Servant's background:
A hero and High King of the distant past of the Tuatha de Danann. His father is Cian of the Tuatha De Danann, and his mother is Ethniu, daughter of Balor, of the Fomorians. The warrior connection comes through his skill with a spear and sling which earned him another title, Lamhfhada, meaning "Long hand". He is also known as Samh-Ildanach, "equally skilled in many arts".
The Tuatha de Danann are a race of supernaturally-gifted people in Irish mythology. Contrary to the legends, they started as mortals, but have the inborn abilities and potential far surpassing normal humans. The Dananns were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. Their ancestors came from four cities to the north of Ireland: Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias, where they landed to be instructed in the magic arts, embracing druidry (druidecht), knowledge (fis), prophecy (faitsine) and skill in magic (amainsecht) which got passed through the bloodline. When Nemed and his followers arrived at Ireland, they made contact with the Fomorians, another supernaturally gifted race. Nemed defeated them in several battles, killing their kings Gann and Sengann, but died in the hands of the next Fomorians leaders. There was great slaughter on both sides for a great length of times. The sea rose over them and drowned most of the survivors: only thirty of Nemed's people escaped in a single ship, scattering to the other parts of the world. The Fomorians themselves retreated to the Tory Island.
Of this thirty, one group flees "into the north of the world", one group flees to Britain, and another group flees to Greece. Those who went into the north become the Tuatha De Danann, those who went to Britain become the ancestors of all Britons, and those who went to Greece came to call themselves the Fir Bolg. After 230 years, the Fir Bolg, with the intention to escape slavery in Greece, sail to Iberia and then on to Ireland. They establish the High Kingship and a succession of nine High Kings rule over Ireland for the next 37 years.
After 37 years, the Tuatha de Danann arrive in Ireland. Their king, Nuada, asks that they be given half the island, but the Fir Bolg king Eochaid refuses. Nuada, insisting their people has as much right to inhabit Irelands as the Fir Borg, deny Eochaid demands to have them sail away from Ireland. Conflict ensues, with conflict tuned into skirmish and skirmish turned into full scale war, the First Battle of Mag Tuired. During the war, Sreng, the champion of the Fir Bolg, challengs Nuada to single combat. With one sweep of his sword, Sreng cuts off Nuada's right hand.
Because their king, Nuada, had lost an arm in the battle and was no longer physically whole, he was deemed unable to rule by the custom of the Danann, as their king must be a perfect beings that symbolizes their status as a superior race. Dian Cecht, healer of the Danaans, declared that he could make King Nuada a silver arm which could move and function as a normal arm given enough time. But after the war against Fir Bolg, the Danann cannot hope to survive another invasion. Hoping to reconcile relations between the Fomorians and the Tuatha De Danann, Bres, the half-Fomorian and half-Danann was chosen as the first king of Ireland. However, Bres was a poor king; he favors the people that raised him, the Fomorians, over the Danaans; Bres made the Tuatha De Danann pay tribute to the Fomorians and work as slaves, making the noblest of them do menial work, imposing heavy tribute, and failing to show the level of hospitality expected of a king.
Meanwhile, in the Tory Island, the chief king of the Fomorians, Balor, hears a druid's prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson. To avoid his fate, he locks his only daughter, Ethniu, in a tower on Tory Island to keep her from becoming pregnant, cared for by twelve women, who are to prevent her ever meeting or even learning of the existence of men. One day, Balor steals a magical cow of abdundance, the Glas Gaibhnenn, from Goibniu the smith. He takes it to his fortress on Tory Island. Cian, who was guarding the cow for Goibniu, sets out to get it back. With the help of the druidess Birog and the sea god Manannan, Cian enters the tower with the help of a druidess called Birog and finds Ethniu. Desperate to look for a way of returning the cow back to his master smith, Cian decides to asked help from the imprisoned princess. Ethniu, never knowin a man before, fell for Cian and decided to help him. In that time, they fell in love and have sex, and she gives birth to three sons. Balor attempts to drown the boys in the sea, but one is saved by Birog. She takes him to his father, who gives him to the sea god Manannan, in fosterage.
The surviving boy is the destined future king of the Danaans, Lugh.
Meanwhile in Ireland, after Bres had ruled for seven years, Nuada had his hand back, which had been replaced with a silver one; following the successful replacement, Nuada was restored to kingship and Bres was exiled. He went to his father for help to recover his throne, but Elatha would not help him gain by foul means what he had been unable to keep: "You have no right to get it by injustice when you could not keep it by justice". Bres was guided by his father to Balor, another leader of the Fomorians, for the help he sought. Balor gladly decided to help Bres, as he himself desired revenge against the Danaans for what they have done to his daughter. Bres raised the Fomorians and led them in the war that will be known as the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh.
