoid, Male, Weak to Enuma Elish
Armament: A Jian sword
Catalyst: A pot filled with ashes
Class Skills:
Espionage C: One's ability to blend into the community and pretend to be an ordinary person. As a speciality of Junchen, it's something he utilizes significantly.
Madness Enhancement D: A low rank of Madness Enhancement that only triggers when he becomes irate at any one person. He becomes more singleminded but also more powerful in his physical statistics.
Personal Skills:
Beloved of the Empress B: Even though people lower-ranked than him tended to know the truth of him and abhor him, people higher-ranked than him viewed him as a loyal and trustworthy ally, until they eventually fell behind him too. To people he views as more powerful, as well as people with leadership skills or Imperial Privilege, he is seen as a loyal ally. To those he disdains, he is seen for his true self. Truly a kiss-up-kick-down ability.
Strategy of Opportunity A: One of Junchen's greatest advantages was opportunity and timing. In the mess of strategy that was the Imperial Court, it was almost inevitable that eventually any of his opponents who dented him would be weakened. And he invariably struck at exactly that point. Boosted strength when Junchen impacts opponents at their weak point. In addition, every time he does so his mana is restored and healed somewhat.
Master of the Secret Police B: Junchen's status as the master of the secret police. As an organization built to root out evil in the imperial courts, he gains power when he opposes those who are viewed as evil. In addition, as the master of the secret police, he can occasionally materialize one of his secret police officers.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Classic of Accusation
The Truth Means Nothing In The Face Of Belief
Type: Anti-Good
Rank: A
Range: 100 meters
Max Targets: Infinite
An endless font of evil pouring out of a seemingly-ordinary person. The Classic of Accusation is a book which Junchen, together with his secret police officers, authored, that details how to perfectly falsely accuse someone of any deed and be always believed. Passively, everyone around Junchen will find their morality decaying, becoming closer and closer to Evil. Naturally, against any enemy marked Evil he gains the bonuses of Master of the Secret Police. In addition, when activated, he targets one enemy to accuse. Every other Servant will believe them to be their own antithesis, the worst person they've ever seen... As a side note, Wu Zetian possesses a noble phantasm based on the same deed, although hers is massively different in activation.
Qing Jun Ru Weng
Your Opponent Will Trap Themselves
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: B
Range: 10 meters
Max Targets: 1
The embodiment of a famous incident. When meeting with one of his senior secret police officers who he was tasked to investigate, Zhou Xing, he asked Xing what the best way to make the accused confess was. When Xing declared the best way was to make them go inside a big urn that's on top of a fire, Junchen had an urn placed atop a fire and then ordered Xing to enter it. This has become a chinese proverb. Whenever anyone within his (long) earshot declares some sort of punishment, attack, or other such thing that would be used on anyone besides themselves, Junchen can activate this noble phantasm to make that punishment happen to them.
Lore: Lai Junchen was the head of the Secret Police for a time under Empress Wu Zetian. He was early on a thug in his area, but rose up the ranks through a mix of strong trust by his superiors, even when unwarranted, and a knack for perfect timing in his accusations. He eventually met his downfall, however.
Personality: A cunning, strategic, and somewhat vain person obsessed with his own power. He tends to be excessively flattering and aiding to those of higher position to himself, but always in an effort to weaken others and give himself more power. He hates it when people try to do the same to him, though. His wish is to gain a massively higher level of power. Or perhaps more stable power?
Relationships:
Wu Zetian: "My beloved empress. I caught Yang Guifei trying to betray you."
Arjuna Alter: "Your view on evil is so completely twisted."
Osan Gitsune: "Oh, how fun. Would you like to see that too?"
An older sheet I found lurking around, back when I was trying different formats in an attempt to find the best compromise in terms of sheet length. This was an experiment to make one as short and easily digestible as possible - kinda like junk food.
----
Assassin
"We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill, but most people are afraid to use it. The ones who aren’t afraid, control life itself...”
True Name: Bluebeard
Epithet: “The Maiden Killer”
Region: France (c. 17th Century)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Likes: Orientalism, Virgins
Dislikes: Disobedience, Nosy People
Talents: Fashion, Trading
Natural Enemy: Women
"The only motive that there ever was was to completely control a person; a person I found physically attractive. And keep them with me as long as possible, even if it meant just keeping a part of them..."
Assassin takes the form of Bluebeard (La Barbe-Bleue), the eponymous villain of the French fairy tale who was a rich aristocrat with a blue beard and had a nasty habit of murdering his wives.
In public, Bluebeard presents himself as a philanthropic dilettante - a kind and generous aristocrat who uses his money to help the poor and needy. However all of this is an elaborate facade as in reality Bluebeard is a vulgar and depraved individual, having an all-consuming obsession with beautiful women. He felt the need to increasingly dominate them and when they inevitably stepped out of line, he would punish them by killing them and dismantling their bodies - like discarded toys in his underground chamber before moving on to a new girl. Evidently this means he poses a significant risk if his Master is female and even if not, he will be a threat as he will take advantage of his Servant nature to spy on the local populace and seek out a suitable candidate to make his next bride.
In a Holy Grail War, for obvious reasons Bluebeard made sure to shave his iconic facial hair before any enemy Servants could witness it and figure out his identity. For the most part, Bluebeard will take a backseat to the fighting and simply observe the other combatants. Despite repeatedly claiming to be a strong and masculine man, like many serial killers Bluebeard is someone who can only overpower young women. To that end he will wait in the shadows, watching for an opportunity to reveal itself and attempt to strike a fatal blow when the enemy is weak. When it comes to the Master-Servant relationship, Bluebeard merely thinks of it as a business transaction and will have no loyalty to his Master whatsoever.
His Wish upon the Holy Grail? Naturally it would be to reverse his fortune in the fairy tale and make it so he was victorious in the end.
Skills
Class Skills
Presence Concealment - (C)
The capacity for a Servant to hide one's presence and become undetectable by the five senses in order to perform both reconnaissance and stealth attacks - it is the standard issue Class Skill of Assassin Servants. Rather than actually being any good at stealth manoeuvres, Bluebeard simply casts a spell of enshroudment over himself to turn invisible to the naked eye to the point where even other Servants would struggle to notice his presence. Very effective for reconnaissance and infiltration, however the Rank of the Skill does drop substantially when launching an attack.
Personal Skills
Aptitude for Slaughter [Females] - (A)
A Skill possessed by Heroic Spirits fitting the Assassin or Berserker Classes. It is the manifestation of the “predatory motor sequence” that instinctively drives a beast to hunt and devour prey. Bluebeard was infamous for his obsessive compulsion to seek out wives and kill them, and thus has become an Archetype for the “Maiden Killer” in the Collective Unconsciousness. As a result of this psychological fortification, Bluebeard gains a Plus Modifier in the damage dealt against enemies whose Gender he perceives as Female.
Golden Rule - (B)
A Skill that constitutes not the amount of one's wealth, but rather the ability to acquire it through both talent and luck. In his own time, Bluebeard was one of the richest men in France thanks to a mixture of his heritage and growing his wealth through trading goods and services. In the modern day, Bluebeard is well suited to the decadent pursuit of money and will rapidly be able to gather it and then use it to spread his influence amongst the civilians and try to use them to his advantage to perform tasks like reconnaissance for him.
Magecraft - (C)
A skill that represents the ability and knowledge of how to use Modern Era Thaumaturgy. As a Magus from a long family line, Bluebeard is capable of all the orthodox Thaumaturgy one would expect such as magical attacks, support, healing, etc. Rather than overt displays of skill, he does prefer the more subtle applications to catch people out such as his usage of the magic key in the fairy tale. However whilst he may be beyond the Masters in terms of magical power, he is at a disadvantage when directly facing down Caster Class Servants.
Noble Phantasm
Barbebleu Le tueur des jeunes filles
[Type: Anti-Unit], [Rank: B], [Maximum Range: 0], [Maximum Number of Targets: 1]
In the various telling's and retellings of the legend of Bluebeard, the word “ogre” is used a lot to describe him - whether or not they were being allegorical or literal is immaterial at this point. What remains is a Servant that when backed into a corner, his sinful nature allows his Saint Graph to bend and warp, until the powers of evil reveal the true malevolence in his appearance.
As to be expected given his massive increase in mass, Bluebeard’s physical Parameters dramatically rise for the duration of the transformation, allowing him to briefly compete with even the likes of the three Knight Classes. Unsurprisingly because he has turned into a monster, Bluebeard’s intelligence has diminished as a result and this impacts his ability to fight effectively. To make matters worse this form now becomes susceptible to Holy based magic and weapons. Therefore Bluebeard has to be careful about when and where he uses this Noble Phantasm as if he ends up in a bad matchup then things may go worse than if Bluebeard had stayed in his human form and stuck to assassinating people.
Creator's Notes
Basically a what-if idea I had for Fate/Zero whereby the Servant Ryuunosuke summoned was the actual Bluebeard instead of Gilles de Rais just calling himself that.
Speaking of Ryuunosuke, the flavour quotes featured throughout the sheet are taken verbatim from famous serial killers.
The Faceclaim is Borghen from “Final Fantasy II”. The Noble Phantasm on the other hand is of the Ogre from the manga “Wolf Guy: Wolfen Crest”.
As usual, all comments and criticisms are duly welcome~
"Here's a bangin lil' tune about takin' on The Man!"
(Check out my Super Special Awesome Servant Compendium here)
Hello, here I come with another Perseidae, I'm already saying that this sheet is bad, I made this sheet just to be able to put the np's name on my list. I didn't put any effort into it so it's basically a joke sheet, but not in the sense of being "funny" but rather being something "troll". so this is a big filler.
This icy feeling is strangely familiar
like an aurora borealis"
class: caster
other classes: foreigner
true name: autochthe
alignment: neutral good
place of origin: mycenae
stars: 4*
parameters:
STR: D
END: E
AGI: D
MGI: B
LCK: C
NP: EX
Height: 1,56
weight: 65KG
Likes: Objects disappearing and reappearing in unlikely places
Deslikes: Unexplained blinking lights
Natural enemy: Pretenders in general
Catalyst: Pure Luck
class skills
Item Construction: C
you can create some things
Territory Creation: B
You could make a garden with it... I think
personal skills
Divinity: B
As a member of the Perseids, of course she would have divinity
noble phantasm
Quid Est Vita
Friend of the Soul - The Meaning of Life
-
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-World, Anti-Everything
a constantly active noble phantasm that would be the basis of what would later be known as God Hand, only a weaker version. it symbolizes the essence of the words that shaped her existence: "You need to live for people's lives, not people's deaths." it works as a single extra life. This noble phantasm creates a deep connection with those around her, allowing her to transcend her own death and reconstitute herself once, offering a second chance to correct her mistakes and face her fears. When the extra life is granted, caster is enveloped in an aura of warm, protective light, reflecting her belated realization that true importance lies in valuing and supporting the living, not mourning the dead.
But, is this really true?
Ti Einai Zoi
After all, Liars are gonna lie
-
Rank: E
Type: Anti-Unit
What you just saw above was actually a lie told by caster herself to seem more impressive. her true Noble Phantasm is actually just a big magic laser attack worthy of a generic caster attack. sorry for breaking your expectations.
personality
caster has a relaxed attitude and a certain "hippie" aura. After learning about modern days, she adopted a more peaceful and unpretentious way of living, speaking slowly and emphasizing each word as if she were in a constant state of meditation. Her way of expressing herself is fluid, often accompanied by soft, flowing gestures that reflect her connection to the world around her.
Although she has a light spirit, Caster has a restless mind. She often becomes distracted during her conversations, jumping from one topic to another without warning. This distraction, while funny, can irritate those around her. Caster has a knack for losing the thread, but it never seems to affect her optimism.
Furthermore, caster has a tendency to lie. She lightly distorts the truth, often to create more interesting stories or to avoid conflict. Her carefree nature makes others see her as naive, but in reality, she just seeks to free herself from the weight of expectations and tension that life can bring.
