Vseslav the Sorcerer, Victorious Shapeshifting Prince
Source: Solace (Elsword)
«Eat!»
Class: Caster
Other Classes: Can be summoned as Lancer and Berserker (with different abilities).
True Name: Vseslav the Sorcerer
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Place of Origin: Kievan Rus’
Parameters:
STR: - (C)
END: - (C)
AGI: - (C)
MGI: - (A+)
LCK: EX
NP: A+
Due abnormal body composition this Servant can change his parameters at will, with exception of LCK which is influenced by a Noble Phantasm. Figures in brackets represent “default” composition.
Height: Varies
Weight: Varies
Likes: Eating, Fighting, Mischief, Faineancy
Dislikes: Children, Dragons, Work-minded people,
Talent: Goofing off
Natural Enemy: Mikula Selyaninovich
Attribute: Earth
Traits: Brynhildr's Beloved, Dragon, Earth or Sky, Humanoid/Beast (depending on the form), Weak to Enuma Elish
Armament: None
Catalyst: No special requirements, anything that bears some connection with him would do.
Class Skills:
Territory Creation. Ability to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus, such as for the purpose of collecting mana.
Rank “A+”: Creation of “Fortress” becomes possible. As “workshop of magus” Fortress is equal to the Temple-class Territory, but it is also heavily fortified and can maintain a garrison of combat familiars without additional magical energy expenditure from Caster. It probably takes this form due to the warlike nature of this Heroic Spirit.
During his reign, Vseslav was a prolific builder. His key accomplishment in this role was the construction of Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Saint Sophia), one of the most enduring moments of medieval Russian architecture.
Item Creation. Ability to manufacture magical items, from implements of war to items for daily use. Also, this Skill requires time to gather components and manufacture items.
Rank “A”: It is possible to create high-class magical objects such as Cornucopia or a Flying Boat. As his magecraft has poor compatibility with inorganic objects, only “something that is or was alive” can be used as raw material.
Personal Skills:
Spellcraft. Also known as Charodeistvo. Magical theory based on secret knowledge bestowed by Gods of old Slavic Pantheon upon their followers.
Rank “A+”: Genius sorcerer capable of utilizing miracles on the level of True Magic. Caster’s forte is manipulation of live, a type of magecraft which allows direct control over all forms of biological activity. He can both heal and harm all of living beings, including Nature itself, enhance or transform living beings and even create artificial lifeforms (such as homunculi or synthetic beasts). In addition to this he can manipulate at least six elements (Five Great Ones + Hollow), highly proficient in Necromancy and Witchcraft, can use Runic magecraft to a certain extent and can foretell future by reading the stars.
It should be noted Charodeistvo is less effective at doing direct damage to Servants (as they are primarily spiritual beings), so it might be necessary to rely on other means.
Vseslav possesses great reputation as a sorcerer which is preserved in both historical and legendary accounts of his life. This fact is notable because amongst all other princes of Old Rus’ only he is attributed with such abilities. Bylinas (folklore epic songs) also claim that he mastered various areas of wizardly lore by age twelve.
Transfiguration (Animals). Skill that allows one's stats to be situationally distributed based on a fixed pool of creation points. Caster’s body is composed of primordial chaos from which all life on Earth originated, and thus he’s capable of transforming into any animal at will. This includes extinct species and Phantasmal Beasts, although the last aspect is limited by the Sorcerers’ own rank as a Mystery. In his current state, he can only turn into creatures on the Magical Beast class save for one specific exception.
Rank “B+”: Grand total value of all parameters is 26. Due to LCK being first and foremost determined by 2nd Noble Phantasm it’s unnecessary to invest points in it, and as a result, Vseslav can boast unusually high stats for a Caster. This ability also makes him much harder to kill and removes such weakness as “having vital organs” (as they can be replaced easily).
