/fgog/ autism sheets

A machine to fulfill limitless desire is reborn.

The year is 2240 AD. Over two centuries since the planet Earth died. Through means that have been lost to memory, the ancient entity called the Crimson Moon returned to life, suddenly and violently. Possessing the body of one of his heirs, the being lashed out at the planet with its own satellite, seeking nothing less than the ruination of humanity. All the continents were stripped bare, and the seas boiled. Only the isle of Britain survived, wrapped in a shroud of light and supported by a miles-high spine of unearthly metal that shielded it from all Brunestud brought against it. Somehow, Crimson Moon was killed, and the moon itself shattered into hundreds of fragments scattered across the planet's orbit. Humanity had lost all but the smallest fraction of its population in a matter of minutes.

But as humanity has always done, it survived. Though magic had been hidden from the knowledge of the masses for longer than any living human could recall, subtlety's usefulness had come to an end. What mage families remained emerged in the anarchistic chaos following the end of the world and through whatever means suited them and their tremendous power they brought the rest of mankind to heel. Though the King in Avalon sits silently, observing those who seized power to strike them down should they lose sight of humanity's common good, the leading families of the Mage's Association are free to rule their domains as they see fit. They fused their mage’s crafts with modern technology, and built wonders that had not been seen since the age of gods. Though the isle of Britain, shrouded in the realm of Avalon, still resembled earth prior to the devastation the rest of the planet had been rendered uninhabitable. So instead mankind looked to the stars. Tremendous space colonies, terraformed by ingenuity and magic alike, were built into the fragments of the moon orbiting the dead world. Millions call them home.

The greatest of them is the Eden Cluster, three fused chunks of lunar mass home to some seven million humans across its exterior and throughout the webwork of steel and concrete that has filled its hollow interior. Though the Clock Tower, home of the mage’s association and headquarters of the mage-led Plutocracy following the destruction of the other branches of the association, is still based within London, this megastructure is the property of the Barthomeloi family, the most forceful of the remaining mage bloodlines. It is here where the greatest strides in pursuit of magical knowledge are found, and it is here where the greatest concentration of mana and leylines exist. Thus, it is no surprise that here is where the last surviving member of a family long thought destroyed chose to resurrect an ancient ritual, seeking a tool whose infinite power could restore life and prosperity to the ravaged planet below: the Holy Grail.

On a winter night like any other, a terrible and powerful mystery is cast over the Eden Cluster. Of its millions of denizens, all but a few dozen are placed into a trance they cannot be roused from, falling where they stood in their homes and in the streets. Those that remain are branded with Command Spells signifying their place within the Holy Grail War that is soon to take place, and granted Servants to fight on their behalf. They are divided into seven tiers: Princes, Powers, Virtues, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim, and given only one command. Fight, and seek the Grail.

THE PRINCES

The Princes are the lowest tier of Master, and are given only a single Command Spell.

THE FIRST PRINCE – Shu Kuwabara
Origin: Fury, Age: 18, Sex: Male, Mage level: D
A scrappy, frumpy boy with a face that has seen many fights in his short years, he is one of many of a new breed of mage that has cropped up in recent generations. The elitism of the Clock Tower is well-known, and those who are born without a talent for magic are treated as second class citizens on the Eden Cluster, where the reach of the King in Avalon cannot reach them and dispense justice. On the surface of the Eden Cluster, in the domed cities exposed to the sky, life is idyllic and Earth-like. Plant and animal life is abundant, and the air is clean. The cities are bright and filled with sun and starlight. It’s here where the mages make their comfortable homes. But the untalented, the poor, and the shamed make their home in the undercities, the colossal structures that connect the three separate masses of the Cluster beneath the surface. Here there is no natural light, and the atmosphere is hot and oppressive. Life is uncomfortable by default. This is the unfortunate home in which Shu lives, with no money or opportunity to study in the prestigious academies on the surface. He has little natural talent, but his raw power is considerable. His preferred form of magic is fire. Bitter and unpleasant, his only dream is to live in comfort, and maybe step on a few of the upper crust to get there.

THE PRINCE’S BERSERKER: Fionn mac Cumhaill
Parameters
STR – A+
END – A
AGI – B
MAG – C
LUK – B

Skills
Mad Enhancement: B (Berserker has gained power, but his mind is clouded by bloodlust and a desire to destroy everything in sight. It is difficult for him to concentrate on things that are not violent in nature, and it pains him to think deeply.)

The Sleeping Giant: -- (When Berserker is slain for the first time, rather than immediate death he collapses and slips into a coma. He remains in this slumber indefinitely, impervious to harm but incapable of fighting, unless his Master finds a way to both retrieve and blow upon Dord Fiann, his hunting horn, three times. If this is done he shall wake, fully restored.

The Wisdom of Fiann: B (On top of triggering his growth to giant size, Finn’s thumb provides him, through an odd incident, ultimate wisdom whenever it is placed in his mouth. When sucking his thumb, Berserker is granted perfect clarity to whatever problem he is currently facing. However, this Phantasm is neutered as a Berserker by his clouded mind, which makes the visions of this ability difficult and painful to comprehend.)

Noble Phantasms:

The Giant of Ireland: C (Berserker can bite his thumb to quadruple in size, multiplying his STR by the same amount, at the cost of reducing his AGI to that of a normal human.)

The Lance of Cumhaill: B (A poison-tipped spear and Berserker’s sole weapon in this class. This magical spear is laced with a poison that, while not fatal, inflicts tremendous and distracting pain upon its victims, slowing their reaction time and their ability to concentrate. Berserker may use this weapon upon himself when inflicted by negative status effects to clear them from his body at the cost of extreme pain. In addition the spear grants him powerful water-based magics, though as a Berserker it is used as little more than an additional cudgel barring instants of clarity.)

???

A burly, sinewy ox of a man, Berserker is taller and broader than most any other. He has a ferocious and daring face with fire in his eyes and in his veins. His long dark hair is stuffed beneath an iron nasal helm, and his body is wrapped in a green cloak with chainmail woven underneath its surface. He is shirtless otherwise, and his green trousers are overlaid by boiled leather shinguards and kneepads. A spear is strapped to his back, and his scraggly beard has bits of debris and food in it, having gone unwashed for quite some time. Although he is fevered and in constant pain from the Mad Enhancement, vestiges of his personality remain. He is enthusiastic about combat, and often manages to snarl out an insult before attacking his target. He is more intelligent than he looks, and constantly challenges his Master to push his boundaries to maintain Berserker's loyalty and respect.

THE SECOND PRINCE – Kary Houper
Origin: Flow, Age: 22, Sex: Male, Mage level: D
A young man of mixed race, Kary is primarily white, but has a trace amount of Lakota blood running in his veins. Besides his dark hair, he hardly looks it, with ivory skin and a Nordic facial structure, with a downturned nose and icy blue eyes. His hair is long and smooth, gathered up and kept in a ponytail.

Kary is a reserved and quiet young man, who is very distraught at being a part of the Holy Grail War. He hates attention being drawn to himself, and is quite fearful for his life. However, he possesses an adaptive nature and adjusts well to unfamiliar circumstances, and even if he freaks out in the process will tend to come out of a crisis for the better. A second-generation mage, he is a dedicated student and innovative in his use of his craft, although he isn’t particularly powerful with it. His water-based mysteries have a variety of uses, and can be channeled from even trace particles of water vapor in the air, or from his own bodily fluids if necessary. A small series of tattoos along his left shoulder make up his family crest, and permit him greater control over the minute effects of his spells. They are typically used as indirect strikes, such as filling a room with scalding steam to cover an escape, or drawing in water for his body to absorb, allowing him to go for far longer without becoming dehydrated. He is also a master at determining the composition of water, and can find trace elements helpful in tracking movement of specific entities around or over bodies of water.

His motivations are lacking in the Holy Grail War, as he only wishes to survive with as little trouble coming his way as he can manage. He is often at odds with his Servant, who finds him a disgrace to his heritage who knows nothing of the Lakota’s customs.  With his primary goal being survival, he is very diplomatic and willing to offer the lion’s share of deals to other Masters so long as he lives.

THE PRINCE’S RIDER – Crazy Horse
Parameters
STR - D
END - D
AGI - C
MAG - E
LUK - A+

Skills
Riding: B (May ride any nonmagical beast mount or lower with expert proficiency.)

Animal Affinity: A (When riding his horse, Inyan, Rider perceives everything that his mount does as if he himself was experiencing it, in addition to his own experiences. This includes sights, sounds, smells, even pain.)

The Chief: B (Rider is a war leader and tactician of his people. A capable strategist, he may effectively produce “illusions” that his foe perceives as he and his allies to pursue, when in fact he is hidden from view.)

Visions: C- (When he performs the proper rituals Rider may experience visions of coming events to guide him on the proper course of action. However, without another versed in his people’s history to help interpret the visions he cannot be sure of their meaning.)

Noble Phantasms:

Inyan: Horse and Rider of Equal Spirit: B (Crazy Horse’s mount in life, a black-and-white pinto horse. Crazy Horse’s medicine bundle, combined with the protective stone of his horse, grant him a protective boon that boosts his LUK. He can ride this spirited animal harder than any horse alive, giving it the speed and stamina to keep up with a car speeding on a highway. Inya boosts his rider’s skill with illusions to greater heights, able to present itself to foes as many horses and riders, rather than merely one.)

Lightning and Hailstones: Blessed Beyond Armor: C (The paint that Rider wears into battle was a design of his own choosing, brought to him in a dream. It marks a body that is beyond harm, and not even bullets can pierce. While the reinforcement to his durability is minimal, these designs carry a tremendous diversionary enchantment that wards projectiles away from him. He is to any attacker's confusion simply harder to strike than any other target, and the use of skills such as Instinct fails against him in combat.)

A proud but quiet warrior, whose strong face is accented by his traditional facepaint of a lightning bolt and hailstones on his torso. He wields a rifle with ease, even on horseback, and a club at his side is used up close. He wears little in the way of armor, believing himself protected from all harm. Such things would only weigh him down.

Rider is a madman on the battlefield, capable of thinking strategically and outsmarting his enemies one moment, and the next throwing caution to the wind, charging them head-on. His pride is unmatched on the battlefield, and he is only too happy to remind his foes of the man they face. He has a poor opinion of the white man, and holds animosity towards heroes of American descent. However, off the field his personality is reserved, even aloof, rarely sharing words with others. He has difficulty tolerating his Master, who is Lakotan himself yet is primarily of white blood and possesses almost no knowledge of their history or culture. Such an affront is inconceivable to him, and he often ridicules Kary for it in his quiet, dismissive manner. He is not partial to diplomacy, even when at a severe disadvantage, although despite his protests he will ultimately use his life to bargain for his Master’s. He is, despite his prowess, one of the weaker Servants in the War, lacking the powerful Phantasms Riders are renowned for. He makes up for this with his hit-and-run tactics, playing with the senses of his foes to put them in confined spaces where he can ambush them.

THE THIRD PRINCE – Lola Faiblesse
Origin: Wish, Age: 11, Sex: Female, Mage level: ??
A tiny, frail-looking girl of French descent, with round and noble features. Her body is atrophied from a long period of disuse, and what is left is mostly skin and bones. A Command Spell is etched into her forehead, glowing brightly at all times of day, making her identity almost impossible to conceal. She is never dressed in anything but a hospital gown.

Her Servant, the only man who would be in a position to know about her, has no idea who she is, what she is like, or what she might have wished so desperately to enter the War even in her state. Medical records state that she entered the Eden’s Arms General Care Hospital almost 3 years ago deep within a comatose state. Her condition has not changed since then, doctors keeping her alive through complicated machinery. She has not roused once since then, even when the War began, but the Grail recognized her as an entrant anyway, and awarded her a Command Spell and a Servant suited to serve such a helpless child. She is clearly a magus of some sort, to have been chosen, but nothing else is known of her. Not her family, or her home. All Assassin has to go on is her name, and a single locket by her bedside, containing a shard of pearl. What’s more, he has a time limit to either win the War or revive her. In her current state, she is rapidly regenerating prana in her sleep, but the stress of sustaining Assassin is pushing her frail body beyond its limits, and is killing her.

THE PRINCE’S ASSASSIN – Jekyll and Hyde
Parameters
STR – C+ (B+)
END – E (B+)
AGI – A+ (B+)
MAG – E (D)
LUK – C (D)

Skills
Presence Concealment: A

Monstrous Strength: A

Voice of Panic: A

Self-Modification: D

Noble Phantasms:

Dangerous Game: C (C+) (The elixir of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that allows for Jekyll to become Hyde, the second personality inside his body that claimed so many victims in his life. Upon drinking it, his form changes, becoming covered in black fur, his spine cracking, his muscles expanding and growing long canines and sharp claws and his eyes becoming blood red, making him somewhat similar in appearance to a werewolf. In this form, his stamina greatly increases, as well as his strength and speed. He gains several skills that make him suitable for close quarters combat, most noticeably, a skill that he calls "Restructuring", which grants him a high enough recovery ability, so that he is confident that he can recover even from being hit by a Noble Phantasm. Under the Assassin class, drinking the potion allows for Jekyll to turn into Berserker Hyde, but Hyde retains a humanoid form and more reason than their normal Berserker counterpart.)

Dr. Jekyll is a mild, well-mannered individual drawn into a troubling situation. Summoned into a Holy Grail War, he has found his Master is not capable of winning him the Grail. In fact she is capable of nothing, and is slowly withering away in a hospital bed, her body struggling to support the upkeep of Assassin’s own body. Assassin’s helpful personality has forced his hand, and his dream of victory has been put on hold. Instead he has devoted all of his medical knowledge to identifying the ailment that plagues his Master and finding her a cure. What pride he may have has been put aside in seeking out allies among the other Master-Servant pairs in search of an individual who may possess a cure.

THE FOURTH PRINCE – Buster Tatum
Origin: Sound, Age: 24, Sex: Male, Mage level: B+
A poorly dressed and poorly kept human being, Buster looks more like a vagabond than a mage. His flowing mane of hair is adorned with a circlet made of woven branches and flowers, and his maroon vest lacks a shirt underneath. He goes without shoes, by preference. He often smokes from a pipe with a stem as long as his forearm, which he keeps in a tote he carries around. A guitar is also strapped to his back, blue in color and carved with many intricate patterns. This is both his instrument and his weapon, a Mystic Code called the Steel Slider. Playing this guitar is an enhancer to his mysteries, permitting them to be cast without speaking. Through manipulation of sound he can enhance his hearing, or deafen others. Make sounds louder or quieter as he wishes, and even create weapons out of their vibrations to shake apart looser objects or damage sturdier ones, though he generally needs something with heavy and low sounds to be offensive with his spells.

He is a minor prodigy, held in high regard among the Plutocracy for his unusual Origin and magecraft. To put it lightly, this has gone to his head. He is in his own mind not only a magus of high caliber but also a musical genius, and fancies himself a composer of moving ballads and stirring refrains. His actual talent in the realm of music is mediocre, but he isn’t necessarily wrong on his skills in magecraft. Rather, he completed his studies at the Clock Tower faster than most, and at a young age is already pursuing independent projects. His wish for the Holy Grail to grant is more of a flitting fantasy than a dream, a desire to learn to make sounds no other human can replicate. To make a song fitting of the gods themselves.

THE PRINCE’S SABER – Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
Parameters
STR - A
END - C
AGI - B+
MAG - D
LUK - E

Skills:

Magic Resistance: A (Cancels spells of A-Rank or below. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a “Magus Killer”.)

Eye of the Mind (True): B (Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long as there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.)

Mystic Face: C (A curse caused by looking at the afflicted spot on the wearer’s face which causes any woman who sees it to fall in love with Saber. This spot in question is the beauty mark located below his left eye.)

Noble Phantasms:

Moralltach: The Sword of Great Fury: B (A beautiful indigo sword with a dark violet tip at the end of its long blade. This sword, a gift from his foster father, is said to let no blow or strike go unfinished. A ferocious blade that acts like the weapon of a Berserker when activated. Should Saber call its name aloud, it shall viciously begin hammering at his foe’s most vital points with his full speed and strength. No matter how many times it is parried or dodged, he shall not stop, and the foe shall not escape until his blade tastes flesh. This Phantasm is of the kind that is of a “guaranteed hit”, but does not specify the amount of energy used in obtaining it. Saber may need to strike one time or a thousand, but the longer he uses this Phantasm the more draining it becomes. If used against a truly impenetrable defense, Saber may exhaust himself unto the point of death attempting to pierce it.)

Beagalltach: The Sword of Little Fury: A (A shimmering emerald blade of similar make to its brother blade Moralltach, but shorter and suited to be wielded in the off-hand. Though it appears the lesser sword of the two, it is conceptually stronger, carrying the power of “disarmament.” When activated, should this blade taste the flesh of a foe, it shall strip them of their “most powerful weapon” whatever it may be, in such a manner that it may not be reobtained until combat has ceased.)

A beautiful, orange-eyed man, Saber’s dark and quirky hair is roughly combed backwards, one errant strand blowing across his face. He is enchantingly beautiful, almost unnaturally so, yet harbors a quiet sense of regret and displeasure behind his stoic features. He is dressed in green armor that lacks in sleeves, and as a whole seems particularly odd, yet suits him well. At his sides are harnesses that hold the sheaths to his swords, Moralltach and Beagalltach, and he keeps them on hand at all times. A proud and chivalric knight, Saber is the pinnacle of honor and treats all, friend and foe alike, with the respect they are due. Loyal to a fault, he has devoted himself to the Master who summoned him, and refuses to dispute his unpleasant and shady nature. That said, he is not without his stubborn qualities, and prefers for things to be done his own way in matters of warfare. He is not fond of strategy or cunning, preferring fair and cordial combat between two equal individuals on a battlefield. He is therefore something of a dupe, and easily tricked by more conniving Servants. At first. But he is also a worthwhile friend on the battlefield, and is not above making alliances for the sake of honor or a higher purpose. His goals in the War are simple, only to serve a Master faithfully, something he failed at in life. He has no intentions of disappointing.

THE FIFTH PRINCE – Margaret Marigold
Origin: Memory, Age: 29, Sex: Female, Mage level: C
A conservatively-dressed, bespectacled woman. Margaret is the head librarian of the Eden Cluster branch of the Mage’s Association, and takes both her appearance and duties fairly seriously. Clad in an ankle-length dark green dress, with her long hair tied up into a bun. Her somewhat youthful face is hidden behind large, thick glasses. Her body language is passive and reserved, but her tongue is very loose and is wont to let slip some oblivious and offensive things. She is enthusiastic, and somewhat neurotic. She has an odd belief that she needs to be married soon, or else she shall grow old and die childless and unloved. As a librarian, she considers it her duty to collect all the knowledge that can be preserved of humanity’s history and civilization before the revival of Crimson Moon, to be used as the foundation of their rebuilt world, and knows many fables, novels, and legends by heart. She is something of a repository of knowledge on the matter of heroes, and can often learn a Servant’s identity simply by observing them for a short while and comparing them to the many stories she knows.

Her magecraft is actually fairly poor, but she supplements this with the literal hundreds of spellbooks she has acquired in her line of duty. With no one else at the library awake to scold her, she has absconded with a multitude of books full of mysteries and rituals which she has appropriated into her arsenal. Most of these spells are kept in a pocketbook that she has re-written them into and calls for by reading them. They are written in an encrypted code that is impossible to decipher without magical means, but her glasses, a Mystic Code called the Cryptbreaker, allows her to read them as if in plain English. Her goal in the War is to acquire the Grail and use it to recreate all of the stories, fact and fiction, that humanity has lost.

THE PRINCE’S ARCHER – Abraham Van Helsing
Parameters
STR - C
END - C
AGI - C
MAG - D
LUK - D

Skills:

Independent Action: B (Archer can persist for three days without a contract or Master.)

Seeker of the Damned: A (Archer is skilled in all manner of hunting the Dead Apostles, and gains a parameter boost when fighting against one. In additon, he may also bless and create his own holy water, and is naturally skilled at finding components for ammunition, such as silver and garlic.)

Magecraft: C (Most vampire hunters, in actuality, have received a modicum of training in magecraft, usually in the form of learning the sacraments of the Church. Archer possesses the skill required to inscribe his Black Keys with various sacraments, enhancing their effects to be immutably deadly against Dead Apostles, and even potentially effective against Servants.)

Noble Phantasms:

The Tools of the Trade: A Hunter’s Arsenal: C (Constructed of a variety of implements, the tools of a vampire hunter are vital to their success. Archer wields a one-handed crossbow with bolts constructed with a shaft of wood with a splinter of the True Cross in its core; a head made of silver and dipped in a cocktail of holy water and garlic cloves; and fletching that contains a single feather said to be shed by the Holy Spirit after taking the form of a dove. The rest of the kit is contained at all times in a small leather case he carries. Inside is a holy cross, two silver knives that are blunt enough to be almost useless against non-undead, a bottle of holy water for emergencies and baptisms, and what appears to be a Bible. In truth, it serves a more important purpose: each of its pages is a Black Key.)

Abraham Van Helsing is a man of many doctorates and an academic powerhouse the world has never seen. His pronounced cheekbones, shallow cheeks, sunken eyes and stubbled face should not discourage anyone of faith or good morals to approach him; he is nothing if not a virtuous man, and dedicated clergyman and heroic spirit. His only goal is to rid the world of malicious vampires, and gladly champions the cause of their victims.

…This is all, of course, a lie. Farcical nonsense made up for the sake of peasants who lived in fear Dead Apostles. There is no such thing as a virtuous vampire hunter. They are nothing but murderers with cause to hunt murderers of another breed instead of innocents. What’s more, Abraham Van Helsing was never real. He is merely a character in a book, a construction to help reassure the populace of the real hunter’s benevolence. The man who calls himself Van Helsing is a nameless man from a distant past in Europe, one of the original seven of a fanatical organization called the Burial Agency. His virtues were few, and his obsession with hunting Dead Apostles bordering on fanatical. But his faith was true, and his status as a good man ultimately true. When he died, few knew his name, but he clung to existence as the barest, nameless shell of a Heroic Spirit, possessing no identity to be reinserted into the world. But he has latched on to the public perception of his kind, the identity of Van Helsing, and manifested as such. He is a darker soul than such a truly good person, but his delusions have convinced himself that he is who he claims, and he champions a cause that in life he never believed. His goal is to prove to his Master, who knows the truth of Van Helsing, that he is the virtuous soul that he claims to be. After all, to lose that self-imposed truth would reassert the personality of a man that scares even himself…

THE SIXTH PRINCE – Mark Pasternak
Origin: Prose, Age: 43, Sex: Male, Mage level: EX?
A rough-looking man in his middle ages, Mark is a Russian man with tough, sun-reddened skin and rapidly graying hair. His weathered features leave him with many creases on his oily skin, and a scowl seems permanently sunken into his face. He tends toward wrinkly office wear, tending towards green button-up shirts with the sleeves rolled back, exposing his hairy, twitchy arms. He wears a digital watch which is permanently fixed on the time 7:42 PM. His ragged greenish-gray pants never seem to get swapped out, and his hiking boots are worn and overused. He keeps a notebook on hand which he frequently jots ideas in, and as a more progressive magus in the world of technological advancement supplemented by magecraft, frequently uses a computer in his writing. His magecraft was always experimental, as his true passion has been writing since childhood. He attempted to use mysteries somewhat like Divination to inspire him in his writing. Since the summoning of his Servant, however, Mark has found that his mysteries have “broken”, and in the process advanced to levels rivaling True Magic. He has found his writing has begun to warp events to reflect his prose, and as such has begun a dangerous game. He must attempt to rewrite the story of the Holy Grail War into one where he is the protagonist and the victor. He is limited in what he can write, as the world seems to refuse to shift into impossibilities. Nothing that is not “already possible” can be permitted to occur, therefore writing such things as the identity of foes he doesn’t yet know cannot ever occur, and it will not change their identity either.

