Does anyone have any ideas for what I could do for a Rider and/or a Ruler. Rider is the only one of the “normal” classes I haven’t made a sheet for. Meanwhile, I’ve already made an Avenger, so I figured I should do Ruler. Also, if anyone has any ideas for a Lancer, I’d appreciate that. I’ve only done one so far, but I’m not proud of it at all.
For the Rider class, how about the Bull Demon King from Journey to the West? He had a ride that Wukong called Water-Repelling Golden Crystal Beast, and could transform into a mountain-sized white bull. And of course, he was the owner of the Banana Leaf Fan
Suggestions for Riders:
Perhaps someone with a Hindu temple car as a Rider mount? I mean, technically those things are the origin of the word juggernaut, so I guess you could just work from there... As for who would have one, Subhadra from the Mahabharata gets one dedicated to her. That would also be a rare female Indian Heroic Spirit. Still, there might not be enough to Subhadra to make a sheet.
I guess a charioteer in the Roman tradition might also be neat, since athlete Heroic Spirits are (somewhat) rare. Maybe Scorpus or Porphyrius?
Quote didn't work for some reason. Odd, that.
Last edited by Shiki-pon; August 3rd, 2018 at 05:17 AM.
Class: Grand Lancer Other Applicable Classes: Avenger, Caster Alignment: Lawful Evil Sex: Female (Possessing Spirit is Male) Height: 144 cm Weight: 37 kg Armament: Leg prosthesis, Cane, Horned Helmet
STR: A+ CON: EX AGI: B MGI: A LCK: C Noble Phantasm: EX
Legend
Tezcatlipoca, one of the supreme beings in Mesoamerica and a patron deity of many of its peoples. “Smoking Mirror” is his name among the Mexica. A jealous god who demands human sacrifice and whose domain encompasses all sorts of destructive forces. He was a sun god once, the first to rise over his lands, but his twin brother Quetzalcoatl knocked him out of the sky because he believed that a sun god needed to be “complete.” Tezcatlipoca, who had sacrificed his leg so that the world could be created, was not considered whole. Angered, emasculated by this cold-hearted act, Tezcatlipoca became determined to undermine the efforts of every sun who came after him. Even after finally defeating his brother when they both took mortal forms, even after falling into a dreamless sleep with the rest of his pantheon, he still lusts for revenge. Theservant Tezcatlipoca is a Pseudo-Servant. His host is the forgotten and illegitimate daughter of a certain centroamerican cartel lord. Her disgust, her hatred of the humans that had brought her father into power and subjugated her mother brought her to Tezcatlipoca’s attention. When her home was stormed by a rival gang that threatened her life and that of her mother, the god Tezcatlipoca intervened. He gave her a choice: receive the mantle and power of Tezcatlipoca, the god her ancestors had tried to erase, or go on without his power and die at the hands of those who had invaded her home. She chose the former, and in order to show her resolve she amputated her own leg below the knee to match his suffering. Together, they represent the worst Central America has to offer. A fitting counterpoint to Tezcatlipoca’s brother. The god has chosen to manifest in the parade dress of a warlord. While his people have ceased their worship of him and no longer sacrifice in his name, Tezcatlipoca sees the criminals and governments who subjugate his domain as carrying out his will. They do not sacrifice for Tezcatlipoca, but for money or power. The chaos and suffering they leave in their wake is enough of a blood offering to sate his bloodthirst and curry his favor. While his host doesn’t agree with that belief, he doesn’t particularly care. Rather than having their personalities combine, the two independent spirits are kept separate and can engage in internal dialogue if necessary. Under the Grand Lancer class container, the servant Tezcatlipoca is tasked with preventing the extinction of mankind. If the spirit of Tezcatlipoca and that of his host body are in agreement that mankind is not worthy of being saved, the servant will throw away her Grand title to fully invoke Mixcoatl and level the heaven and earth rending spear at the earth. With that title in place, the servant cannot call forth the full strength of that Noble Phantasm against anything other than Beasts. The two spirits have the year of their shared existence to make their final decision. Neither of them know what to do if they do find mankind worthy of protecting.