During the war, young Lugh travels to join the court of king Nuada of the Tuatha De Danann. he doorkeeper will not let him in unless he has a skill with which to serve the king. He offers his services as a wright, a smith, a champion, a swordsman, a harpist, a hero, a poet and historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman, but each time is rejected as the Tuatha De Danann already have someone with that skill. But when Lugh asks if they have anyone with all those skills simultaneously, the doorkeeper has to admit defeat, and Lugh joins the court and was appointed Chief Ollam of Ireland. During his time there, Lugh achieved many impressive feats, between them are his victory in a flagstone-throwing contest against Ogma, the champion, and entertainment the court with his harp. The Tuatha De Danann are at that time oppressed by the Fomorians in the war, and Lugh is amazed how meekly they accept this and didn't fight back harder. When Nuada saw the youthful and vigorous Lugh, the king realised the multi-talented youth could lead the Tuatha De against the Fomorians to victory. He took Lugh in a personal patronage, teaching him all that he knows in order to finish the war against the FOmorians. After several years, Nuada stood down as the king in Lugh's favour. He was given command over the Tuatha De Danann, and began making preparations for war.
In his time in the court, the sons of Tuireann named Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba set out to kill their father's enemy Cian. Cian shapeshifts into a pig to disguise himself, but the brothers shapeshift into dogs and hound him. They kill him, dismember his body and try to cover up their crime. When Lugh found out about this, he was enraged. As the current leader of the Danaans, he created an elaborate revenge and set them a series of seemingly impossible quests as recompense. They achieved them all but are fatally wounded in completing the last one. Despite Tuireann's pleas, Lugh denied them the use of one of the items they have retrieved, a magic pigskin which heals all wounds. They died of their wounds and Tuireann dies of grief over their bodies. Thus Lugh's revenge was done. Amongst the item collected was his spear Gae Assail and Areadbhar.
The items proved to be invaluable in the war. One of the Four Jewels of the Tuatha De Danann, a spear named Brionac, was given to Lugh. With Brionac, Gae Assail, and Areadbhar, Lugh was nearly undefeated, holding his spears in the battlefield while felling down Fomorians after another. In the final stages of the war, Balor killed Nuada with his terrible, poisonous eye that killed all it looked upon. Lug faced his grandfather, but as he was opening his eye Lug shot a tathlum with a slingshot that drove his eye out the back of his head, wreaking havoc on the Fomorian army behind.
Thus, the propechy is filled. Balor the Evil Eye had fallen in the hands of his grandson.
Bres is found alive in the aftermath of the battle, and is spared on the condition that he teach the Tuatha De Danann how to plough, sow and reap. The rest of the Fomorians were defeated and driven into the sea.
In his later life and rule in Ireland, Lugh instituted an event similar to the Olympic games called the Assembly of Talti and instituted Lughnasadh fairs in the areas of Carman and Naas, among many others. His ruling was prosperous and blissful, but it was short. The record was unclear and blurry at best, but Lugh's eventual death came as a result of the supposed infidelity of one of his many wives. This wife had an affair with Cermait who was the son of the Dagda. Lugh killed Cermait for revenge and justice, just as he demanded justice from the sons of Tuireann. But he was in turn killed by Cermait's three sons, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Greine. Incapable of defeating and killing the King of Light head on, they are said to have drowned Lugh in a lake of Loch Lugborta through trickery. By that time he is thought to have ruled for forty years.
As if designed by fate, right after the time of Lugh's death, a race called Miselians invaded Ireland. At that time, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Greine, were kings of the Tuatha De Danann, but their rules were weak; without Lugh, the Danaans were incapable of denying the invaders. Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Greine asked for a truce of three days, during which the Milesians would lie at anchor nine waves' distance from the shore. The Milesians complied, but the Tuatha De Danann created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet Amergin calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha De Danann at Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha De Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha De Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds, their rule ended and their land invaded. Their current fate is unknown.
Though the age of the Tuatha de Danann has ended, their legends survived through many manuscripts and documents until present days. The legend accumulated, and by the belief of the populace, the Tuatha de Danann were venerated as gods, with the status as Divine Spirits imposed onto them.