In the folklore epic songs, this hero (who appears under the name Volkh Vseslavyevich, a corrupted form of Volkh Vseslav, i.e. Sorcerer Vseslav) often overcomes challenges by transforming into different animals. For example, he once crossed an impassable wall by turning into an ant and crawling through cracks, swam over a sea in hour in form of a giant luce, and it is also said that during the arduous campaign he hunted as a falcon or a wolf in order to provide his warriors with food and clothing.
Sadistic Constitution. An ability that augments one's aggression in battle. It appears to be a positive Skill, but the longer its owner stays in battle, the more their abusive disposition will grow, causing them to lose their usual composure.
Rank “C+”: being a Mixed-Blood of Zmeij (Slavic Dragon) and human Caster is highly prone to brutality and possesses a strong craving for violence. As these urges are not compatible with the mental discipline necessary for a Magus he usually inhibits them with sedation spell. However even suppressed this Skill slightly affects Caster making him completely lacking a sense of fear.
Historical sources characterize Vseslav as a man "pitiless in slaughter", attributing this trait to his birth from sorcery.
Revelation. Skill to "hear the voice of heavens" and take optimum action; a Skill equivalent to Instinct, a sixth sense regarding battles. 'Revelation' accommodates all matters related to the achievement of a goal (for instance, choosing the most suitable path while traveling).
Rank: “A-“: Revelation is geared towards sensing «fortunate outcomes», and its capacity to «perceive danger» is insufficient for such high rank. Because of this overall effect of this Skill suffers degradation.
Anonymous Russian author of The Tale of Prince Igor’s Campaign dedicated these verses to Vseslav:
«And though the prophetic soul resided in his body,
Still, he often suffered misfortune».
Misc: capable of sensing vampires (all types), all senses are sharpened to an inhuman degree, always feels insatiable hunger, immune to the effects of alterization.
Close to anti-hero, but miraculously doesn’t cross that line.
Claims to be under the special patronage of Veles (also known as Volos), major Slavic god, holding authority over the earth, waters, forests and the underworld, patron deity of sorcery, music, wealth, cattle and trickey. The veracity of this claim is unknown, but it should be noted that both Dragons and wolves are considered to be sacred animals of that god.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Volkodlak – Great Beast of Darkness
Spoiler:
Rank: A~A++
Type: Anti-Fortress, Anti-Light
Range: 1-99
MNT: 1000
The strongest lifeform Vseslav can transform into. Divine Beast rivaling Dragon Kind.
In Slavic mythology, Volkodlak (composed of volk, or “wolf,” and dlak, meaning “hair”) is a monstrous creature of terrifying power. While it was confused with oboroten’ werewolves in later years, in its’ roots it is actually closer to such beings as Fenrir of Norse mythology or star dog Kandal’dukfrom traditional beliefs of Sel’kup people. It is said when the Sun or the Moon “perishes” during an eclipse it’s because Volklodlaks are gnawing at them, and it is also believed that at the Last Day they will devour all celestial bodies shrouding the world in eternal darkness.
Volkodlak is usually described as a wolf-like creature, but some sources claim that it is actually a monstrous snake (Dragon). This is because in Slavic folk tradition these creatures are often equated with each other. This is the reason why Vseslav whose father was a Serpent can assume this form.
It appears as giant pitch-black shadow shaped as a wolf, but also with some traits of a Dragon, such as wings and horns.
The true nature of this beast is Eater of Radiancy. When manifested Volkodlak would voraciously absorb all forms of light in the vicinity, growing in size, power, and resilience in direct proportion of how much of it is present. In base form (perhaps during especially the dark night in the wilderness) it would only reach A rank as Noble Phantasm, while in broad daylight it would be twice as strong (A+), and if an incredible amount of light is present it is theoretically possible for it to reach A++ Rank. There is also vanishingly small possibility of going beyond that, but only if the truly inconceivable situation will occur (and in case that happens it is overwhelmingly likely that Caster’s Saint Graph would be unable to handle the overload and self-destruct).