Tactics
Tezcatlipoca never enters a fight without backup. She’s had enough of battle, but at the same time it’s an integral part of the mantle she has chosen to bear. The compromise is to make others fight for her, but that’s not something she’s comfortable with either. She doesn’t let that show, however, and instead puts on the face of a warhawk. Its what’s expected of her name and what the god expects of her heritage. Her preferred method is to force people to confront themselves. Using her obsidian mirror, she will draw out the darkest aspects of an enemy servant and summon from that a reflection: an Alter Servant. In this way, her hands are clean of bloodshed and the god is pleased. As a god of subterfuge, Tezcatlipoca will disguise himself as a Caster-class servant regardless of what class he’s in. His host in this case has trouble keeping up the ruse since she’s rather impatient, but he forces her to play along. All pretenses are dropped should Quetzalcoatl or any other Mesoamerican deity appears in his presence. Tezcatlipoca only bears Mixcoatl under the Lancer class. His compatibility with that class container depends solely on the level of Human Order present in the timeline. As a Caster, his capacity for sorceries is significantly improved at the cost of a secondary Noble Phantasm. Instead, his Momoztli Acochiztliti has its rank increased to A+. In addition, he gains the ability to "overwrite" other existences with that of his sorcerers. The Avenger class container draws upon the moment immediately after Tezcatlipoca was cast down from the sky by his brother, which could be called his “defining moment.” His Noble Phantasm in this case, Nahui-Ocelotl, creates an “anti-sun” in his immediate area. While once his purview included some solar elements, he has discarded them to embrace his originally unwanted role as a god of the night. This Noble Phantasm is thus a rejection of all of his solar associations. The false sun nullifies any solar-based skills and greatly weakens any Servants related to the sun, whether through association or blood. The area in which it is invoked will soon fall under an oppressive darkness and enter a period of deadly winter. None of his class associations feature him incarnating himself. Instead, he substitutes humans in his place.
Class Abilities
Magic Resistance: A+
Cancel spells of A-Rank or below, no matter what High-Thaumaturgy it is. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a 'Magus Killer'. This skill can be boosted by opening the gate of Momoztli Acochiztliti, which will destabilize logic-based magecraft in a small area around it.
God's Divine Core
A skill that expresses one being a perfected goddess from birth. A composite Skill that comprises the Skill Divinity, preserves the absoluteness of the mind and the body, repels all mental interference, prevents the body from growth and prevents the figure from change no matter how much calories are absorbed. Despite Tezcatlipoca’s nature as a Pseudo-Servant, this skill is rank A due to Tezcatlipoca harboring his spirit within humans during certain religious ceremonies. As such, his divinity has permeated his host body more thoroughly than it would for most other deities.
The body doesn’t change. The leg is lost, as it always has been. The shame, the regret, is always there.
Personal Skills
Wisdom of the Cloudy Night: A
A skill that shows that one taught many people, once. Other than those that are burdens of the body or characteristic of other heroes, many skills can be exhibited at A- rank. These skills are limited to those that fall under Tezcatlipoca’s wide purview (storm control, sorcery, beauty, war, among other things). While it is possible to grant these effects to other servants (or even to humans), Tezcatlipoca refuses on principle.
Military Tactics: B
Tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's own Anti-Army Noble Phantasm or when dealing against an enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
Normally, this rank should be a bit higher, but the host seems to have some internal resistance to the arts of war. Regardless, the rank is high due to Tezcatlipoca being one of the Mexica’s gods of war.
Enemy of All Sides: A
A variation of “Nature of a Rebellious Spirit.” The temperament of someone who rebels for the sake of rebellion. A being who keeps petty grudges and rejects all sentiments at forgiving or of being forgiven. In the presence of such an existence, the bonds of camaraderie are dissolved. This skill negates all Charisma effects Rank B and below of which Tezcatlipoca is aware, even those that don’t include her.
Ixiptla
A nahuatl word meaning “Substitute.” Traditionally, a warrior was chosen among the Mexica to host Tezcatlipoca’s spirit for a year. This warrior was treated as the god, granted boons and revered for the entire time so as to placate the ill-tempered god. At the end of the year, this warrior was sacrificed to Tezcatlipoca, to himself.
Grand Lancer takes after this same existence. In order to be summoned, Tezcatlipoca bestows his spirit into a human that resonates with his emotions at the time of summoning. This servant is allowed to last for one 365-day period before their heart is automatically sacrificed. This wouldn’t be a problem for a normal servant that only exists for a week or two, but a Grand Servant should exist as long as needed (which could be much more than a year). The substitute grows in strength as their time runs out, reaching their zenith on the day when they are to be self-sacrificed.