He has restricted himself to writing from a third-person limited perspective, and writing as specifically as possible. Writing vaguely leaves room for interpretation, and that could be used against him.

A weary and hostile man to most, Mark is sick of his lot in life and the hardships that get thrown at him. Foul-mouthed and uncouth, lacking in friends and any desire for them, and prone to fidgeting and twitches only relieved by potent cigars, Mark is very definitely not a man who at first glance looks like a participant in such a pivotal ritual. Now, the inexplicable mystery of his predicament has become the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. While apathetic to the plights of others, he has definitely decided that this Holy Grail War is a dangerous burden that has uprooted too many lives, most importantly his own, and has resolved to get to the bottom of solving it and the many mysteries that lie within. He used to write about detectives. Now he is one, to his displeasure.

THE PRINCE’S CASTER – Virgil
Parameters
STR - E
END - E
AGI - E
MAG: C
LUK: B

Skills:

Territory Creation: C (Caster has difficulty creating even a simple workshop.)

Bibliomancy: B- (Although Virgil himself did not practice magecraft, his works were used in some cults of the Middle Ages for divination by reading its contents at random and divining its relevance to their situation. He has access to a limited pastiche of this practice, though he is unskilled at it.)

Noble Phantasms:

The Aeneid: F? (Caster carries a copy of his most remembered work with him at all times. This book is the tool by which he uses his Bibliomancy skill, and divines proper courses of action based on current situations and dilemmas. However, it has no other use, and is something of a fake Phantasm, as it lacks properties of any note, only being crystallized by its fame in relevance to the author.)

Inferno: Nine Levels of Hell: A+ (The true power of Caster, and the source of his Master’s bizarre abilities, a power he keeps secret. A phantom set adrift in hell, Caster’s journeys in guiding the writer Dante through its many catacombs have given him a powerful knowledge of Hell’s deepest secrets. Secrets that the phantom has harnessed, and now uses against the other Servants in the Holy Grail War. The effect of this Noble Phantasm is something akin to creating a Reality Marble within the victim’s mind, rather than around their body. This Reality Marble takes the form of “A Level of Hell suited to the victim’s psychosis”, which is to say an ironic punishment based upon their character flaws. In the case of his Master, whom Inferno was used upon at first meeting, it has molded his magecraft into something that has thrust upon him not only power, but responsibility. He now wields the fate of not only himself, but everyone else upon Eden’s Cluster in his pen. Fitting for a man so apathetic to the well-being of others. Caster’s purpose in using this Phantasm is unknown, but he seems to take a subtle pleasure in it all.)

Caster is an oddity in multiple ways. It seems that, at first glance, he does not qualify for his own class. He never used magecraft in his life, only somehow earning his place by the myths that cropped up around him a thousand years later. Yet, his mere presence has caused a drastic shift in the mysteries of his owner, turning them into reality-warping spells that rival the Age of the Gods. There is clearly more to this young, sandy-haired man than meets the eye. But the timid writer isn’t partial to giving up his secrets, and seems steadfastly focused on fighting the War and ignoring the prying questions of his Master, who has a hell of a mystery on his hands. Quiet and dressed in simple sky blue robes, this writer is an enigma who is asocial at his very best. He seems not to care about the well-being of others, and only becomes interested when something shocking or painful effects them.

He has a habit of pushing people’s buttons, and becoming curious about their deeper psychological insecurities, bringing them to the forefront and wrenching as much reaction out of them as he can. His Master has theories, though none are confirmed, but all carry the same suspicion: even as he tries to make himself the hero, his Servant is rapidly becoming a villain.

THE SEVENTH PRINCE – Placid Goodwin
Origin: Innovation, Age: 19, Sex: Male, Mage level: C
A homegrown string bean of a boy, uniquely tall with a youthful, freckled face and an upturned nose. His hair is golden like flax, soft and voluminous to his embarrassment, forcing him to keep it hidden beneath a cap. A tinkerer by nature, he has a fondness for machines that is uncharacteristic for a mage. His family has lived in the undercities for as long as he can remember, and he is one of the many thousands of laborers whose job is the upkeep of the tremendous structures that make life possible for those above. He is a positive boy, and doesn’t mind the work, considering it an opportunity to learn more about his passion. He aspires to be an inventor, and imagines one day creating some machine he has yet to dream of that will revolutionize life on the Eden Cluster, and grant him a spot in the beautiful upper cities. Kind and humble to others, but with a blunt tongue that doesn’t know to keep itself in check that lands him in trouble often. His only possession he can call his own is a trinket he calls the Dragon’s Horn, a Mystic Code from some ancestor who has been lost from memory. It is closer in size to a whistle than a horn, but when blown upon, the mana in the surrounding atmosphere is drawn to the small instrument, and shot out as a hot streak of fire. He has long since given up on finding who it truly belonged to.

THE PRINCE’S LANCER – Karna
Parameters
STR – B
END – C
AGI – A
MAG – B
LUK – D

Skills:

Magic Resistance – C

Discernment of the Poor – A

Mana Burst (Flames ) – A

Uncrowned Arms Mastership – ??

Divinity – A

Riding – A

Noble Phantasms:

Kavacha and Kundala: O Sun, Become Armor: A (The divine set of golden armor and earrings given to Karna as proof of his divine birth. A powerful defensive phantasm that emits the radiance of the sun itself, reducing all damage that Lancer takes to a tenth of its original value.)

Brahmastra Kundala: O Brahma, Curse Me: A+ (An anti-country phantasm that is likened to a nuclear weapon. Imbuing his spear with flames, Lancer tosses it high into the air, where it detonates and sends sweltering fire raining down in every direction. It is an attack of widespread, indiscriminate destruction, and unsuited to one-on-one combat for its colossal collateral damage.)

Vasavi Shakti: O Sun, Abide to Death: EX (A tremendous spear that belonged to the thunder god Indra, said to be so powerful even he could not wield it properly. Lancer’s truest trump card, a weapon of such great power that it can slay the gods themselves. It can only be utilized once, and only after sacrificing his armor and the defense that comes with it, but even prior to activation it is a deadly spear whose strikes are the equivalent of an A-rank attack.)

A young, unearthly looking man with pale skin and white hair, Lancer was known as the hero of charity in his legends. A man who resented nothing, and gave away all he had without hesitation. Though easily one of the most powerful Servants in this Holy Grail War he has been summoned beneath one of its lowliest Masters. Yet the humble Lancer has no complaints, and is only happy to serve. His appearance could be considered unsightly, and his demeanor is cold and rude, yet he holds no ill will in his heart, and finds an unexpected compatibility with his Master. Both are servile in nature, and find no motivation in power. The pair act more like partners than Master and Servant, pursuing an identical goal in the war.

Though Lancer speaks little, even to his own Master, and his advice can be blunt, he is loyal to a fault and will brook no criticism of the boy he seeks the Grail beside. Indeed he expresses enthusiasm to find a kindred spirit, and believes that with such a man as Placid to call his Master, the Grail is surely already within their grasp. He has found himself a target of the higher tiers of Master in the war, perplexed and offended that such a powerful Heroic Spirit found its way to such a weak and small boy.

THE POWERS

A tier higher than the Princes, the Powers possess two Command Spells.

THE FIRST POWER – Kaito
Origin: Freedom, Age: 18, Sex: Male, Mage level: A+
A young delinquent dressed in the style common for dropouts and thugs in the undercities, Kaito is a directionless man. His skin is pale, not having seen the sun in years, and his hair is an ugly, muddy brownish-red. He has no home, no property, and no last name, having been cast out of whatever family once called him son at a young age. He spent his childhood raised by a gang of fellow juveniles, paying them back in slavery and manual labor once he was old enough to work.

But directionless he may be, a stirring of something in his heart compelled him to leave the life of a criminal behind him. He acts as a vigilante in the undercities, where no official police force is present, protecting those he can from muggers and murderers and worse. He has no true goal; he only finds himself feeling satisfied when he sees the smiles of those he is able to protect. That much is enough for now. He is a weak mage with no formal training, but possesses one ability that can cast him as unique: he can render himself weightless, and fly through the air like a bird, or perhaps a jet at higher speeds. His speed could be compared to a Servant with A+ AGI. If he were to have a wish for the Grail, it would be to find the truth of where he came from.

THE POWER’S ARCHER – Heroic Spirit EMIYA
Parameters
STR - D
END - C-
AGI - C
MAG - A
LUK - E

Skills:

Independent Action: B* (Can remain in the world for two days without an established contract. Can also survive wounds inflicted similarly to a Servant possessing Battle Continuation: B)

Magic Resistance: D (Cancels single-action spells.)

Clairvoyance: C (Capable of keeping track of fast-moving objects within a range of 4km, applied by Reinforcement to the eyes.)

Eye of the Mind (True): B (Calm analysis of battle conditions, by which competent grasp of the status of the self and the opponent are obtainable even in the midst of danger; utilization of such to deduce the appropriate course of action that permits escape from a lethal predicament.)

Magecraft: C- (Archer was capable of only one type of Magecraft, but through perseverance he molded that single, worthless spell into the foundation of his legacy.)

Noble Phantasms:

Unlimited Blade Works: E~A++ (A Reality Marble forged from Archer’s own sense of self being defined entirely by his actions taken to protect others, serving as their sword unto death. This armory is where he stores the knowledge of every blade he has ever encountered, along with the materials and mental processes to forge them. As the ultimate blacksmith, he uses Projection, a normally worthless magecraft, to draw fully-functional Noble Phantasms, each copy inferior to its original but nonetheless highly potent, out of his inner world and into reality. Though he may draw as many swords as he needs outside of it, Archer may take himself and his foes into the Reality Marble itself with an aria constructed to define himself:
“I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body and fire is my blood
I have created over a thousand blades
Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain
Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one’s arrival
I have no regrets. This is the only path
My whole life was unlimited blade works.”)

Hundreds of years ago, there was a man. This man possessed an ideal. One formed not from his own mind but out of admiration for a stranger who saved his life. It was not his own, and it was hypocritical to pursue, but against all odds he chased that goal even to his own death. His ideal was simple. He only wished to save others. To see the smiles on their faces when he was able to protect them. Though his name has been forgotten, his deeds are remembered to this day. It is said when the Crimson Moon struck the Earth, hundreds of heroes stood in its path. All were inevitably cast down. But there was one man who stood back up, again and again, despite the certainty of his death. Though mankind has forgotten how, it is said the moon itself was intercepted by this one man, and a collision that would have shattered the planet was absorbed, allowing what little was left of the surface to survive beneath the shroud of Avalon.

It is for this deed that a nameless man came into the Throne of Heroes.

The nameless, red Archer has sworn to secure the Grail for his Master, but that does not make him easier to deal with. Sarcastic, biting and crass, he seems to have little positive to say about anything, and isn’t once to mince words. But all the same, he finds himself sympathizing with the boy he calls Master, who has no goal but to protect others around him, and seeks to guide him onto a more productive path. His thoughts on the Holy Grail are wholly negative. He finds no problem with the notion of a selfish wish to be granted, but the tool used to acquire it, in his own words, is nothing but a vessel of all the world’s evils. This nameless man who seeks only justice has no intention of letting the privileged few of the Eden Cluster use this evil tool for their own ends. He seems similar to certain Archers from previous Holy Grail Wars, but the details do not align perfectly.

THE SECOND POWER – Tara Sturlsson
Origin: Blitz, Age: 31, Sex: Female, Mage Level: A++
Tara is a stunner of a woman, standing 6’1” with a muscular figure. Her long, smooth hair is tied up into a bun on the back of her head, with a fan of bangs covering one eye. Her heavily-lidded blue eyes are accented with smoky eyeliner, coaxing an image of an icy woman. Her hooked European nose and pouting face are carefully cultivated to express the precise amount of indifference a mage of proper stature must possess. Born into a prestigious line, Tara is an officer in the military police upon the Eden Cluster, specifically a paramilitary branch called the Enforcers that answers only to the high officials of the Clock Tower. Tasked with keeping order among the various feuding branches of the association and the rebuilding of civilization on Earth and in the stars, the Enforcers have a variety of stressful tasks. Officer Sturlsson’s is the most stressful of all: oversight of the Holy Grail War. Having been assigned by the conspirators called the Seraphim to serve as a neutral party that can ensure the ritual is performed properly, she is a Master with the task of keeping the other Masters in line, and ensure that no excessive damage to the populace or to the Eden Cluster’s megastructure occurs. She has taken the humble chapel in the smallest of the three surface cities as her headquarters, and from there uses her Servant to keep the various skirmishes in check.

She is a businesslike woman and has no respect for those who would treat others like they are inferiors or toys, especially on a battlefield. Concepts such as manipulation and trickery are well-known to her, but she forgoes them out of a sense of pride. Her magecraft, focused on lightning and focused strikes, is reputed to be the most powerful of her graduating class. Boasting heritage from both the Tohsaka and Sturlsson families, she has capacity for gem magecraft as well, and wields an array of jewels with stocks of prana to fuel her abilities. She possesses around 40 gems at the present time, and each has enough juice to unleash a spell equivalent to a B- or A-ranked Phantasm. She also wields a Mystic Code called the Lightning Baton, a simple metal rod used to draw mana from her surroundings and generate electricity for her spells. She does not get on well with others and has been called rough and unpleasant, to use the least unsavory insults levied toward her personality. She bites right back though, quick to make fools of those who behave foolishly and put clowns and mockers of magecraft (such as impure bloodlines or mongrels) in their place. Despite this, she has an unhealthily subordinate personality, partly natural and partly drilled in by her Enforcer training. She will immediately defer judgment in a matter to those she considers above her, such as those from heroic or ancient bloodlines, and depending on their status it may border on out-and-out worship.

THE POWER’S RIDER – Thor
Parameters
STR - A+
END - B
AGI - B+
MAG - B
LUK - C

Skills:

Riding: A (Rider may ride all manner of Phantasmal Beasts and lesser, with the exception of dragons.)

Divine Godly Core: A (Thor Odinson is among the greatest of the Norse pantheon, and his divinity cannot be contained properly within a normal servant container.)

Charisma: B (A lively spirit and tavern-crawler at heart, Thor’s love of song and mead makes him extremely lovable to the populace at large.)

Bravery: A+

???

Noble Phantasms:

Mjolnir: The Irresistible Hammer of the Thunder God: A+ (Rider’s hammer, a construction that appears to be made of silver, its head larger than a human’s entire body, and wielded in a single hand. Its short grip makes it appear comically oversized, but its power is not lessened. This Phantasm is a conduit for lightning, which can be called up by raising it above the wielder’s head. Each strike of lightning that hits Mjolnir charges it. Up to three charges can be held, and each one increases the strength of Thor’s next strike. At full charge, the first hit Thor lands will strike as if with A++++ STR. The charges can also be launched as projectiles, striking with the strength of a B-rank Phantasm. This incarnation of Rider can also use Mjolnir as its “mount”. Rider can convert himself to a bolt of lightning and immediately travel to any location within his sight at speeds akin to instant teleportation. He strikes where he lands with the equivalent of his lightning projectiles. This hammer may be thrown and strike with its full physical force, and fly back to its wielder’s hand of its own accord.)

Megingjord: The Belt of Might: B (A magical belt worn by Thor, which increases his already godly strength rank by a further two ranks.)

Jarngreipr: The Iron Grip of Mjolnir: B (One of Thor’s three crucial possessions along with Megingjord and Mjolnir. These iron gauntlets are the key to wielding his unwieldy hammer, and it cannot be held without this Phantasm equipped.)

Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr: Drivers of the Thunder God: A (The two divine goats that pull Thor’s chariot, the true mount of Rider. Though their speed is inferior to Rider’s ability to prepare himself with the power of his hammer, they are a less mana-intensive alternative and strike with tremendous power all the same. The wheels of this chariot crack with the lightning that Rider controls, delivering terrible wounds to any foes caught in the way of this charging vehicle. Though perhaps their most useful attribute is their limitless sustenance; they can be killed as easily as any mortal beast, and devoured as food, Rider need only strike their remains with his lightning to restore their forms and return them to life no worse for wear.)

A six and a half foot man constructed almost entirely of muscle, ripped beyond belief. His hair is strikingly red, both it and his beard are long. His face, lined by age and laughter shows the deific years under his belt. A massive fur cape of many different pelts cloaks his armor, scalloped plates of a color like pewter, making him appear more of a shaggy wanderer type than the god and warrior that he is. A boisterous man at heart, Rider is fond of jokes and laughter, befriending friend and foe alike over chants and ballads.  He is proud of his power, and rightly so. He lacks concept of authority and deference, and will bow to no one who cannot best him. A god by blood but a commoner by heart, he finds his greatest pleasures to be time spent with the people he meets on his travels.

Fascinated by the modern world he’s been brought into, he is immensely frustrated that the spell putting the citizenry to sleep denies him from properly enjoying the pleasures of modernity, and he takes his frustration out in battle, shouting terrifying songs, retelling his own exploits in verse. For his distaste for responsibility he has settled into the task of being his Master’s enforcer well, traveling the Eden Cluster at speeds that cannot be matched, masking his passing as thunderstorms, on a constant vigil for threats to the well-being of the Cluster as a whole. Even better, when he finds one he receives the chance to battle it. It is a blessed life he leads.

THE THIRD POWER – Sir Errol Dominic
Origin: Steel, Age: 58, Sex: Male, Mage level: B
A hardened man who was once sharp, but whose edge has begun to dull. He stands tall and wide, with a well-built physique maintained by many years of constant work. His face is haggard and worn by years of war. Though intelligence and intrigue are the watchwords of modern-day feuds between mages, there are still times when open conflict is inevitable. Rather than leave the outcome to chance in an all-out war, combat by champion became a popular method for resolving disputes. Knighted by the King in Avalon, Errol served for many years as a champion in such disputes, serving many masters faithfully and winning many battles on their behalf. Fatalities were common in such trials, but the death of one was considered better than the death of an entire faction. Sir Errol suffered many grievous injuries, but the greatest was to his pride. In truth he was little more than a mercenary for all his years. He never had a chance to act as a knightly man should. Now, he has a chance to seek the Grail, and he intends to do so honorably.

THE POWER’S SABER – Sir Galahad
Parameters
STR - B
END - A
AGI - B
MAG - A
LUK - A+

Skills:

Bearer of the Sangrael: A (The only mortal known to have possessed the Holy Chalice of Christ. Though it has passed beyond the realm of man and can no longer be sensed, his connection to it allows Saber to sense the location of other objects that may be perceived as a “Holy Grail.”)

Righteous Isolation: A (Saber believed that he was divinely chosen to be a savior and hero, and his righteousness was his sole companion in life. The higher the rank of this skill is, the greater protection from poor luck and ill fate it bestows. However, such righteousness is inhuman, and deprives him of his ability to empathize with other humans. At its current rank, Saber is all but immune to attacks focused upon the Luck stat or rewriting fate to turn against him, and his actions are solely virtuous and good, but he is considered unapproachable, intimidating and inhuman by those around him.)

Chivalric Challenge: B (Saber may challenge an opponent to single combat, isolating them from all other combatants, allowing them to prove their skill in a fair and honorable manner. As a side effect at this rank, whoever of the combatants is the weaker receives a rank-up for the duration of the challenge.)

Magic Resistance: A (Saber is immune to all but High Thaumaturgy, and is all but invincible to modern magi.)

Mana Defense: A (A skill somewhat like an inward reflection of Mana Burst. Saber may reinforce his body with magical energy, muting pain and rebuffing damage inflicted upon his body; if timed correctly, he can release the stored energy at the precise moment he is struck, rebounding the strike of his foe and creating an opening as they are pushed back from him.)

Bravery: A

Noble Phantasms
Evangeline: The Sword of Righteous Victory: A++ (A sword buried deep in a stone in the midst of a powerful river. A blade like and unlike the holy swords wielded by Saber’s king. Saber was the only knight able of wrenching this blade from its stone, and it is a sword that will only answer to his call, unable to be replicated by any, marked in authenticity upon its beautifully-forged blade by the letters of the fairies. It is a sword that draws its strength from the piety of its wielder’s soul, and Galahad was the most pious of all knights that called Camelot home. Its strength, as such, is unrivaled. A rare and exceptional Anti-Country Noble Phantasm, when activated Evangeline draws out the mana from the earth itself, its blade shimmering with a noble blue light, before quadrupling in length. When swung, a torrent of pure destructive energy like that of a tsunami rushes forth in every direction, obliterating the foes of Saber for kilometers in every direction while passing harmlessly over those he calls friend. It is a holy sword that cannot and will not be used for evil in this manner. Though its destructive force cannot exceed that of the sword of his king, Galahad’s blade strikes a much larger region at once.)

Lord Camelot: Fortress of Distant Utopia: B+++ (While many Sabers are tilted towards offense or defense, staking their strength upon one means over another, Galahad is blessed with both an irresistible offense and an insurmountable defense. Though he rarely produces it outside of moments of great need, Saber possesses a humongous shield he may carry into battle, constructed from the Round Table itself. It is an effective weapon in its own right, and some groups are fascinated by its inherent connection to the concept of heroic spirits, and suspect it may be able to summon servants in its own manner, wholly separate from the Grail System's connection to the Throne of Heroes. Whatever the truth may be, Galahad's use of his shield is in the form of a defensive Noble Phantasm that when called upon recreates the glorious white walls of the citadel of Camelot, where he and his fellow knights gathered under King Arthur's banner. Rather than an inherent strength, its walls are equal in strength to the will of its user. With the most righteous and firm morals of all knights, in Galahad's hands this shield can rightfully be called the strongest defense ever crafted by humans. Though, in his somewhat warped presence in this war, and his lack of true human will, this Noble Phantasm may not be able to show its true power.)

A strikingly beautiful young man with light, almost lilac-tinted hair that puffs out to the sides of his head and drifts down over one of his eyes, the puckish knight looks almost as young as his Master looks old. He has a gentle face that seems to glow with its reassuring smile, and blue eyes that hold a light that feels divine in origin. He is dressed in plate armor, shimmering white with dark blue under-trimmings. From beneath his pauldrons drapes a black cloak which at most times covers him down to the knees. Evangeline rests always at his hip, prepared to be raised against evildoers. Its identity cannot be concealed, though Saber feels no care to do so. It is an inhuman blade for an inhuman knight. For all that he exudes a calming aura, he is markedly unlike a person to those he meets. He acts unerringly with good and righteous behavior, yet none of it seems to come from his own heart, merely from his indelible nature. He lacks compassion, and feels no stirrings in his heart when looks upon the poor and the downtrodden. He merely aids them, as that is what a good knight should do, then moves onward, with no thought of them as a person. Though it cannot be said Sir Galahad was such a man in life, the purification of his righteous quest into a heroic spirit has altered his own behavior; to replicate a man so righteous, so good, all that could be done with a copy was to remove all opportunity to perform evil. And so he is a robotic knight imitating a human being. He passes through the war aloofly, barely recognizing his foes and even his own Master as humans worthy of acknowledgment. He has held the Grail in his hands once before, and so he knows it is his destiny to do so again. These faceless masses shall not stand in the way of that simple fact.