Despite sun- and moon-light being its’ primary source of substance Volkodlak can also consume shine of artificial sources and radiance emitted by Noble Phantasms. Therefore, it won’t be a stretch to call him nigh-impervious to attacks that “use light as a medium of doing damage”.
In combat, Volkodlak mostly relies on its brute strength to crush the opponent. While the absorbed energy can be utilized in a manner similar to “Dragon’s Breath” doing so is normally be inadvisable since it would significantly shorten the time this form can be maintained. Therefore, it is a primary close combat creature. Special mention should be made of its biting attack. Every being that ends up between Volkodlak’s fangs must perform END test and in case of failure, their lifeforce would be completely absorbed into the Divine Beast. This attack is incredibly effective against non-spiritual entities, but Servants are resistant to it because of their nature as materialized spirits.
The main drawback of Volkodlak is high energy expenditure for maintaining this form. Although this weakness can be mitigated to a degree if it used in abundance of light sources, it still unwise to maintain it for more than five minutes.
Volkodlak is a natural enemy for any being connected to the Sun, the Moon, stars or any other source of light, but weak against famous monster slayers and Heroic Spirits that is known for defeating wolves. He is also vulnerable to sound-based attacks; even those that don’t inflict substantial damage might cause dissolution of this form. The reason for this folk tradition which maintains that eclipse beast can be scared away by loud noises.
Wolf symbolism plays important role in the corpus of legends and stories associated with Vseslav. The most important account comes from the Tale of Prince Igor’s campaign which said that he “leapt away from Belgorod” as a “wild beast enveloped in darkness” and that he roamed as a wolf at night obstructing the path of great Hors (Slavic Sun God). It is also notable that he is believed to be a son of a Serpent, a being closely associated with both wolf and Volkodlak.
Zmeeva Udacha – Legacy of Otherworldly Heritage
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 0-1
MNT: 1
Unnaturally potent Luck, which enables probability manipulation. This Noble Phantasm is based on the legend recorded in the Primary Chronicle tells that Vseslav was born with a special mark on his body (or in a caul) and soon after his birth group of volkhvs (sorcerers) instructed his mother to make an amulet for a good fortune out of it.
The most notable feature of Zmeeva Udacha is its ability to inexplicably rescue Caster in dangerous situations where the outcome depends on a chance. For example, while it cannot help him win a battle against a much stronger opponent (since the outcome of combat depends on the skill of fighters), but can allow him to survive miraculously escape after defeat (usually by obstructing way pursuer with some unlikely events).
Each use of this Noble Phantasm gradually depletes Caster’s LCK. In two uses it would drop from EX to A and would continue to decrease by one rank with each subsequent use. It can only be used seven times and cannot be used after even if he will use Transfiguration to increase the value of this parameter.
While being a property of Caster’s destiny, this Noble Phantasm is represented by a form of a small bag which is worn around his neck under clothes. It is filled with serpentine scales, and their amount indicates how much Luck he possesses at the moment.
Caster has no conscious control over this Noble Phantasm and cannot predict how it will manifest with Revelation Skill.
Personality:
Being of mercurial temperament and discernable lack of inhibitions. Caster mostly parted ways with his humanity and bundled common sense with it along the way fully embracing rationality of a Serpent. As a result, it is next to impossible to understand his thought process and predict his next action with any degree of palatable accuracy. It doesn’t help that he also possesses spacious, but also warped mind, very peculiar and wicked sense of humor, and fondness for mischief.
The main reason for his is that while the body of Vseslav always suffers insatiable hunger, his consciousness is constantly assailed by an unappeasable craving to gain new impressions. For this reason, he always behaves in an erratic or even hyperactive manner, passionately plunging into any activity that catches his attention, but then suddenly losing interest in it at the drop of a hat… only to be inflamed with it again it sometime in future. His range of possible interests is vast, but he is sensible enough to prefer something that brings him pleasure.