Noble Phantasm
Momoztli Acochiztliti (Sleepless Temple)
Gaze Deep Into the Obsidian Abyss
Rank: B Type: Anti-Mind Noble Phantasm Range: 20 m
Maximum Targets: Single Target
A circular obsidian mirror permanently wrapped in choking smoke. In its base form, Tezcatlipoca can use it to simulate the effects of A-rank Clairvoyance, such as scrying or limited precognition. The mirror, normally kept slotted into Tezcatlipoca’s hooked leg prosthesis, is able to float around as the god wills it. It is even capable of splitting up into smaller viewing windows.
The utterance of its name activates the mirror’s ulterior purpose: as a catalyst for her dark magic. The mirror loses virtually all of its reflectivity, instead displaying only living creatures on its face. The reflection is twisted, however, and displays a darker aspect of the individual shown. In the case of servants, Tezcatlipoca can literally pull an Alter Servant from her mirror and force it to confront its origin. These Alter Servants can even be pulled from the mirror’s remote viewing window before a direct confrontation. The activated mirror can also summon ghosts, create powerful illusions, and can serve as an amplifier for sorceries cast by any of Tezcatlipoca’s vassals. Usually, these will be undead Mexica sorcerers summoned by Tezcatlipoca from the mirror itself.
Mixcoatl
O’ Flame, Cleanse Thyself of the Chaff of Man
Rank: EX Type: Anti-Humanity Noble Phantasm Range: 1~9999
Maximum Targets: 100
A divine tool formed out of Tezcatlipoca’s divine essence. The pinnacle of all spears and a symbol of human progress. The spear that can be seen wielded by Tezcatlipoca is not the true Mixcoatl, but instead a “shadow” of its true form. This “base” spear, a silvery tepoztopilli bearing vicious obsidian blades, shines resplendently in any lighting conditions. This weapon can exude powerful flames which it can also control with a high degree of finesse.
When Tezcatlipoca calls out its true name, the weapon shoots up into the heavens and becomes a star. From this star, the true form of Mixcoatl falls. The true invocation of Mixcoatl involves the servant discarding their Grand title in order to reject their task of protecting mankind.
Fire. The symbol of human progress. In a moment of
weakness
mercy
now unknown to him and his host, Tezcatlipoca exerted his divine will to rotate the heavens and earth about their axes to create the first fire drill. With fire, man learned how to make tools and thus surpass the limits of their flesh. The spear is thus a symbol of human progress, of Human Order. As the strength of Human Order grows, so too does the strength of the spear. The state of Tezcatlipoca as Grand Lancer implies high human order. The spear does not consume Human Order, rather, it is a representation of it wielded by a god who has grown to hate mankind. It is not the pillar that holds Reality in place in his domain; the honor of bearing such a responsibility has been entrusted to the mortal avatar of his brother. Instead, Mixcoatl is a symbol of authority.
“Amo Quimatia Cah In Intheuh, Teteoh Catca Itzlacatinímeh”
They do not Know the Gods They Worship are Impostors
“Ca Tloque Nahuaque. Ca Yohualli. Ca Ehecatl.”
He is the Lord of the Near and Nigh. He is the Night. He is the Wind.
An inscription that encircles Mixcoatl as it falls. The meaning of the ideograms is immediately seared into the minds of any who witness them regardless of whether or not they even recognize the symbols as written language.
“Ilhuicac. Tlalticpac. Mictlan.”
Sky. Land. Underworld.
The domains of Tezcatlipoca. Each word causes Mixcoatl to flare in intensity and causes the circular inscriptions to spin faster. The sky and the earth begin to burn as fodder for Mixcoatl’s flames. As human progress leads to the destruction of the natural world, so in turn does the invocation of Mixcoatl lead to the destruction of the human world.
Relationships
Quetzalcoatl: You never tire of your insolence. Does the nature of my chosen host really disgust you so much? You can't bear to see what your precious people have become, can you? Come now, don't be so rude. Did you really miss being Topiltzin so much that you took up a female form again? How about we have a nice little drink to remember those good old times?
Jaguar Man: Come here, my sweet little nagual! Daddy's back, and I've brought treats!
Geronimo: One of the northerners? You did some good work up there. How about a team up? You can trust me~!
John Dee: No, no. You're- look, that's not how you use that. I'm flattered, really, but you just need to- listen, you just need something clearer than that. How much did you pay for that mirror?
Altera, Dietrich von Bern: Another one? If you're here to take back your sister, be quick about it. She's ours now.
Solar-Attribute Servants: Scum. Insolent, impudent scum. Presumptuous, ill-manner- W-Wait, you think I'm a solar deity too? Well! Well well well! Nevermind!