THE FOURTH POWER – Dwight Lume
Origin: Spark, Age: 16, Sex: Male, Mage level: C

A short, and scrawny child with black skin and a pouting expression permanently slapped onto him. His hair is shaved at the sides and short on top, and he wears a thick pair of eyeglasses that grow tinted in bright light. He wears a simple hooded sweatshirt and jeans, appearing unremarkable. He carries a lighter, which he is often seen holding and flicking on and off. He is quiet, and tends to mutter as well as say unkind things behind people’s backs. An average magus who has not yet completed his training, his only worthwhile skill is control over sources of light. With simple arias ranging from a word to a short phrase, he can stifle a light to nothingness, or brighten it to blinding levels. He finds these talents lacking, and is out to prove himself in the Holy Grail War. Terse and focused, he finds interacting with others to be exasperating and will often excuse himself from conversations without warning. He is very tense at all times, and remarkably easy to startle, which will get a childish jump out of him. He is gifted in academia, and relies on it as his sole strength in the war, as he’s been saddled with a terrible Servant, and his magecraft cannot pick up the slack. Everything, in his mind, rides on him winning this War, as it is how he will prove that he is worthy to his father, who is also a Master and the current holder of the family’s Magic Crest. He is not a killer at heart, but knows it is necessary to win. He tries to avoid talking about the subject to put it off for as long as possible.

THE POWER’S CASTER – The Witch of Endor
Parameters
Parameters
STR - E
END - E
AGI - E
MAG - C
LUK - D

Skills
Territory Creation: B (Capable of constructing a magus’ workshop without difficulty.)

Magecraft: B (While its direct combat spells are limited, Caster is proficient in matters of divination and necromancy, capable of summoning bone and flesh golems to compensate for its own lack of combat ability.)

Clairvoyance: C (Caster can perceive the stirrings of destiny in individuals, and can at times see where those threads of fate may lead them, but such things are not set in stone.)

Ghostly Wanderings: B (A skill representing this Servant's strange midpoint between spirit form and physical incarnation. The physical realm does not interact with Caster's body properly, and it can move through obstructions as if it were an apparition. Even the weapons of other Servants pass through it harmlessly, and more indirect methods of harm must be taken should one wish to harm this individual.)

Noble Phantasms
Caller of the Dead: A Prophecy of Doom: C (Using its unique powers, Caster may summon a spirit from death for a brief period which has some connection to the person the Phantasm is being used for. This spirit will grant insight into the target’s immediate future, but Caster has no control over how informative this information will be, nor whether it is a prophecy of good or ill fortune.)

Caster is a bent, inhuman shape that appears as a spindly and roughly humanoid figure approximately nine feet tall, bent forward just above the waist, and wrapped in a dirty brown cloak. Its long and thin limbs hang listlessly forward, and its face is indiscernible beneath its hood. It does not speak, only communicating through gestures and quiet, hissing and wordless whispers that change according to its mood. Caster, while disturbing, is unerringly loyal to its Master, offering its own sort of guidance and advice, and has taken a personal dislike to the boy’s father.

THE FIFTH POWER – Stigg Utkin
Origin: Numerals, Age: 38, Sex: Male, Mage level: B
Stigg is a bony, awkward looking middle-aged man who has begun to bald. His closely-shaved hair has a noticeably shiny patch upon the top of his skull, which he is quite self-conscious about and usually covers with a hat. Wrinkled by stress, his eyes are baggy. He always looks terribly exhausted. His large nose is oddly sharp and angled, suggesting that it’s been broken multiple times in his past. A fat lower lip gives him something of a pathetic-looking underbite that combines with his tiny forehead and other assorted features in creating a cartoonish man. It’s almost a pitiful sort of blessing that his ears are not of overly-large size. He is a boorish dresser and wears ratty scarves and coats over drab shirts and jeans with a few too many holes in them. His honking big brown boots are suited for marching through snow more than city streets. While most Masters can expect Command Spells to appear on their hands, or in more uncommon cases their chests, Stigg has a notably unique situation. But it’s not one he enjoys: it’s a tramp stamp.

A greedy and unpleasant little man, he is quite short in stature. He views others as annoyances or opportunities, with very little middle ground. He has no shame, and will lie, beg, cheat, steal, and act like a crybaby to get what he wants. Pride as a magus is a foreign concept to him. He has his limits though, and considers himself above murder, as well as harming children. His goal in the Holy Grail War is quite simple: untold riches and power. Becoming the king of humankind isn’t so bad a deal in his eyes, living every day in luxury. Reaching the Root is secondary to his earthly pleasures, and as such most hardline magi would deny sharing status with him. His path to the War is one of the strangest. A curator of a museum in London, he was in charge of maintaining and recording all of their exhibits and possessions. Being around such treasures for so long could only break a man of his weak constitution, and in a fit of passion he ran off after a night alone with the inventory, stealing the ornate red head of an old spear, many amulets and pieces of jewelry, and other knickknacks. He is a pathetic man, but he is very good at one thing and one thing only. That is, the consumption and organization of data. Using a surprisingly refined spell, Stigg reinforces his eyes and brain to become ultimate storehouses of data. He views time at a slower rate than others, and he can take exquisite mental note of details so tiny a Servant might miss them. This is a permanent spell that is kept on whenever he is awake, and he uses it to formulate strategies, as well as identify spells as they are being cast, and properly avoid or counter them.

When he fled with his ill-gotten gains, he came to the Eden Cluster to attempt to sell off his loot in the undercities. Unfortunately, shortly after he arrived he found himself in the midst of the Holy Grail War, and his spearhead had morphed into a Servant. By circumstance, he was one of the rare and lucky magi to have summoned a specific Servant by way of a ritual catalyst. Sadly, his Servant is on the weaker side, and is too amused by his master to take him seriously. All he hopes to do now is survive this war, and maybe get rich along the way by selling off his bounty.

THE POWER’S LANCER – Queequeg
Parameters
STR: C
END: D
AGI: C+
MAN: B
LUK: A

Skills:

Yojo: B (Lancer makes use of a small totem-like familiar and animistic rituals to perceive future events and guide his actions. This skill functions as Divination, Clairvoyance, and Magecraft skills of the same rank.)

Territory Construction: C (By combining this skill with usage of his magecraft, Lancer may construct a rudimentary territory to function as a workshop.)

Dual-Summon: -- (While summoned as a Lancer, this servant possesses several abilities that hew closer to a Caster and observes the boons of both classes.)

Riding: B (Lancer's excellent ability permits him to pilot any mundane vehicle with expert skill, and in addition he may move upon or throughout ships with even greater swiftness.)

Beast Killer: C (A skill encompassing and enhancing Lancer's skill at hunting beasts, granting him increased killing power against the spawn of Gaia.)

Noble Phantasms:

Seaworthy Coffin: Detritus of the White Whale: D+ (A simple but well-crafted coffin that serves as a bulwark against the elements. While it is a poor defense against a direct assault, whoever rides within it is protected from nearly any indirect means of damage, be it discharge of a terrible weapon or the elements running wild.)

Call Me Ishmael: A Tale of Binding Hatred: A (A formless Noble Phantasm that belongs in equal measure to every member of the doomed ship Pequod, a testament to their demise shared by the words of their only living comrade. It is a power that is activated from the moment a servant with it is summoned, and presented a course that cannot be veered away from. Lancer, like the other members of the Pequod, is destined to come face to face with the enemies of man. Great beasts who reflect the deepest hates and hurts of humanity. Though Lancer is certainly too weak to battle them on his own, it is the curse bestowed upon him upon the Pequod, and the only death worthy of those who faced the white whale.)

Lancer is a bony-faced, brown skinned man, thinner than most men of his tall stature but with wiry muscles that suit his agility well. A complicated crossing of tattoos and piercings stretch across his face, and his lips naturally set in a sprightly smile. His head is shaved on both sides and topped by long, braided hair. He dresses in warm skins that would suit him well on the cold seas, and his only weapon is a harpoon. Its steel tip is engraved with simple runes he learned in his youth after an encounter with a traveling mage that make it strong enough to survive extended encounters with far superior weapons of fame and unearthly power. A very long, heavy metal chain attaches the harpoon to a loop of leviathan's leather upon Lancer's belt so that he can throw and retrieve with ease.

Queequeg was the most skilled harpooner aboard the ill-fated whaling ship, the Pequod. Though every member aboard the long-departed ship qualifies to be summoned as a Rider with the ship as their mount, and their wroth captain could embody the very meaning of vengeance should he appear as a servant, Queequeg is most suited to be summoned as Lancer, where his monkey-like agility and keen eye can be demonstrated to its fullest ability. Unlike some Lancers who find their niche in the thick of combat, the Lancer of Powers is a skirmisher who can keep his enemies at a distance and whittle them away with his marksmanship. His harpoon is too tough and too well-enchanted to break, even though it is not his Noble Phantasm, and a single strike is all he needs to down all but the sturdiest servants. He is a climber by nature, and between his free hand and feet can clamber up what others would swear was a flat surface.

Lancer is a calm and self-satisfied person that is troubled by very little. Curious, and prone to wanderlust, he left his remote island home in his youth and never returned even until the day he died. He had few things in common with the outside world, but found meaning within those differences and peace in his work. His easygoing manner makes it very difficult to anger him, which is a useful trait when paired with a master such as his. Utkin considers Lancer little more than a useful novelty in acquiring what he desires, and the loyalty the servant displays to his master is confounding.

THE SIXTH POWER – Kagami Otomo
Origin: Scatter, Age: 21, Sex: Female, Mage level: D

To understand Kagami Otomo, one must understand the story of her family. The Otomo clan had been a no-name family in the Mage’s Association for generations, scraping by through submitting to greater families in exchange for favor. But in the horrible aftermath of the Crimson Moon disaster, so many families were utterly destroyed that the Otomo, opportunistic as they are, were able to step into the bedlam and claim a stake in the new world order. They were not powerful, nor were they unique. But they were whole, and organized, and that much was enough at the time. They situated themselves as a middle-tier bloodline in the new Plutocracy that set about reconstructing humanity, and found some measure of prosperity. But their new luck faded quickly. With each new generation, it became clear that their bloodline was losing its talent for magic. They tried every means available to them, but nothing was able to prevent the decline of their clan. Only some hundred years after rising to prosperity, they returned to squalor.

Kagami is the last of her line. Her father died several years ago, a kind man who had been driven to hate and despair by a lifetime of crushed dreams. She had been his only hope of restoring the name of their family, the first of her siblings to be born with magic circuits, by marrying a man of renown and providing him a powerful heir. And it was she who had to tell him that this dream was impossible. She was infertile.

Her father died a wrathful, violent death, cursing her, God, and everyone else who had failed him. His last words were a desperate plea to know why, what he had done to deserve his fate. Kagami was ashamed of her failure, and decided to take her own life. But she failed in this too, and only an ugly scar across her waist remains from the attempt. When she’d recovered and regained some measure of composure, she swore on her father’s grave to restore their family, no matter the cost. The Grail has heard her desires, and granted her an opportunity to see her wish granted. Her magecraft is very bare-bones, as she cannot accomplish anything that requires a high level of magic circuits or prana. She is a practitioner of a darker form of magic closer to witchcraft. Most of her spells require blood from either herself or an animal sacrifice to fuel them. She uses her own. Her spells rely on her use of flower petals, usually roses or lilies, creating either obscuring clouds of petals, or a furious hail of them that slices apart anything caught in its path. She is no mage of worth, but she is ruthless and spares no quarter to any enemy.

THE POWER’S ASSASSIN: Kawagami Gensai
Parameters
STR - C
END - D
AGI - A+
MAG - D
LUK - D

Skills
Presence Concealment: D (Assassin may keep himself hidden from sight in crowds, darkness, or enclosed spaces with cover.)

Instinct: C (Only useful in defense, and determining general threats and enemies.)

Noble Phantasms
Shiranui-Ryu: His Relentless Strikes Died With Him: B (Assassin, in his life, developed a martial style that he never passed on to any other. Assassin takes a single-sword stance in combat, and focuses not on strength or endurance but blinding speed to overwhelm his enemies. Darting in short bursts, Assassin moves into opponent’s weak spots and makes slashes and thrusts to cripple them. The activation of this Phantasm is a recreation of his famous assassination in broad daylight. After taking his stance, Assassin lurches forward and makes a downward stroke intended to kill instantly. A perfect blow made to capitalize on his superior speed, only a Servant with a matching Agility score may attempt to fully avoid this strike. All others must put their combined Endurance and Luck stats against his Strength and Luck. If the difference in Assassin’s favor is greater than 3, then the foe is killed instantaneously. A difference in the foe’s favor of greater than 3 negates the strike, and anywhere in-between is treated as a crippling blow that is not inherently fatal.)

Dressed in a white and green kimono, Assassin is an unassuming man with his hair drawn back into a topknot. He appears deceptively kind, but has a streak of ruthlessness that permits him to strike down foes without remorse. The assassin’s long sword is kept at his side at all times. A cool-headed man, Assassin nonetheless has his passions, and is deeply politically motivated. A hatred of passive assent to unfair terms disgusts him. He is sympathetic to his Master but because of this hatred he is unable to look at her as anything but a disgrace, too busy wallowing in her failure to make something of herself. He is a capable mediator and wont to avoid long conflicts. He has his hobbies and is proficient in both tea ceremonies and flower arranging. When he battles, he prefers it to be an open and quick affair, so much so that the only confirmed assassination to his name was carried out in broad daylight with a single stroke. Assassin is left unsure of how to approach this Holy Grail War. Under normal circumstances he might choose to change the politics of Japan to something he saw fit. But now, there is no Japan to change. Before he moves openly in this war, he has chosen to learn as much as he can of the new world, and from there decide upon a wish.

THE SEVENTH POWER – Stanford Olson
Origin: Nerve, Age: 40, Sex: Male, Mage level: E
A tanned, muscular man standing just a little taller than average, with a forward and angry stance. Hundreds of scars, from stabbings, slashes, bullet wounds and burns cover most of his body, and have contorted his face into a terrible scowl. His brow is prominent and casts a shadow over his little bits of coal he calls eyes. He has a full-grown beard, save for a bald patch near the left corner of his jaw, where a burn mark has forever stopped hair from growing in that spot. His hair is long and gathered up in a ponytail, with the rest shaggy and hanging loose. Dressed in well-pressed black pants and a Hawaiian shirt, this man is coated in weapons. Two pistols rest at his hips, and a knife is strapped to the back of him like a fanny pack. Two short swords on his shoulders, dozens of daggers strapped to his thighs, yet more hidden in his shoes. Brass knuckles rarely leave his hands, and in a backpack he carries with him he’s loaded up with multiple grenades, and the parts to assemble an RPG launcher. Around his neck is a small pendant, a stylized red heart. A tiny cork at the top can be removed, giving him access to the ridiculously potent liqueur within. Just that sip is all it takes to make even a man of his constitution turn into a rip-roaring, violent psychopath.

Called “The Mad Dancer”, Stanford is a bogeyman of the criminal underworld, a vicious killer who calls no man master, and is feared by all who live a life of crime. It’s almost impossible to accept his origins, considering what he has become today. He was once a quiet and affable high-school English teacher, who had passed up his chance at becoming the Olson family’s heir and receiving their crest, and instead gave that privilege to his little brother. He was content to live a family life in the second of the Cluster’s three surface cities, and pass on knowledge to the next generation of students, being quite knowledgeable in matters of history and language. But the rampant violence of the Eden Cluster’s underbelly occasionally rears its head topside, and he was an unfortunate victim of that time. Unbeknownst to him, one of his students was a former drug-runner that had escaped the life below and enrolled at his school. When he quit that life, he neglected to make his final delivery, and threw his entire stash into an incinerator. His old friends weren’t happy, and spent many months looking for him. When they found him, they burned down the school. Hundreds of students and teachers were gunned down, or worse. Stanford tried to defend the boy that they had come for, but was shot a dozen times and left for dead. The boy was taken back to the interior cities, where investigators found his tortured remains a few weeks later.

Stanford lost everything in that fire. His job, his family, his friends and coworkers, his students. A key piece of his human nature snapped at some point in his recovery, and when he left the hospital he was a changed, and very dangerous man. He began a one-man war on every criminal gang in the Eden Cluster, making no attempt at hiding his identity or his plans. He only dared them to try and stop him. Olson murdered hundreds of people he deemed unfit to live, and quickly became more notorious than the people he hunted. He earned his title by drinking himself into a stupor before battle and wading in like a stupid beast, soaking up all the punishment they sent his way without flinching, and just tearing his foes apart before they could do any lasting damage.

Outside of battle, Stanford is a difficult man to be around. A hard drinker (though he understandably detests illegal drugs, being an indirect cause of his suffering), his only hobbies seem to be booze and fighting. His personal philosophy is baffling, something that draws from nihilism and existentialism, and likely only makes perfect sense in his addled mind. A firm believer in a complete lack of meaning and happiness in the world, he is only convinced on the existence of pain. He figures that since pain is inevitable, all one can do is pick a direction to funnel the pain in. For example, one could drive it inward and drink themselves to death, or commit suicide. They could push it onto others indiscriminately, like a mass-murderer. He has chosen to put all of his pain and suffering on criminals like the ones who “killed him”, and as such those are the only people he cares about, albeit in a negative sense. He considers his spirit to already be dead, and his body only a spectre going about his business of vengeance and pain, and considers the plights of others to be none of his business. He is wholly apathetic to anyone who doesn’t fit his criteria for death and suffering. His only talent in magic is alchemy, which he uses to concoct the potion he drinks to stir up his berserker rage. Yet, the Holy Grail chose him as a Master. He will not share his wish with others willingly, only that it involves dead men.

THE POWER’S BERSERKER – The Viking at Stamford Bridge
Parameters
STR - A
END - A++
AGI - A
MAG - C
LUK - A

Skills
Mad Enhancement: A (All parameters are increased, but the Servant’s reason is robbed from them. The Master and Servant’s minds have gone through an equalization, and the Servant is now more of a mechanical extension of the Master than a living being.)

Bravery: A+ (Negative mental statuses are ignored, and a bonus is given to melee damage. Unusable under the effects of Mad Enhancement.)

Battle Continuation: A+ (Berserker is all but unassailable, and even should he take a fatal blow he will continue to strike back at his enemies for many hours.)

Noble Phantasms
Mad Guardian of the Bridge: A Furious, Unbreakable Defense: B (A defensive Noble Phantasm that serves not to harm Berserker’s foes but to bolster himself. Berserker steels himself and becomes rooted to the ground. Under the effects of this Phantasm his Agility is lowered but his Strength and Endurance are increased to incredible heights, and no physical force may move him. The area surrounding him, wherever it may be becomes an impasse, and a terrible force directs all who wish to go through it directly into Berserker’s path. Furthermore, Berserker receives a secondary buff to his strength for each foe who enters the chokepoint. The greater the number of men arrayed against him the more deadly he becomes. Most commonly used in enclosed spaces to maximize effectiveness.)

A beefy, blonde-haired man coated in chainmail and furs, Berserker is a living wall of flesh. The bearded warrior’s face is concealed in shadow beneath a horned helmet constructed from the bones of a slaughtered beast, and reinforced with plates of metal. He wields a Daneaxe with a haft thicker than most men could hold in two hands, its gigantic cutting edge coated in runes that increase its power to the level of an A+ attack with every swing. Berserker is incapable of autonomy, even in speech and thought, and serves as a silent servant of his Master, doing his bidding with ruthless efficiency. It lacks in mercy and empathy, and attempts to reason with it are fruitless.

THE VIRTUES

The Virtues are the third rank of Master, possessing the standard three Command Spells.

THE FIRST VIRTUE – Jamal Christian
Origin: ??, Age: 25, Sex: Male, Mage level: F
A black-skinned man with a strong build and a winning smile. His face has a natural squint to it, and children fear his presence. This bothers him. A smooth operator that once upon a time ran a smuggling ring on the Eden Cluster. Many goods from Earth are sent to the orbiting satellite nation to be provided to its citizens. But the higher echelons of the Plutocracy take most of the luxuries for themselves, leaving those in the undercities with scraps. This leaves what Jamal calls a “business opportunity” that he and his gang took advantage of, stealthily moving illegally obtained goods into the lower places of the Cluster, where those who go without are willing to pay handsomely for a bite of the sweet life.

Completely untrained in magic, it was quite a surprise to Jamal when the rest of his gang fell under the spell that marked the beginning of the Holy Grail War, but he remained awake, with a Servant at his beck and call. Together, he and Assassin intend to navigate the War and learn how to wake those who have entered the trance.

THE VIRTUE’S ASSASSIN – Rashid ad-Din Sinan (Al Mualim)
Parameters
STR - B
END - D
AGI - A
MAG - B
LUK - C

Skills
Presence Concealment: A+ (Assassin is skilled enough to become undetectable by any means, including other Servants. Only an exceptional skill or Phantasm directly related to sniffing out such stealth could overcome Assassin’s ability to disappear, even in plain sight. It could be put in frank terms that this Servant is only seen when he wishes to be seen.)

Obfuscation: A (A master of misdirection, Assassin may convince any foe unaware of, or only suspicious of his presence of either: that he has seen nothing where something in fact exists; he has seen something where there is nothing to be found; or something that he has seen is in fact something else.)

Holy Man: A (A skill indicative of a heroic spirit's status among his faith as a man of true righteousness and valor. Among those who share his beliefs, it is a skill that operates similarly to Charisma, inspiring loyalty and increased desire to perform exceeding expectations. Towards those opposed to his faith, it is an irritant that disrupts whatever buffs they may be receiving, and encourages irrational and violent behavior.)

Presence Detection: C (Assassin’s keen senses permit him to single out any target within sight, smell, or hearing distance, so long as he can picture in his head the trait he is looking for, be it appearance, voice, scent, etc.)

Divinity: C- (Biographers of this particular Assassin have claimed that he possessed some form of semi-divine status, but this was never confirmed or commented on by him.)

Independent Action: B (Assassin can survive for three days without an established contract.)

Noble Phantasms
Zabaniya: The Spark of the Old Man on the Mountain: C (While his whole body is normally black, Assassin’s right hand glows red, as if being scorched from within by the embers of a flame. At will, he may ignite these sparks into a flame that rests in the palm of his hand, serving as an effective source of light. The effects of this Noble Phantasm are three-fold. From the flames, Assassin may project an image of anything his mind can conjure up or recall. Secondly, the use of Zabaniya permits Assassin to fold himself within his flame, and instantly travel to any light source within his sight when this skill is utilized. At near the speed of light, Assassin is unseen in the traveling between destinations, and his arrival is so close to instantaneous that humans cannot notice the slight delay. The third effect is the most powerful, a feeling of true, unblemished terror from all those who look upon his burning hand when it is activated. Only those with tremendous courage or the Bravery skill can resist the urge to run as fast as they can from this man, who brings with him the certainty of death.)