When confronted about her abilities, which are, in fact, not real, Caster simply shrugs and responds with a calm smile: "Yeah, they're not real. Do what?", as if this truth doesn't affect her at all.
history
Caster's true name is autochthe, one of the perseidae, Not much is known about her other than she may have been one of Aegeus' wives. a princess and a warrior had been inseparable since childhood. Their friendship was like a silver thread, woven with laughter and shared dreams. The warrior, with a wisdom that seemed beyond his years, always told the princess: "Live for people's lives, not for people's deaths." The years passed, and the warrior left for a battle that seemed to be his last. The princess watched from afar, and the shock came when the news of his death arrived, unexpected and devastating. She blamed herself, believing that her own fragility and the fears she could not overcome had led to the loss of her friend.
Her father saw the deep sadness in his daughter's eyes and told her, "You need to live for people's lives, not for people's deaths."
Time healed the princess's wounds, although the memory of the warrior never faded. But something happened. the warrior reappeared, but now he was different. he ended up becoming a great enemy, until he finally fell. the princess saw her friend disappear in the middle of the dawn, she is sure that at that moment, her friend smiled tenderly.
the warrior in fact was her soul friend.
the name of the warrior?.... JOHN CENA!!! Everything you just read is a lie, do you really think she had a story?
bond craft essence
friend of the soul
If you ask me about an important companion or my family, or about a formidable opponent who fought with all his life, a man similar to a lost older brother, a warrior who saved me, both statements are correct. And more than that, a bond that not even death can break, a life that cannot be replaced.
You are my soul friend.
notes
I wish I could erase my memory that I had made this servant, I could erase this sheet but since you have already seen it it would be useless
Last edited by Exceleration extreme; November 16th, 2024 at 06:58 PM.
A skill for those who stand with a united front, in the case of Assassin, the brothers share the same saint graph, meaning if one takes damage so does the other and if one dies, so will the other. So long as they stand together, their combat prowess increases stupendously.At this rank they are nigh inseparable, they can coordinate their attacks by simply being in each other's presence, on top of that skills that make use of teamwork as a basis receive a bonus as well. In Assassin’s case, their skills and Noble Phantasm are given a considerable boost.
Planning: B
A skill for assassination plots, a tactical way of thinking which utilizes as few people as possible for assassination missions. In the case of Assassin, they do not take into account their own survival; however, the effectiveness of the mission is increased based on their coordination and how long they take to plan the mission itself.The brothers spent years concocting a plan to assassinate Kudō Suketsune and in the end, their plan came to fruition. Due to the effectiveness of this skill, it also allows the brothers to take into account unforeseen circumstances when coming up with an assassination plan, in other words, it is a skill specifically tailored for complex missions.
Bloodsoaked Chaos: A
A unique skill given to Assassin, it is the ability to ensue all manner of chaos without stopping. When the brothers decided that they would go beyond just revenge, they abandoned all of their noble principles in pursuit of fame, thus they massacred and killed any who stood in their way. Samurai, women and even children weren’t spared. One after another, they kept on killing until their clothes and blades were dyed red with blood.As a skill it includes the effects of ‘Man Slayer’ making it highly effective against humans, as the brothers way of fighting is suitable for cutting them down however, with every kill, chaos spreads in the form of fear and disarray, a type of mental interference attack that increases in prowess with each hit.
Espionage: A
The ability to not hide one's presence but rather their intention to kill, by suppressing one's killing intent one can appear as harmless as an old beggar or a pebble on the side of a road, in essence it hides one's status as a person. The effectiveness of this skill drops considerably when preparing for an attack.
For years the brothers hid in plain sight of their fathers killer, as Suketsune was a retainer of the Shogun, the brothers simply hid in plain sight for years, working under the Shogun to get closer to Suketsune. As long as the brothers aren’t outed by their allies it is impossible to discern any hostility from them, and also allows them to establish illegal channels to flow information through.
Noble Phantasm
Jūbangiri: The Ten Cuts
Rank: C++ Type: Anti-Team, Mystic Sword Technique Range: 1-20 Max Targets: 10 Person
“Brother, let us charge” -
- “You got it Sukenari”
The moment the brothers decide to go beyond vengeance, as Assassins both of them are summoned in a state where their vengeance is ‘sated’, they seek no justice or retribution.However, should they have been summoned as Avenger, this Noble Phantasm would be completely different. As Assassin, Jūbangiri is the anecdote that occurred the moment the brothers decided to start a massacre, thus they charged in and killed ten fully armed samurai to start it off.
The ten samurai were named Tairago Yahei, Aikō Saburō, Okabe Gorō, Hara Saburō, Gosho no Kuroyago, Unno Kotarō Yukiuji, Katō Tarō, Funakoshitō no Kitsukō Kojirō, Uda Gorō, and Usuki Hachirō. Thus the anecdote was called, Jūbangiri the slashing of ten.As a Noble Phantasm it relies on coordination as a basis to initiate it, a combination attack that deals exactly ten strikes. The effectiveness of this Noble Phantasm is more suitable in one versus many situations, as the strikes are dealt with the intent to kill.
With each strike dealt, the line of causality between ‘hitting the target’ to ‘dealing a fatal wound’ to ‘landing a killing blow’ becomes shorter and shorter.In essence, the tenth strike is the sure hit one, as each strike not only increases in power, the brothers coordination allows them to even delay the strikes in intervals so long as there is magical energy to fuel them.
Of course the easiest way to counter this Noble Phantasm is to kill the brothers before they deal the tenth strike or to not let them hit at all initially as the strikes need to connect to further empower the next one.Lastly, possessing a high LUK stat also allows one to avoid the fatal blow. In essence, the technique itself is seeped in curses, born from the blood that dyed the brothers blade as they went beyond vengeance.
Personality
One is serene and calm while the other is rowdy and loud, Sukenari and Tokimune seem polar opposites to one another but they are in fact more compatible than anyone else. Despite their appearances and general personalities at first glance, Sukenari is far more bloodthirsty than his brother whilst Tokimune is far more rational in combat than Sukenari.
However, despite that these two brothers can never separate from one another, if one is lost the other crumbles. A bond that is thicker than blood itself, Sukenari holds his brother in the highest regard despite Tokimune seeing him akin to a rival, the latter always tries to butt heads with the former only for Sukenari to shut him down.
They are in a constant argument almost always when they are together, and even will try to get their masters in their banter. They love all manner of worldly desires, though Sukenari hides that fact better than his brother. They can be both overbearing towards their master should they get thrown in a dangerous situation, Sukenari is like a scolding mother whilst Tokimune is the worrying older brother trying to give off some tough love.
Though, despite their difficult approaches towards others and their master, these two are unsurprisingly extremely coordinated when it comes to correcting one another, though it usually ends with Sukenari taking the lead but Tokimune isn’t a slouch in that regard either.
Perhaps things would have been different if they would be summoned as Avenger, but as Assassin, these two practically act as their masters eyes and ears. As they hold their master in the same vein as a ‘lord’, even if they become carefree near them, they are always making sure they are protected. Rather than fighting for vengeance against whoever slighted their master, Assassin fought for the honor of their master.
Though normally these two may appear honorable in battle in this regard, they aren’t, they have long discarded their principles - if the chance arrives and their master gives their permission they will even cut down the innocent in their path to achieve their goals. However, they have thrown out their honor for the sake of upholding their master's honor instead, however should they be summoned as avenger they would have thrown out their honor for the sake of vengeance against any who oppose their master.
Legend
The Soga brothers Soga Sukenari and Tokimune killed their biological father's killer, Kudō Suketsune. The episode resulted in numerous deaths and injuries to unconnected individuals, including a botched attempt to kill the shogun.
The Soga brothers killed Suketsune during the Fuji no Makigari hunting incident, which was caused by Kudō Suketsune accidentally killing the Soga brothers' father Kawazu Sukeyasu over an inheritance dispute that had nothing to do with Sukeyasu. To attract attention, the brothers planned to carry out a massacre, which led to their victory over numerous samurai.
According to Soga Monogatari, the brothers' homicidal spree against other samurai continued to such an extent that the exact number of victims is unclear. After Sukenari was slain in combat, Tokimune set out to kill Minamoto no Yoritomo, the shogun, but was caught in the shogun's residence. After being questioned about the crimes, Tokimune was put to death.
Combat
Assassin’s combat is straight forward, they always plan ahead of time. Carefully calculating the advantages to disadvantages, as well as making sure the circumstances are just right, if all things go according to their crafted plan their success of assassination increases. As their skill in espionage is the highest as one can possibly be, they are nigh imperceptible before the moment of attack, making them excellent at coordinating in pre initiative techniques.
However, if the circumstances don’t go the way they intended, or if by some sort of unlucky endeavor they cannot operate within their comfort zone. The brothers are willing to discard their well crafted plans and abandon their facade of silent killers. Instead, they will charge headfirst into battle, and kill as long as they can.
Each strike from their blades will spread fear and despair all the while, this also makes it a perfect opportunity to use their Noble Phantasm as well, once unveiled no matter who it is they will surely fall after the tenth strike.
Last edited by Potion; September 27th, 2024 at 12:23 PM.
S A B E R
of Primordial Strife
______________________________
Hearken, Master! I am the Saber Servant, Chi You. To fight your kind is my nature. I will not apologize for that. Our paths are fundamentally different, and will one day face against each other. But, for now, they have converged. Rejoice, for you have the strongest Servant! Rejoice, for you shall win the Holy Grail War! Just do not get in my way. And, when this is all over, I shall correct my only mistake.
≪❈ ⳮ ◈Basic Information◈ ⳮ ❈≫
Class
Saber
Alternative Classes
Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, Avenger
Attribute
Earth
True Name
Chi You
Day of Decisive Battle
A foggy battle against the Yellow Dragon in the cradle of civilization
Alignment
Lawful Neutral
Natural Enemy
Huang Di, Jason, Unknown Soldiers
STR
END
AGI
MAN
LCK
NP
A+
A
B
B+
C
EX
≪❈ ⳮ ◈Class Skills◈ ⳮ ❈≫≪❈ ⳮ ◈Class Skills◈ ⳮ ❈≫
Magic Resistance: B+
Although Saber lived in the peak of the Age of Gods, due to mostly fighting against humans, she didn't confront as much Magecraft as one would expect. In practice, she's almost immune to anything up to Greater Rituals, but more powerful spells will be able to affect her. She gains a "plus" modifier when facing against elemental magic, due to her origins.
Riding: A (A+-)
Saber is able to ride without difficulties any Phantasmal Species below the Dragon-kind, but her skill in riding horses is middling at best and she refuses with all her might to ride vehicles, specially chariots. As a result, it leads to a weird rank, in which she should receive both a plus and minus modifier, leading to a neutral A rank.
Dreadful Charisma of the Howling Demon who Attacks from the Fog: A
Saber's version of the Charisma skill, it is her ability to provoke both fear and respect by all she encounters. A demon whose face alone was capable of instilling fear into the hearts of her foes, but also a general who managed to engender loyalty in all of her soldiers, monsters and humans alike. It acts both as a continuously active Scream of Fear and Charisma at the A rank. Originally, this skill was just called "Dreadful Charisma", and Saber was the one to change its name.
Does it seem weird to you that there were humans in my army, Master? Heh. I see why you would misunderstand. I do not wish to exterminate humans, just make them submit to the World. Some of you agree with this ideal. I do not kill those who are not against me, but let them thrive. Loyalty is rewarded with safety and health, as long as they are strong enough to survive. Sadly, most appear to see me as the villain. No matter. I need only slay them until I win.
Child of Earth: -
A skill granted to beings who originate from the Earth, Elementals such as Fairies, True Ancestors, and Zhenren. In her case, Saber was created by the Counter-Force to try to rein in humans. She almost succeeded, but the Tian's decision to help Alaya over Gaia led to her defeat.
This skill grants her the Self-Replenishment (Mana) skill at A rank - possibly the origin of the "Chi You eats only rocks and pebbles" anecdote - and the Presence Detection and Perfect Form skills at B rank, although it won't be capable of restoring her body if she suffers an instantaneously lethal attack or curses that alter fate. While she should be able to utilize Marble Phantasms, this ability is reserved to Saber in her Cavalry classes, due to the limitations Saint Graphs have.
My first memory is that of waking in a cradle of rocks, fully grown. Ever since, I have fought against your kind. I will admit it is a lonely path at times, it is not one I regret.