■■■■■■ ■■■■■■: Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you since I fell to slumber. The hatred I have for you, for what you did to my people, is enough that I can find common ground with that accursed brother of mine. 2000 years of war, wiped away in a single instant by you rearing your ugly head. Do skeletons feel pain? No matter, we will find out how much pain we can fit into an eternity of servitude.
Author's Notes
This Tezcatlipoca has been sitting in storage for ages. Originally, I was going to use this for an FGO CYOA (I've run one before, but closed it early). My Aleister Crowley was also going to be used for that thing.
Last edited by gyrowins; August 3rd, 2018 at 11:15 AM.
Hear me now, O heart of the World:
Light of Man, Dawn of Life
Reaching Antiquity, Seizing the Future
I call upon the stories of heroes long forgotten
With this hand I will make thee whole.
Hear me now, God of Prophecy,
I take up thy Mantle:
Saber Identity: Johnston McCulley Also known as: Zorro, Saber Z Height: 170 cm Weight: 57 kg Alignment: Neutral Good Attribute: Human Origin: USA Armament: Rapier, bullwhip Natural enemy: Gilgamesh
Parameters: Strength: C Endurance: C Agility: B Mana: E Luck: A NP: C
Background
Johnston McCulley is an American writer from the first half of the 20th century. He wrote hundreds of stories, a total of 50 novels, and numerous scripts for TV and cinema, although not all of them under the same name. Harrington Strong, Raley Brien, George Drayne, Monica Morton, and Frederic Phelps were some of the several pseudonyms he used during his life.
McCulley started his career as a police reporter for the National Police Gazette, and during World War I, he worked as a public affairs officer for the US Army. Later, out of interest and love for history as an amateur, he’d focus on screenplays and pulp magazines. Famous for creating gentlemanly criminals and Robin Hood-like heroes, one of Johnston’s most famous characters is doubtlessly Zorro, who appeared in four of his novels. Together with figures like Black Star, The Spider, and The Crimson Clown, Zorro would serve as model for popular masked heroes like Batman, Phantom, Lone Ranger…
Normally, Johnston McCulley wouldn’t be able to qualify as a Saber class Servant, but he has managed to meet the requirements by taking over the image of his own ace: Zorro. A noble from South California, the hero’s real name was Diego de la Vega. Normally an average man without anything remarkable, to the point of feeling boring, once he put on his black costume, he became a hero of justice that helped the poor and oppressed while punishing cruel and corrupted politicians, everything without revealing his identity to anyone. As a result, the mysterious man in black had a high bounty, but nobody was able to receive said reward. Zorro was also known for having a mocking and arrogant personality that made no one suspect about the coward fop that Diego de la Vega supposedly was.
Personality
While Johnston could be defined as gentlemanly, his disposition isn’t exactly the same as that of a knight. His actions are indeed polite and steward-like, but his code of honor is more open to dirty tactics and taunts. A shrewd and cunning fellow that uses whatever he finds useful to help himself in combat, any trick is valid on his book, going as far as mocking his opponents for their ineptitude after they fall in his gimmicks.
Although he will not probably admit it, the truth is that Zorro is Johnston McCulley’s failed dream to become an ally of justice. Protecting the poor by defeating the rich, an ideal he fell in love with since the first time he read about Robin Hood. When he wears his costume, he becomes the hero he desired to be, even taking his True Name as a means to protect his identity.
Treatment with the Master: As someone who values chivalrousness independently of one’s alignment, Johnston doesn’t care much about whether their Master is defined as good or evil. The only kind of evil that won’t be tolerated even from Johnston’s own Master is that which directs violence towards the innocent and the harmless. Were he to detect signs of oppression, Johnston will not tolerate it and take measures about it.
Likes:“Reading about history is always a nice pastime. Especially if it’s about the era of the Spanish California.”
Dislikes: “I don’t like seeing the weak suffer. I don’t care if I’m seen as a hero or as a villain, I won’t let the strong rich abuse the weak poor.”
Wish for the Grail: “I don’t really have any wish for the Grail. I’ll let you use it as you want, Master.”
Skills
Class skills
Magic Resistance E
Having lived at the beginning of the 20th century, Johnston is a very modern character that faced no magecraft during his life. Even with the power of Zorro, the rank can’t be any higher because his story is placed during 1820. This skill is obtained merely thanks to the class container.
Riding C
Thanks to this skill, Johnston can ride Zorro’s black horse, Tornado, even outside the Rider class.