An old, bent man whose once massive and progressive physique has shrunk with age. Heavy, gray robes conceal his body, and only his long peppered beard and crooked nose are visible beneath his hood. The only visible portion of his skin apart from his face is his right hand, which seems to glow and crackle as if embers burned within his palm. His weaponry is simple, using poison-tipped daggers that are embedded within his wrists. They can be half-deployed and used as melee weapons, or shot out like bullets. He carries a sword at his side and occasionally a shortbow, but rarely uses them when his daggers will suffice. Assassin is a man of much knowledge but few words, and speaks with the voice of a wizened old man. His personality is harsh, and overly-critical, but mellowed by an earnest desire to teach. Having once been the mentor of an entire generation of Hashashin, he has tempered his own fire with patience and a well cultivated skill at bringing the best out of his students. He reprimands often, but only to those who deserve it, and rather than pointless cruelty he forces them to acknowledge what they have done wrong, and how they can improve. He finds open war distasteful, and espouses the belief that a single death can have more weight and impact than the death of millions, if the right person is killed in the right way. Though Assassin finds his Master brutish, and his methods unrefined, he sees the potential for growth in this burgeoning criminal, and perhaps the potential to be nudged upon a different path. He has accepted the role of Christian’s shepherd, teaching him all that is necessary to survive a Holy Grail War.

THE SECOND VIRTUE – Lady Ghyslaine Rey
Origin: Pain, Age: 31, Sex: Female, Mage level: A
A reserved, stoic woman of statue-like posture and composure. Ghyslaine is a lady of a high-standing noble house that, several generations back, married themselves into an alliance with the Rey family, one of the highest standing in the Plutocracy. Although they are granted the honor of maintaining both their name and their prestigious connection, they are little more than a vassal family in the grand scheme of things. They are an appreciated vassal though, as they have regularly produced prodigies such as Ghyslaine, an accomplished mage in the field of healing. This woman of proud bearing has a body as if carved by a Grecian artist, with fair features and a gentle smile that radiates warmth. Her hair is long and smoothly combed save for a single unruly spiral just by her left eye. She is dressed in an elegant dress of white and blues that make her look like a true lady of the court. A woman of keen intelligence and sharp wit, she is remarkably perceptive of the world of magi, and understands both its politics and the thoughts of its leaders quite well. As such a prized commodity to the ruling families, she has had many suitors, but she was recently betrothed to the heir of the Rey family, further solidifying the two family’s affiliation and assuring strong children. She holds no love for the man she is to wed, finding him remarkably dull. Her chivalrous Servant, on the other hand, has caught her eye.

She is not an aggressive participant in the War, but she is no pacifist. Acting shrewdly, she works to turn allies against one another, and recruit friends to either sacrifice themselves doing something rash, or eliminate a greater threat, at which point she can swoop in and finish off the weakened victor. This pragmatism is what she describes as the survival instincts of a magus, and though her healing magecraft is the strongest in the War, she has no intent of using it for the sake of her foes.

THE VIRTUE’S SABER – Roland the Paladin
Parameters
STR - A
END - A+
AGI - C
MAG - B
LUK - B+

Skills
Riding: B (Saber can expertly ride any mount that is below Phantasmal Beast ranking.)

Magic Resistance: B (Cancels spells with a chant below three verses. Even High Thaumaturgy is difficult to affect the Servant with.)

Protection of the Faith: A (A defense borne from the Servant’s piety. Saber is protected from most harm through divine intervention, but has had his personality slightly altered as a side effect.)

Noble Phantasms
Olifant: The Signaling Horn: C (A horn stored on Saber’s belt, which holds an enchantment to the effect of “All who can aid you will hear its call.” No matter the distance or obstacles that lie between them, all who count Roland as a friend and ally will hear its call and recognize it as a plea for help. These allies will be divinely aided in speeding to his side, allowing for the overcoming of even distances and paths that were deemed impossible before.)

Durandal: The Peerless Sword of Faith: A (An indestructible sword granted unto Saber, which is blessed by three miracles to become a Noble Phantasm of the highest caliber. Within its golden hilt lies the tooth of Saint Peter, the blood of Saint Basil, and the hair of Saint Denis. Its grip is made from a strip of a holy shroud made from the raiment of the Virgin Mary. And the blade itself is said to come from the mighty spear of antiquity, held by Hector of Troy. This sword is not only the greatest defense for its wielder, it is his greatest offense. Possessing a quality making it “the sharpest sword in existence”, Durandal bears the special title of Phantasm Destroyer. Any Noble Phantasm of lesser rank is instantly cleaved and shredded when struck by this Holy Blade, and even those of equal standing will lose out in an extended clash.)

Clad in gleaming silver armor, this youthful knight is the perfect image of chivalry. An eagle’s head forms the left pauldron of his armor, and he wears a wine-colored cloak lined with the fur of a white lion. His noble face is burdened with beauty unlike any normal man’s, and his expression is pure and inspiring. His hair is like the color of his cloak, and is long, going down past his shoulders and flowing freely in the wind. Even the eyes of this holy warrior are red. At his side are a gilded horn of ivory, and a golden-hilted, white-bladed sword with precious metals and stones in its scabbard. His armor is crafted of his own mana, and bolstered by his incomparable piety. As a result, his entire person seems to have a faint glow to him, such that he stands out even in darkness, and the light is brightest around his head, as if surrounded by a halo.

Saber is the definition of chivalry. The greatest and head of the Twelve Peers, the Paladins of Charlemagne, he has earned his title through self-sacrifice and goodness within his heart. A righteous beacon of faith, he embodies the ideal knight. He goes out of his way to be as helpful as possible, doing menial and trivial things for anyone in need of his aid, and is flattering and benign to almost anyone he meets. He is a hopeless romantic, and though he knows it wrong and fleeting, has found himself falling for his Master. He has skipped flirtation and gone into worship, acting as her shield in all situations and pledging his undying support and love. She is somewhat uncertain of how to respond to this. His only point of contention with her is her stance on the other Masters. He finds that helping them in their needs outside of battle is not only a duty, but an honor, and will often sneak favors to his foes behind her back.

In battle he is a stalwart man that few foes can hope to stand against. Subtlety on the field is not only not his style, it’s not even in his nature. People cannot help but stare at him as he drives himself into the carnage. The free-for-all nature of this War hasn’t quite sunken in with him, and in battles between more than one Servant he will often pick a side and help one against the other. However. He has seen the other knight classed Servants of the War, and has found them lacking. Whether by words or by force, he is quite determined to give them a thorough re-education on knighthood.

THE THIRD VIRTUE – General Shallert
Origin: Pierce, Age: 63, Sex: Male, Mage level: A
In the aftermath of the Crimson Moon disaster, mankind was reduced to such a miniscule population that the concept of nations was secondary to survival. The Plutocracy was the unrivaled authority of humanity, and those who claimed otherwise were few in number and swiftly crushed beneath its heel. Consequentially its military might has diminished over the decades, with no foreign power to stand against. Its primary purpose is now research and development, taking the discoveries of the Clock Tower and applying it towards practical purposes to be employed by the police force and private interests. Shallert is the head of the military garrison on the Eden Cluster, and is firmly in the pocket of the Barthomeloi family that owns it. A quiet, stern man with a face like iron, Shallert has never let peacetime dull his edge, treating every assignment with full devotion. To him, the Holy Grail War is just one more assignment he must carry out for the good of humanity. He is no bystander, despite what his rank may imply. The general’s magical prowess is high, with an abundance of above average magic circuits and a firm grasp of the fundamentals needed to use them to their fullest.

Despite the assuredness in his task, he cannot help but feel somewhat excited by the prospect of the war. As a soldier born into the wrong era, he may perhaps finally be able to fight the battles he’d read about so fondly in his youth.

THE VIRTUE’S RIDER – Erwin Rommel
Parameters
STR – D
AGI – C+
END – C
MAG – D
LUK – B

Skills
Military Tactics: A+ (A peerless tactician of his time, who dominated foes even when provided substandard resources to work with. Rider’s proficiency in large-scale engagements is unquestionable.)

Charisma: B (A general that was beloved by his soldiers and respected by his enemies, Rider inspires those who would follow him to heights of bravery and valor.)

Riding: C (Able to operate mundane vehicles with proficiency.)

The Desert Fox: A (Rider is a master in the theatre of harsh terrain. When engaging the foe on an irregular battlefield, Rider receives a rank-up to all parameters and hinders the strength of an enemy’s forces, reducing them in effectiveness by 50%.)

Subversion: B (Skill in subterfuge and careful planning allows the disabling of up to 40% of an enemy's forces before battle begins.)

Noble Phantasms
Sands of the African Desert: Warfare in No Man's Land: C (Rider's career was staked upon success in terrain where no man should be foolish enough to do battle, and the crystallization of his legend encourages change in the land to reflect the battlefields where he is most at home. When activated, plant life for miles around slowly begins to fade, replaced by harsh wind and lifeless sand. Over the course of a full week a wide swath of land is replaced by a recreation of the North African deserts Rider performs best in, granting him both intimate knowledge of the terrain and an inherent statistical advantage over his foes.)

The loyal attendant and advisor of his Master, Rider is an all-business Servant who respects the chain of command without question. The strapping man wears kempt fatigues, of the sort suited to time on a battlefield better than behind the lines in his tent. Although a hero of the latter eras of mankind, Rider is a chivalric Servant who believes in honorable warfare, and will not tolerate collateral damage in his operations. Though he is unwaveringly faithful to his Master, the ones above his Master that gave them a place in the Holy Grail War do not find this uncompromising attitude useful for their plans. He rides into battle in a variety of armored vehicles he can summon from the stock of the Third Reich's arsenal, each serving their own purpose. On foot, he is not particularly threatening, though he carries firearms and explosives that can kill any Servant that isn't quick enough to defend themselves.

THE FOURTH VIRTUE – Gianpaolo
Origin: Toxicity, Age: 73, Sex: Male, Mage level: B
A handsome, charming man who looks to be no older than his early twenties with a pearly smile, unruly red hair and a preference for the fancier things in life. He is a consummate professional and treats all people he meets with the same cordial behavior. Sharp as a tack, he is an accomplished physician and blessed with a thorough understanding of human anatomy and how to treat its many imperfections.

He is also a professional assassin, perhaps the best alive.

Gianpaolo is an alias, his true identity a well-kept secret for the purpose of his work. Though it is known that he was born into a prestigious line of mages and breezed through his education, and that he completed his first assassination contract at the age of sixteen. Though he is a physician by trade, he took up his activities as a hitman to ease a sense of boredom with his simple life, seeking a challenge in the taking of human life. His magic is alchemical in nature and based heavily upon his excellent understanding of the human body, along with all the poisons it is susceptible to. His tonics and toxins can be used to improve a life or snuff it out with only a drop, and he indeed has used them upon himself to extend his natural life and youthfulness by a significant amount. Though he typically does not accept politically-oriented contracts in an attempt to stay in the good graces of the Plutocracy that turns a blind eye to his hobbies, the money offered by the Bartholemoi to act as their personal assassin in the Holy Grail War was too great to pass on. A chance to wish upon the Holy Grail for his heart’s desire is more appealing still.

THE VIRTUE’S BERSERKER – Lu Bu
Parameters
STR - A
END - A
AGI - A+
MAG - B
LUK - D

Skills
Mad Enhancement: EX (Excellent compatibility with his Master has granted Berserker an increased rank in this skill, giving him a semblance of sanity but exacerbating his violent and unruly tendencies to an extreme.)

Bravery: A+ (Provides resistance to all mental hindrances in combat, with the addition of providing a bonus to melee damage.)

Nature of a Rebellious Spirit: B (Prevents Berserker from ever holding onto a permanent lord, or becoming one himself. Also cancels Charisma of the same rank or lower.)

Riding: B

Phantasms
God Force: A (Berserker’s only Phantasm in this class, but it is the only one that he needs. A weapon designed to be his perfect instrument on the battlefield, it comes with a variety of functions named Forces that change how his Phantasm is used, allowing a single Phantasm to be the equivalent of many at once. As a Berserker class, Lu Bu has access to the halberd and cannon-based functionalities of God Force. Every attack he makes with this grand spear is the equivalent of an A-Rank Noble Phantasm, and it can range from Anti-Unit to Anti-Army in effectiveness.)

Lancer stands over seven feet tall, with a broad and awe-inspiring physique. His face is handsome and peculiarly refined for his savage reputation, with his hair swept back and adorned with a crown of sorts, from which two long red feathers rise up and then fall back to his feet behind him. He wears black armor lined with fur, and crafted in a style imitating and mocking the generals of his period. Spikes on his gauntlets and boots make him as deadly unarmed as he is wielding the massive spear that he carries, transformed into a simple handheld grip when not in battle. Lancer is a bloodhound in the shape of a man, and is always drawn by the scent of battle. Arrogant and hostile, he is often boastful and makes no attempt to hide the many untactful things he did in life, nor does he feel shame for them. A philosophy of life lived in the moment drives the man, and he only truly feels alive when he is slaughtering on the battlefield. He has some vestiges, and will generally give a word of warning to women and children, telling him to flee rather than face him. But he shall not show mercy to those foolish enough to fight him regardless of his warning. He has an appreciation of life’s luxuries, and will too gladly live in decadence between his wars.

Berserker was lucky to be summoned by the Master that did. They share many similar thoughts on bloodshed and slaughter, as well as their tastes in fortune and lifestyle. They work with spectacular cohesion on the field of battle, both fully aware of their circumstances. Neither is a trustworthy man, and they play a dangerous game by putting faith in one another. Both have taken it as a challenge, to take their partnership as far as it can go before turning on each other. And when that day comes, may the best man win.

THE FIFTH VIRTUE – Wayne Carrol
Origin: Break, Age: 35, Sex: Male, Mage level: B++

A tall man with a pallid complexion and an exhausted face. His dark hair is gelled and slicked back. His body language is loose and careless, and he expresses a childish displeasure in having to talk to people. He speaks neatly and with a polished, unaccented baritone no matter the language. He looks younger than he is, but is so tired in his appearance he cannot be called attractive. A difficult man to talk to, he has a constant verbal tic of half-heartedly grunting, as if to clear his throat. Worse yet is his spacey behavior, the inner workings of his mind a meandering trail with no clear destination, leaping from one thought to another, disconnected one in the middle of a sentence before winding the long way around back to what he’d started saying in the first place. Despite his unpleasant appearance, he is an accomplished detective, and one of the most reliable members of the Enforcers, the left hand of the Plutocracy. This is primarily because of his anomalous origin and the magecraft he has created for himself. Unique to him, his “breaking” spell renders any mystery he comes into contact with inert, and shatters it instantly. He is entirely immune to any known magic of the modern era, and to a Servant only a score of A++ could describe his magic resistance. He possesses a Mystic Code he calls the Blue Jazz, an ancient trumpet that focuses upon the concept of “creating a paradisiacal death.” So long as Wayne plays the instrument, those who can hear it are lulled into a euphoric trance, while their body deteriorates at a rapid speed.  The average person can only last for a few minutes before dying to the melody, though those magically proficient can last longer, and Servants are wholly immune.

Granted a Sealing Designation for his unique properties, his presence in the war is neither expected nor wanted by its creators, who have begun scrambling to find a way to remove him from the conflict before he gets himself killed or begins seeking the truth behind the ritual.

THE VIRTUE’S LANCER – Vlad Tepes
Parameters
STR – A
END – C
AGI – B
MAG – C
LUK – D

Skills
Magic Resistance: B

Demonic Defender of the State: EX

Noble Phantasms
Kazikli Bey: The Lord of Execution: B+ (Lancer, through the spread of terror, defended his homeland from all who would encroach upon it. In this incarnation as a Servant, this has manifested within his Noble Phantasm. An Anti-Army Phantasm, it is used as a single-strike weapon with devastating shock value and a wide range of effect. For nearly a kilometer in all directions, hundreds of thousands of spears shoot from beneath the earth, threatening to impale all in their path. Initially forming a circle, they move closer and closer toward the center, herding those not instantly impaled to the center, wherein a deathtrap awaits. A thousand spears rain down from the sky at the last open space available to its victims, and every inch of their body is pierced.)

Legend of Dracula: The Succession of Blood: A (An ability that reproduces the legend of Dracula, gained by Vlad III through the distortion of his heroic legend. Its usage allows him to alter his aspect to become the blood-sucking vampire modeled after him, turning him from a Heroic Spirit into a literal monster. As a Lancer, his hatred of the effect of the legend has had on him will make him refuse to use the Noble Phantasm even should it mean his death, requiring a Command Spell to force him to use it and the price of his Master's life as he makes him pay for the transgression. Though his spear crumbles away, and his other Phantasms are sealed, he gains a tremendous boost in power and all the classical attributes of a vampire. The cloak he wears can produce stakes similar to Kazikli Bey, his strength is beyond normal Servants, and his speed is akin to teleportation. His greatest weakness in this form is the common weakness of vampires toward holy relics.)

A ghostly pale man with long, white hair and a goatee. His pallor is like that of the undead, and it is easy to mistake him for a Dead Apostle. Tall and thin, dressed in long black coats with many feathers underneath. His dress does nothing to ease the idea of him being a monstrous figure. While it is true that he is not a particularly tender man, Lancer is a fervent follower of the Christian faith, and maintains its tenets of love for his neighbor. A polite and distinguished fellow in conversation, and possessing a distinguished taste, he is every bit the gentleman a ruler is expected to be.

That said. He has no love in his heart for those who would wage war upon his country and his faith, and shall wage war upon them without mercy or regret. It is with this determination that he lived his life, and ultimately died. Revived now, he has found that everything he worked for has been undone over half a millennium after his death. The world has been brought to ruin, and his beloved homeland is buried under a churning sea of blood. Though he was nearly brought to despair from this discovery, he has brought himself into the Holy Grail War with a new fervor. With the Grail, he believes he can restore the Earth to its former state, and return his people to their proper home. There are many obstacles that stand in his path. First and foremost is his Master, who to his disgust is the last remaining member of his bloodline, and an utter disgrace to the name. For all his talents and genius, Wayne in Lancer’s eyes is just a slovenly pig who has accepted excellence when he could have achieved perfection. Wayne has no interest in this conflict, and is content to drift about the War getting his kicks, but Lancer will have none of it. He shall drag Wayne into heroism kicking and screaming if he has to.

THE SIXTH VIRTUE – J-Thirty-Six
Origin: ??, Age: ??, Sex: Male, Mage level: B
Once a lesser family among the Mage’s Association, it is a matter of much speculation: just how did the Harwey family rise to a position of such power over the last two hundred years that they could be called the rivals of the Barthomeloi line? The official answer is a shrewd business sense cultivated in its heirs. The Harweys have always been experts in administration, and provide organization and structure to the chaotic and naturally competitive branches of the Clock Tower that no other family could. This is certainly true to some extent, but there is much more to it than that.

Open murder is one of the greatest taboos in this era, the state of humanity being such as it is. But there can only be punishment if you are caught. This is why the Harweys employ genetically modified, cloned assassins with the express purpose of eliminating the enemies of the family. The practice began after the death of the pioneer of this practice, a man by the name of Julius. Once considered the heir of the Harweys, he was discarded as something worthy of being called ‘heir’ when his half-brother Leo was born. With no prospect for personal success, he was honed instead into a weapon that would kill the enemies of his princely brother. It was his contributions that allowed young Leonardo to carry the Harwey family from a middling power to the highest echelons of privilege in the Plutocracy, but he could never be truly thanked or acknowledged for his dirty work. When he died, he was buried in an unmarked grave without fanfare or funeral; only his brother was there to see his spirit on.

It was decided in his wake that the mark Julius had upon the Harwey’s success could not be ignored, primarily from the constant praise given to him post-mortum by Lord Leonardo. The alchemical masters, salvaged from the ruined Atlas facility, employed by the Harweys set about ensuring that a man such as him would be at the side of all future heirs of the bloodline. Using puppet bodies and a facsimile of Julius’s soul, they create functional clones of him to serve as the left hand of the family.

J-Thirty-Six is as his name suggests the thirty-sixth such clone. He is in appearance and ability much like his progenitor, but even colder. There is little else that could be expected of such a mimicry of a human, though. None of the memories or emotions in his head, the thoughts of a kind woman who showed him compassion, even belong to him. They belong to Julius, a man who died two hundred years ago. If that is all he owns that could be called humanity, what right does he have to call himself human?

THE VIRTUE’S ARCHER – Arjuna
Parameters
STR – A
END – B
AGI – B
MAG – B
LUK – A++

Skills
Independent Action: A

Magic Resistance: C

Divinity: B

Clairvoyance: C+

The Awarded Hero: A

Mana Burst (Flames): A

Noble Phantasms
Pashupata: Raised Hand of the Destruction God: A++ (An orb of pure destructive energy, the weapon of the god of destruction himself, Arjuna draws forth divine power from his eye and unleashes his destructive force in such a manner as to wash away all foes that stand against his wrath. This Noble Phantasm is a destructive force whose power is nearly impossible to exist, carrying divine destructive authority with it. The incredibly blunt nature of the attack suggests this is not the truest use of his Noble Phantasm, and there may be further abilities he has yet to reveal.)

Gandiva: Glorious Gift of Brahma: A (A beauteous white bow with golden ends, strung with 108 bowstrings that shimmer with light. It is a weapon fashioned by Brahma, the Creator, and as such carries fantastic properties. By manipulating different strings, Archer may fire his arrows in any direction, even backward. In addition, with the bow comes a pair of inexhaustible quivers Archer carries at his hips. They are an almost inexhaustible source of mana which Archer calls upon to fire his Astras without draining himself or his master of energy. The bow has formed a bond with its wielder, and may not be fired by another mortal.)

A white-clad Archer, the hero of the Mahabharata. Brother of Karna, and the greatest of his brothers, Arjuna carries with him a perpetual status of blessing and favor by the gods. It can truly be said this was the privileged hero, unfamiliar with struggle. He is a man of unparalleled virtue, but of unwavering duty as well. Though he is a man who has earned the right to stand among the greatest of Servants, he instead sits among the lower half, standing beside an assassin. His duty: to slay the enemies of the Harwey family to ensure that they are the true victors of the Holy Grail War. Though he would never betray the lords he has sworn to serve as their Servant, this is an affront to his pride all the same. A resentment that rests within the side of himself that Arjuna dare not acknowledge, the darkness inside the heart of a perfect hero that is granted the opportunity to feel hate, envy, and all the things too disgusting for a man of virtue. His power as a bowman cannot be matched, and he is the perfect sniper to kill masters from afar. In both function and thought, he is a splendid match for his Master, as both carry resentments their duty prevents them from acknowledging.

Archer has taken a special interest in the existence of the Lancer of Princes, recognizing his brother’s presence without a doubt. There is an animosity between them both that lingers, such that it may even override Archer’s loyalty to the Harweys should it prevent him from seeking out and doing battle with his hated foe.

THE SEVENTH VIRTUE – (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

THE VIRTUE'S CASTER -- Ashurbanipal
Parameters
STR - C
END - C
AGI - B
MAG - A
LUK - B

Skills:

Magecraft: A+ (Caster's proficiency with the formal arts of magic borders on the prodigious, and his power grows the greater his collection of knowledge swells.)