Inherent Nature (War): EX
A skill that denotes creatures made for a specific purpose. In Saber's case, it is "War". As a result of this nature, she only feels truly comfortable when fighting, especially against humans. In effect, she has multiple warfare and combat-related skills, such as Battle Continuation, Military Tactics, Eternal Arms Mastery, Eye of the Mind (True) and Aptitude for Slaughter, all at high ranks.
The origin of this skill is her designation as "a being made to rein in Humanity". As such, she is among the most skilled beings when it comes to killing humans, and all of her attacks gain the Anti-Humanity attribute.
Legends tell that long ago, the world was peaceful, no large wars or weapons to be seen. This all changed when Chi You woke up. As the creator of weaponry, she developed warfare to a level few have reached ever since. This Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of the legend. As the first blacksmith from the Chinese Texture, it would be no lie to say that every weapon forged there afterwards has been influenced by her.
Saber is able to produce any weapon created within the Chinese Texture, no matter how strong, old or rare they are, with even Conceptual Weapons and Divine Constructs not being above her, although the power and quality of the weapon is relative to the mana cost necessary to recreate it. Most of the armaments she uses are nameless creations, with no legend of their own. These weapons, however, can boast additional attributes, such as "Anti-Evil" and "Anti-Holy". But the truly powerful ones, the ones used in serious battles, are the named weapons of myth. Some of her favorites are the Seven-Star Sword, for the irony against her sworn rival, Erlong Shen's Three-Pronged Spear, for the conceptual advantage against certain creatures and Hou Yi's bow and arrows, for their sheer power. Her strongest weapon is Pangu's legendary axe that cleaved Heaven and Earth. Genuine Noble Phantasms, she is even capable of activating their True Names, although the mana cost to create them surpasses any of the nameless ones, Pangu's axe costing so much that there are few situations she could reproduce it without dying from mana exhaustion.
In battle, she will frequently change weapons, never letting her enemies get comfortable with a single style. From creating a rain of arrows with a bow and then using a warhammer while they try to dodge the projectiles to attacking with a sword and changing to a halberd in the middle of the strike, her fighting style is almost dance-like, fluid movements that chain into each other, the result of uncountable battles fought. She refuses to use modern weaponry, saying that it'd be admitting defeat to use human creations. Interestingly enough, in her Archer and more relaxed version, this is the exact opposite, with her attacking mainly with firearms and grenades.
Father of Countries, God of War, Scourge of Mankind
And Thus Chi You
: EX
"Let me tell you of the beginning.
A girl, born to protect all she knew.
A monster, created to destroy civilization.
Against him, chosen to separate Man and Nature.
She fought and fought and fought, and each time he got closer and closer to defeat.
Until the ones supposed to be on her side betrayed her.
And, just like that, the weak won against the strong.
And just like that, I lost.
This is my story, my legend. It is who I am. But one day, I shall prove it all wrong.
And Thus Chi You; Father of Countries, God of War, Scourge of Mankind"
Anti-Unit (Self), Anti-Humanity
In life, Saber was a bull-like iron monster, stronger and more powerful than any man or woman. Nevertheless, due to the limitations a Saint Graph presents, and to hide her identity, she has acquired the appearance of a normal human. This Noble Phantasm, however, is the surpassing of such limits, a return to the power the God of War Chi You presented, the recreation of her legend. Without the True Name release, she can temporarily acquire characteristics of her true form, such as additional arms, a metal body or raising her parameters, upon a relatively high mana cost.
With the True Name released, however, she breaks the Servant Saint Graph, turning into an individual sustained by the World. She becomes the legend of Chi You, the demon who razed China until stopped by her nemesis. The elemental born by Gaia to dominate humans, defeated by the Yellow Emperor. Six arms, eight legs, four eyes, eight fingers and toes in each member, bull horns and iron and bronze body. This is the true Chi You. When this Noble Phantasm is activated, there is no going back. All of her parameters are raised by several ranks, and her Self-Replenishment (Mana), Presence Detection and Perfect Form skills are raised to the A++ rank. In this form, it would be no exaggeration to say she is almost undefeatable.
And yet, this is the legend of Chi You. This is the legend of the Scourge of Mankind, vanquished by the Light of Civilization. With the activation of this Noble Phantasm, she is marked as a Threat to Humanity, and the Counter-Force of Alaya will stop at nothing to take her down. Local Servants will have their parameters raised and extra mana offered by the Collective Unconscious of Men. If she is seen as dangerous enough, not even the summoning of a Grand Servant is off the charts. A threat to humanity that wants to undo the very existence of Alaya, she is dealt with extreme harshness. An ironic Noble Phantasm, one that gives unrivaled power and yet closes all paths save death.
A lifetime ago I was like this, Master. Immortal. The eighty-one humans that called themselves my "brothers", my generals, believed I would bring a new age to Humanity. One of strength and bravery. Sadly, I failed in this mission. I failed them. Nowadays, humans revel in weakness and "morals". In all honesty, I am sorry for my failure.
≪❈ ⳮ ◈Character and Relationships◈ ⳮ ❈≫≪❈ ⳮ ◈Character and Relationships◈ ⳮ ❈≫
Likes: What I like? Hmm, Hard to say, for it is not my duty to enjoy myself. I can say, however, what I respect, and that is strength. Courage. Both those who fight because of their strength and those who fight in spite of it deserve to be respected, no matter if they win or not. In that sense, I have to respect you humans, for you stand as one of the weakest species, and yet managed to take over the world. It is a pity that you have diverged from Gaia, for humans are one of its best creations. I will admit to also enjoying talking to other beings during battle. Most of them have interesting perspectives on life, even if I disagree with them. As long as they are worthy of respect, I would have no problem discussing philosophy, mayhaps even before battle.
Dislikes: Weakness. Cowardice. Those who do not fight because they think they will lose and those who do not because they believe it wrong. Strife is a part of nature, and to refuse that is the same as wanting to be slaughtered. In that sense, I also dislike humans. You protect the weak and raise cowards, a perversion of how things should be. Those who fight against children are also cowards. Infants are not yet fully grown, and as such there is no honor in fighting them. I understand that happens in nature, but it is solely because of lousy parents. There is nothing I hate more than Outsiders, however. They are not only a perversion of Gaia but a direct threat to it. If I see one of them, there is nothing more to do but to kill.
Wish to the Grail: I would love to turn back time and impede the Tian from betraying us, but I understand the Quantum Timelock makes it an impossibility. My real wish, then, is to revive. My duty is not over, you understand. Once we are finished here, I shall use the Grail to give me a flesh body and allow me to fight once again. And then, I will finally be able to return the World to nature.
Huang Di: Xuan Yuan, I hate you. I truly, with all of my might, hate you. Your existence is antonym to mine. You are my only mistake, the only defeat I have ever suffered. I could accept that. I could accept it if the spirits who were supposed to side with the World hadn't sided with you humans. If the Tian had not betrayed us, Humanity would still be a part of Gaia. I would have succeeded.
And yet. I cannot dislike you, not really. Of course, the only reason you won is because of the Tian, but I know there are no sides in a battle. Even worse, I cannot claim you were a coward. I still remember our last battle. You in your Seven-Star Chariot, riding towards me with the smile of a man who was assured of his moral ground, the one of a man who knew what he was doing. Our battle was not a fair one, but neither was your victory unjust. When we face each other again, we will see who is in the right.
Jason: Weakling, coward, pathetic, idiot, failure and a disgrace to humanity. That is all you are. You have never and will never accomplish anything in your life or death. Your dream of an "utopia" is revolting. A man who would rather everyone live in luxury than experience the tempering fires of the World. I would rather never have existed than to lose to someone like you.
I do not think it'd be wise for me to speak with her, Master.i have met my fair share of dangerous women, but only Medea matched her level.
Gilgamesh: Another uppity king of Men, although this time he fashions himself as "King of Heroes". So, oh He Who Saw the Abyss, do you believe you would be capable of defeating me, the Scourge of Men? Heh! I have great expectations for our battle. Do not make it easy.
"Hah! She has similar views to mine, yes. The useful should be the ones who are able to live. But she takes things too far. Violence for the sake of violence is the rule of beasts. She is a doll of the World who never stopped to consider her position in it, bound to fail if she doesn't rethink her ways. And yet. Hahahahaha! She believes she, a puppet defeated by the so-called "Light of Civilization" - whom, I must say, is far less impressive than me - could win against me? The King of Heroes? Come, you rabid wolf! Come and be slaughtered by the Wedge of the Heavens! If you are lucky, you might even learn a few things in the process."
Hessian Lobo: You understand me, don't you? Yes, yes you do. Humans aren't worthy of living as they do, isn't that right? Oh, aren't you cute! What are you looking at, Master?!?
Thomas Hobbes: We saw the same things about the world and reached opposite conclusions. You believe civilization and communities of weaklings are superior to the state of nature, where the strong thrive and develop. I reject your philosophy in its conclusion, but cannot reject the thought process.
Lord Byron: What are you doing? How the hell do you wish to live with so much self-pity? How do you believe in yourself so little? You are a Servant. Even if I dislike Humanity, all of you here have proven yourselves to have something in them. And yet you drown in doubts and imagined problems. You wouldn't last a second in the real world. You would be dead meat.
Ivan the Terrible (Lostbelt): Bravo! Bravo! Your universe is one in which Humanity has returned to how it should be, another part of the World! This is proof of how unjust Alaya is, to erase a timeline as great as this! I might wish there were more living beings, but that is no reason to throw it away.
Ermenrîch: A human who values strength as much as I do? Huh, that is rare. Come, Wolf-Warrior-King! Let us fight!
Aleister Crowley: On the one hand, his will to acquire more power, despite living in such a recent age, is admirable. On the other hand, his insistence on going against the very laws of the World is disgusting, and I cannot simply overlook that. If we meet, it would be my duty to slay him where he stands.
… Y'know, Master, I'm honestly conflicted. She certainly follows her Will, but when your Will was decided by the World, you can't really do as you will, right? Talk to her? Are you crazy, Master? It is definitely not wise of me to even get close to her! She'd slaughter me where I stand!
Perdix: A shame what happened to you, boy. The one who should be responsible for your safety fell into envy, and committed the ultimate act of cowardice. Come, let us slay him together. I will even let you deal the last hit, if you wish.
Viking of Stamford Bridge: A weakling, but a brave one. He takes his duties seriously, and fights against impossible odds. A proof that strength and courage aren't the same, and a man all other weaklings should try to copy.
Alonso Quixano: A madman who rejects reality. A weakling fixated on the concepts of "honor" and "chivalry", and deeply annoying. And yet, I have to admit he is a brave knight, and no man may doubt his courage. If we were to fight, I would massacre him, but he deserves my respect for at least trying.
Unknown Soldiers: You weaklings. You cry and whine about "being forgotten" because you were too fucking weak to survive a war. Are you so pathetic as to complain about cowards and defeatists not being remembered? You fucking disgust me.
Yu-Mei-Ren: You fought on my side during the war against Humans, right? It is good to see you again, my… my old companion. Eh? You have a husband now? Let me see him. I want to test his strength.
Xiang Yu: Your body… It feels as if we have met before. Mayhaps you are what happened to my corpse after Xuan Yuan defeated me? No matter. Let us fight. If you are not strong enough, then I shall not allow you to continue seeing her.
Lu Bu: Weird. Your body also seems to be based on mine, but I thought Xiang Yu was already it. I guess he does not have as many limbs as I did, so it's possible both of you are my remnants. Wonder where the last pair of legs went. But I have nothing but praise for you. Your strength might be matched by many, but your courage remains impressive, and you do not conform to the false ideals created by civilization.
This didn't count as a battle, not really. The humans in her army insisted it was the tenth time she and Xuan Yuan faced each other, but that was because they had a limited perception. This wasn't fighting, but slaughter.
Shooting, chopping, throwing, slamming.
It got boring, she had to admit. This endless killing. The need to correct Humanity. But she had to do it. She had to finish this.
Smashing, piercing, cleaving, casting.
