A Thief's End
Goemonburo, Cauldron of Execution
Rank: C+
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1
Maximum Targets: 1
The execution of the great bandit Ishikawa Goemon ranks as among the most famous in Japanese history, one that has been played out countless times in popular kabuki plays over the centuries following it. The most famous version of the story is that he was captured during an assassination attempt on the ruler of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His motive in this is disputed; some say it was to kill a despot oppressing the poor, others that it was a personal act to avenge his family, and yet others believe he merely sought to steal from the wealthy warlord. While in some versions of the story he was detected and arrested due to accidentally knocking over a bell, the most popular version posits that he was found out by a mystical incense burner. It was ordered that Goemon and his entire family would be publicly put to death by boiling oil in front of the Buddhist temple Nanzen-ji. After the deaths of the rest of his family, Goemon and his son Gobei were placed into the iron cauldron of burning oil. Some accounts claim that Goemon successfully held his son above the oil for the duration of the execution, saving the boy's life. Others tell that Goemon at first tried to save him, but then was left with no choice but to plunge him to the bottom of the cauldron to kill him as quickly as possible. Regardless, Goemon was defiant to the last, right until the very moment he finally succumbed to the boiling oil and sank to his death. His execution was so engraved in the public consciousness of Japan that iron cauldrons like the one used to execute Goemon were henceforth forever known as goemonburo, or Goemon baths.
This Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of Goemon's famed execution by boiling oil, possessing both a limited release and full release, though Assassin will typically claim there is only the limited release. Its limited release, requiring no invocation of its name, summons forth goemonburo filled to the brim with boiling oil. After all, Assassin points out, it is only natural that he should be able to summon items directly named after him and most famous for their role in his history. He is only able to bring them forth within around a meter of himself, though he can do so in mid air, and the number he can bring forth is only limited by the space around him. The cauldrons themselves hold no particular special properties and are completely stationary, easily broken by even simple magecraft. Their primary worth lies in the boiling oil within them; it is more than capable of severely scalding and potentially even killing Servants with low defensive attributes. Of course, he cannot summon the oil without the stationary cauldrons that hold them, so in practice this limited release is only useful for hitting large slow moving targets, large scale warfare, or area denial by covering surfaces in oil.
The full release and true purpose of this Noble Phantasm is reenacting the legendary execution of the great bandit; it is a suicide Noble Phantasm whose usage will kill Assassin. Upon activation of the Noble Phantasm, a recreation of the very same iron cauldron used to execute him is summoned in the space Assassin is standing in. Naturally, this space also encompasses the area immediately around Assassin, including any individual he is engaged in close quarters combat with or is otherwise in close proximity to his body. An invisible barrier forms in the area immediately around the cauldron, denoting Assassin's inability to escape from his promised execution, preventing interference from outside parties and ensuring the ever troublesome thief won't be able to escape one last time. The cauldron is filled with searing hot oil of a potency greater than that of the Noble Phantasm's limited release, easily capable of killing most Servants. Assassin and his chosen victim are boiled to death together, the Noble Phantasm's activation continuing until Assassin has succumbed to his injuries, upon which it dissipates.
It is a Noble Phantasm that trades Assassin's life for the death of one single other opponent, but it is not always capable of taking that enemy's life. Those with Rank A CON will be able to survive the execution, albeit so severely wounded as to be easy prey. A variety of defensive Noble Phantasms and Skills allow one to take little to no damage from it or survive the fatal wounds it inflicts for some time afterwards. While escape via conventional means or Command Seal is negated by the dictates of execution, it is possible to break the cauldron and the barrier of execution around it via offensive Rank C+ Noble Phantasms or higher, though of course at point blank range this is a risky proposition for the one trapped in it.
The Seeds of Thieves Will Never Die
Greedily Grasping Hands of Rats
D
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1
Maximum targets: 1-20
Ishikawa Goemon did not achieve his reputation as one of the greatest thieves in history alone. It is said that he assembled a great band of thieves, bandits, and outlaws, perhaps one of the largest and most well organized of such groups in Japan's history. Goemon's group of thieves ravaged the city of Kyoto and the Kansai region, expertly scouting out their targets by day using disguises, and engaging in act after act of thievery at night. Clerics, merchants, and well guarded feudal lords alike were overtaken by the numbers and prowess of Ishikawa Goemon's organization of thieves, their wealth stolen with ease and frequently disseminated among the common people. Though the individual names of these bandits are lost to history, they continue to enjoy a romanticized reputation in Japan's history alongside their boss for their anti authoritarian acts against the oppressive rich. Prior to his execution, Goemon wrote in his farewell poem that the "seeds of thieves would never die" in reference to his men and those like them.
Assassin's secondary Noble Phantasm summons forth the famed band of thieves intrinsic to his legend... or rather, it doesn't. After all, these nameless thieves were certainly not Heroic Spirits, recorded to the Throne. They are not even existences on the level of wraiths or Phantoms. It is not as if they held some great loyalty or friendship towards their boss either; it is even said in some stories that Goemon was sold out by his band. No, what this Noble Phantasm materializes forth is not that gang of bandits... merely just their hands. The hands of men who greedily desperately constantly grasped at wealth, at plunder, at riches, at a future beyond their destitute existence. Not even death will stop a thief from trying to steal something. Their hands will never stop reaching outwards; their hands will never stop desiring what is in front of them.
Effectively speaking, what activation of this Noble Phantasm does is give Assassin a few dozen extra pairs of hands all around him. They are not invisible, but neither do they physically materialize as flesh, appearing translucent and almost inhuman. The hands hold no special properties, merely grasp at and hold whatever they can. In practice, Assassin uses them to steal a lot more than he otherwise would and to enhance his combat effectiveness. Though they lack his reflexes and combat skills, the hands of his thieves are still more than capable of cutting with a sword or throwing a shuriken. Via his extra hands, Assassin can combat enemies on all sides or trip up his foes in one on one combat.
Though quite useful, this Noble Phantasm is not without its drawbacks. The hands and the spiritual arms they extend from are not immune to harm and can easily be destroyed by magecraft or a Servant's weapons. Furthermore, they can not be summoned further than a meter around Assassin, limiting their potential effectiveness. He is only capable of manifesting a dozen pairs out of three dozen at a time, and once killed, each pair can take up to three days to regenerate.
Originally Posted by RoydGolden
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