Personal skills
Disengage B
The tide of battle can be changed so that conditions return to those of a point in which one’s situation was favorable. This allows to retreat without trouble or to reset battle conditions. B rank provides the bonus of making the conditions of battle be the same to those of the first turn, as well as restoring this skill’s status to the initial value. Zorro was known for always escaping the authority thanks to his cunning and the ineptitude of the police, never having been caught.
Eternal Arms Mastership C
Skill with weaponry that doesn’t degrade even when under the effects of mental hindrance, like Mad Enhancement. A combination of body, mind, and technique that allows to use one’s fighting skills independently of their mental condition. While not unparalleled in life, Zorro’s dexterity was doubtlessly impressive. An expert in swordsmanship and marksmanship, he was a formidable opponent even without his rapier and whip, using his hat and cape to support himself, or fighting unarmed if the situation required him to do so. Combined with his slyness, few could get on his level.
Powerless Shell A
Makes the user difficult to be perceived as a Servant by others. Parameters are declined, skills are suppressed, and makes presence as a Servant unrecognizable to others. A very valuable skill to avoid revealing valuable information about himself to the enemy. This is the result of Diego de la Vega passing by a normal person, unskilled at usage of weapons and gymnastics, when he actually wasn’t, enabling him to avoid any suspicions of him being Zorro.
Noble Phantasm
Z de Zorro
Let my name mark your humiliation
Type: Anti-Unit Rank: D Description:
“Aha! Z de Zorro! Now everyone will know who kicked your ass, you villain!”
The famous mark that Zorro left on his enemy’s chest after their defeat, consisting on three slashes on the chest that form a Z. Albeit performed swiftly, its power is relatively low and doesn’t put the life of the opponent in danger unless they’re on the verge of death.
Having been used to humiliate his opponents, Z de Zorro has the special property of automatically imposing an effect of shame on the target, a mental interference that deprives the target of their will to fight Johnston, but that can be resisted with sheer willpower or Magic Resistance.
La Máscara del Zorro
Dashing through the night, a masked savior appears
Type: Anti-Unit Rank: C Description:
“Excuse me, but I don’t think Johnston McCulley can be summoned as a Servant. I’m Saber Z, Zorro if you will, but not that guy.”
Despite its True Name, it isn’t only the mask, but the whole costume used by Diego de la Vega when acting as Zorro. Although classified as a Noble Phantasm when used by Johnston McCulley, it could be said that it’s the true nature of the man known as Diego de la Vega, or perhaps Johnston's own true self.
When worn, the effects of Powerless Shell vanish. Johnston’s whole status is revealed to everyone else, except for his True Name, which appears as Zorro. That means, parameters rise to their original value, and skills become usable. It also grants access to Z de Zorro and allows to summon the intelligent horse Tornado.
Unlike most Noble Phantasms, La Máscara del Zorro possesses the capacity of being able to be trespassed to others. Those who wear it obtain the same True Name, parameters and Noble Phantasm as Johnston McCulley, but they’ll have to develop their personal skills on their own. In the case of Servants, they won’t really have any trouble with the last point.
Relations
Robin Hood: “To meet the man who served as inspiration for my charac--- legend… This is what makes Holy Grail Wars so interesting.”
Spartacus: “Okay big boy, I get you. I'm against oppression too. Just calm down a little, okay?”
EMIYA:“I know it just by looking at your eyes. At some point in your life, you also dreamed of being an ally of justice. You can’t deny it, I have that dream too.”
Gilgamesh: "Look at him. He hoards as much as he wants, claims everything for himself, insults others by calling them inferior, and with all that he still considers himself a hero… I'm frankly shocked."
Geronimo: "Oh, a native warrior of the South! I guess that I, a white man, am your enemy, but I sincerely admire you and your people."
So, this is something I had unfinished from a while ago. Inspiration came to me suddenly this afternoon, so I left my sniped Gensai and my totally-not-a-Caster Archer to finish it. The description of the Noble Phantasms are very sparse, but there isn't much to describe because they're quite simple. As for the trespassing property of the second NP, I think it's a nice touch that could be used in a story in which Saber dies but his Master (or a self-insert OC) takes it and becomes the new Zorro.
PS: I'm unsure about Eternal Arms Mastership being fitting, so please don't kill me for that.
Last edited by King of Padoru; August 3rd, 2018 at 02:00 PM.
Pull anything this horrible in the contest and I actually will disqualify you. Not even joking.
Originally Posted by Sandstorm77
He's just putting the bone of his sword into other people until it explodes and lets out parts of him inside them.