During slaughters, she frequently remembered her birth. A bright day in the midst of a cradle of rocks. The Sun gently caressing her skin. It'd been pleasurable. But she had no time for that now. Currently, she was in this foggy field, and she needed to finally defeat this annoying foothold of Humanity. After that, she could move to fight the other tribes in the world. From what she'd heard, the Gods there hadn't allied themselves with humans. Good.
Tearing, charging, hacking, crushing.
Sometimes, she wished she didn't have to do this. Sometimes, she looked at the massacre of her battles and felt sick. Sometimes, she just wanted to spend a day just collecting food, either just by herself or with some beings dear to her. That sounded nice. Too bad she wasn't born to do that. Here and now, she needed to fight. And fight she will.
Stabbing. Shooting. Smashing. Tearing. That was all she was for. That was all she needed to want. That was Chi You.
She felt a new presence, and turned her head. From the edge of the fog, a carriage, seven stars in the shape of a constellation. She smiled. Her so-called nemesis had come. She was ready. Chi You would win.
Last edited by Stillinneverland; February 18th, 2025 at 05:19 PM.
I have returned with a brand new sheet. Yet the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same...
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Archer
“All the people of this world look for wonders and joy, like crusaders at the edge of their souls. ‘Till they find the wishing star, the adventure will go on - an eternal journey, stride after stride…”
True Name: Edward III Epithet: “Edward of Windsor”
Region: Britain (14th Century)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Likes: History, Women
Dislikes: Creditors, Sickness
Talents: Architecture, Hastiludes
Natural Enemy: Parliament
Archer takes the form of Edward III, a patriarch of the House of Plantagenet and the King of England who ruled throughout the majority of the 14th Century and famously kicked off the Hundred Years’ War with France.
The consensus of later historians is that Edward is best described as an “Irresponsible Adventurer”. After the deposition of his universally despised father, he was keen to prove himself and to emulate the previous success of Henry II and Edward I. Thus when he felt he was denied the inheritance of the French crown after his kinsman Charles IV died, he went to war to take it from the newly installed Philip VI. Fortunately unlike his father who enjoyed “lower class” hobbies like carpentry and thatching, Edward was more conveniently aristocratic and loved jousting, studying history and the Art of War. Therefore despite his youth, Edward acquired great skill as both a warrior and tactician and in hindsight is considered among the greatest military generals Britain has ever produced.
As an individual, Edward III was noted to be impulsive and temperamental. He was prone to reckless behaviour such as when he sailed to Calais after its capture with only a handful of bodyguards. The reason stems from an innate need for showmanship, as evidenced by his frequent attempts to heal the sick with his “royal touch” as well as his shows of generosity that reeked of extravagance. Yet Edward was not incapable of genuine kindness as he often sought to reform former enemies such as the descendants of his father’s murderer becoming his loyal followers, and whilst previous Kings often treated the poor as an afterthought, Edward made sure to provide a regular supply of meals to those living in poverty. However Edward’s reckless spending would always come back to bite him and he constantly found himself butting heads with Parliament when asked to justify the costs of the War. His attempts to avoid money troubles were legendary such as when he pawned the Great Crown of England to the Archbishop of Trier and when his creditors came knocking a year later, Edward effectively slipped out the back door and ran away rather than pay them back.
Because of the animosity with France, during his life Edward did much to try and bolster national unity and a sense of the English identity. In particular the English language experienced a revival as Edward sought to Anglicise England which had spent centuries under France’s influence and so both judicial courts and Parliament were ordered to be conducted in English rather than French. Amusingly, Edward sought to have an icon to rally the people around and so he declared that he had found the fabled Round Table of King Arthur and had had his nobles take oaths upon it. Although he was not quite the Arthurian enthusiast that his grandfather was, Edward nevertheless tried to model himself as the second coming of Arthur and because of that he created his own Chivalric Order to mimic the Knights of the Round Table. This did become a tad difficult to reconcile as the noble ideals of virtue and chivalry were undermined by the presence of the Hundred Years War and effective military strategy required the compromising of one’s morals.
As a humorous aside, there exists another reason why Edward III might be considered the “Father of England” - that being his infamous womanising ways and general sexual licentiousness. Although he swears his devotion to his beloved wife, Edward ended up with so many kids that modern day geneticists have determined that it is “virtually impossible” for a person with two English parents to not be descended from him.
Summoned into the Holy Grail War, Edward is loud and bombastic. He immediately clarifies that in his opinion, concepts like “Master” and “Servant” are mere legal quibbles in this magical contract and if they are to have any hope of winning this conflict, Edward must assert his dominance as the leader. The fact that the Grail has designated him as an Archer based on his success in the archery duel of the Battle of Crécy frustrates Edward as he sees himself as a warrior and would have preferred to be a Lancer. Nevertheless he will still take up his longbow and head onto the battlefield without fear - combining his valour as a knight with his tactical mind to cook up an audacious fighting strategy to carry him to victory. If only he could learn to keep his mouth shut, people wouldn’t immediately figure out who he is…
His Wish upon the Grail? Naturally it would be to save the life of his son from illness and see him take his rightful place on the English throne.
Skills
Class Skills
Independent Action - (A) The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the Magical Energy supply from one's Master; the ability that allows for action even in the absence of the Master. It is possible to take action even without a Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great magical energy consumption, backup from the Master is necessary. Because Edward is an ordinary human with an extremely low consumption rate of mana even during battle, he can take full advantage of this Skill and remain manifested in the world for about a week even without support. However in order to use his Noble Phantasm, his Master will be required to utilise its full potential.
Magic Resistance - (D) The granting of protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether. Due to the fact that Edward was not raised to be a mage, nor did he live in an age rife with magical energy, he has very little in the way of immunity against magical effects. As a result, he can only cancel out Single-Action spells and otherwise is just as vulnerable to higher magecraft as is a normal modern human.
Personal Skills
Empty Shell - (C) An ability that does not make one invisible, but rather masks one’s signature and makes them difficult to perceive as a Servant. As a true sportsman, Edward always wanted to take part in the Hastilude games without special treatment and to win because of his own skill. To that end, he often spent large amounts of money on tailors making identical masked uniforms for the entire squad so he could roleplay as a “simple knight”. Now by exerting mental control over his aura, Edward is able to forcibly suppress his Personal Skills, reduce all Parameters, and project a completely different persona of a normal human - making his presence difficult to recognize and even if directly observed hard to identify as a Servant.
Military Tactics - (B) The signature Skill of military affiliated Servants. It is the tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilised. Edward was an incredibly talented military commander who led his armies to victory against both Scotland and France. By grasping and analysing the current situation, Edward’s tactical mind will plot out the trajectory of everyone’s movements before they even occur. Then as long as there is even a 1% chance of survival, he will perceive the optimal route as a silver thread and by following it can turn the tables of battle. In addition, any allied Servants carrying out Edward’’s commands will receive temporary boosts to their Parameters in battle.
The Royal Touch - (C) A Thaumaturgic power used by certain Monarchs that allowed them to cure the lower classes of sickness, it is related to the Chirotony practised by the Holy Church. In life, Edward loved to grandstand and so he would constantly put on public spectacles in both England and France where he would miraculously heal maladies such as scrofula. If asked, he will naturally keep mum about whether his divine gifts were real or not. As a Servant, Edward can now literally cure sickness in other people by coming into skin contact with them, plus a little restorative bonus on top. If this Skill is used on an allied Servant, it will remove any Status Ailments instead.
Noble Phantasm
Order of the Garter Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense
[Type: Anti-Army], [Rank: A], [Maximum Range: 800], [Maximum Number of Targets: Variable]
Tucked away within Edward’s robes is a dusty old tome. An eagle eyed observer might notice that it looks suspiciously similar to the Bruges Garter Book housed in the British Library today. Of course Edward’s Noble Phantasm can only be his beloved Order of the Garter - the Chivalric Order he created after finding the remains of the Round Table and being inspired to create his own following of knights. To this day it remains the most senior Order of Knighthood in the British honours system, it is outranked in precedence only by the decorations of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. Now as a Servant, it has crystallised into a copy of Bruges’ manuscript because it constitutes the first armorial covering the 25 founding members of the Order, complete with a portrait for each one.
Since Edward is not a trained Magus, this Noble Phantasm remains in a dormant state and he can normally draw out a quarter of its power at a time. As a result, the most common usage is such that should Edward miss an important shot with his longbow, by concentrating his mana - a portrait of one of the Founder Knights will light up and a spectre of the respective warrior will briefly appear to strike the arrow and knock it back on course to hit the target. By setting it up ahead of time, Edward can summon up to six of the Founders at once who can bounce the King’s arrows between them in order to perform all manner of trickshots. Naturally Edward likes to play mind games with the opponent and keep them guessing as to how many times he’ll redirect the next arrow - possibly not even doing it at all to subvert expectations.
But when the chips are down, Edward will ask for help from his Master in order to unleash the full potential of the Noble Phantasm. With the Bruges Garter Book fully charged, every portrait lights up and the spirits of all 24 Founder Knights assemble to kneel down in front of their King once again. Led by the Black Prince himself, they stand at high elevation with their longbows at the ready to recreate the Archery Duel of the Battle of Crécy. As Edward flies down towards the opponent(s), he yells the command “Nestrocque!” and the Knights release their arrows down on the target to create a hailstorm of death. Having calculated their positions and rate of fire, Edward is able to mentally map out a safe path and will bob ‘n weave in-between the gaps of arrows to approach the enemy as they are pinned down and personally deliver the final strike to end the battle. Whether it has worked or not, as the seconds count down the Knights begin to vanish one by one - with the Black Prince being the last to go and as he stares down at the King, he gives his father a solemn salute…leaving Edward with a pained smile.
Lore
King Edward III, born on November 13, 1312, was the son of Edward II and Isabella of France. He became king at the young age of 14 after his father was deposed in 1327. His early reign was marked by the influence of his mother and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who effectively ruled the kingdom. However, Edward soon asserted his authority, leading to Mortimer's execution and taking full control by 1330.
Edward III is best known for his military campaigns during the Hundred Years' War against France, which began in 1337. He claimed the French crown, citing his mother’s lineage, and led several successful military expeditions, including notable victories at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais in 1347. These successes established him as a formidable monarch and bolstered English national pride.
Under Edward's rule, England experienced significant economic growth and military advancements. He fostered the development of the longbow, which became a key weapon in English warfare. The establishment of the Order of the Garter in 1348 also highlighted his interest in chivalry and loyalty among his nobles.
Despite his military achievements, Edward's later years were marred by the impact of the Black Death, which struck England in the 1340s and drastically reduced the population. The ensuing labour shortages led to social upheaval and discontent among the peasantry, challenging the feudal system that had supported his reign.
Edward III’s health began to decline in the 1350s, and by the end of his reign, he was less active in governance, allowing his son, the Black Prince, to take on more responsibilities. Edward died on June 21, 1377, leaving a legacy as one of England's most renowned monarchs, remembered for his military prowess and significant impact on the nation’s identity during a tumultuous period.
Relationships
Artoria - “My grandfather spent so much time and money looking for your body and trinkets. It was an all consuming obsession, and I don’t know how to feel upon meeting you in the flesh now.”
Charlemagne - “Esteemed ancestor, it is so good to meet you at last. I hope you live up to the expectations that Ludwig set.”
Florence Nightingale - “As the King, I should have been able to open the door to all manners of medicine. Yet no matter how much silver and gold I acquired, it could not halt the sickness that took my son from me.”
Francis Drake - “Since the sun must always set no matter how high it rises in the sky, so too I suppose must the Plantagenets fall and the Tudors take their place.”
Gawain - “I have to thank you for giving birth to the motto of my precious Order.”
Geṓrgios - “Since you are our national Saint after all, I’ll allow your Honour to rank higher than my Order.”
Jeanne D’Arc - “To think the war got so bad that we ended up at the point of burning Saints. May the Lord have mercy on our souls.”
Napoléon Bonaparte - “For showing the disrespect of desecrating Matilda’s remains, I’ll have to teach you a lesson.”
Richard the Lionheart - “I have to ask, was the story about you and the blue thong true?”
Creator's Notes
This sheet is another one of those where I couldn’t decide for the longest what the Class should be as Edward’s Noble Phantasm doesn’t correlate to a specific weapon or anything. Ultimately I went with Archer because of the Battle of Crécy.