One of the more enduring hobbies of Caster is to stir mayhem, create chaos and otherwise deceive and entangle people on the mass scale. His tricks are not particularly dangerous or destructive but aimed at making up as much upheaval and confusion as possible. While bringing him almost childish joy successful escapades also provide the Sorcerer with tactical advantage, since he naturally excels in an atmosphere of uncertainty and disorder. Only his Master might be spared from these antics, mostly because the needs someone to bear witness to his deeds (no guarantee).
Vseslav also takes great pride in his sorcerous skills and tends to belittle or insult other magic users, especially the modern ones. However, he doesn’t respect magecraft at all, viewing it mostly as a tool, and finds a desire to reach Akashic Records laughable. In light of this, he has bad compatibility with those who share proper values of magi. But no matter how bad their relationships are, Caster would never betray summoner, unless the latter starts plotting against him first.
Despite being an existence closer to Phantasmal Species, his disposition towards Mankind is more or less friendly and benevolent. He’s definitely filled with enmity towards those who abandoned their humanity (unless they did it to gain power like him). The Sorcerer especially loathes Dead Apostles considering them to be traitors to both their masters (True Ancestors) and their kin but is not welcoming to other vampiric types either.
Caster’s behavior in combat is very brutal, bordering needlessly sadistic, but it is rare for him to actually feel hatred towards an opponent. Viciousness is just expression of his warlike nature and combat fervor. It is also entirely possible for him to lose interest mid-fight and escape for seemingly no reason, even (especially?) if the victory is already in his grasp. And while “chivalry” and “fair play” are but an empty word to him, he still might deem some actions as “off-limits” for one indiscernible reason or another.
Vseslav doesn’t have any peculiar wish for the Grail. Most likely he will wish to be incarnated in the modern world or a chance to fight some known-sorcerer.
Relationships:
Vseslav doesn’t really care about his past, truly leaving behind all friends and enemies that he had.
What he does care about is self-proclaimed status of mightiest Sorcer of Rus’, which he is willing to prove by challenging other notable magic users of Slavic history and folklore (such as Koschei the Deathless, Baba Yaga, Vasilisa the Wise, Jacob Bruce, Grigori Rasputin etc.) or if there is no such possibility any other famous magus.
He is also very vigilant around Heroic Spirits coming from fairy tales, especially aimed at children. He says that the reason for this is that in such stories the wolf is defeated, citing the various examples of such occurrences (mostly from Russian folklore).
In similar manner might be hesitant to face Saint George, since in Slavic folk tradition he (as Egori the Brave) is considered to be so-called "Sphered of Wolves", a mythological figure holding supreme authority over them.
Claims to be related to various famous mythological wolves and Dragons. His hypothetical family tree includes she-wolf of Capitoline, Big Bad Wolf, Fenrir, Vuk Branković (also known as Wolf the Fiery Serpent) ruler of Serbian Despotate of XVth century, Lithuanian goddess Medeina, King Lycaon, Asena, Romanian Balaur Zburator, Zilant, Smok (Dragon) of Wavel, Vishap, Verecelen and many others.
Creator Notes:
Updated profile of Caster Vseslav I posted here earlier. Unlike Lancer this version draws heavily from the myths, legends and epic song associated with this historical figure. In-universe explanation is that The Sorcerer is older, more experienced facet of this Heroic Spirit, who delved deeper into studying magical arts and transformed himself into a powerful being.
Its superiority towards Lancer version is probably self-evident; much stronger Noble Phantasm, high-level magecraft, transfiguration ability, stronger stat-line… Not the strongest Heroic Spirit by any margin, but something that has very few weaknesses and can only be defeated by a brute force.
I picture him as sort of recurring mid-boss who can plunge the War into disarray, spreading chaos and mayhem just for his own amusement, and is able to come back, again and again, no matter how many times he was defeated. He also might act as living monkey-wrench in the works, disrupting and derailing any larger schemes that might be at play
Originally Posted by Historia
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