Lugh is depicted as eternally youthful, strong, brave, handsome and brimming with energy. This gave him yet another name, that of "Macnia", boy hero. He was famous enough that even Julius Caesar commented on his influence amongst the peoples of Celtic Britain. The best and strongest even among the Dananns, he was naturally talented in just about anything he do, as if fate itself has given him the ultimate privilege in life. He has never known failure until the end of his lives; thus, when the failure comes he was incapable of recognizing it, resulting in his demise.
He has the absolute confidence that comes from his perfect ability, and with it the arrogance that comes as a second nature for him. As he was the king of the greatest race in his time, he believe the prestige of it gave him the privilege and the right to be treated as a king even by races other than the Dananns. When summoned as Lancer in the Holy Grail War, his nature made it hard for the Master to reign him. However, he was not irrational; understanding that the current age was not the age of his ruling, he will not force his will upon others, but instead believe that his "privilege and right" as a king will realize it instead without him interfering, albeit he will be somewhat amazed were his demands to be denied.
He holds the stance of indifference with what is beautiful and what is ugly, as he believe that neither is superior to the other; both are just "are" for him. Nothing in this world is meaningless for him, ugly or beautiful, as everything will move in accordance to his right and will in the end.
As he was a warrior before he became king, he also found joy in fights and battles.
His death had always been the one and only failure in his life; he does not regret it, but simply comes to the conclusion that it was his perfectness that made him imperfect. He realize that the cause of his death was what perfected him at last, and he must not let confidence turned into full arrogance and smear his finally perfect self. Lancer's wish is to have a second life, a flawless life that is worthy for him that has finally become impeccable.
He prefers a head-on assault against his enemies, and while he does not object against tactical strategies such as attacking from the sides, he extremely despises a strategy utilizing trickery, as it was the cause of his death and the end of his people's age. He will not defer to any such orders from his Master, forcing the Master to adhere to Lancer's personal strategy and play to his strength.
As his Master is a perfect magus, Lancer's parameter manages to reach the height of its potential.
Lancer has somewhat taken an interest in the American football sport of the modern world.
Lancer can also be summoned as Archer and Rider.
Master's background:
Seraphina Caiomhe is one of the most talented magus in her bloodline history, and also the biggest source of headache ever happened to her family. She was deemed as a prodigy, born with an extremely high quality and quantity ever within the Caiomhe. But during her time of studying magecraft, she regarded her curiosity as first and foremost, deeming anything else as secondary of importance. Her family had tried to direct her, guide her, and even to the point of putting a leash on her, so to speak, but she never yield; what she wants to know, she will know about, other matters be damned. She will experiment on anyone she deemed necessary, sacrifice anything she deemed a reasonable price, and risk any danger she deemed worth the trouble. The amount of servant in Caiomhe household who she has made cry, beg to their knees, and quit and the spot was countless. The important figures of the Caiomhe family have more than once discussed whether or not to get rid of her for good, but her quality as a magus and worth as the family's bloodline successor was too excellent to be wasted.
Due to her growing up with that kind of nature and environment, she has developed a cold personality that mostly does not care about anything outside her scope of interest.
In one occassion, she found out about the ritual of wish-granting in the land beyond her homeland, Ireland. This sparked her curiosity; not the wish granting machine itself, but the mechanism behind it. What is the exact quantities and variable of this wish-granting nature? Why does it need a ritual this scale to be implemented? On what basis does the theory supporting the system of this omnipotent machine grounded? She has never been more sparked than ever in her life. After learning enough what is needed to be learned to participate in the ritual of Holy Grail War, she left Ireland without telling anyone in her family, bringing most of her research result and equipment while also taking along (forcefully threathening) 2 of the longest servant ever serving in the Caiomhe family. (Not that the servants had any choice in the matter)
Upon her arrival to the backwater country, she knew that having a catalyst could yield to a sure summoning of a strong Servant, but dismissed the notion completely as she was far more interested in which Servant would be compatible for her. It was extremely ironic, as the Servant that answers her turns out to be one of the strongest Servant one could summon in the Holy Grail War.
She was a cold female magus, and while she knows enough about tactics that strategies exactly like the one Lancer hates would yield far better result in the Holy Grail War, she does not mind in following Lancer's fighting philosophy, as it is more effective than forcing the King of Light against his will and it makes far more variable shows up during battle. Cold as she was, with Lancer's blunt and bare personality, she tends to found herself unbalanced by Lancer's nonchalant compliment of her appearances. Some of it was blamed to her bluish black colored hair, which according to Lancer really resembles the hair of one of his lover, Deichtine.
Originally Posted by Arashi_Leonhart
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