If it wasn’t already obvious, then I feel that Edward was much closer to the type of character Narita wanted to depict in Fate/Strange Fake rather than what he tried to crowbar Richard into being.
Do not believe Mel Gibson’s lies that Edward III is the secret lovechild of William Wallace. “Braveheart” was a lot of things - but a historically accurate movie was certainly not one of them.
If the Lore section looks suspiciously robotic, it’s because I wrote pages and pages of history that I realised nobody was going to read. Thus I asked AI to take what I wrote and condense it into no more than a few paragraphs. Let’s see if it did a better job of explaining things than I can…
The Faceclaim is Julius Kingsley from the anime ”Code Geass”. There was no particular reason, other than he was the first thing that came to mind when thinking about bombastic anime kings.
As always, all comments and criticisms are duly welcome.
"Here's a bangin lil' tune about takin' on The Man!"
(Check out my Super Special Awesome Servant Compendium here)
As always, all comments and criticisms are duly welcome.
OK. Note that for this I'm largely basing myself on Ian Mortimer's The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. When I talk about "the book", that's what I mean. I'm not a historian by any means and didn't look into it any further than that.
The consensus of later historians is that Edward is best described as an “Irresponsible Adventurer”. After the deposition of his universally despised father, he was keen to prove himself and to emulate the previous success of Henry II and Edward I
The book makes it sound like these "later historians" were looking at him from a 19th or early 20th century perspective, while he was widely admired in his own time and after his death. More modern historians have tried to restore his reputation or at least provide a somewhat more nuanced look.He was basically the ideal soldier-king, which as was then understood was the best kind of king.
As a humorous aside, there exists another reason why Edward III might be considered the “Father of England” - that being his infamous womanising ways and general sexual licentiousness. Although he swears his devotion to his beloved wife, Edward ended up with so many kids that modern day geneticists have determined that it is “virtually impossible” for a person with two English parents to not be descended from him.
His wife Philippa of Hainault was already terminally ill when the first of his proven lovers shows up, IIRC? After that he did fuck around, sure, but the two aren't necessarily in contrast.
Although he was not quite the Arthurian enthusiast that his grandfather was, Edward nevertheless tried to model himself as the second coming of Arthur
Well, he wasn't the only one to try as much. There was a prophecy apparently foretold at his birth which told that he would be "the boar" who would take up the sword that his father had neglected.
I think Empty Shell's kind of lame. You paint him as a bombast and then give him a skill focused on being quiet and hiding within a crowd?
If the Lore section looks suspiciously robotic, it’s because I wrote pages and pages of history that I realised nobody was going to read. Thus I asked AI to take what I wrote and condense it into no more than a few paragraphs. Let’s see if it did a better job of explaining things than I can…
Alright, so - the previous thing was a criticism of your sheet. Minor things that I have quibbles with. The next part is going to be different, because I'm going to criticize you, specifically.
If you think that no one reads the lore section, then that's fine. Just leave it off, then. Integrate it into the character overview, preferably. Hell, I've also had moments where I went "yeah fuck it it'll do". I get frustrations with writing out the history section for a quick bio, or the feeling not everyone reads the background lore and that it might be a waste of time.
However, that's something else entirely than presenting us with AI slop. That's downright insulting.
Above I criticized a few choices, maybe: bits and pieces where I disagree with the direction you took Edward III in. What am I supposed to criticize from that lore section, though? I can't trust any of the facts because maybe something got tangled up in the Hallucination Engine and now it thinks that when a user asks it to rate an ottoman vs a table it should spit out a string of drivel about how the Ottoman army might fare in combat against furniture. We've invented a computer so fundamentally fucked that it can't do math, the thing it's literally built on. If I'm invested enough to critique the writing style, that's a waste of my time to put effort into because all you did was type a prompt and throw it into the Plagiarism Machine, then regurgitate what it "told" you. Copy from some online article or whatever if you really have to, at least that wouldn't have wasted all that electricity and water.
To me, the point of writing and publishing things is to learn and to become a better writer. I fail to see how using ChatGPT results in even an iota of improvement for anyone. So far it's been making the internet degrade into an endless sludge of slop. If the thread goes the same direction and we start seeing more "AI" generated Servants I might genuinely quit it altogether.
I'm going to make this even broader: I feel disdain for absolutely anyone using ChatGPT for any of their sheets or for anyone using "AI" generated "art". Get a fucking grip.
The Adventure of the Velvet Room (Sherlock Holmes/Persona) (SB, FFN, AO3)
NMR-3, I'll get back to your criticisms of Edward in a later post, for now I feel that it is more pressing in order to defuse any potential tensions. Believe me when I say that writing these fanon Servant sheets is just meant to be a little bit of fun for me to blow off steam after work each day and not serious. In no way was I intending to cause offense with them and I humbly apologize for any that I may have given you.
As I said within the Creator's Notes section, it was merely an experiment to see if there was any potential use as an editing tool. But whereas Spellcheck might fail a quarter of the time, it still has its uses - in contrast as you no doubt will have noticed, the Lore section now is practically redundant as it doesn't add much information and even worse in trying to excise information that it thought was extraneous, the AI has turned my final paragraph into a misleading statement that while technically true gives the false impression to an ignorant reader that the Black Prince succeeded his father Edward as king when you and I both know that not to be the case. As a result, it was not a satisfactory use of a tool and subsequently I have deemed the experiment a failure.
In truth, I had realized all this shortly before posting the sheet but I made the executive decision that it would be more important to leave it in for posterity with the acknowledgement in the Notes section for transparency. That way I can leave a clear reminder for myself of what does and doesn't work in the future. Once more, I apologise as I clearly had not taken into account how the readers might have been feeling from reading my sheets.
"Here's a bangin lil' tune about takin' on The Man!"
(Check out my Super Special Awesome Servant Compendium here)
Other Qualified Classes/Ranks: Saber, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, Assassin, Ravager Grand Archer
Titles: Conqueror of Heaven, Conqueror of Indra, Mightiest of Demons, The Exceptional One
Gender: Male
Height / Weight: 257 cm / 190 kg
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Home: Lanka, India
Origin: The Ramayana
Equipment: His Bow (And just about everything he can get his hands on. Seriously, he is a stupidly versatile fighter)
Personal information
Attribute: Earth
Likes: Exceptional things, Battle, Bloodshed
Dislikes: Average or mediocre things, Peace, Boredom
Talents: A lot
Natural Enemy: Hercules, Rama
Lore
One of the greatest warriors and arguably THE deadliest killer of the Indian Age of the Gods. Indrajit was one who was destined from birth for greatness. Indrajit had the potential to crush the very stars in his grasp and bring the gods to their knees. Had he reached his full potential then he very well could have taken the same position that a certain
Murderer of Primates
demonic dog
took as the apex predator of the planet and regulator of Primates.
Yet he didn't. The stars were quite literally aligned for Indrajit to become great yet he stagnated and floundered, managing to somehow claw defeat from the jaws of victory.
Indrajit was born a Rakshasa. Rakshasas were an unintentional creation of Brahma, they were a race of beings made by him by accident and likely an embodiment of the more destructive, chaotic instincts of Brahma or perhaps the destructive nature of creation. They due to having been created by a god and possessing abilities greater than that of any human functionally can be traced as similar to demons or demi-humans, a higher class of beings than humans, possessing innately great mystery and capabilities. However the Rakshasas were (almost) all wicked, possessing a drive to kill, destroy, and eat.
This man eating trait is what most separates them from Asuras or Yakshas as while those two can eat humans it isn't an inherent trait that is shared across the whole species unlike Rakshasas. The destructive nature of Rakshasas and their usefulness as a means of controlling humans (due both to their great skill in battle, great strength, and powerful magical abilities) caused Gaia to sponsor them as a means of controlling and regulating humanity, however this nature and instinct while powerful is not absolute and Rakshasas can either learn to suppress or rise above their own instincts resulting in them falling in love with or fighting alongside humanity.
Indrajit was born the son of the great Rakshasa King Ravana who desired an invincible vessel through which he could transmigrate his soul into should he face a foe even he could not defeat and to act as a deterrent against the forces of the devas. To do this he performed an astrological grand ritual, a ritual comparable to that of the Magecraft of a certain golden haired crypter or even the incineration of a certain demon-god. He forced every star in the night sky to align in such a manner that it would shape Indrajits destiny to make him truly invincible. Only one star disobeyed, Shani disobeyed his commands and cursed Indrajit to one day fall in battle.
Yet the ritual succeeded. Indrajits identity, his very
Origin
soul
, was inscribed with the trait of "exceptional". In essence he could master any skill he put his mind to and master it within a terrifyingly short amount of time. He could pick a divine construct up and weild it with the grace of an eastern sword saint, he could master just about any school of magecraft, comprehend any metaphysical truth or philosophical wisdom with ease and write literature and paint artworks that could bring those who witnessed them to tears.
This was where everything went wrong. He became numb as everything became far too easy. There was no challenge, no rush of dopamine as he overcame a great enemy after much hardship, no effort needed to master his hobbies. Sensual pleasures and pleasures of the mind lost all meaning as there was no struggle or surprise. He floundered instead of achieving transcendent heights as his father intended. There was no surprise or experimentation when all the knowledge he needed resided in his Origin. He descended into further and further hedonism and depravity as he sought to fill the empty hole in his heart and prevent himself from sleeping further into depression. He indulged himself in the most beautiful men and women across the land and he made it a hobby of his to butcher Devas and fellow Rakshasas with increasingly stupid improvisational weapons.
A fact omitted from the history books is that his father's leash slipped from him as he grew into a rebellious and hedonistic youth. Repeatedly he would wander off the battlefield because he deemed his foe unexceptional and only easily butchered them when his father implored him. The truth is that he just wanted an exceptional death. He had begun slipping into a great depression from the lack of things to do and sights to see. He wanted to go down to someone such as Shiva or Lord Vishnu. Someone who he wouldn't have shame in dying to.
Perhaps he welcomed defeat at Lakshmanas hand. Lakshmana was a handsome youth and an exceptional figure as the brother of the Dashavatara. There was no shame to die to him. He got to fight the legendary Hanuman and the Dashavatara himself after all. He may not have died to him but it was close enough.
Personality
If one were to describe Indrajit the most descriptor that could be said is that of “Exceptional”, as a child blessed thanks to his father’s rituals and the alignment of the stars to be masterful and gifted in all manner of things, from birth he was granted a life of unparalleled success and strength.
Possessing finesse with a sword as to wield it with the skill of a novelist with a quill;
Capable to use a bow with the ability to shoot flies from the air at range if he desire;
Blessed to be able fight with the lance with the grace as if he were dancing;
Able to fight from horseback or chariot as if they were an extension of his body;
Granted with an understanding and mastery of magical arts which would make both men and demon gape in awe;
Deft enough to move through the fog which granted him invisibility and intangibility as if he were a mere shadow, striking down men without a sound;
And possessing a rage so great both the heavens and even his father would quiver before it;
Yes, Indrajit was truly blessed to be exceptional, and yet it was that very exceptionness, this very effortless peerlessness of which his father granted him which cemented both his and his father’s downfall. Indeed Indrajit was exceptional, and yet so few could match him in any single art, let alone all of the arts of which he was skilled, and held such effortless greatness in so many attributes that he was without anything to aspire for. While Indrajit was great, he could have been so much greater still had he actively tried to push his limits, yet based on the fact that his greatness was assured from birth rather than something he had to earn through effort, his skills stagnated rather than flourished into an unparalleled standard as they could have. Furthermore left without any purpose or direction Indrajit was eternally bored and listless, choosing to endlessly indulge himself in the finest things, based on the belief that it was his right to have them, and endlessly seeing out battle after battle to satisfy his demonic urges.