Divination: B (A personal skill of Caster's cultivated in his youth, able to peer into the near future with a bowl of oil.)

Territory Creation: -- (A staple skill of the Caster class, but it has been removed due to the nature of his Noble Phantasm serving as Caster's workshop by default.)

Item Creation: A (Used in conjunction with his Noble Phantasm, Caster is able to create detailed books through observation, never even picking up a pen.)

Golden Rule (Mind): A (Caster's ceaseless pursuit of knowledge seems almost to work in reverse, forbidden or secret truths more easily winding their way to his ears. Excellent both for research and subterfuge.)

Noble Phantasms:

Royal Library of Ashurbanipal: "Successor" of All Knowledge: A++ (This Noble Phantasm is a passive one. It requires no deliberate activation, and it needs almost no mana for upkeep. Rather it is something akin to a seed that is planted the instant Caster is summoned. The room in which he is called at his initial summoning becomes forfeit, and its identity is overwritten as "the location of the library of Ashurbanipal." It is here that all of Caster's aggregate knowledge is stored, and in a sense is the source of his power. At first the library is quite small, containing a humble few stacks of cuneiform tablets, personal favorites Caster brought with him in incarnation. But the true power of this room is its ability to grow. Everything Caster learns- each spell, each secret, each fact, each story. All of it is stored within the library, tomes and scrolls appearing from thin air to catalogue the newly acquired knowledge; and all of it is at Caster's fingertips. Any magical knowledge contained within the library is perceived as "within the King of Nineveh's purview." Should Caster know how it is performed, he may replicate it without error, as if it belonged to him to begin with. Naturally the library is vulnerable, and Caster must keep its location secret. Should it be destroyed both his knowledge and power would go up along with the smoke.)

The figure of Caster is nothing like the striking man one would expect when they hear of Ashurbanipal, last great king of Nineveh. Tall, but of poor posture, with a nasty slouch and slovenly demeanor. His caramel-colored, stubbled face is long and his lazy frown wide, with droopy eyes that never focus for long. His wooly hair is poorly maintained and kept swept back and prevented from falling over his face with a gray sweatband.

His style is questionable, wearing a dull green cardigan over a white undershirt, "complemented" by chinos that come down to his calves and a pair of sandals. The only hint of his royal nature is the solid silver earring he wears, and the small ring on his right hand, displaying the name of Nineveh in cuneiform etched on its band.

His demeanor is terse and unpleasant, rarely making eye contact with whomever is speaking to him. Instead he will stare unblinkingly at whatever book he has decided to consume that day. If you have nothing interesting to teach him he couldn't care less about you, and if you refuse to share what you know, you invite death. Books, or rather knowledge in general, are his sole passion, and Caster simply cannot devote his energy to anything else. The wars he wages, the deals he makes, the schemes he schemes, all are done to expand his own understanding of the world. No action is too shameful for him in regards to that pursuit, even cowardice. While he would much prefer to laze about in his library all day and peruse his collection, the itch of the unknown has started to scratch so strongly at him he cannot ignore it. A Holy Grail War, where so many great figures from across time have come together to do battle, is in his eyes nothing more than a repository. An endless font of truths that were lost to time. Things he must know.

And so Caster is not above debasing himself for his goals. He believes that as a Caster, he is unsuited to win this war on his own. Until his knowledge grows enough to provide him a more powerful arsenal, he will have to rely on the good will, or duplicity, of his fellow servants. He seeks alliances, using his unassuming nature to present himself as a non-threat, and bargain his wide knowledge base as a valuable resource justifying an alliance to his enemies.

His lack of confidence does not mean he is incapable of combat. Rather his status as a warrior-king leaves him strong even without weapons, just unmotivated to show his power. His magic is nothing to laugh at either, able to call any spellbook or scroll he has gathered to his side within an instant, casting the mysteries within as simply as if he'd developed them on his own.

Ultimately he doubts he can win the Grail, and achieve his dream: omniscience, ultimate knowledge. But if he can get close enough to the masterminds of the war, the Seraphim, to learn how they crafted the Grail, perhaps he won't need to win the Grail. Perhaps he could make his own.


THE DOMINIONS

The Dominions are the fourth tier of Master and possess four Command Spells.

THE FIRST DOMINION – Clarion Bardsley
Origin: Dominion, Age: 78, Sex: Male, Mage level: A

A gentleman in prim attire and meticulously kept in appearance, Professor Bardsley is an instructor in the arts of magecraft at the Association branch on the Eden Cluster. Specialized in witchcraft, his research is focused upon the vaporous element called ether and its manipulation. Although he knew of the Holy Grail War through personal research, he had no hand in its recreation, and considers the entire thing juvenile. A battle between Heroic Spirits is one thing, but in his eyes giving them a personality the freedom to pursue their own wish naught but folly. The whole experiment is doomed to failure in his mind because of the leniency towards Servants’ own agendas. He believes the key to a proper war is to remove this rogue element. He has concocted a Mystic Code to accomplish this, and has secured it onto his Servant, Assassin. This Spirit Nullifier, at the meager cost of slightly lowering his Servant’s parameters, has utterly obliterated its personality and wishes, leaving it an automaton completely under his control.

He is a man that believes firmly in structure and order, having no respect for fiery spirits or upstarts who think they have a right to change the natural order. His goal in the War is to reach the Grail and obliterate the pesky free will of “lower-ranked” humans, permitting the elite to properly guide the species into a more prosperous future.

THE DOMINION’S ASSASSIN – Gavrilo Princip
Parameters
STR - E
END - D
AGI - D
MAG - D
LUK – A-

Skills:

Presence Concealment: D (Suitable for spying or blending in with normal humans. Not readily apparent that he is a servant, but cannot physically obfuscate his presence.)

Hand of Fate: A+ (A skill indicative of a person whose actions triggered tremendous events in human history. All saving rolls made against actions committed by this servant have their difficulty increased twofold.)

Phantasms:

Assassination of Ferdinand: War to End All Wars: C (At Assassin’s hip rests a simple mass-produced pistol common in his nation. His Noble Phantasm is not the gun itself but the effect that is triggered by firing it. The damage that this weapon can inflict on its own is small, and a flat amount that cannot be increased, but wounds it delivers carry an unmatched conceptual attack upon the target’s very fate. Those who fail both magic resistance and luck rolls against the wound they receive have their doom rewritten to carry a long-term curse. Their luck reaches its lowest possible death, and death and agony on a tremendous scale settles into their life. Even the greatest servant can become a pathetic wretch under such a curse.)

A young, hard-faced man from Eastern Europe, Assassin was a man of conviction and nationalism in life. Unfortunately any of his fiery spirit that remained past death has been expelled from his body. The Spirit Nullifier created by his master has been implanted firmly into the nape of his neck, and his ego has been dominated by the mage. Assassin is nothing more than a mindless puppet for Clarion to do with as he pleases.

THE SECOND DOMINION – Delilah Payn
Origin: Nerve, Age: 17, Sex: Female, Mage level: C

A young, skinny girl with frizzy hair dressed in a cream sweater and a long skirt. She has freckles on her face and worries she is too skinny for her height. She comes from a young family of mages, only stretching back a handful of generations, and she is not particularly accustomed to the notion of magic, despite spending most of her life surrounded by it. It simply doesn’t sit right to her. Her patriarchs sought the Root through a melding of western magecraft and eastern philosophy, creating a unique skill not unlike meditation. Delilah’s magecraft is a convoluted thing that might be best identified as reinforcement, wherein she forms a Reality Marble contained entirely within her own body, just beneath her skin. When done correctly, in a state of perfect calm, her innards are replaced with a miniature realm of perfect peace that cannot be disturbed. When struck by an outside force, it is directed into her world where it is harmlessly absorbed or, should she so choose, redirect back the way it came, striking the one who delivered the blow. This form of magic is an excellent nullifier and serves as a deterrence to any who would seek to harm her.

Of course, this only happens when she is calm. But she is a young woman, and her emotional state can rarely be considered such. Her temper is fiery, and her fuse is short, often blowing up at minor setbacks. She is a selfish girl, and her only concern with the Holy Grail War is displeasure that it has disrupted her normal routine. With a sparse social life and an attitude that does not lend itself to friendship, she has little in her life beyond her magecraft and the pride of being a mage, and she wishes to be done with the war quickly so that she may return to it.

THE DOMINION’S ARCHER – Gilgamesh
Parameters
STR: B
END: B
AGI: B
MAN: A
LUK: A

Skills:

Independent Action: A (Archer may survive for a full week without a Master or contract.)

Golden Rule: EX (The ultimate collector of wealth. Archer will never know want, and further riches and treasures fall into his hands seemingly without effort.)

Divinity: B (A+) (Originally 2/3 divine, but Archer’s personal hatred of the gods has lowered this rank.)

Charisma: A+ (This is more like a curse than it is a trait, a presence so overpowering it cannot be ignored.)

Magic Resistance: C

Phantasms:

The Gate of Babylon: The King’s Treasure: E~A++ (A shortsword, shaped like a key, that serves as the means of accessing the king’s treasury. Archer may turn this key and unlock the vast wealth he has amassed. All the treasures of the world reside within, and he may call upon any of them as he pleases. As an Archer class, this is manifested most commonly as a barrage of weaponry used as projectiles. He possesses the prototypes of nearly every Noble Phantasm in existence within the treasury, and the power of each demonic weapon varies is such that it can be considered a Noble Phantasm in its own right.)

Enkidu: Chains of Heaven (One of the few Phantasms with the purpose of reigning over the gods themselves, Enkidu is a long length of chain which, when binding a Servant with the Divine rank, or any other divine being, completely binds them. Archer can fight with parts of the chain shooting from the Gate of Babylon, or unleash its full length.)

Ea: Sword of Rupture: EX (An alien design that does not even look like a sword at first observation. Its drill-like blade glows in red arcane patterns, and its hilt is the same gold as Archer’s armor. A completely unique tool that has no other purpose in existence than to serve as the proof of Archer’s rule. This is a sword that existed before the concept of a “sword” was known, and it is therefore of a kinship with its wielder. They are both the prototypes of the concepts that they embody. The only true Anti-World Noble Phantasm, Ea’s three segments spin rapidly, creating powerful bursts of prana and wind that can overwhelm anything in its path. Should Archer choose to let its full wrath come to bear, the very fabric of the world around him could not endure it.)

A perfect, golden-proportioned man with an unearthly, beautiful face and inhuman red eyes. His golden hair rises from his head like a flame, and his body is coated in red tattoos that seem to glow as he exerts his strength. He is dressed in heavy golden armor, and a long red cape that drapes out from underneath the armor as a skirt. The King of Heroes and the ancient city Uruk, Archer is the rightful ruler of all things, and is absolutely aware of it. He carries himself with authority, and speaks down to all he encounters. He considers all humans who live to be his subjects, and he their king. His concept of kinghood has cast himself as a great observer of humanity. He cares little for the individual, and only sees the whole of humankind. As a man so attuned to human nature, he is heavily influenced by the era he is born into. Although it has come at quite a price, he is ultimately impressed with what humanity has accomplished after coming so close to annihilation. He is in a considerably better mood than he has been when summoned in previous Grail Wars.

That said, he is tremendously arrogant, and considers himself to be so superior to others that he habitually underestimates everyone that he meets. His greatest weakness is that he will never fight at full strength. Only very rarely will he consider a foe worthy of his true power, most specifically his Noble Phantasm Ea. He speaks to the sword as if it were alive, and treats it with more respect than actual humans. He considers it a tool that can only be used in the proper setting, against a foe that has earned the right to look upon its might. As a natural collector of things, he looks very poorly upon those who would make crude imitations of his treasures, or worse, steal them. Woe unto those who would claim to have possession over what is rightfully his.

He is a remarkably difficult Servant, and refuses to obey any demand or request that does not suit his fancy. When Delilah first summoned him, she made the grave mistake of ordering him to tell her his name, speaking with the indifferent displeasure one might afford a stray mutt. Archer responded by drawing a knife and stabbing her, stealing her Command Spells and taking them for his own. He is now essentially his own Master, and has left Delilah as a toothless commander. She responded predictably for her, and lividly dressed him down with a furious rant and a flurry of insults toward his personality. Archer actually found her amusing, and though he mentioned he could have killed her, he chose to laugh at her instead. Saying that he liked the Master this new world of humans had given him, he deigned to humor her goals and follow her through the war as an observer, enjoying all that he could of this strange world detached from the Earths’ surface, and perhaps join in the fighting should it please him.

While he has enjoyed the new world for the most part, he has reserved one point of contention that brings him true rage. Clearly the Grail has made a grave error, presenting he and his Master with the title of Dominion. Not the lofty title of Seraphim where such a powerful force should reside, nor even the blatant insult of placing them with the Princes, where the mockery would at least be plainly in sight. No, instead some force had the gall to put the King of Heroes in the exact middle of the sorting of Masters and Servants. Such mediocrity is an insult of the highest caliber to Archer, and he intends to respond in kind by systematically wiping away the Seraphim, and rubbing whoever is responsible for this travesty’s face in the fact that he is superior to their shallow attempts at mockery.

THE THIRD DOMINION – Marcelle Grant
Origin: Shield, Age: 24, Sex: Female, Mage level: B+

The prized heir of a six-generation family of magi, Marcelle Blunt was the valedictorian of her class in the Clock Tower. Although her fundamentals lacked the polish and pure strength of a family with a superior lineage, she was clearly a genius from a young age. She grasped arithmetic, the arts, and all manner of academia with ease, and excelled in the realms of alchemy, rune magic, and wrote theses on magecraft when others were expected to be grasping the fundamentals. She knew few people outside of her family; the Grants knew they were blessed by such a child, and needed to keep her safe from prying eyes. The only friend she was ever permitted to have was Maxwell Grant, the boy she was fated to marry. As a child little Marcy was pushy, bossy, and perhaps even mean to Maxwell, who only smiled at the abuse. He reacted to her like he was in the presence of a goddess; in time she warmed up to him as well. Marcelle, partially of embarrassment for her behavior as a child, is much quieter now. She restricts her words to be used only when they will have a profound impact, and otherwise prefers not to speak at all. But she will gladly berate her husband if he is particularly dull, and he will scold her in turn for not being more outgoing. She doesn’t like being sociable, having never grown used to the experience, and instead focuses on her research. She has grown attached to her tools, and will often refer to them as if they were people.

As they are both accomplished magi, Marcy and Maxwell have formed a partnership in the war, albeit an uneven one since Maxwell isn’t a Master. He’s described himself as her “manservant”.

Her deepest mysteries lie in the realm of protection, most likely stemming from her origin of “shield,” which seem to have played some role in Maxwell not succumbing to the enchantment that has put every other non-Master in the Eden Cluster to an unbreakable sleep.

THE DOMINION’S RIDER – Perseus
Parameters
STR: C
END: B
AGI: B+
MAN: A+
LUK: A+

Skills:

Riding: A (Can ride any mount of Phantasmal Beast rank or lower.)

Divinity: B (The son of Poseidon.)

Beast Slayer: A (Gains a rank-up when faced with any magical beast.)

Quaking Courage: B (Rider receives a rank-up when he faces a foe that strikes true terror into his heart.)

Phantasms:

Talaria: The Winds Shall Carry You To Her Lair: C (Winged sandals, gifted to Rider by the Messenger of the Gods, Hermes. These shoes have fused into his flesh, and at first glance Rider appears barefoot. Only when activated do wings sprout from his ankles, permitting him to run upon any surface, even the air, as if it were no more difficult than a horse galloping an open plain. Rider’s Agility is doubled when making use of the Wings of Hermes.)

Athena’s Bastion: You Shall See Her Face and Feel No Fear: B (A hoplite’s shield, but its surface is flat and mirrored, perfectly reflecting any image it catches. Enchanted as only a goddess can enchant an item, so long as Rider looks into this shield, what he sees in its reflection cannot infect his mind through any manner of magic or mental poison. And should he activate the shield while someone is staring into its surface, Rider will force them to see and be confronted by their true character, a truth that few are prepared to acknowledge.)

Harpe: A Blade to Slice Her Troat: A (An adamantine sickle-sword which rather than piercing armor negates its very concept. Any surface that the blade strikes is reduced to its weakest physical state.)

Kibisis: A Bag To Carry Her Head: C (An impenetrable sack capable of making any burden within it as one that can be endured. So long as it fits within the bag, anything that Rider carries is as light as a feather, and perfectly safe from harm.)

Hades’ Embrace: A Shadow of Death Shall Cradle You From Her Sons: A (A gift from Hades, a helmet with the interior crafted of dog’s skin, and reinforced on the exterior by a shining black metal. Rider is hidden from the scrutiny of the supernatural while wearing this helmet. None with a connection to magic can detect him under its protection.)

Pegasus: A Son Born of Her Blood: A+ (A mighty winged steed, among the highest orders of magical beasts. Though docile by nature, its age has allowed it to accumulate power on the same level of dragons. Its speed cannot be matched, and its power is enough that even a flap of its wings can kill. Perseus never rode the beast in his lifetime, but his connection to its birth has allowed him to summon it.)

A youthful, attractive man with reddish hair and olive-toned skin. He wears Grecian black armor, gilded with gold and white clothes beneath its faulds. He wears long gloves and legguards of the same material. His face, while pretty, seems to naturally set into an unpleasant expression, and he seems to be forcefully exuding confidence. Rider, even bolstered by his absurd wealth of Phantasms, is crippled by self-doubt, and constantly questions himself and his actions. He is very defensive as a result, and will protect his pride with petty taunts and insults, even violence if need-be. He has found something of a punching bag in his Master, and he will take out his many frustrations in the War on her as she does not complain, and even seems to understand his pain. He is somewhat taken aback by such a kind response, which he had not expected, and has become increasingly infatuated with the woman. As such he has found a rival in Maxwell, his Master’s husband, and he attempts to juggle his love of his Master with his increasing ire for that patient and kind man she has married.

He is somewhat cowardly, and even with the odds stacked against him his confidence is shaken regularly. But beneath this fragile exterior is a genuine heroic soul that will throw its life away to fight even threats on the level of gods if he has to.

THE FOURTH DOMINION – Lord Tohsaka
Origin: Power, Age: 18, Sex: Female, Mage level: A+

A mysterious and remarkably bipolar young woman with bright red hair done up in twin ponytails, dressed in a red shirt and black skirt. Lord Tohsaka is a descendant of Rin Tohsaka, one of the greatest mages of her generation and among the leaders of the ravaged Association following the Crimson Moon disaster. Considered, as a family, the apprentices of Lord Zelretch himself, Tohsaka carried much clout in her adult life and used it to great effect. That said, records are spotty about her beyond her actions; it is stated that she never remarried, but no records can be found of who this apparent first spouse might have been. It is also unclear just how precisely she managed to rise from a respectable but middling bloodline to among the highest echelons of the Association in a single generation. That said, the prosperity of the Tohsaka line did not last long. Among the vicious competition to be found in the Clock Tower, Rin’s descendants were all but defenseless. Lord Tohsaka, now the last heir of her family, is little more than a penniless vagabond determinedly clinging to shreds of past glory. Uncaring for the rules of the new order, Tohsaka set about stealing vast treasures from other families that her wronged her own in the past, robbing back hordes of gems, artifacts and Mystic Codes that belonged to her forebears. Over the course of many months she has sleuthed out the details of the conspiracy upon the Eden Cluster, learning of the intention to recreate the Holy Grail War and seek out the Third Magic.

Seeing an opportunity to recapture respect for the name of Tohsaka, she boldly encroached upon the conspirators and revealed her knowledge of their plans, intending to take part in their War as her name has earned her the right. Though the Seraphim, the seven mages behind the plotting of the Holy Grail War, considered her little more than a nuisance and her threats empty, those with softer hearts took a little pity upon the impoverished girl. They granted her a guaranteed spot within the War, though at the mediocre rank of Dominions, only the fourth tier of seven ascending. She does not mind the insult, and considers it an opportunity to disgrace them further when she wins. Lord Tohsaka has forsaken her birth name and addresses herself solely with the title that her family had earned once before, though they have not carried it in several generations. To remind her that the correct term for her gender is “Lady” Tohsaka is to invite a painful demise.

A master of the gem magecraft that her ancestor used, Lord Tohsaka has geared herself as adequately as she could in her position. More gems than she could possibly use are in her reserves, but should that still prove less than sufficient, she has recovered the Tohsaka family’s greatest accomplishment, and her trump card: The Jeweled Sword of Zelretch.

THE DOMINION’S SABER – YAMATO TAKERU
STR: A
END: C
AGI: A
MAN: C
LUK: C

Skills:

Eye of Mind (False): B

Espionage: A

Poisonproof: A (After prior experience, Saber deliberately exposed himself to many poisons over his life so as to build up an immunity and thwart its use upon him.)

Reduced Earth: C (A skill of footwork that comes close to but does not reach the speed of teleportation. Saber can cross wide distances in a blink with proper technique.)

Phantasms:

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi: The Grass Cutting Sword: A+ (A supernatural blade gifted to Saber by the priestess of Amaterasu, this blade is of an Eastern make, with a straight, ever so slightly serrated blade with green cloth wrapped around the grip, the end strip of which hangs loosely. The sword seems to reverberate in the wind, air sitting restlessly around its blade. In Saber's hands, this is a sword that directs the very wind itself. So long as there is a breeze, even the slightest reverberations of it, this sword can refine it into a razor's edge and slash it towards Saber's foes without so much as drawing it from its sheath. Saber's foes become weapons against themselves as their quick motions create wind for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to weaponize. It is also a powerful weapon in its own right: when swung, its irregular shape creates intense vibrations in the air that as all other wind may become deadly.)

Long ago, there was a Prince of much renown for his skill and pride as a warrior by the name of Osu. Though he was brave, he lacked discipline; in a feud gone wrong, Prince Osu slew his brother, and fearing his brutal temperament the Emperor banished him to the far reaches of the country, where he fought as he pleased and killed many foes...

Until one night, attending a party and partaking of drink, Osu was poisoned by a jealous rival. He crawled away from the revelry, already choking and feeling his life slip away. As he came to a riverside to die, only a young servant girl noticed his plight, and came to his side. The girl recognized the prince, and tried to revive him, but his death was already assured. Osu was brought to tears by the persistence of the servant girl, and begged her to take his name and duties, and avenge him against those who killed him. It was on that riverside that he died, and his body was committed to the waters; there was nowhere else it could be suitably hidden. Copying the appearance of the prince as best as she could, the maidservant ambushed the men at the party and defeated them with Osu’s blade. And so his legend continued to grow. Those who survived, in awe of her prowess, named the maidservant in Osu’s stead Yamato Takeru. Feeling uncomfortable at taking Osu’s name, the maidservant adopted this moniker and used it for the remainder of her life.

Dressed in a heavy kimono with armor plating above, Yamato’s gender is not readily apparent. Her face is somewhat feminine, but her hairstyle and demeanor are androgynous, and she speaks in a deep voice that could be mistaken for that of a softer-voiced young man. Keeping the identity of Osu her entire life has caused even her, at times, to forget that she is a woman. The only ones in her entire life to learn the truth of her secret were the priestess of Amaterasu, Osu’s aunt, and the wife that she took. She is not as bloodthirsty as the man she mimics, and is more naturally compassionate, which she tries to suppress with a strange mixture of boisterous words and a deadpan demeanor. She is somewhat partial to the princely pleasures she was privy to in her second life, and even now admits guilty pleasure in partaking in various luxuries. She is nonetheless an even greater combatant than Osu himself was, and is not to be taken lightly despite her status as a Faker.