Originally Posted by AvengerEmiya
Genderswaps are terrible, but I think I and other people would hate them less if Fate didn't keep ignoring actual heroines throughout history and folklore. Like, why bother turning Francis Drake into a woman when Ching Shih and Grace O'Malley exist?
Originally Posted by Five_X
Fate Zero is just Fate Stay Night for people who think Shirou is too girly
^^Oh hey, I remember coming across that when looking for FCs for my Hitler Servant way back when. Luckily for everyone's sanity, even an aficionado of genderbends like myself found the idea of moe!Hitler a bit much...
Last edited by RoydGolden; August 3rd, 2018 at 11:47 PM.
Reason: Fixed typo
FC Link Alternate Classes: Berserker, Avenger True Name: Taira no Masakado Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Origin: Japan (10th century) Armament: Sword
Parameters: STR: A END: B+ AGI: B MANA: C LUCK: E NP: B
Skills
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance - Rank B: Grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether.
Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.
Riding - Rank C: A Class Skill of Rider and Saber class Servants, denoting the ability to ride mounts and vehicles. Rider-class Servants will typically possess a high rank. It is said that dragon type mounts are an exception, requiring a different ability other than Riding.
Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above average skill. However, cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts.
Personal Skills:
Daionryou - Rank C+: Denotes one's status as a Daionryou, or "Greater Vengeful Spirit". Saber is regarded as one of the Three Great Onryou of Japan. Attacks against Heroic Spirits with connections to Japan are empowered exponentially.
As a Saber, Daionryo’s rank is significantly lowered. However, as traces of this part of his legend will always come to influence Saber’s Saint Graph, the Skill is retained. When he is angered, Daionryou’s effectiveness is increased further.
Innocent Monster - Rank B: An attribute possessed by Servants whose true history and existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations and gossips they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter, without concern for the actual person's will or appearance. As a consequence, the Servant's abilities and appearance have been rendered to conform to the specifications of their legend. Incidentally, this Personal Skill cannot be removed.
Despite Saber incarnating as his ‘human legend’, his monstrous reputation still holds greater influence. As such, Saber’s appearance has changed towards the demonic, and his neck shows the wound of his decapitation. He also possesses several curse-based abilities stemming from his roots as an Onryou.
Nature of a Rebellious Spirit - Rank B+: The temperament to never remain at one location and never embrace a lord. A wandering star that does not have the capacity to be king nor is capable of finding his own king. Negates the effects of Charisma with the same rank.
As an additional effect, Saber receives a damage bonus against those who possess both Charisma and Divinity.
Divinity - Rank D-: The measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. At high levels, one is treated as a mixed race of a Divine Spirit, and the level declines when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monster or Demonic Beast raises. It can also decrease due to one's dislike for the gods. Those who have A Rank Divinity or above have reached the Throne of Gods. It also has an effect which reduces special defensive values called 'purge defense' in proportion to the Divinity's Rank. It can break through Skills such as Protection of the Faith and Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig.
Having been deified posthumously, Saber receives a rank in Divinity. However, as there was a time during which his deification was revoked, his status as a Divine Spirit is unstable.
Noble Phantasms
Traitorous Seven Shadows
Kagemusha
Anti-Unit (Self), Rank D
In life, Saber protected himself from assassins with a number of identical body doubles, referred to as the Kagemusha. Depending on the story, these were either derived from his mystical powers or actual bodyguards bedecked in identical armor. Regardless of either version’s truthfulness, he is granted the ability to produce doubles of himself as a Noble Phantasm.
The doubles originate from his shadow, as their name implies, and are identical in all but one respect: the copies lack a shadow, as they are themselves born from Saber’s. Though Saber’s copies can fight, their capabilities are lesser than those of ordinary Servants. When destroyed, the copies simply return to Saber’s shadow, and can be recreated again.
The maximum number of duplicates that Kagemusha can produce at a time is seven.
Devastation of Heaven and Earth
Tenpenchii no Tachi
Anti-Army~Anti-Country, Rank A+
The first tachi, a type of sword reputedly invented by Saber. Due to its venerable age and its status as the first sword of its type, it has become a Tsukumogami, a tool-type Youkai. As such, the sword possesses its own personality, and has the ability to speak. The spirit within, however, has been supplanted by the spirit of another version of Saber’s own, namely that of his malevolent spirit. As such, Tenpenchii no Tachi is a demonic sword of great power, though Saber suppresses the sword’s power most of the time. It is only during battle that Saber has to focus on other things, allowing the sword’s curse to seep out. This curse is Saber’s own, posthumous one, and born of his rage and thirst for vengeance, which is present even in his most heroic incarnation.