Moreover, for one as exceptional as Indrajit, to be confronted or given things which were merely average, or even worse dull or underwhelming was unthinkable and above all insulting. Only the finest of men and women were to be considered as his consorts, only the finest of weapons were to be wielded by him, only the finest of warriors were to face him, and only the finest of things were to stand. It was this very environment of which he was born into where he was treated as exceptional and given that which was exceptional that instilled upon him a contempt for anything he saw as “lesser” and his overstated sense of self-worth, both traits which played into his inevitable downfall; A downfall driven by his own pride, his desire for battle and bloodshed, his desire to draw out fights, out of a desire to draw out the pleasure of battle and his own arrogance, his anger at being accused of cowardice by his father, and the desire for “great things” which saw him take the Shesha Naga’s daughter as his wife without his permission or blessing which all cemented his ruin.
However, if this revelation is even known to Indrajit or accepted by him it has not seemed to affect his behavior in any meaningful way. As such, for all his immense power as a servant, truly fitting as one of the strongest warriors in both the Ramayana and indeed all of Hindu Myth, he is liable to be a source of great frustration to his master. For one like Indrajit, only exceptional things are worthy of note or attention to him, an exceptional master, an exceptional foe, exceptionally good food, an exceptional mystic code, and such. As such, if asking for help against a foe which he deems unworthy he is very likely to simply ignore or refuse the request or even demand the master do so themselves. This becomes even more calamitous when considering that based upon his demonic nature, if left in a state of boredom for too long Archer can and will act up, often find his own ways to entertain himself. The consequences of which and indeed the possible body count of such an event is perhaps best not considered given Archer’s power, legend, and the proclivity for bloodshed, chaos, and violence as dictated by his demonic nature.
Parameters:
Strength – B+
Endurance – B+
Agility – B+
Mana – A
Luck – C-
Noble Phantasm – EX
Class Skills
Independent Action [A+]- At this rank Archer fundamentally is a servant who can fundamentally “break” the grail war by being able to act without the need for master. He is capable of lasting as much as a whole month without a master at maximum and while ordinarily the usage of Noble Phantasms without a master’s support would be impossible due to his existence as a Rakshasa, a class of being similar to, yet of a far greater level than most other vampiric species he is able to consume the flesh, blood, and every soul of humans and use them as sustenance to regenerate mana.
Magic Resistance [B+]- Due to possessing the constitution of a Rahshasa, a powerful member of the phantasmal species, Archer has Magic resistance great enough to negate most spells outright beneath the level of greater rituals, however even against spells he cannot negate a high level of resistance is displayed against their effects. The sole exception is that of spells or mysteries connected to the “holy” or “light” attribute considered antithetical to demonic creatures and spells or mysteries connected to divine beings whose mystery surpasses even his own innate resistance as a demonic creature.
personal skills
Prodigious Existence [A+]- A rare skill related to Eternal Arms Mastery, able to be understood as a sort of innate “divinity” or perfection related to the self granting unparalleled skill or perfection in varying attributes. This is not a sort of skill which can be naturally acquired or granted by other skills, but is simply awarded to certain figures upon their birth, often due to the influence of another being to ensure that the user is born/reborn as “a peerless existence”. This often is either the consequence of the blessing from a god or a grand ritual, the likes of which would surpass even greater rituals in scale and scope (and traditionally are considered impossible in the modern age).
This skill is separate from the skill held by masters who honed their discipline through practice as it is a sort of “destiny” or “fate” bestowing greatness and skill in one or more attributes, regardless of if the user was trained or not. Blessed by his father Ravana, who forced the stars to arrange themselves in such a way as to allow for a grand ritual to be conducted ensuring his Archer was fated for greatness in every attribute, Archer was innately granted skill with a blade, a bow, a spear, charioteering, the use of magic, and countless other skills equalling the greatest warriors on earth and in the heavens. Archer was however doomed to die as Shani (Saturn) refused his fathers will and did not move as was he directed, and consequently Archer was fated to die at Lakshmana’s hands.
While such a skill could normally be thought of as a great blessing in Archer’s case similar to extremely high ranking charisma it’s more similar to a great curse, one which directly contributed to his own inevitable death, and which caused him to stagnate in his skills rather than achieving the destiny of surpassing all others his father had hoped.
Natural Demon (Rakshasa) [A]- A skill denoting the status of one who was born a demon rather than having mutated into the existence of a demon or monster. This skill obviously confers both the benefits and downsides to this ability a high degree of resistance to magecraft and mystery, a large amount of mana, a large magical presence which is difficult to control or conceal, inspiring a sense of “anxiety” or “danger” in nearby humans and other normal creatures, demonic instincts, etc. The particular variety / variant of demon that Archer belongs to that of a Rakshasa are described as man-eating demons, considered to include Asuras, who are talented in the arts of war and battle.
As such this skill complements his own skill with martial arts and independent action, allowing him to gain even more mana than normal form consuming humans, functionally allowing him to exist and act to some degree even without a master. This also by proxy makes him much harder to control as a servant as well. This ability to predate and hunt humans, the role held by Rakshasa generally considered “of the same variety” as creatures like Angra Mainyu and “Primate Murder”.
Aptitude For Slaughter (Man) [A+]- A rare skill associated with killers of men, or those who have a great aptitude for killing and a high aptitude for creating and using tools to kill others. It denotes the capacity to kill humans, to create and use weapons to kill humans, and the effectiveness of killing human or humanoid creatures. In terms of both his skill with weapons, of which Archer’s ability to use even divine constructs with skill and grace great enough to rival the greatest legends in human history; His ability to kill humanoid creatures, of which Archer is able to annihilate them on mass with efficiency and speed just beneath the likes of Primate Murder or the ORT; and his own brutality it is not unfair to call Archer one of the sole greatest killers in the histroy of the planet as well as the pinnacle of all Rakshasas, the ultimate demon meant to predate and regulate humanity. However due to lacking a certain crucial element, he like the rest of his species was unable to truly ascend to the role that the planet desired of them, being left only as an agent of the
Gaia’s Counter Force
earth’s will
rather than
The Beast of Gaia
a monster meant to serve the world
.
Conceptual Antithesis (Hero) [EX]- A rare skill normally associated with either gatekeepers or great monsters, it is similar, yet differs from the ability called “Counter-Hero”, this is instead a skill of one who has either by their conception or by the the influence of the world or humanity been “placed into a corner” lined up as an existence that can only be described as a counter balance, one whose sole purpose is to oppose or balance existence by standing against something else. In this case due to the influence of the Ramayana and the desire of the planet to regulate humanity which birthed the beings known as Rakshasas, Archer has become a lifeform that similar to his father “exists only to counter great heroes” thus balancing the existence of beings like Rama and Lakshmana.
In this respect while many monsters would pale against the likes of great heroes like darkness retreating in the face of a great light, Archer’s strength only grows compared to the magnitude of the hero he faces as “the greater the light, the darker the shadow it will cast” as to balance their existence. However while this skill allows for Archer to show greater strength against paragons of good (irregardless of their alignment), against foes whose history is that either a neutral figure, an anti-hero, or even a villain this skill either reduces in effectiveness or in the ladder cases is ineffective against them.
Noble Phantasm
Nagapasha Astra - B
A technique greatly associated with Archer and among his personal favorite astras. The techniques once considered separate are conjoined due to sharing “a common origin and basis”. On use this can allow for Archer to either fire an arrow which while not having tremendous destructive power is slightly homing and is coated in a venom to render most hit by it greatly weakened or leave them at risk of dying. Alternatively this can be used to fire an arrow which turns an area into a living mass of venomous snakes to coil and surround a foe also bearing similar effects to the poison layered on the arrow. Both techniques however are not as effective against those with a resistance to poison, similar debilitative effects, and can be weakened by certain spells and astras.
Anti-Unit, Anti-Army
1 to 30 people
Brahmastra Kalpa, O’ Brahma Forge the Heavens – A+
A variation of the normal manifestation of this weapon as a bow, however even for the standards associated with this weapon it seems to hold an extraordinary amount of power and destructive capability. While dubious as to why this may be the case perhaps it may lie with Archer’s demonic nature holding a greater degree of symbiosis with the conceptual nature of Brahmastra.
“Creation is Chaos spiraling out of the void”
When utilized (which Archer does by aiming the weapon skyward) it unleashes a massive fireball which upon impact bursts out then launching out jalevilins of fire which then proceed to spread even more destruction on the area. Contrary to the Brahmastra used by Karna, which is only able to be used against foes as strong or stronger than him, this is a weapon that can only be used against foes weaker or equal to his level. In this way it is an embodiment of his tyranny and cruelty, a demon who would utilize a sacred weapon against the masses simply because they can.
Anti-Country
1000 people
Halahala, Planet Eating Viper Venom - EX
Archer’s most powerful and most dangerous Noble Phantasm, due to the numerous links and parallels which exist comparing Archer and a venomous snake, plus his connections to Nagas including the Shesha naga this ability was granted to him, albeit reluctantly, as to best suit him in the circumstance of him being summoned as a grand servant. Halahala is able to be understood as the unparalleled venom produced by Vāsuki, erroneously claimed to be one of the naga kings. In actuality Vāsuki is actually the Naga high king and the closest existence to a “god” of the Nagas and despite being Shesha’s younger brother is considered the mightier of the two. The Halahala was produced accidentally during the Samudra Manthana, when Vāsuki was being used to churn the ocean of milk to produce Amrita, in the process of such some of his poisonous venom accidentally fell into the ocean of milk, combing with the chaotic primordial sea and bothering an object able to be described as the very conceptual embodiment of venom/poison itself the halahala.
This poison was so potent merley breathing it greatly weakened all of the gods and demons and they feared that if not dealt with then the Halahala would surely destroy all of creation, killing all living things and rendering the land uninhabitable. Petitioning Brahma for guidance he advised that only Shiva could survive drinking the poison, a necessary step for no other vessel in existence could contain the Halahala, and save the world. Shiva did as was required, however, even for one as great as he this came at an enormous cost, the entirety of his skin was turned blue then Vāsuki then proceeded to coil around Shiva’s neck and would remain there forever. This was so that Vāsuki could remain and constantly produce the antivenom needed to alleviate the grievous symptoms of the Halahala which still churned endlessly inside Shiva’s body and threatened to drive him either to death or madness. Even still the poison would ail Shiva so greatly that it would drive him into long periods of deep meditation in order to distract himself from the agony it produced, and almost certainly can be understood as the reason for his often unpredictable and temperamental behavior and mood swings in Hindu myth.
Upon use, unlike most Noble Phantasms this doesn’t grant Archer the Halahala upon demand, rather he still must create the venom before it could be used. Vāsuki, called by his brother to aid Archer in this task, is able to help make the Halahala, however there is a major catch in this. The Halahala requires both the ocean of milk and Vāsuki’s venom to be made, however a loophole exists in that all living creatures (particularly and especially those with connection to Hindu myths from the age of the gods) have a connection to the ocean of milk by the means of Paramatman which physically exists at the center of the ocean of milk. The Paramatman is able to be understood as a microcosm of all existence wherein countless particles embodying all living things spiral endlessly in a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. All life is connected to Paramatman, with gods taking an avatar being able to be described as “arising” from the Paramatman, plucking out and placing a part of their being in an individual particle of the Paramatman, with that particle embodying the core or existence of a single living thing.
By drawing upon this connection and exploiting it, Archer is able to use his own body as a vessel to brew the Halahala, however this comes at a great physical and mental cost to him. The difference between a living being and a foundational particle in the Paramatman is that a living being has what is able to be described as “excess growth” which represents the developments in mind and body which take place after a person is born. In order to properly brew the Halahala, Archer must “cast off” this “excess growth” that is to say discard his mind and memories, rendering him to the same “pure existence” as the foundational particle representing him in the Paramatman which represents the nature of all life separate from individuality or impurity. Furthermore despite Vāsuki doing as needed to keep Archer alive brewing the Halahala (more out of obligation than liking him) Archer is not Shiva and this act of producing the Halahala in his body will kill him, and even beyond that the process of making the Halahala and having it in Archer’s body is painful beyond any capability of words to adequately describe.
Once all this is said and done Archer must then wound himself to draw out the Halahala and coat a weapon with it (be it an arrow or any weapon really) then it may be fired at an opponent. Suffice to say the resultant effect would be devastating on any foe as even ultimate ones would be seriously damaged by such an assault, based on a weapon able to be described as the conceptual embodiment of “poison/venom”, and most foes if not instantly killed would greatly wish to die (as the halahala lingers in the body of those wounded by it) or be placed on a “strict timer” as to how long they had left to live. This could also theoretically be used in the same nature as the myth of Samudra Manthana being used to render an entire area or planet uninhabitable, although the downsides of such a technique (in that if it were used on the Earth it would kill both Gaia and Alaya) need not be restated as to how poorly this could end up resulting for all parties involved.