THE FIFTH DOMINION – Stanley Olson
Origin: Typhoon, Age: 30, Sex: Male, Mage level: B

A haggard, quiet man with a gymnast’s build. His hair is combed neatly and his face coated in a five o’ clock shadow. He dresses in khakis and polo shirts, looking entirely like a harmless office worker. The favored son of the Olson line after his older brother fled to seek his own fortune, Stanley was trained extensively in the family’s use of wind magic. His mysteries are bombastic, and a means of expression for the withdrawn man. While he understood the necessity of the study of magic, he had no intention of getting wrapped up in the conflicts of other magi. He was prepared to live quietly with his wife and infant son. But the recreation of the Holy Grail War has placed both within a coma, and Stanley with no choice but to take part in the battle to find a way to revive them. He hates combat, and will work very hard to indirectly solve his conflicts.

Stanley is fully expectant to find his brother in this War, if he is alive at all. He knows there is no way Stanford wouldn’t be caught up in something this insane, though he isn’t particularly looking forward to the meeting. The man he acknowledged of his brother died a long time ago, and the monster that is left, desecrating Stanford’s corpse disgusts Stanley to no end. If he receives his chance, he would gladly kill his brother to put him out of his miserable existence.

THE DOMINOIN’S CASTER – Skuld
Parameters
STR: C
END: B
AGI: D
MAN: A
LUK: EX

Skills:

Fate-Weaver: A (A unique form of magic exclusive to Caster, who has the power and right to determine the fates of gods and men alike. By weaving threads of prana together and severing them as needed, Caster may alter her immediate surroundings and rearrange the course of events, permitting that it does not override the natures and natural responses of any person whose actions are changed.)

Phantasms:

Valkyrie: The Dead She Has Carried: A (The warriors of old that Skuld has ushered on to the afterlife are at her beck and call, and she may raise any of them to fight as champions on her behalf. Each of these Heroic Spirits is a force to be reckoned with, and when brought together few can hope to stand against their might.)

A fair-faced woman dressed in thick black robes covered by scale mail. Her long brown hair flows freely down to her hips. She carries a long iron spear and a small shield for defense, but does not give off the impression of an active combatant. She is compassionate and kind, but the living become fearful in her presence, for they know that death is near. It is said that Norns such as her assist in the birthing of all humans, and form a special connection with humans they personally helped come into existence. Caster has such a bond with Stanley’s son, and so has freely given her strength to her Master to use in winning the war and restoring the health of all those put to sleep.

THE SIXTH DOMINION – Alexander Mortimer
Origin: Excel, Age: 38, Sex: Male, Mage level: A++/E

A ridiculous beast of a man, standing 7’ tall with an amazingly muscular body, toned to the point of parody. He loves his physique, and will waste no time in showing it off as a source of inspiration for others to better themselves. Jovial, kind, and remarkably sincere, this man’s bombastic personality hides a tender heart that has grown so very rare in the world of magi. The disowned son of a well-beloved magus who only regained his inheritance because his father had no other heirs, Alexander lives forever under that man’s shadow and is eager to prove himself. This is made the more difficult by his bizarre Origin, which by its nature warps and changes every spell he attempts to cast and creates a stronger, sometimes excessively stronger spell in its place. This has made his mysteries impossible to nail down and practice repeatedly, and he is never 100% sure just what he is casting.

He tends to overact, and judge responses based on his emotions rather than his reason, and he becomes depressed when he believes he has screwed something up. This has led to a rather strange relationship with his Servant. Or, rather, one of them. Before the war had even begun in earnest, Alexander came across a pathetic Servant with no proper skills, seeking a Master to protect them. He would have not burdened himself with the washout Servant, if not for the pleas of his servant Hector. For the Servant was his brother.

THE DOMINION’S LANCER – Hector of Troy
Parameters
STR: B
END: B
AGI: A
MAN: B
LUK: B

Skills:

Magic Resistance: B

Riding: B

Military Tactics: C+

Proof of Friendship: C

Bravery: A

Disengage: B

Phantasms:

Durindana: Ultimate Unbroken Spear: A (The unbreakable spear that would one day become the sword of Roland, Durandal. A golden-tipped spear that stands taller than even Hector himself, and hailed as an unbreakable weapon whose piercing tip cannot be resisted by any defense. When thrown, there has only ever been one shield that has resisted it.)

A dark-skinned, brown-haired man with a relaxing countenance and peaceful, loving eyes. Lancer is a soul that does not enjoy war, but his honor shall always compel him to fight for his people. Though he may seem cowardly and rather rough-mannered, even lazy, his friendly nature overcomes initial impressions. An accomplished warrior and the greatest man of Troy, his military acumen is unmatched. Doing things well takes a backseat to doing things right, and Lancer serves as a conscience to his Master. Although Alexander is a compassionate man himself, his status as a magus urges him to be pragmatic in desperate times. Lancer does not wish to see that come to be, and will always plead for Alexander to find a way that does not resort to bloodshed. He is rather self-deprecating, and will attribute many unfavorable qualities to himself. After the sacking of Troy, he has been further disgusted by war, and wishes for the conflict to be resolved with not a single death more, though he knows it impossible. Although he is a man that once prayed to the gods fervently, he is left uncertain in his second life. The gods were against him from the start, and orchestrated the demise of himself and his people. How does one pray to gods such as that?

He tries to be a supportive brother to his fellow Servant Archer, but is ultimately unable to get over his cowardice ruining Troy. He is unkind and verbally abusive to Paris, feeling perfectly justified in compounding his feelings of inferiority.

THE SEVENTH DOMINION – Cesar Lowell
Origin: Whisper, Age: 27, Sex: Male, Mage level: E

Cesar is tormented, night and day, by the whispers in his mind. Whether they are the ghosts of the second life pushing him to madness, or merely the symptom of an already diseased mind, he does not know. He is a transient and only possessed the black jacket and jeans that he wears for clothing. His unwashed hair is greasy and oddly shaped, and his skin is dirty. A sweet and loving person by choice, he is fond of whittling and enjoys making carvings and gifts for the street rats in his corner of the undercities. But in his dreams, and even in waking, seemingly at random, he is consumed by the whispers. They taunt him, demean him and dare him to light a match and burn all that he sees. He is driven to tears and grinds his teeth down to bleeding nubs just to hold the urges back, but they never grow weaker. The whispers only grow more numerous, more persuasive as he gets older. He has taken to greater and greater means of self-mutilation and pain to hold back his violent urges, and has reached his wit’s end. His maddened plea for a release has caught the Grail’s attention, and he has been rewarded with Command Spells and a Servant to fight for his cause. His Berserker will fight for him, but he does not yet know if he has the will to command it effectively. He is only desperate to find the source of the voices that tell him to destroy everything in sight, and shut them out once and for all.

THE DOMINION’S BERSERKER – Asterios
Parameters
STR: A++
END: A++
AGI: C
MAN: D
LUK: E

Skills:

Mad Enhancement: B

Monstrous Strength: A

Natural Demon: A++

Phantasms:

Chaos Labyrinthos: Eternally Unchanging Labyrinth: EX (Berserker’s Noble Phantasm is an embodiment of the maze where he spent his entire life, a meticulously crafted maze that traps Berserker’s foes with him in a constricting environment that reduces their combat ability significantly. To be trapped within walls that only the mightiest weapons can pierce is enough of a challenge, but Berserker lurks its halls as well.)

The monstrous child of the wife of King Minos and a bull, Asterios was a creature born as a beast, destined to fall at the hands of a “hero.” Though his deeds were considered evil his personality is not malicious and seeks only a life out in the light, away from the gloomy dark of his home. He has difficulty in speaking, but he is gentle and can reach a mutual understanding with others. He is too simple to understand the situation of his Master, but supports him in what ways he can understand, in return for being regarded as Asterios and not the monster he came to be known as in myth.

THE THRONES

The Thrones are the fifth tier of Master, and the highest tier was that distributed mostly at random rather than a deliberate selection of Masters. They possess five Command Spells.

THE FIRST THRONE – Roger Lume
Origin: Kindling, Age: 55, Sex: Male, Mage level: A

Patriarch of the Lume family and fellow Master Dwight’s father, Roger is the realization of what Dwight only wishes to be. An influential, well-spoken and charismatic magus, Roger’s silver tongue hides a vicious and cunning man. He is well aware of the nature of the Holy Grail War and has chosen to fight from the shadows, rarely leaving his hidden fortress. He looks much like Dwight would, should his body ever fill out with muscle and grow a head taller. He has close-shaven hair and a carefully groomed beard, and is certainly quite handsome, and he is beginning to gain bare flecks of silver in his dark hair. His personality is affable, and he is very bound to tradition, but he has no room for compassion in the heart of a magus. He wages war heartlessly, with nothing in his mind but the goal of hardening his son into a capable magus worthy of killing him and earning his title as Roger’s heir. He has willingly abandoned his pathetically weak Servant, and has chosen to fight through naught but the use of his familiars. Said familiars are a pair of large motes of light, around the size of a human torso. One, called Madonna, is of a bluish-silver color while the other, Eva, is a dappled combination of green and purple. Rather than familiars made of flesh, Lume has constructed a pair of living spiritual weapons out of a pair of human souls. Though they are not on the level of any but the weakest servants they are excellent at infiltration and suitable weapons for killing enemy masters from a safe distance, and their spiritual nature allows them to harm servants if they are careless.

THE THRONE’S ARCHER – Paris of Troy
Parameters
STR: D
END: E
AGI: B
MAN: E
LUK: D

Independent Action: B

Cowardice: C (Able to disengage from combat at any time, but may only save himself and no one else in doing so. All damage he has done in the fight is also reduced to the minimum possible.)

Affections of the Goddess: A- (An ability that is more like a curse upon Archer, the eye of the goddess Aphrodite follows him. He is all but helpless against the sight of beautiful women, and he is tempted to lust with the greatest of ease.)

Phantasms:

Holy Arrows: Even Heroes Feel Its Sting: A (Multiple conditions must be met before this Phantasm can be used. First, Archer must be fully aware of his target’s identity, and his target must possess some form of unnatural weak point that they possessed in life. He must also fire the shot from the highest possible position within two miles of him, and this spot must be at least five hundred feet above the lowest point. If these conditions are fulfilled, Archer may fire an arrow that is bathed in fate and the blessings of Apollo himself. This arrow is bonded by fate to the vulnerable portion of his foe’s body, and unless they possess a defense capable of re-writing fate they shall instantly be killed by its strike.)

A beautiful young man with curly hair and a feminine face and build, dressed in white underclothes beneath boiled leather armor. He looks very dainty, and has the lack of strength to match. Archer is a remarkably weak Servant, and his strengths are remarkably difficult to play to. Archer’s master, immediately recognizing the uselessness of his servant, cast him out to fend for himself. Bitter, but now driven, Archer sought to prove himself to his master by any means necessary, and his goal was to kill a servant and master all on his own. He lacked the means to do so in direct combat, but manipulation was certainly an option. Who would suspect one as pathetic as he?

It was luck that brought him across Alexander, a master, and of all people his own brother Hector. Archer knew that this was the chance he had been seeking, and after much begging convinced Lancer and Alexander to take him in and shelter him throughout the war. He only now had to earn their trust, and find a way to send them to their doom.

Archer is a vain person who has a desperate need to be acknowledged positively. Insults and belittling comments deeply hurt his pride, which is already wounded by his own cowardice. He often seeks to prove himself, usually in very vindictive ways towards those who caused him emotional pain, and will snark with the best of them from his usual passive position. Despite his cowardly nature, he is not lacking in remorse for his worse actions, and feels conflicted by his actions. Despite how certain he is of its necessity, he is not certain he can bring himself to kill his brother, or a man who took him in with such little struggle.

THE SECOND THRONE – Hakuno Kishinami
Origin: Growth, Age: 18, Sex: Male, Mage level: ?

“Plain” is the word to describe Kishinami. A mop of medium-length brown hair sits over this boy’s head, and his attire is similarly drab. He is of an average height and of a physique that fails to stand out. Hakuno was born in Wales, a descendant of a family of refugees that fled to Britain in the midst of the Crimson Moon Disaster. A first-generation mage of no discernible talent, he was admitted into the Association’s schools by matter of course, though he has almost no true talent for magecraft. His skull is thick, and it takes a very blunt method to teach him anything, though his retention of information once learned is remarkable. A transfer student that has only recently come to the Eden Cluster, Hakuno understands little of the workings on this asteroid-borne colony, and even less about the Holy Grail War he has been drafted into. His only hope is to learn from his servant and pick up everything else on the go. A long shot, but all the same he certainly will not let himself die easily. If he’s awake when everyone else has been put to sleep, there must be some reason that he needs to learn.

THE THRONE’S SABER – Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
Parameters
STR: D
END: D
AGI: A
MAN: B
LUK: A

Skills:

Magic Resistance: C

Imperial Privilege: EX

Migraine: B (Nero’s chronic migraines impede her ability to concentrate, and her ability to use Imperial Privilege to its fullest effect.)

Phantasms:

Aestus Domus Aurea: Golden Theater of the Flamboyant: B (A theater designed by Saber and constructed in her honor, given form by magic similar to Reality Marbles, but different in its ability to exist atop an existing world rather than overriding it, allowing it to persist for much longer periods. It is an absolute imperial zone where Nero’s delusions of being an artist that can rival the gods becomes true. Here, escape from Saber is impossible and everything works in her favor. Enemies grow weaker within it over time, overwhelmed by her artistic “talents.”)

Aestus Estus: The Embryonic Flame: C (A beautiful, yet oddly-shaped crimson and black sword that, although it is as tall as Saber herself, she wields with a single hand. Forged personally for her use and enchanted by the greatest magi of Rome, and blessed by the priests of the Blacksmith of the Gods, it is an exquisite sword that burns with the heat of magma. Although it lacks a specific mystery to cast, its incredible heat and refined shape make it a perfect weapon for smashing against defenses, boiling them away with relentless blows.)

A short, blonde-haired woman dressed in a military-styled dress with a translucent bottom portion atop a snow-white leotard. Her personality is difficult; Saber is immensely proud of herself, and her role as an emperor, and uses that definition of herself to mold most all of her actions. Although she has been described as a tyrant, she loathes the term and considers herself an empress that simply was not understood by the people; her attempts to show her love for them were misinterpreted. She may have regrets, but even at the end she was proud of what she had accomplished. She is fond of art, and fancies herself an artist to rival the gods, although her tastes are remarkably odd, particularly to her Master, who finds even more mundane art to be strange.

Although her Master is fairly pathetic, as far as magi go, Saber has found herself rather fond of him, and says that not devoting herself to his protection would be a grievous failure as a ruler. She has taken it upon herself to be both his guardian and mentor, even if she doesn’t exactly know what she’s talking about. To Hakuno’s credit, he has quietly relented to her authority in the Master-Servant relationship, even if he has a few thoughts on the matter kept to himself. There is something off about Saber's kindness to her pathetic master, and even Hakuno senses there is something odd in the way she looks at him, when she believes he is not paying attention to her.

THE THIRD THRONE – Twice Pieceman
Origin: ?, Age: 32?, Sex: Male, Mage level: N/A

An adult man in his early thirties. His face is gentle, and even innocent, his baggy eyes sunken and in shadow beneath his neatly parted dark hair. He wears glasses, though he fiddles with them so often it’s unclear if they really help his eyesight at all. He is dressed in a doctor’s uniform, with a white coat covering a long-sleeved black dress shirt and matching pants, with gray stripes. He also wears a gray vest over his shirt, and snazzy leather shoes with rounded ends. He wears black gloves with blue palms, and never seems to remove them.

He is a remarkably intelligent human being, with a thorough knowledge in most medical fields, as well as a deep understanding of human psychology. He is a surgeon by trade, supposedly; friendly and even casual in tone, but rather timid, and isn’t keen on taking the lead in a conversation. He admits himself that he is probably the weakest master in the Holy Grail War, because he is so thoroughly disgusted by violence that he can barely stomach seeing it. It causes him so much grief to witness suffering that he can barely function as a doctor, let alone a combatant. However, even barring that, there is something off about this master. He casually refers to things that it seems he shouldn’t know about, be it instant recollection of medical records on an individual, tracking their progress and evaluations within the Clock Tower, or even finding their home address. He is also remarkably skilled at escaping battles, even with his crippling fear. Automated systems seem to shut off and turn back on to his benefit, lighting of entire districts will go away to give him the cover of darkness, and even automated panic systems will throw up walls to delay others. And he always seems to disappear the moment he is out of sight. It is difficult to ascertain just what kind of mysteries he is using to perform these miracles.

The truth of the matter is that he isn’t using magecraft at all, as it’s no longer possible for him. Twice Pieceman was a human that lived in the 21st century, and he died long, long ago. The Twice that exists now is a remnant of his mind that, under order by Rin Tohsaka, piggybacked his consciousness and soul into the vast mechanical and spiritual underworkings of the Eden Cluster during its initial construction. He is no longer the singular human entity he once was, but has asserted himself as the dominant personality in the vast flow of mana and data that swirls through the orbital city-state. He possesses the ability to control the workings of the entire station, and can manipulate its state to suit his needs, although the remnants of his own personality prevent him from using this boon offensively, as that would result in the deaths of many, and it is something he cannot permit. He knows everything that goes on in his world, and is fully aware of the conspirators and their plans. He has entered the War willingly, using his vast strength to sap the Command Seals from a prospective Master, and even summoned a Servant of his own choosing to be his hands in the War. He has sensed a shifting deep within the core of the Eden Cluster, a section even he cannot access, and fears that the War is causing it. His goal is to subvert whatever is happening, feeling that only catastrophe will result if it is permitted to continue.

THE THRONE’S CASTER – Tamamo no Mae
Parameters
STR: E
END: E
AGI: B
MAN: A
LUK: D

Skills:

Territory Creation: C (Caster has difficulty creating a proper Workshop)

Witchcraft: EX (Caster is an undisputed master of curses and harmful spells, but has deliberately restricted herself from her most powerful abilities out of respect for her pure-hearted Master.)

Shapeshifting: A (Can easily take any form she desires, but due to past trauma Caster avoids using this ability. She would only consider making use of it to save her Master’s life.)

Divinity: A

Fox’s Wedding: EX (A deceptive skill akin to a perversion of Item Creation, Tamamo one-sidedly declares a wedding for herself or an ally, and in response they are showered in gifts and blessings that grant a tremendous boost to their abilities. This can only be seen as a cheat skill that Tamamo has snuck in by clever magic.)

Phantasms:

Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu: D (A heavenly mirror that Tamamo carries on her person, a transformed version of the Weight Stone of Tamamo, a sacred relic. It is said to be a divine repository of Amaterasu and holds power over souls and life force itself. Though it has lost much of its authority under a lesser incarnation of the goddess Amaterasu, it is still a very strong weapon that Tamamo can use in close quarters combat. When activated as a proper Phantasm, she creates a circle of Ofuda surrounded by glowing Torii, then charges the mirror with energy. This ritual grants her the ability to, for a time, use her magic without any limits or worries of cost.)

A beautiful young woman—or, rather, a beautiful young something. She would seem to be a woman, but the large, fox-like ears atop her head, and her large fluffy tail cast doubt on her humanity. In actuality, Caster is a kitsune, or fox spirit, and an aspect of the deity Amaterasu, created to learn what it was like to live as a human. In life, she was ultimately rejected by humanity and killed, even though she had only wanted to be allowed to live in peace. She is wary of humans as a result, and is reluctant to trust people, and determined not to let anyone learn of her true identity, lest she be judged by it. That doesn’t mean she’s good at keeping secrets though, and just talking casually can lead her to nearly blab numerous secrets. She has a very loose tongue. She has a respectful and pleasant demeanor, but that is mostly a façade that hides something of a violent streak, enjoying the sounds of pain her enemies make. She is also surprisingly raunchy, though always makes her innuendos in a very polite way. She has attempted to rein herself in around her Master, and present a mature and respectable image. She is dressed in clothes reminiscent of classical Japanese dress, but several important areas seem to have been removed from the outfit entirely, baring skin and making the outfit decidedly skimpier than intended. Although she has the potential to be the most deadly Servant in the Holy Grail War, she is very reluctant to use her powers, as they caused her strife and even death in her lifetime.

Although she is distrustful of most humans, she has struck up a rapport with her inhuman Master, Twice, and is loyal to his cause. She is also somewhat infatuated by a rival Master by the name of Hakuno Kishinami, whose oblivious innocence caused him to treat her with respect and kindness, even though she was an enemy, and even after discovering her true name and her sinful past. The frank and unassuming kindness of the boy has left her unsure of how to deal with him.

THE FOURTH THRONE - Klaus von Umbrel
Origin: ?, Age: 700+, Sex: Male, Mage Level: EX

Many hundreds of years ago, when the Earth was still blue, there was a village hidden deep within the forest. The people there were simple, loving God and their crops above all. They farmed in peace, and cared not for the outside of their sheltered lives. On a hill overlooking the village there was a castle, where the lords of the village lived in seclusion. The lord and lady of the castle had a son, whom they named Klaus. Klaus was a magician, tutored from a young age by mages of far-off nations to hone his exceptional talents. He was an illusionist, perhaps the greatest illusionist alive. He could change one thing into another with little effort, and even his tutors were often fooled. Klaus was much-loved, and given anything he desired by his parents, except the one thing he wanted most: freedom. His parents feared how the villagers might look upon him should they know he possessed powers they would consider devilish. They feared for his life, in fact, so much that he could not even go into the village on his own, only guarded by an attendant.

Klaus never truly understood their fears, or just how superstitious the townsfolk were of magic, and chafed under their rules. He wished to be free so much that one day he fled the castle, and ran into the woods where he intended to break free of his chains forever. He ran for a day and a night, never stopping long out of fear he would be caught, until his body was exhausted. Late at night, he collapsed, and thought he would die to the wolves that prowled the forests. But he was rescued from death that night, and brought into the home of a young woman who lived alone in the forest. Her little shack was humble, but cozy, and she fed Klaus what little food she had. She did not even know his name, but she saved his life without a second thought. Klaus fell in love with that woman, though young as he was he was not sure what to make of his feelings, and begged to know her name. "Francesca", she told him.

He stayed there for several days as Francesca nursed him back to health. He was let out to play in the day, though the woman did not follow him and stayed in her dark hut, waving at him from time to time as she watched him frolic. At night, he would hardly sleep at all, sitting by the woman's boiling stewpot over a crackling fire, sharing stories of his life in his castle. He showed her tricks and illusions, for the first time in his life having an audience to the magic he loved to perform. She was awestruck. Klaus believed he might never return home for how much he had come to enjoy his time living with her. But it was not to last.