Tenpenchii no Tachi’s full release is invoked by Saber plunging the sword into the ground. This allows the vengeful spirit within to move into the land itself. The longer the sword remains in the ground, the further the curse spreads, with its maximum range being the size of a country. The curse is one that invites disaster, essentially forcing a massive drop in luck inside the cursed area, both for the land itself and those who inhabit the area. The misfortune effect is such that even natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, plagues and terrible thunderstorms become a commonplace occurrence in the zone of the curse, with the effect being magnified the smaller the cursed area is. Those who are unfortunate enough to be inside the cursed land will find their weapons failing, their steps faltering and slipping and even their spells failing.
With Saber being one who, at his heart, cares for the people, he only leaves the sword in the ground for moments at a time, wary of the curse spreading. This works to his advantage, as the momentary activation is enough to compress the curse’s effects into a great calamity, leveling the surrounding region with storms and cracking the very earth itself. Over time, the luck-down effect would normalize, spreading the calamities more evenly across a wide area.
Description
Likes: Retribution, the lower classes
Dislikes: Betrayal, responsibility for one’s actions
Talents: Curses, excessiveness
Natural Enemy: Tawara Touta, Sugawara no Michizane
Saber’s true identity is Taira no Masakado, the Samurai of the Rebellious Spirit.
Taira no Masakado manifests as a grotesque figure, having been warped from his human appearance into the shape of a demonic samurai. With three eyes, a too-wide mouth filled with sharp fangs and an ashen skin color, Masakado’s appearance is unsettling to say the least.
However, Masakado’s personality belies his monstrous appearance. He strives to be heroic, and to overcome his dark legend. Indeed, his renouncement of his posthumous activities is such that he considers the Onryou Taira no Masakado to be a separate entity altogether. So as not to trouble others with his frightening appearance, he often covers his head with a helmet. The helmet is also shaped like the head of a demon, but as this is the norm for samurai, he is not altogether too troubled about it.
Masakado is a hot-blooded man, trusting his feelings as a guide more than his sense. This is not to say that he is not cunning, as in life he often took great care to skirt the edges of the law to avoid punishment. Thanks to his rash nature, he is prone to repay slights with retribution, and excessive retribution at that. In his current incarnation, he acknowledges this trait as being unbecoming of a Heroic Spirit, and does his best to find distractions that might quell his wrath, or at least redirect it elsewhere.
Masakado has a fondness for those he sees as commoners, and deeply regrets the harm he brought to them with his excessive quests for vengeance. Later in his life, he made a point of treating the people under his rule as well as he could in recompense for his earlier misdeeds. In a Holy Grail War, Masakado would make the safety of civilians his utmost priority, even above winning the War itself.
As far as other Heroic Spirits go, Masakado cannot shake the hatred for those from Japan that wells up from inside him. Should he find a Japanese Heroic Spirit otherwise respectable, he will take steps to avoid confronting them, so as to spare them his wrath. When it comes to Servants from elsewhere, he holds personal honour and loyalty in high regard. Thanks to the way he died, he loathes traitors, though exonerating circumstances might change his opinion of someone.
Masakado yearns for a heroic, honorable Master, someone who might act as his moral compass should he go astray. No matter the type of person they are, Masakado will request his Master to stop him with a Command Spell if his acts of retribution ever get too excessive.
Masakado’s wish is to undo the curse of his hatred as well as the destruction his spirit wrought upon Japan. Naturally, this is only his wish as a Saber, and in his other incarnations, his wish is likely to be the opposite.
Lore
Taira no Masakado was born into the Kanmu Heishi, the clan of Taira descended from Emperor Kanmu. It was an elite family. Masakado had a privileged childhood in the capital, after which he settled down in Shimosa Province in Eastern Japan, northeast of modern day Tokyo. His troubles only began after his father died. Inheritance laws at this time were not firmly established, and his uncles tried to steal most of his father’s land. They claimed their royal lineage gave them the right to do so.
In 935 CE, the dispute with his family members broke into outright battle. Masakado was ambushed by one of his uncles and a number of Minamoto warriors. But Masakado was a powerful warrior. He quickly defeated them, and then took his revenge by burning their lands, ravaging the countryside, and slaughtering thousands. This brought him into conflict with other relatives by blood and by marriage, who brought their dispute to the emperor.