Anti-Life, Suicide
Up to an including the entire population of living beings on a planet and the planet itself
Indrajit : An interesting sheet, to say the least. Overall the sheet is pretty in line with what could be expected regarding such a figure, and while the first two NPs seem a bit strong at first glance they're on the same footing as Karna's so if anything any critique on that side would be more about the Nasuverse's choice of scaling when it comes to Hindu myths. However, the last NP is where I think most of us will agree that the wanking goes a bit too high, and that's tied to the other issue I have with this sheet. A Noble Phantasm that, even at the cost of one's life, can kill all life on Earth - and thus extinguish its Counter-Force - or wound seriously a Type does seem fairly overpowered even for the likes of Grand Servants, but even then, the thing is that Indrajit doesn't really seem like someone that would be eligible to be a Grand Servant candidate, and even less in the way that he is presented here. While he does seem to possess the skill and power and fame that are required to reach that kind of eligibility, I have trouble believing that someone so utterly inhumane and killer of humans would be chosen by the Counter-Force to become a Grand Servant. If anything, the connections drawn here with Angra Mainyu and Primate Murder are closer to a Beast's than a Grand, although he lacks any visible love for humanity that would qualify him as such. That aside, that third NP relies at best on fairly loose connections for him to have it, and while it's not the first case to be that loosely related to the figure, it being supposed to be the supreme Noble Phantasm of a Grand Servant kinda makes it a requirement for a stronger basis (for example, Romulus=Quirinus having a form of Nine Lives is sort of a stretch, but it is secondary whereas his main NP as a Grand is one that makes sense for him to have).
With all that said and done, nice to see a longtime lurker posting a sheet !
Indrajit : An interesting sheet, to say the least. Overall the sheet is pretty in line with what could be expected regarding such a figure, and while the first two NPs seem a bit strong at first glance they're on the same footing as Karna's so if anything any critique on that side would be more about the Nasuverse's choice of scaling when it comes to Hindu myths. However, the last NP is where I think most of us will agree that the wanking goes a bit too high, and that's tied to the other issue I have with this sheet. A Noble Phantasm that, even at the cost of one's life, can kill all life on Earth - and thus extinguish its Counter-Force - or wound seriously a Type does seem fairly overpowered even for the likes of Grand Servants, but even then, the thing is that Indrajit doesn't really seem like someone that would be eligible to be a Grand Servant candidate, and even less in the way that he is presented here. While he does seem to possess the skill and power and fame that are required to reach that kind of eligibility, I have trouble believing that someone so utterly inhumane and killer of humans would be chosen by the Counter-Force to become a Grand Servant. If anything, the connections drawn here with Angra Mainyu and Primate Murder are closer to a Beast's than a Grand, although he lacks any visible love for humanity that would qualify him as such. That aside, that third NP relies at best on fairly loose connections for him to have it, and while it's not the first case to be that loosely related to the figure, it being supposed to be the supreme Noble Phantasm of a Grand Servant kinda makes it a requirement for a stronger basis (for example, Romulus=Quirinus having a form of Nine Lives is sort of a stretch, but it is secondary whereas his main NP as a Grand is one that makes sense for him to have).
With all that said and done, nice to see a longtime lurker posting a sheet !
Thanks! I'm also toying with the idea of possibly making a LB Indrajit who unlike this Indrajit who simply acted as his demonic instincts drove him to, actually found a purpose in humanity (based on a story which portrays Indrajit more sympathetically as having a wife and family) and based that and growing fixated with humanity actually found the drive / inspiration to continue refining his skills eventually growing so skilled that nobody, be it divine spirt or man could beat him and basically eventually tasking himself as the protector of the world (problem is he mostly only cares about his wife, his family, and their culture [basically the extent of India marks the limits of what he cares about protecting]) the issue is that Due to now having a sense of love for humanity he is actually developing into a LB version of the 4th Beast, something his counterpart, father, or species never could due to them lacking any love for humanity; His idea of protecting humanity is basically both smothering them, he basically has latched onto an image of humanity based on a certain specific time period, and because of his actions and influence he has prevented humanity form advancing or growing past that point; The guy has a dumb idea of what protecting people means as due to his logic the best way to protect someone is to destroy whatever is endangering them, to that end he has literally wiped out most of the gods/divine spirits save a handful of stragglers, and literally basically wiped out virtually all life of the planet outside of India.
The reason he counts he counts as a grand is because my baseline qualification for Grands is "Just about everything that comes from this world (Or was adopted by this world) and wasn't born divine (and even then former divine spirits who lost their divine core can technically count)." Grands are all designed for specific threats. Sometimes the counter force needs a scalpel, sometimes it needs a hammer and sometimes it goes "I need this fucking guy gone as soon as possible.". Indrajit and servants like him are meant for situations where you need someone gone as soon as possible. He's only good as a brute tool basically.
There was another NP I was thinking of giving him but it just didn't feel Archery. Like you'd expect the Grand Archer to use an actual bow and arrow instead of BS magic hax.
Caster type NP
Shakti-astra, Grand Mirror of Spirit and Flesh - EX
A special astra that was granted to Indrajit through his devotion to and worship of Pratyangira and a revelation about the nature of existence which occurred to him during his meditation and studies.
All of the world is of Brahman, Brahman had shaped it and Brahman will consume it;
Brahman in shaping the world divided itself and the world into two, the Realm of Spirit, the house of the soul, and the Realm of Flesh, the house of the body.
While the Realm of Flesh was to be ruled by that of the Trimurti, the Realm of Spirit was ruled by Mahadevi who split itself into three to become the Tridevi as to balance the Trimurti.
Shakti is the energy of the soul, the power of Mahadevi representing the eternal balance between creation and destruction that flows from the soul into the world and also flows from the world to fill the soul.
All energy or force that is used to shape the world by the Realm of Flesh is incomplete without shakti to flow into or out of what is created or destroyed.
Therefore the Realm of Spirit while overlooked by many is equally needed to complete the Realm of Flesh. If one desires completion, the realization of the ideal perfect, the retaliation of potential that lies within them and the connection they hold to Brahman, yet is bound by the desires and bonds to the Realm of Flesh, be they mortal or god, they will never succeed. For in that bond to the Realm of Flesh the Realm of Spirit is forgotten and without the two in harmony one could never be complete. The role of the mind is to acknowledge and perceive the Realm of Flesh, yet also not allow one to be bound wholly to it, thus allowing them to perceive shakti and thus understand and realize the part of themselves that lies in the Realm of Spirit, under the domain of Mahadevi, thus finally realizing and reuniting the two parts of oneself and granting them the understanding of their connection to Brahman.
This revelation was met which Pratyangira, the personification of the Shakti, and avatar of Mahadevi personally appearing before and praising Archer for his wisdom and then encouraged him to complete himself by looking inwards and with eyes now perceiving both the Realm of Flesh and of Spirit see himself in his totality and understand his connection to Brahman, thus achieving his perfect self. However, Archer choosing a different path to a certain enlightened sage millenia later refused this proposition. For Archer felt there was still much for him to learn and experience in life and did not wish to pass onto Brahman, the fate which ultimately awaited for those who have achieved perfection just yet. Moreover, Archer feared perfection believing his near perfection to have been a horrible curse; he felt that with true perfection, he would be left without any purpose or reason to exist any longer.
Troubled by the youth and unwilling for his great achievement in understanding the nature of reality, Mahadevi departed, but not before gifting him the ability to shape the Shakti, the energy of the spirit with his mind. This in truth is the true nature of Archer’s abilities over illusions, the ability to create images upon reality using his magical abilities, then fill them with Shakti. Unlike normal illusions which could be considered “a falsehood impersonating the genuine article” Archer’s abilities with this power allow him to create “existences identical and indiscernible to the genuine article” as they are existences whose flesh and spirit matches the nature and power of that which they imitate. This technique allowed him to deceive and defeat countless foes, with even the likes of the gods such as Indra being rendered helpless before it as they possessed no ability to discern from the illusion or the genuine article and the illusions were fully capable of attacking and damaging him, while possessing the same strength and capabilities of that which they imitated.
Using this technique Archer is able to perform “outrageous” deeds such as creating illusions of divine artefacts and techniques to utilize them as his own (something which renders it difficult to truly answer how many astras he possessed in life as his illusions are indiscernible from the original), creating exact copies of other people, creating illusionary landscapes, and even cover himself in an illusion, as to conceal his own presence rendering him unable to be seen or heard, and only faintly felt through the mind. The only main caveats to this technique are threefold, the first is that this technique can be draining on Archer, particularly as he is outside of caster class and requires a great deal of finesse and concentration to maintain, particularly for more elaborate tricks involving many illusions, or very large scale illusions affecting many people or a large area. The second is that Archer cannot generate objects out of Shakti greater than himself, else his copy will stop at being as powerful as him and go no further than that, with one particular example being when Archer created an illusion of Vasavi Shakti, however it was only able to critically injure Rama requiring Hanuman to save him rather than instantly killing him (implying that the amount of energy it would take to copy Vasavi Shakti surpasses Archer’s own existence and thus is beyond his ability to perfectly copy). The last limitation is that Archer must have seen something, both in the sense of seeing it’s physical form and understanding it’s spiritual construction to be able to recreate it (something which makes creating illusions of people particularly those which can last for a long period of time, particularly difficult). However based on this technique alone it can be said that Archer was without question one of if not the most dangerous warriors in all of Hindu myth, one who if he had used this ability to his fullest easily could have slain his father, bypassing the protection granted to him, and likely annihilating his enemies with the same ease as he devastated the devas with his father.
Anti-Reality
?
Other Qualified Classes: Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Assassin, Striker, Lover, Grand Saber
Gender: Female
Height / Weight: 228 centimeters/180 kilograms.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Home: Greek Age of the Gods. Indian Age of Heroes?
Origin: Greek Mythology.
Equipment: Her Club/Vajra hybrid. The innate aura of lightning around her. Her bare hands.
Personal Information
Attribute: Star
Likes: Saving others and making them smile, Women who remind her of her wives, suppressing her temper, those who remind her of her family.
Dislikes: her rage, the pettiness of the Gods.
Talents: Heroism, stoicism, attracting women, dude (Gender neutral) slept with 50 women in a single night.
Natural Enemy: Hera, Gilgamesh, her berserker self.
Lore
Does Heracles require any introduction? She is by far the most famous hero in world history and possibly the strongest. The hero who held up the sky, slayed the hydra, tamed Cerberus, claimed the golden apple of the Hesperides and more. Few heroes can come close to her level of accomplishment and none can claim her fame. Perhaps it is more useful to talk about what history omitted.
For one, she is quite literally the origin of the term Hero. Her name consists of "Hera" which is the feminine form of Hero and Kleos, the greek term for "Glory" or "Fame". Glory of Hera. Glory of Hero. That and her origins in the Neolithic era along with her sheer fame and legacy as the greatest hero of the Greek Age of the Gods have saddled her with the honor and privilege of sharing the title of "First hero" with Gilgamesh himself.
This is where her qualifications for Grand Saber come from. Grand Saber is a class only available to the rare handful of those who have essentially become an archetype for a swordsman, having exceptional skill with swordsmanship is a given, however far more important is that the subject must boast great fame as a swordsman which is recognized as them essentially being one of, if not the archetypal image for a swordsman in some respect with King Arthur being the most famous knight and leader of the knights of the round is the archetype for European swordsman and is also qualified as Excalibur is by far the most famous of all magical swords and considered the archetype for all magical swords. King Arthur embodies the idea of a European or knight swordsman, a great king / warrior who unifies men around them with their charisma and ideals and is elevated to the same status as a god, and with their magical weapons and their skill smite their enemies as though with the same ease as a god from upon their throne on high.