Several weeks passed, and at last people came for Klaus in the dead of night. But they did not come peacefully. A mob of villagers armed with torches and weapons surrounded the woman's hut, and demanded she come out and face the wrath of God. "You will not take this boy," they screamed alongside verse and prayer. Klaus was confused, and the woman revealed her secret to him: she was a vampire, a cursed beast not meant for the light of day. She lived alone not out of choice but of fear of the humans that would kill her if she was found. And found her they had, all because of Klaus. At the head of the mob were his own parents, prepared with their guards to storm in and kill the kind woman that Klaus loved. The boy did not understand their fears, their hatred, and could only feel resentment they would want someone such as her to die. So he made his choice, and asked Francesca to do him a favor: make him like her, so that they might be together forever.

She accepted.

Empowered by the bite of the temptress, Klaus turned his magics upon the village, upon his parents and his friends. They turned upon each other, maddened and seeing beasts where their kin stood. They slaughtered each other in a slurry of blood and rage. Klaus did not mind, at last feeling free of his burdensome home, and chose to stay forevermore with his love, who took him as her consort.

Many centuries have passed since that fateful day, and although Klaus has not aged from the eleven year old boy he was physically, his power has grown immensely. In the new world born of the Crimson Moon disaster vampires are a true rarity, most Dead Apostles having been eradicated in one way or another. It is hard to hide when so few humans and remote places to hide remain. But he now makes his home upon the Eden Cluster, living as the orphaned youth of a wealthy couple, his wife now disguised as his aunt and guardian. His power of illusion has grown to the threshold of changing reality itself. A wave of his hand can change not only the world you see, but the world you know. His command over the senses is absolute, and his home has become steeped in his own magic, warping into a Reality Marble that he may alter into whatever world he sees fit. With his faithful Lancer guarding the door, he enjoys his freedoms in solitude as the Holy Grail War erupts all around him, only venturing out when he needs to round up a few victims to feed upon. Though he cannot do so carelessly; a member of the Seraphim known by the surname de la Fuente has been stalking him as of late. Her ancestor, a fellow Angel of Death and instrument of God's Will, once hunted Klaus himself. Belka intends to settle the score.

THE THRONE’S LANCER – Olyndicus
Parameters
STR: B
END: A+
AGI: A
MAN: D
LUK: A

Skills:

Roaring Prophet: B (Lancer channels the furor of his gods like a living faucet. His strength in battle is tied to his faith, and as he grows in power expanding their influence and cutting down the followers of false faith, so too does his power wane if he strays from his gods.)

Disengagement: B (A skill that resets the conditions of battle if Lancer is to retreat. When withdrawing, the conditions of combatants are returned to their state before the battle began.)

Divinity: E (Contact with a primal artifact has altered the state of Lancer's being.)

Battle Continuation: C

Subversion: B

Noble Phantasms:

Olonicus: Silver Spear of Regression: EX (A glorious spear that faintly glows with the power of forces older than memory. In Lancer's life, as he called to the gods of his ancestors for a tool with which he might repel the Roman transgressors that had stamped down his culture, his prayer was answered by this spear descending from the heavens. Every inch of its untarnished surface is coated with letters of a forgotten language exalting gods who no longer have names. It is the answer to a prayer hearkening for a time before modernity, before the oppression of a dominant culture. This Noble Phantasm is a method to reject modernity itself. In the presence of this spear the creations of the present break down. The world itself slowly reverts to as it was in its primal days. Mana gathers in abundance and the influence of man is wiped away. Though the process is slow passively, Lancer may impose this change immediately by expelling the silver light of his spear, eradicating everything that comes from after the Age of Gods within a hundred yards. This Phantasm is the ultimate enemy of the world mankind has wrought for itself.)

Lancer is a savage looking man, with black hair like the plumage of a raven, tipped with a deep red like blood. His eyes are red as well, unlike their natural color from his physical contact with his spear. He wears a woolen shawl wrapped around his torso, and carries at all times the gift of his gods: a silver spear that predates humanity, symbolic of the tumultuous origin of the gods themselves. His personality is fervent and faithful, eager at all times to prove his piety to his gods by slaying his foes and spreading their name to his victims. His hatred for the culture of man, especially the decadent nations such as Rome is deep seated. His desire is to return all to nil, and recreate a world that he can comprehend: one where the gods rule and men are their loyal servants. He lacks any pride in himself and views his body as a vessel for his lords, and has found if not a kinship than an understanding with his master, himself an inhuman freak unsuited for modernity and wishing for what is past.

In battle he is like a hare, moving not by steps but by tremendous leaps and quick bursts of speed that put him above or behind his foes, unable to defend as he strikes from unorthodox angles. He was a rebel in life and lacks the pride of the average knightly servant, instead valuing the ability to place results above personal glory. He and his master's shared resentment of man allows them to cooperate excellently on the battlefield, Klaus's illusions complementing the indirect tactics of Lancer.

THE FIFTH THRONE – Takashi Mutou
Origin: Friction, Age: 27, Sex: Male, Mage level: D

Takashi is a relatively fresh recruit of the military police, and his appearance is generally a frazzled one. His hair never manages to quite stay the way he combs it, and his uniform is never on just right. His personality amounts to constant exasperation, and despite serving with the MPs he has no discipline to speak of, speaking rudely to anyone he meets without regard to their station. He is lucky to have summoned a servant like Assassin, whose demeanor of casual acceptance forgoes the compulsion a more honorable hero might have to beat some sense into their ingrate of a master. Although he is a pain to work with unquestionably, there’s a little spark of childlike fascination still within him for that distant ideal called justice. He’ll never admit it even if his life were on the line, but his reason for joining the military police was because he thought, in his youth, that being an officer of the law seemed pretty cool. Though he attempted to work with his fellow MP and master, Sturlsson, their personalities were irreconcilable, and they parted ways after a violent clash between their servants. He now tries to keep order in the chaotic battlegrounds in his own way.

THE THRONE’S ASSASSIN – Nobunaga Oda
Parameters
STR: C
END: B
AGI: A
MAN: C
LUK: A-

Skills:

Magic Resistance: C (Born from Assassin’s status of nemesis towards all things of mystery.)

Presence Concealment: D- (Assassin is poorly qualified for Assassin in the sense of requiring subtlety. She is almost antithetical to stealth and stands out in any crowd. She can use her Demon King skill to enhance this skill to a level more suiting for an Assassin.)

Military Tactics: B

Charisma: B-

Demon King: A (A skill somewhat like Innocent Monster that Assassin intentionally activates, rather than having effects based on the perceptions of others. She can alter her appearance and presence somewhat.)

Tenka Fubu – Innovation: A (Grants modifiers leaning in Assassin’s favor the higher the opponent’s Divinity or mystery or the more an enemy is the guardian of the establishment or tradition. Grants domination towards foes that represent the magic and mystery of the world, but actually inflicts demerits and lowers her strength against modern, mundane opponents.)

Pitiful Illness: A (A deceptive skill only available to Nobunaga in the class of Assassin. Careful manipulation of her own charms and use of her transformation skill permits her to feign debilitating illness or injury which prompts sympathy in those near her. Used to get closer to targets she intends to murder.)

Phantasms:

Three Thousand Worlds: E~EX (Born from Nobunaga’s dream of unifying her country and from the three lines of fire strategy she employed in her armies. Three thousand arquebuses take formation around her in three ranks and fire volleys in every direction. This skill is effected by Assassin’s Innovation skill and increases in strength against foes with Divinity or mystery, while against foes with little or none bear only as much effectiveness as normal weapons of such make would. That said, three thousand firearms brought to bear against a target is still a force to be reckoned with. Also bears the unique boon of having a secondary buff against enemies with skill in Riding.)

Demon King of the Sixth Heaven: E~EX (The true Noble Phantasm of Assassin, a Reality Marble based upon her brutal deeds in the destruction of the Shinto and Buddhist faiths. Within this world Assassin appears nude and the world around her changes to reflect a scorching hell wherein the reverence and fear of the Demon King comes to life. Like the Innovation skill it is naturally opposed to the Divine and the mysterious, and those who bear such traits cannot bear to exist in such a hellscape, granting Nobunaga “absolute power” over them.)

A bizarre-looking servant, Assassin is what appears to be a young girl in a military dress uniform with a frightening color scheme. She carries a pair of matchlock rifles and an officer’s sword, though more rifles seem to come whenever she beckons them. A devilish king who sought to unify Japan, Assassin carries herself in a manner suiting a warlord, yet it looks bizarre considering her appearance. Haughty and proud, she is fascinated by all things new and untried, and as such considers the Eden Cluster an unexplored paradise in the making. She is remarkably well-mannered for one called the Demon King, and has reacted well to the brusque manner of her master. Though she treats him as something of a subordinate rather than as a true master, they have settled into a stable working relationship, Assassin taking the lead and Takashi complaining from the rear.

The Sixth Throne – Billy
Origin: Natural, Age: 9, Sex: Male, Mage level: E

A young boy that lives on the Eden Cluster, with sandy hair and rosy cheeks. Since as far back as he can remember he has loved animals. They are a precious rarity on Earth and the Eden Cluster alike, after the Crimson Moon Disaster wiped out most life on the planet. Pets are expensive, and Billy’s family couldn’t afford one, so instead he came to the zoo as often as he could. Originally constructed as part of a conservation effort, the tremendous facility and grounds house what species of wildlife and flora that could be rescued from the devastated planet, kept safe for future generations to admire as the past of their home. There he can look at and read about all the life that could once be found on the Earth. When the Heaven’s Feel began and the entrancing spell was cast upon the citizenry, Billy found himself awake while everyone else slept. Though a servant had come to his side he was more concerned when he realized that no one would be taking care of the animals at the zoo. With Rider’s help, he has become a sort of one-man zookeeper, living on-site and making sure the animals there are safe and fed. He has no concern for the war itself, but as time wears on and no one wakes, he begins to worry for the well-being of his charges. There are only so many days’ worth of supplies for feeding, and he isn’t sure where to acquire more.

THE THRONE’S RIDER – Noah
Parameters
STR: A
END: C
AGI: D
MAN: A
LUK: D

Skills:

Riding: B (Rider is skilled at piloting vehicles, and can guide animals well, though she cannot ride them with proficiency. This skill also acts as Animal Dialogue of the same rank.)

Divinity: E

S--- and V---: A (A skill denoting Rider's control over water, and the means to command both it and the tempestuous familiar that accompanies her.)

Husbandry: A (A skill that denotes the ability to cultivate any animal population into working beasts. The animal's natural talents and strengths are multiplied many times over and it becomes capable of following complex commands from Rider. It is a skill that cannot work in communion with Animal Dialogue, as one embodies harmony with nature and the other imposes man's dominion upon it. After using this skill upon a beast, Rider may no longer communicate with it as an equal, only as a Master to a servant, regardless of how beloved the servant may be.)

Phantasms:

The Ark of Noah: Amidst the Sea, Upon Ararat, Genesis: EX (The Ark of Genesis is a tremendous structure constructed of reeds and slathered in pitch. It is too tremendous to be summoned on a whim, and must be constructed by Rider, either through the gathering of proper materials or by the accumulation of mana to the ship's frame. Once constructed, the ship is immobile outside of water and possesses no means of propulsion. It possesses no offensive capability, and instead serves as a shelter for Rider and any beasts she has come to possess. Within the Ark these beasts are regarded not as within modernity but as the ancient creatures they descend from. They grow closer to their primal roots and become exponentially more fearsome. The outside of the Ark us a bulwark against the divine, blessed with safe passage to withstand the cataclysmic means in which Rider's god chose to end the age and wipe away human civilization. So long as one is inside this Ark, they need not fear acts of god.)

S------ and V------: B (A single familiar stays close to Rider's side at all times. It is the size and shape of a young woman but formed by clear, ever-flowing water. Its true name has been obscured by Rider and its power diluted, but it is still a powerful Noble Phantasm that carries the enduring nature of still waters and the rush of an angry sea. With the tides its mood alters, and it transfers between a calm entity that guards its master and a vicious creature that drowns servants in water that consumes their mana.)

???

Rider is a heavenly beauty, a woman well over six feet in height - with the muscles and strength to match - that boasts fairer skin than any woman still alive. Her hair is dark, straight, and long, coming down to her hips in a beauteous unbroken shape. Her heavenly beauty is belied by her humble clothes. She wears simple blue coveralls scrounged up by her thoughtful young master, and over her shoulders drapes a colorful woolen shawl. A wide-brimmed hat shields her from the son, and her weapon of choice is a spear with several tips, more like a pitchfork than a weapon of war.

Rider has a deep, earthy voice and a rustic tone like one who spends little time in civilization. She prefers the company of beasts, and works best when in their presence. She cooperates well with them, and though she hates to do so may train them to serve as familiars for her. It was fortuitous she came to the master she did, as a zoo is a perfect home for this servant. She has constructed a strong web of security with the beasts she has tamed, early warning systems to help her and her master avoid conflict with servants that stumble into their home. In her little hideaway she and her master care for their animals in peace.

Rider is loving and tender to sweet little William, but coarse and unfriendly to anyone else. Her brusque nature meshes poorly with civilized people.

Billy can't help but wonder, though, just who this woman is. She revealed her true name to him when they met, but - though he's a boy, and not so smart by his judgment - he can't understand the strange watery creature that follows Noah around, and how she came to possess it.

THE SEVENTH THRONE – Taya Platt.
Origin: Cling, Age: 6, Sex: Female, Mage level: D+

A young girl with a bubbly face, a bright smile, and wavy locks of golden hair. She is friendly and curious, and possesses something of a tenacious streak, thinking it fun to do “naughty” things that her parents wouldn’t normally let her get away with, but her new friend does, like stay up late and play games with strangers. She wears a long, blue dress and matching slippers, as well as a ribbon in her hair. Her big, bright eyes have a recurring habit of making those who see her melt, and start fawning over her like she’s a puppy. She is a bright and very cheery little girl, but she doesn’t really understand the world around her yet. She thinks of magic as a sort of game, and as a result doesn’t comprehend that the War she’s taking part in is actually getting other people killed. She just thinks she and Berserker are playing with friends. She is a very trusting child, and will naturally attach herself to authority figures like police officers, or knights and royalty, as she has yet to separate her fantasy stories from genuine authorities. The reincarnation of genuine kings and knights in this War has done nothing to help that.

Although she lacks practical application of magecraft due to her young age, she is legitimately talented, even a prodigy. She possesses an abnormally high amount of magic circuits, and her Origin is surprisingly active, permitting her to somehow gain the affection and undying loyalty of a Berserker, the class most infamous for turning on their Masters. And while she doesn’t yet recognize the dangers of it, she does seem to have some intimacy with spells, being able to identify Berserker’s tattoos as rune magic for one thing. She has learned much from her hobby of reading, and though her parent’s identity is a mystery to the other Masters, they assume he must be an influential magus, as she displays knowledge from a variety of texts.

As her Servant has fixated upon the Emperor Nero, she has fixated upon the Red Saber’s master, Hakuno, since he’s the first one to actually humor her when she challenged him to a game of tag. That is to say, he ran for his life when he saw Berserker, and she’s been chasing him ever since.

THE THRONE’S BERSERKER – Boudica
Parameters
STR: A+
END: B+
AGI: B+
MAN: C
LUK: C

Skills:

Mad Enhancement: E- (Berserker was a woman who waged war not with tactics, but ferocity, leading her men in a direct assault and overcoming her foes with nothing but her sheer strength. She was a powerful woman, but never once did she truly lose her mind even in the midst of bloodshed. As such it is unfair to call what she does berserking. She gains little to no benefit from this skill, but as a side benefit has retained her sanity, only her demeanor has changed to become somewhat rougher than usual.)

Rune Magic: A- (Powerful runes are inscribed upon Berserker’s body, and they grant her excellent boosts to her physical stats, compensating for the lack of buffs from Mad Enhancement. However, Boudica has no personal talent for rune magic, and cannot create more runes or use her existing runes beyond their current function.)

Magic Resistance: A+ (Boudica’s runes protect her from all but the highest thaumaturgy.)

Bravery: B

Battle Continuation: A

Oath to the Goddess: B (A crystallization of her oath to drive the Romans from Briton, Berserker gains a large benefit both offensively and defensively when fighting against any Roman servant.)

Phantasms:

Chariot of Boudica: B- (Boudica’s personal vehicle that she rode into battle. Unfortunately without the Riding skill she cannot make proper use of it, and can only use its secondary effect of granting a large defensive boon to herself and her allies.)

Sword of Boudica: B (A sword crowned with the name of victory. Though of fairy make, it carries no special enchantment and is only notable for being the weapon of Berserker. However, in the hands of its wielder it is still a tremendously deadly weapon, and in the Berserker class has empathized with her hatred of the Romans. It has gained an enchantment of further strength against Roman foes.)

A tall and beautiful woman towering over any man around her, with a beautiful body tempered with muscle and long red hair. Her ample body is clothed in a simple white tunic and leggings, with a boiled leather half-breastplate and a red cloak draped across her shoulders. Half of her body is covered in blue war paint that glows when in combat, a form of rune magic she makes use of in warfare to overpower her enemies with sheer strength. Although she is certainly lovely to look at when outside of combat, the twisted snarl she adopts in battle is quite off-putting. She wields her sword and a round shield that upon her arm looks little more than a buckler. She is quite motherly toward her master, and has a loving disposition that can only come from much experience in the art of raising little ankle-biters. Although her love and patience for young Taya is seemingly infinite, her fuse is short among other servants. In particular, when she is around the Saber of Thrones, assaulted by the memory of how she was disgraced, her body violated, upon the order of that woman, she cannot help but rouse herself to a frenzy that rivals the madness her class usually is famed for, and attacks Saber with all her might. Her primary goal is the protection of her Taya, whom she’s taken to calling “little sister”, with the secondary goal of hunting down Emperor Nero and settling her grudge once and for all; and heaven help any who get in her way.

THE CHERUBIM

The second-highest tier of Master, and unique in that they were chosen specifically for the war. Each of the seven Seraphim selected one reliable person to serve as their Cherubim, their eyes and ears upon the battlefield of the Eden Cluster while they operate out of sight. The Cherubim carry six Command Spells.

THE FIRST CHERUBIM – Weylon Mulberry
Origin: Nostalgia, Age: 26, Sex: Male, Mage level: C

A tall, handsome young man with pale skin. His face is smooth and really only able to be described as “pretty”. He has an impressive squint, to the point that you can’t even make out his eyes unless he deliberately opens them wide for you. His bright green hair, which he describes as like a lime, is meticulously coiffed with an overabundance of product. He has a wide grin that can’t help but look unsettling on his otherwise serene face. His tongue is notably stained green from the absurd amount of candy he sucks on. Weylon is dressed simply but well in a vest and dress shirt, with a cross-hatch grey tie. His shoes are always well-shined, and his wardrobe ironed and pressed. He maintains an excellent image, though he mars it somewhat with his love of candy. He has an addiction to sour candies, and carries dozens of them on his person at any given time, popping a new one in as soon as he’s finished the last. He knows every brand and variant of sour candies left on Earth by heart, and will happily recite them to anyone who asks, and will review each individual candy, giving a retelling of his first experience with the candy, all the intricacies of its taste and bouquet, as well as his overall opinion of its worth when taste is combined with rarity and expense. He will even write up a list of recommendations of his personal favorites for others, as well as snacks to pair them with and the proper order to eat them in.

He is also a serial killer, and until recently was on death row. He is not very discriminatory against targets, so long as they are young women or sufficiently effeminate young men, but when “working” for fun and not on behalf of an employer makes a point to only pursue each target once. If they’ve escaped or defeated him once they’ve earned the right to go free. This policy was what allowed one of his victims to reach the police and give them an accurate description of him. He is not sure whether it’s a sign to rethink that policy.

He is completely nonchalant about his killings, and treats them as a hobby in the same way he treats his love of candy, or that others might treat collecting stamps or train sets. He is not an insane individual, as hard as that is to believe. He is perfectly lucid, he insists, and understands the monstrosity of what he is doing quite perfectly. He is not concerned with what others think of his killings, only that he imparts a lesson with them. Only those with proper conviction and understand of their ideals deserve to live. Those who would ignore the lessons they’ve learned and try to live blindly are fools. He has a surprisingly philosophical bent about his murders, and has made a point of remembering the faces and names of every person he has killed. He is respectful to those who have earned it, and even though he knows they won’t return his affections he considers those who have properly demonstrated dedication to their ideals as friends and people to aspire to be like. It is easy to understand why most people don’t believe him when he says he isn’t crazy.

His magecraft is centered on nostalgic memory. Although he is not particularly offensive with it, it is uniquely powerful for granting him the ability to perfectly retain information. He is a master detective, with superb investigation skills that enable him to pursue his targets to the ends of the Earth. He also has a reinforcement spell that enhances his sense of taste to more thoroughly enjoy his candies. He says that it’s better than any sex or drug. He is also capable of using this spell on other people, consuming them in their memories to the point that they confuse them with reality, hindering their ability to fight.

He was sponsored as the first Cherubim by Salem Harwey, the young heir of the Harwey family and one of the head conspirators of the Seraphim, high-ranking members of the Plutocracy that remade the Heaven’s Feel in secret. Both being philosophical in nature, Salem often visited Mulberry’s cell and spent entire days discussing the nature of the world and humanity with him. He was one of the few that believed the killer’s pleas of sanity. They built up a mutual respect with each other as peers, and Weylon is perfectly happy to serve Salem as a form of enforcer in this War out of gratitude for getting him out of death row.

THE CHERUBIM’S SABER – Musashi Miyamoto
Parameters
STR: C
END: A
AGI: A+
MAN: B
LUK: A

Skills:

Instinct: A

Magic Resistance: B

Eye of Mind (True): A

Eye for Art: B

Joker’s Wile: A (An offensive, insulting, and at times viciously cruel tactic; a fighter who taunts, frustrates and otherwise infuriates their opponents into a rage, negating the worth of any mental skill such as Eye of the Mind (True), Military Tactics, or Bravery. Completely worthless against insane foes.)

Eternal Arms Mastership: A (Mastership of combat arts has reached the point of being said to be unrivaled in one's era. By complete merging of mind, body and technique, it is possible to make use of full fighting skills even when under the influence of any sort of mental hindrance.)

Phantasms:

Niten Ichi, Two Heavens as One: A+ (The method developed by Saber as his means of combat, detailed in his Book of Five Rings. To call it a form is a misunderstanding, as above all the lack of rigid structure is emphasized in Niten Ichi. Rather it is the pursuit of victory at all costs, as should be the primary goal of any combatant. He wields two blades simultaneously: a full-length katana and a shorter companion sword. Both can be considered Noble Phantasms in their own right, but it is only by acting in concert that the full potential of his Noble Phantasm is unleashed. Both swords are gripped lightly, with only the ring and pinkie fingers held tight, the other two and the thumb being held loosely to the grip. His stance is grounded and simple in motion. He moves and strikes as he wishes, forgoing form and choosing instead to strike where his opponent is weakest. In close combat, this style cannot be surpassed. Saber’s already remarkable defensive prowess becomes an impenetrable wall, where any strike made against him is perceived as if by precognition, and his body flows naturally to counter it. Their offensive power cannot be scoffed at either, their rapid and vicious strikes landing so sharply as to slice through solid stone or metal with ease. This culmination of technique makes Saber a truly deadly opponent.)