Taira no Masakado was summoned to court to answer charges of the relatives of the dead Minamoto warriors. Masakado was not only brave, he was also smart. He had taken great pains to remain within the law and proved that he had good reason for his killings. After only a few months, he was fully pardoned when the court offered a general amnesty in commemoration of Emperor Suzaku’s coming of age.
Taira no Masakado returned to his home, but soon found himself under attack. This time, it was his father-in-law and his relatives. Again, Masakado quickly defeated them. To avoid stirring up more political trouble, Masakado received a warrant to apprehend his attackers. Now, with legal sanction for his military action, he stormed into their lands on a quest for revenge.
In 938 CE, Taira no Masakado received another court summons for questioning about a quarrel with one of the cousins who had attacked him. This time, Masakado ignored the summons. He raised a large force and invaded Hitachi Province. He conquered eight provinces: Shimotsuke, Kozuke, Musashi, Kazusa, Awa, Sagami, Izu, and Shimosa. The whole time, he maintained his innocence, insisting that his campaign was legal under the terms of his warrant.
The government was seen as ineffectual and the nobles as abusive by the peasants of the time. Taira no Masakado, on the other hand, treated the peasants of his conquered domains much better than their former masters did. His insurrection was seen as a salvation by many peasants. They welcomed him gladly. The court feared that Taira no Masakado was preparing to overthrow the government and declare himself the new Emperor of Japan. He was condemned as a rebel and a traitor.
A number of warriors—including Masakado’s ally Fujiwara no Hidesato and some his own relatives—were commissioned by the government to take his head. They caught up with Masakado’s army in Shimosa province on the fourteenth day of the second month of 940 CE. They attacked during a night ambush and quickly defeated the rebels. Masakado’s men were outnumbered ten to one. Masakado was beheaded, betrayed by his friends and family. The head was brought back to Kyoto to be displayed in the east market as a message to would-be rebels.
Strangely, Taira no Masakado’s head did not decompose. Many months after it was first displayed in the east market, it still looked as fresh as the day it was severed. The eyes had grown fiercer, and the mouth twisted up into a hideous grimace. Night after night the head would call out, “Where is my murdered body!? Come here! Reattach my head and let me fight once again!” And then things got really strange.
One night the head began to glow. It flew off into the sky, across the country, towards Shimosa. The head eventually grew tired and landed to rest in a fishing village called Shibazaki (which would one day grow into the city of Edo). The villagers who found the head cleaned it and buried it. A shrine was erected over the grave and named Kubizuka—the mound of the head. Masakado was honored and worshipped by the peasants as a true warrior, a symbol of justice who stood in heroic defiance of a corrupt and lazy nobility. He was seen as an underdog who was repeatedly betrayed and eventually murdered by those he should have been able to trust. Despite his deification and popularity among the lower classes, his ghost was not appeased. A few years after his head was buried, the ghost of a samurai began to be seen in the neighborhood of his shrine.
In the early 1300s, a great plague struck Edo. Many people died. The plague was attributed to Taira no Masakado’s anger. In order to appease him, his spirit was moved from his small shrine to the larger and more prestigious Kanda Shrine. He was designated one of the main gods, and his spirit was placated—for a while. In 1874, Emperor Meiji visited the Kanda Shrine. It was viewed as inappropriate for an enemy of the imperial family like Masakado to be honored when the emperor was visiting, and so his deity status was revoked. His shrine was moved to a smaller building outside of the main shrine.
Taira no Masakado’s anger returned in 1928. After the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed much of the city, the site of his Kubizuka was chosen as the temporary location for the Ministry of Finance. Shortly afterwards, the Minister of Finance became sick and died. Over a dozen other employees died, and even more became sick or were injured in falls and accidents in the building. Rumors about the curse ran began to spread. The Ministry of Finance building was demolished and a memorial service for Masakado was held at the Kanda Shrine.
Notes
Despite being sniped by Royd on this one, I decided to go ahead anyway, what with the different aspects of the legend.
Mind you, his third eye has grown onto the spot where the arrow that killed him hit.
Last edited by Shiki-pon; August 7th, 2019 at 12:39 PM.
That's a pretty cool Masakado sheet. Probably better than mine in some respects (particularly personality), though I'm still fond of the "mecha-armor" NP I gave him.
That's a pretty cool Masakado sheet. Probably better than mine in some respects (particularly personality), though I'm still fond of the "mecha-armor" NP I gave him.
Yeah, I like the mecha-armor too, but your sheet didn't have enough of the mystical elements Masakado is related to. Since I see those as particularly interesting, I just leaned my sheet idea more into that direction.
Originally Posted by Lambda-Nu
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