Heracles is another example of one qualified for this class as she is the progenitor of the term “Hero” meaning defender which has come to be popularly associated with “knights in shining armor”, and boasts a sword of exceptional strength, and is considered the archetype of almost myths and heroes (especially in the Mediterranean or Europe where her fame is only contested by the likes of Achilles [who due to lacking a sword or skill with such cannot qualify as grand saber]), She is considered the archetype of powerful gigantic swordsmen, those who overcome through phenomenal physical feats, cunning, and dogged endurance rather than weapons with special powers (that is not to say that their weapons lack special powers, merely that they exist more as an extension of the swordsman’s natural skills rather than a true ability in their own right). Differing from a European swordsman Heracles is a mythical swordsman, one who would endure impossible odds, and with inhuman determination, great cunning, and strength, speed, and endurance which pushes the boundaries of humanity to their limit to overcome them despite all odds. Differing from the charisma of one who would lead, they possess a charisma to inspire based on their abilities and have people drawn to them and worship them because of this fact.
Another thing is that there are certain oddities on her Saints Graph. Her Pankration is rather odd. Pankration is a rough mix of boxing and wrestling, there's no artistry or grace to it as all that matters is victory. Her Pankration is much more refined and graceful than that of her Berserker self. That and her sword-club strangely resembles that of the Vajra's of Indra. That and her general mindset is strangely zen and almost Buddhist in some senses. This is due to integrating and syncretizing her Saints Graph with that of the Bodhisattva and protector of Shakyamunim, Vajrapani.
When Alexander conquered to India, he brought with him Greek art and culture. That includes Heracles. Heracles became the physical model or sculpture for Vajrapani and the art of Pankration spread to India and became the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu. Vajrapani himself more than qualifies for Grand Berserker by fusing with Acala to become the embodiment of Vairocana's wrath.
Heracles in life was prone to fits of disproportionate rage and revenge and so sought to meditate and calm her mind during the later parts of her life when she regretted his younger years. She was also an icon of stoicism and cynicism which helps significantly. To help with this syncretism. She integrated the feats and iconography she gained from Vajrapani into herself in a subtler manner than a full syncretism. That is why she possess the Vajra of Indra and what can only be described as Shaolin style Prankation.
Personality
A woman wrapped in pain and beset by grief. Heracles is a woman filled with deep regret at her past life. Heracles is someone who possess a deep, almost masochistic, martyr complex at herself for what she has done. Hera's madness has left more than a few scars on her mind. She lost her wife, her children in an instant. When she closes her eyes she can almost feel the blood of her children on her hand. Heracles always herself to be selfish or greedy sometimes but it is always something she possess a self loathing and regret deep down at, like she feels guilty for indulging in herself.
Heracles is a figure bound in deep guilt over her actions. Her slaying of Hippolyta, iphitus and countless kings and men who angered her and insulted her. As a form of penance she can come off as surprisingly meek and a glutton for punishment despite her intimidating stature and bulging muscles (seriously you could carve diamonds on her abs). She never likes to starts fights unless absolutely necessary and let's herself get verbally and sometimes physically abused or mistreated as to test her ability to suppress her anger. She thinks very little of her feats and accomplishments and diminishes them as her simply doing what is necessary.
"So what if I beat him. I won and he lost and that is that. The world summoned me for a job and I am going to fulfill it. The world can't afford to wait for me and my own petty indulgences."
As part of the syncretism between her and Vajrapani and her own status as an icon of cynicism and stoicism, she possess an almost dour resignation that life comes with hardships and suffering but we must endure to become truly excellent. She firmly believes that suffering and death is what makes us people. That the brightest stars die young and that we gain meaning through the shortness of our lives. This is partly the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence shining into her mind. Nothing is truly permeant and solid, not even the gods, so it is no use getting angry at something so fleeting. We can't control everything so it's no use getting angry at things that happen without our knowledge. A strangely hopeful mindset.
She has had many affairs and troubles with both men and women, though she greatly prefers women and possess a great preference for women that remind her of her wife. That and her incredible attractiveness and charisma leads to women, straight or otherwise, flocking to her in droves. She does occasionally indulge in them as a means of relieving stress and pent up aggression but she feels quite guilty afterwards.
"Why I am a woman despite my other summoning being a man? That version of me is before I met her, Omphale. She forced me to put on women's clothing for the first time and it awakened something in me. I don't know how to describe it but History recorded me as I was before I met her, a man, but I would much prefer if they called me a woman."
Parameters:
Strength: EX
Endurance EX
Agility A+
Mana: B
Luck: C++
Noble Phantasm: EX
Class Skill
Divine right of the Hero [EX]- A skill combining the aspects of Apotheosis, a god’s divine core, charisma, battle continuation of the highest level and rank (evolved to the level that their strength actually increases as the battle continues and they become more hurt as they will always overcome the odds). This skill due to being a characteristic of the grand class cannot be copied by other servants and denotes that nature of Heracles as the ultimate symbol of human determination and will, an underdog who would always triumph no matter the odds and whose very name became ingrained as the definition of one who would protect others and a measuring stick to compare other heroes and myths.
This provides her with the ability to endure truly insane levels of punishment and hit back even harder as her nature is someone who endures all punishment in the name of glory. This is also the source of her luck rank as the probability of winning increases when the odds are against her.
Magic Resistance [-]: She considers this trivial with her truly insane durability and has shuffled this around in her Saints Graph to free up space for one more skill and Noble Phantasm in her Saints Graph.
Personal Skills
Protector of Mankind [A+]: A unique skill equal to a noble phantasm originating from the basic definition of Heroism and Heracle's association with protection as well as Vajrapani's role as protector of the Buddha. Heracles firmly believes that a true hero fights best when the world is on their shoulders and this is a manifestation of that. When she is fighting to protect something, be it a little girl, a treasured memory, the innocent, a city she rules or the world itself then she will get stronger and stronger, enduring all punishment and marching ever on to victory. Her fists gain the strength to start earthquakes and shatter mountains, her flesh become capable of withstanding the heat of the sun and she moves faster than anything her size should. This ability also boosts all her personal skills by up to two ranks when she is protecting something like the world.
Pankration (origin) [A+]: As the originator of Pankration and the prototype of all wrestlers and boxers, it is only fair that she would possess the highest skill in martial arts. Her fists have a certain level of mystery to them and possess anti-monster properties as Heracles used Pankration to subdue monsters and cthonic beasts.
If she had fully synchronized and fused with Vajrapani then this would be Shaolin Pankration, an EX ranked fusion of Shaolin Kung Fu and Pankration as protector of the Shaolin Temple.
Immutable body (Herculean) [EX]: A rare skill belonging to those who have refined and perfected their body until they have achieved a state of perfection.This would normally be granted to those whose construction of their body was in the pursuit of an ideal form or philosophy, thus this would be a popular skill for many Eastern martial artists.
But for Heracles whose body has been taken as such an ideal form that it has become a concept in and of itself, it is instead she who has become the model that philosophies aspire to become. Indeed, it is so ubiquitous that the phrase ‘Herculean’ exists to describe not only strength, but the peak physical form. Heracles possesses not only an immutable body, but a body that conceptually cannot be surpassed. She is always considered to be at her ‘peak’, regardless of any external influence.
In essence, she doesn't suffer fatigue or tiredness and always comes back stronger and harder.
Ataraxia-Satori, tranquility of the eternal sunshine [B+]: A skill representing Heracles's endless determination and her status as an icon of Stoicism and greek pessimism along with the influence of Vajrapani. Vajrapani due to being a bodhisattva is, in essence, a mental void. A mind that is immune to any and all psychological interference or concepts, for a mind which, essentially, does not exist cannot be harmed by or fuel that which is malign. This would be Vajrapani's form/evolution of madness enhancement. Vajrapani has willingly lended some aspects of his madness to Heracles as a form of respect between two legends. This skill mainly works to suppress all mental interference or despair that Heracles feels. This essentially means that Heracles will always get up no matter how bitter and angry she is.
If she fully fused with Vajrapani then this skill would nullify all mental interference and render such powers as the authority of a goddess of love or the devil bodhisattva null and void. However here it mainly stores all her anger and pain in the back of her head and suppresses it to be let out later as a limited time version of madness enhancement.
Noble Phantasm
God Hand Kleos, Eternal Glory of the Hero - EX
A representative of Heracles's blessing from the Gods. Heracles' signature Noble Phantasm, operating under the same-as-usual principles:
* all attacks under Rank A are negated.
* Heracles is resurrected after an attack kills her, each resurrection costing a life out of a stock of eleven expendable lives.
* if there is enough mana spent towards it, said stock of lives can be replenished, up to the maximum of eleven.
The same Noble Phantasm as always, because it is already ideal. This however changes when she takes the crown of a grand. God Hand Kleos is an evolution of God Hand where Heracles goes from having not only eleven lives to a literally limitless stock of lives. This is because, despite still having only eleven lives, the World is covering the Mana cost of her restocking automatically. She can still die but only if all her lives are extinguished before the world can restock them. It takes 299 seconds for the world to replenish all eleven lives, rendering this task nigh impossible.
Or you can just convince her to make all hope and willingly give up. Yeah, like you can do that.
In essence, a truly absurd Noble Phantasm that can be best described as an I Win button when backed up by the world. A fitting power for the strongest hero in the strongest class.
Anti-Unit (Self)
1 Person
Nine Lives (Theokeuranos), Rip and Tear the Hundred Heads - A+++
The supreme swordsmanship of Heracles. A mystic sword technique rivaling those of an eastern sword saint like Musashi or Jubei yet one born of dogged determination and brute strength than finesse and skill. Also one endowed with the skill of the Bodhisattva of strength. Vajrapani has saw fit to lend his strength, his lightning to a fellow hero. Every single strike, thrust, motion taken by the Noble Phantasm is wreathed in lightning--lightning that follows a continuity, from Zeus to the
daughter
son
of Zeus to Vajrapani...to Indra, and Nio--as precise as it is deadly, efficient, deadly-efficient. Heracles, Vajrapani, Indra; all reiterations passed down through the cultural continuity of India, alter egos of the orginal Greek source, and thus hold deference to it should the situation ever arise.
In line with the tradition of continuity of Vajrapani's vajra being used for the sake of protection rather than destruction, as long as this continuously-invoked Noble Phantasm remains in activation, then any actions taken by her with the intent of saving others increases the efficacy and success of said actions. Additionally, the effects are magnified in accordance to the directness of the acts of salvation; a fight to save civilization will automatically boost its Rank to A+, up to an action meant to protect an individual maxing out at Rank A+++.
Varies
Varies
For one, she is quite literally the origin of the term Hero. Her name consists of "Hera" which is the feminine form of Hero and Kleos, the greek term for "Glory" or "Fame". Glory of Hera. Glory of Hero.
I don't think this is true.
"Here's a bangin lil' tune about takin' on The Man!"
(Check out my Super Special Awesome Servant Compendium here)
I'm glad that you're finally taking the step to make stuff, but there's a few things I wanted to talk about:
1) While I sort of agree somewhat with Heracles' justification of "Grand", you simply touched too little on Vajrapani's justification. Being the protector of Shakyamuni and fusing with Acala simply isn't enough in my opinion.
2) "Alexander picked up Greek Culture (read: Heracles) -> Brought it to India -> The then-Indians made Vajrapani based on Heracles' image -> Vajrapani becomes Shaolin's Patron Saint -> Heracles uses SKF in her Pankration"...
While I can't visualize in my head on the whole Heracles to Vajrapani thing, Beast's Lair is a place to share different interpretations of stuff, so I applaud you for seeing this connection. However, [im just nitpicking from here on] Heracles and SKF just feels too far of a stretch to me, since SKF is already in a developing stage before the arrival of Vajrapani, and Vajrapani's significance is mostly spiritual (he definitely did not "leap into the oven and emerges as a monstrous giant big enough to stand astride both Mount Song and the imperial fort atop Mount Shaoshi"). This part feels sort of unnatural to me.
3) While I was reading the NP section Indra showed up and I feel kind of lost. What is the significance of Indra aside from "lightning"? What did Heracles do to attain this sigificance?
4) I understand the rationle (Grand, yea...) behind it, but thats a lot of EXes and As
yea, i think that's all from me. Again, glad to see you making the first steps in creation.
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Originally Posted by Skull