Bokken: The Oar Sword: C (A hidden training sword, carved from an oar to use in a true emergency. Saber’s secret weapon, while appearing fairly pathetic, is an attack made in desperation that can catch almost any fighter flat-footed. Hidden beneath Saber’s clothes, the blade is cumbersome and difficult to draw as an ordinary weapon, and under normal circumstances is even weaker than his non-Phantasm blades. As an emergency tactic, though, it is far more powerful. At the cost of discarding both his katana and companion sword simultaneously, for the duration of the battle, Saber can draw his Bokken into his hand as a free action, a move rivaling True Magic with its sheer speed. He can then immediately stab the sword wherever his target’s defenses are weakest. When used in this manner, the wooden blade is more than strong enough to pierce flesh or even light armor, and can lead to a severe wound, or even death depending on where the strike is placed.)

Monohoshizao: Laundry Drying Pole: D- (A nodachi notable for lacking any sort of handguard. While under the care of its true wielder it would be a devastating weapon, Saber lacks the training and skill to use its ultimate technique Tsubame Gaeshi. As a result, it is only a particularly strong nodachi, and mainly serves as a trophy that Saber may use as a last resort, when even his Bokken has been broken. Saber hates resorting to such a cumbersome thing, as the overcompensating weapon goes against his combat philosophy.)

A well-built man with sun-tanned skin. He appears to be in his early thirties. His clothing is a loose black yukata with an overlaid pattern of beautiful, bright pink flower blossoms. Over his shoulders he wears a thick wrapped scarf that covers up both the shoulders and everything of his torso from the collar up. The dark scarf has two ends that dangle behind him as he walks. He wears studded gloves over his hands and walks on wooden sandals. His hair is bundled up into a knot behind his head, and his only facial hair is his wild and thick sideburns. His brows are thick and his face severe, but not brutish. He is not particularly handsome; he has the bone structure for it, but his face is scarred by a blotted red rash and a few specks of scar tissue. Two swords are at his waist in a gray sash, one a wakizashi and the other a katana. A third sword, a much longer nodachi, is strapped across his back; a trophy from his greatest foe, Sasaki Kojirou. It is called Monohoshizao.

He is an even-voiced man with calm temperament, but surprisingly emotional in his reactions. He does not take well to criticism, or accusations of foul play in his actions. He is fond of dueling, but is not so honor-bound as to willingly enter a fight he cannot win. Somewhat hypocritically, he is fully willing to do anything in his power to even the odds in a fight he is likely to lose, even cheating or sabotage. He is cruel and pointedly mocking to his opponents, making light of them and insulting them in any way he can, baiting them into losing their focus and slipping more easily into a deadly disadvantage. He has a philosophical outlook on life, and believes that the key to a fulfilling life is to immerse oneself in a variety of skills and vocations. As a result, he is not only a swordsman, but a writer and artist as well. One would not expect him to have anything in common with his murderous Master. But surprisingly they have struck up a genuine and beneficial friendship with each other. Saber has been teaching Weylon the arts of the brush and the pen, and in return Weylon has introduced Saber to the shockingly delicious world of sour candy. They also enjoy each other’s company and will often share tea and discuss various philosophies, and debate over the thinkers of old. This symbiotic partnership has resulted in a very efficient and dedicated team that work very well together.

Saber is deceptive in his appearances. He has no magical blade, no godly ancestor to call upon, and even his secret weapon is merely a carved piece of wood. It is not his trump cards that make him a servant worthy of serving the Seraphim, but his skill. A man who never knew rivalry in his era, it is not unfair to call him the greatest swordsman. His skill is such that it makes a mockery of any it is brought against, and even without a secret power to call upon like swords such as Excalibur, his blades cannot be scoffed at. Though simple in kit he could be called the most dangerous Saber in the Holy Grail War.

THE SECOND CHERUBIM – Jack
Origin: Magnetism, Age: 63, Sex: Male, Mage level: B-

A scraggly, unkempt man with deep brown skin blotted with dirt, grime, and the other odds and ends that come from fifty years of homelessness. His hair is long and matted, and has almost all turned grey now, mostly kept out of sight under a ratty red woolen hat. He has a wide nose, wide cheekbones and an even wider smile, his most notable feature even if it’s missing a few teeth. He’s a little on the shorter side, but of the sort where you can tell he was taller in his youth. He is dressed warmly, with wool mittens, old snow boots, sweatpants over long johns, and a big green parka over a sweater with a blue cross on the left shoulder. He’s sure he had a real name at some point, but he’s forgotten it, though it doesn’t matter to him much. He’s fine with the one he’s got now. A very relaxed man, Jack is at ease with the world, himself, and his place in the grand scheme of things.

In his youth he was a promising magus, but his family was obscenely poor, and unable to pay tuition for his education, and unable to get a loan or sponsorship from a larger family. They eventually lost everything, even their home, forcing them out into a life on the streets. His parents, even in destitution, taught him everything he needed to know about the important things in life. “Wasn’t money, wasn’t no roof nor some fancy job or hobby that made you happy. Daddy always told me, ‘Only you know how to make you happy.’”

He loves to sing, though he isn’t very good at it with his old smoker’s voice. He loves dancing, even if one leg’s gone stiff on him. He loves watching the stars at night, swapping stories about what parts of his life he recalls. He loves good company most of all, and asserts they’re the biggest part of living. Today, he isn’t a particularly promising magus, but he knows more about its practice than others expect. His greatest asset is his unrelenting desire to be happy, to the point that almost nothing can discourage or upset him. His magic centers around magnetism, of a sense. He can draw himself to an object, or an object to him, or repel them in a similar fashion.  It isn’t as literal as it might sound.

He’s befriended many people over the years, even people far above his station. When she was only a little girl, Miss Evangelina Edelfelt went on a little adventure, and wound up venturing far, far away from home, out into the countryside. Only, when night fell, she realized she couldn’t find the way back. She wandered around aimlessly, crying her eyes out until she found Jack, sleeping underneath a tree. Jack calmed down the little girl, wiped away her tears and guided her back to her home with his magic. Her parents were so glad to see her they didn’t even notice Jack as they ushered her in and slammed the door in his face. He just smiled and waved goodbye as Evangelina looked at him out their window. Her parents never even learned his name, but Evangelina never forgot him. Many years later, as one of the Seraphim, she was asked to select a trustworthy candidate to be her Cherubim. She didn’t hesitate to give her answer.

THE CHERUBIM’S ARCHER – George Washington
Parameters
STR: D
END: C
AGI: C
MAN: A
LUK: A+

Skills:

Independent Action: B

Charisma: A

Instinct: A

Six-Star General: -- (An honorary, posthumous title granted by the people of his nation to him, signifying his place as the greatest military leader they’ve ever had. So long as the spirit of their nation lasts, no one shall ever outrank him. A mental buff that renders him immune to all effects of another’s skills or Phantasms reliant upon their superior rank or status.)

Hour of Need: EX (Archer, in spite of his legend, was not a military commander worthy of the skill of Military Tactics. His strategies were often flawed, and he lost many battles. However, the faith of his men and what knowledge he did have he used to his fullest advantage, and created miracles upon the battlefield. At pivotal moments, a successful Luck check can completely reverse a losing battle and grant Archer the wisdom and strategy he requires to defeat an undefeatable foe.)

Phantasms:

Continental Army: We the People of the United States: A+ (A combination of an Anti-Army and Anti-Fortress Phantasm, and Archer’s primary means of combat. His projectiles are not his personal weapons, but the guns and cannons of every man under his command. He can summon any portion of the Continental Army at will to fire a volley of shot at his foes, ranging from a single man to a regiment thousands strong. As a tactician, Archer employs these men intelligently, placing them upon rooftops, around corners and in opportune areas to ambush foes and drive them into a corner, where the full might of his guns may be brought to bear.)

Crossing of the Delaware -- Freedom Above Civility: B (In an assault that earned Washington infamy among his foes, he ignored the sanctity of the holiday of Christmas, attacking his foes under cover of night while they rested. The boons of this Noble Phantasm are twofold. First is his impressive ability to conceal large groups of people with the skill an Assassin might conceal themselves. Archer may shroud up to three hundred people from sight, and mute what sounds they make, so long as they remain within his sight. Second, the barriers of honor and integrity collapse before him. No barrier, physical or magical, intended to prevent one from entering an area or participating in a battle may hold him, as he passes through with ease. Washington's dismissal of formal tactics in war was among his greatest strengths.)

Minutemen -- Hidden Army at the Ready: C (Archer possesses the ability to deputize noncombatants and arm them to participate in battle. Be they other Servants, civilians or his own master whomever he selects received a musket and a great enough boost in stats to rival a lesser servant, so that they might fight for their desires with their own two hands.)

Cherry Tree-Cutting Hatchet: I Cannot Tell A Lie: C (Born from a tall tale around Archer’s youth, the hatchet upon his hip is indicative of his virtues. Archer is frank with his words and may never lie, but so in turn he may not be lied to. When wielding his hatchet, all Presence Concealment within the radius of the distance he can throw his weapon is undone, and all mental hindrance is resisted.)

A tall, strong man of noble countenance. His hair is brown and short, his preferred wig removed at the request of his Master so as not to instantly give away his identity. Dressed in a blue coat of the style of his time and rugged casual wear beneath, he carries a saber, a hatchet and a pistol at his side. He is even-handed in appearances, deliberately playing up his stoic nature. In truth, he is an astoundingly bombastic man, and can ham it up with the best of them; playing up his thunderous voice and over-animated motions on the field of battle, he becomes an inspiring and terrifying figure. He is a respectable leader, though he is not particularly prodigious at it. He is instead notable for his willingness to lead from the front, camping alongside his troops and stepping onto the field of battle to direct his army. He suffers alongside those who would fight for his cause, and knows the name of each of his soldiers by heart. He often gives gifts and pays visits to them on the eve before battle and lifts their spirits. His greatest quality on the field of battle is in fact his luck, and his ability to perceive the course of action necessary to overcome astounding odds. In tandem with the overwhelming firepower of his Continental Army, Archer brings war itself against his foes.

Archer was uncertain of how to react when he was summoned as the Servant of a black master. A reversal of everything he knew in life wasn’t easy to deal with in the spur of the moment. But he has settled into his role, and has accepted that times have changed. He always tried to be good to his own servants, and he supposes he can only be thankful that he was blessed with a master who does the same for him. He and Jack have become friends, engaging in the Holy Grail War as peers.

THE THIRD CHERUBIM – Ruka Cob
Origin: Dazzle, Age: 18, Sex: Female, Mage level: A

A short, awfully skinny girl who at first glance seems to be a shambling corpse or ghoul of some sort. She has tremendously odd posture, and her knees are bent forward from her upper body, which seems to almost lean back from her legs in midair. Her arms tend to dangle loosely by her sides, and she doesn’t do much with them. Odd in speech as in motion, she refers to herself in the third person. It seems to cause her pain to animate much, but she always has a big smile whenever she moves at all. It almost appears as if she enjoys the pain. And in a way, she does. The fact that she’s feeling the pain of motion at all is such an exciting sensation to her. Her skin is pale and almost has a gray tone, it’s so wanting for sunlight. Her eyes are big and quite beautiful, despite their lack of vibrant color, but they’re so sunken in and sleep-deprived it’s hard to notice past the baggy eyelids. She has long, meticulously combed hair that stretches down to her knees, which she tops with a big pointed brown hat that tips over to its side. She wears a short duke blue dress over a gray-and-white striped shirt and yoga pants, with little black buckled shoes.

Despite her bizarre and off-putting appearance, she is chipper and upbeat, although she’s ever so slightly smug amid the rush of her new lease on life. She’s still riding the high of her newfound mobility, and feels untouchable. Her magecraft is centered on over-the-top explosions and detonations, whether to blind or obliterate. Although she’s a decade out of practice, her raw talent still makes her a very legitimate threat. The spells have a tendency to… backfire, however, and she’ll blow herself up as often as the enemy some days. She can get pretty vicious with her spells, and gets a little too much enjoyment out of making her enemies go up in smoke.

As a child, Ruka was the victim of a hit and run. Although she survived, she lost all control of her body below the neck and effectively became a vegetable. Explaining this fate to a six-year old girl wasn’t easy. But that was only the beginning of her trouble. Her parents, up until now ardent supporters of their little prodigy and her magical studies, dropped out of her life entirely. She was never returned to her home, and never saw them again. Over years, she pieced together the story: her parents paid the hospital a large sum of money to keep and care for her permanently. And that was the end of it. They left her there and never came back. She spent most nights crying. She had no life outside of the hospital, and almost never left her room. Her body atrophied with age, to the point that she barely looks older than a child even as she nears adulthood. By the present day, she had fallen into such a deep depression that it was rare to even hear her speak. That is, until she was approached one day by a curious man. His name was Lucien Rey. He was charming, flattering, and tremendously beautiful. He came to her with a beautiful-smelling bouquet of flowers, and a box of chocolates which he hand-fed to her. He called his gifts a “reminder of the world that exists outside these walls.” This mysterious man told her that he was the most powerful man in the Eden Cluster, and said that if she wanted him to, he could grant her what she wanted most: the ability to walk outside again, the chance to feel the wind on her face, the warmth of the sun… the touch of another person’s skin on her own. With his silver tongue he beguiled her, and she was willing to do anything for that chance. He gave her a scroll made of vellum, written in blood. A geis scroll. He promised to give her all of that and so much more, if only she would pledge her loyalty to him and his commands.

She was more than willing to sign, but had no way to move her arm. Lucien told her that was already taken care of. She was whisked away to surgery, and put under anesthesia. When she awoke, she had been harnessed with an elegant exoskeleton, a line of metal vertebrae that went down her spine, and assistive servos fused to her joints. Only days later, Lucien pulled her to her feet for the first time since she was a child, and with his help she signed the scroll. And so she became his slave. She has been sent into the War as Lucien’s puppet to do his bidding without requiring him to reveal himself. She does it happily; she’s fallen hopelessly in love with the man who gave Ruka her life back. She is very neurotic, however; she’s been hearing the rumors spreading of a woman named Ghyslaine. A few loose tongues have had the gall to claim that she’s been betrothed to Lucien. Suffice to say, Ruka won’t suffer an intrusive woman like that to live. But more than anything else, she’s just ecstatic to be alive and moving again, and she won’t let anything send her back to her old life.

THE CHERUBIM’S LANCER – Achilles
Parameters
STR: B+
END: A
AGI: A+
MAN: D
LUK: E

Skills:

Magic Resistance: C

Battle Continuation: A

Affections of the Goddess: B (Affection of his mother, Thetis, grants all parameters besides Mana and Luck a rank-up.)

Divinity: C

Phantasms:

Dromeus Kometes: A+ (A manifestation of Lancer’s legend as the fastest of all heroes. Though it requires his weak-point to be exposed, his speed is at a point that cannot be matched by any other heroic spirit on foot.)

Andreias Amarantos: Amaranth of the Brave: (Be it by bathing in the river Styx or by the warmth of fire burning away his human blood, Lancer was granted the gift of true immortality. It is a total defense that negates all damage that Lancer receives, and it may not be overridden by any amount of strength or sharpness. Only two ways to circumvent his immortality exist: those with Divinity may damage him, the higher the Divinity the less damage is mitigated. Lancer’s own Divinity must be surpassed to deal full damage. Divine Constructs may also harm him. His invincibility does not affect acts of friendship either. Should his weak-point, his heel be struck, Lancer will lose this Noble Phantasm.)

Diatrekhon Aster Lonkhe: Spear-tip of the Star Traversing the Skies: B+ (A simple, black spear well-suited to close combat. Lancer believes it is a spear that is without equal in the task of slaying heroes. Every thrust it makes pierces armor, and every swing crushes skulls. It carries with it a manner of curse, born of the wrath of its wielder that leaves the wounds it inflicts unable to be healed so long as the spear exists. A secondary effect that Lancer perfected with this spear is the creation of a Duel Field that permits two fighters to enter and battle as equals, where no gods, luck or outside forces may interfere. Because of Lancer’s own regret at having used this spear to kill Penthesilia of the Amazons, this spear’s true name and curses cannot be used against women.)

Akhilleus Kosmos: The Miniature World Enclosed by the Azure Sky: A+ (The personal shield of Achilles, forged by the god of smiths Hephaestus, and devised to be the truly ultimate defense. It resists assault by drawing forth a miniature world between Lancer and his enemy, formed by the memories of the land Achilles knew as a child. It is said that opposing this shield is to make an entire world your foe, and as such all Noble Phantasms fall short against its power. Only Anti-World Phantasms and rare, circumstantial conceptual counters could hope to destroy this shield. In addition to its defensive abilities, Lancer has devised a means of offense with this shield, where he presses the world produced forward and with its tremendous weight crushes his opponents.)

A beautiful green-haired man, with the appearance of a dashing hero. It is an aggressive appearance, and one that indicates the type of hero that tackled all challenges in his path with vigor. His spirit is wild and carefree, and there is no obstacle he will not face with a smile. But he was a hero that never truly matured until the twilight of his life, and so his personality is difficult. He is childishly stubborn, and feels a natural disinclination to listen to any authority figure. It is the fate of one who was cursed from the day he became a man to live his life blazing like a star, full of radiance and glory but sure to burn out before he could ever grow old. He has a relationship like that of a brother and sister with his master Ruka. Though despite appearances it is Lancer that is the brattier of the two, prone to mood swings and tantrums that the master must deal with, slapping him back to his senses. They often come to blows, but as one of the few points of certainty in Lancer’s love of his master, he takes great care not to harm the machinery she uses to move around.

Though he perhaps serves a villain in the Heaven’s Feel, Lancer does not feel particularly strongly about such things. As far as he is concerned there is only “his” side, he and Ruka, and all those who would stand in their way. If they are his foes then they are the evil he must crush, and as the greatest hero of his era he has already decided that he will cut them all down regardless of who comes to blows with him.

The only wavering in his oath comes from his first encounter with the Lancer of Dominions. To meet the champion of Troy yet again must surely be fate, but with circumstances changed, he feels anxiety of facing him in battle again, as the outcome might not be set in stone.

THE FOURTH CHERUBIM – Kiritsugu Emiya
Origin: Severing and Binding, Age: 29, Sex: Male, Mage level: C+

A dark and strange man dressed in a black suit and trenchcoat, with long hair and a blank face. His eyes lack emotion. He is the man known as the magus killer, and infamous for his ruthless and cruel methods in tracking and killing other magi. Once, as a child, he held the dream of becoming a hero, an ally to justice that could save the lives of all those around him. But with age has come bitterness, and the realization of cold reality: to choose to save one is to condemn another. And so he has become a different kind of hero, the sort of man who will benefit humanity by choosing to save the many by killing the few. The kind of man that would bring down an entire plane full of people to kill a single man, should it mean saving more people in the long run; he is impossible to comprehend, and anyone who knows his name rightly fears him. Or rather, they feared him when he lived over two centuries ago. Kiritsugu Emiya died in the 1990s peacefully, with only a young son to bury him. The man that calls himself Kiritsugu is a reconstruction by Ozymandias von Einzbern, 10th head of the Einzbern family, last of his bloodline, and leader of the conspirators, the Seraphim. For his Cherubim, he chose not to recruit a member of society and coerce them to loyalty. Instead, he chose to create one. A loyal thrall that would not question its purpose to kill. The result was Kiritsugu, a homunculus implanted with the genetic material of the real Kiritsugu and granted the memories and personality he had, via post-hypnotic suggestion, in the earliest days of his working for the Einzbern family in preparation of the 4th Holy Grail War. Granted, these memories have been altered, with events tweaked so as to fit the reality of living in the present day. This Kiritsugu has no knowledge that he once had a family. A wife, a daughter, a son. The softer side of the magus killer is nowhere to be found in this man, and he is to be feared by all those present on the Eden Cluster. Not even the white-haired Archer that calls him “Father” is safe. Yet all the same, there is something he finds familiar about that servant, and it has raised questions that he wishes to answer. The more he looks at it, the more irreconcilable his memories seem to be with the world he lives in. Flashes of images he cannot recall, yet stir him with feelings he cannot explain.

THE CHERUBIM’S ASSASSIN – Anansi the Spider
Parameters
STR: C
END: D
AGI: B
MAN: D
LUK: A

Skills:

Divinity: A

Storyteller: B (Assassin is an excellent liar; he is a creature that became a god through trickery and guile, and so understands better than most how to alter perception with words alone. Assassin can through careful use of words alter foe’s perceptions of him so as to appear as an ally, or harmless.)

Clairvoyance: A-- (Once said to have gathered all the wisdom in the world to a single place, Assassin has access to tremendous amounts of knowledge. However, to make use of this power tickles his nature inclination to hubris, and skews the results of what he sees.)

Transformation: A (Assassin, having once been no more than a simple spider, may revert to his true form at any time. Though small, he can easily go unseen. His webs are strong and his venom stronger. Indeed it is in this form his best suited to assassination rather than his preferred trickery. Though being a divine creature now, should he wish, he might make his spider form gigantic rather than small. A beast larger than any building. While not subtle, such a form surely has advantages of its own.)

Presence Concealment: B (In conjunction with his ability to transform into a spider, Assassin is excellent at going overlooked by others.)

Phantasms:

Spiderwebs: Twisting Lair of the Spider God: C (Assassin’s Noble Phantasm is a support-type Noble Phantasm based upon the webs he made use of in his legend to capture three beasts, and in return was rewarded with godhood and all the stories in the world. Assassin, either through his spinnerets or through any of his pores when in human form, may secrete webs that he uses to form a variety of clever traps. Foes caught within are sapped of their strength and find themselves immobilized, where they are at the mercy of Assassin’s poisonous daggers. Beings of tremendous strength may rip through the webs, but they suffer from a tremendous loss of agility while within the trap.)

A spider god of stories, known for his trickery, that comes from the continent of Africa. Assassin has two forms, an illusory human form that appears as a spindly, charming man with dark skin. He carries two daggers into battle, dipped in poison that is unmatched by any artificial concoction. His true form is that of a tremendous spider, several times more massive than any man. What were daggers as a man are in fact his fangs. For his appearance, naturally horrifying to many humans, he is pleasant and well-spoken, though mischievous as any trickster god would be and fond of spooking unsuspecting people. Assassin is great at avoiding and diverting danger, but he is an unskilled fighter. He works instead as a foil to his master Kiritsugu, luring masters far from their servants, then immobilizes them in his webs. Then, as he distracts the servant, Kiritsugu finishes off the master.  Though seemingly a weaker pair within the Heaven’s Feel, Assassin and his master have formulated a strategy that has already proved deadly to several opposing masters.

THE FIFTH CHERUBIM – Irina Constantin
Origin: Nurture, Age: 44, Sex: Female, Mage level: *

A middle-aged woman who is immediately unnerving to behold. Her skin is mottled with many abrasions, as if she has been frequently scraping or rubbing against random surfaces. Her face is twitchy, and stuck in a mad grin. Her eyes are disturbingly red and beady. She is barefoot, and dressed in a thin pink dress, over which is a straitjacket whose restrains have frayed loose. She is the product of a doctor by the name of Weiss. Weiss was the head physician of an asylum in Edinburgh and a mage whose goal was to reach the Root through means of creating an artificial bloodline that was closer to the genetic structure of the first humans. Weiss intended Irina to be the mother of this bloodline, with her shockingly efficient magic circuits, and genetic material that was uniquely suited to alteration. The genetic material to serve as the “father” came from a benefactor of Weiss’s named Daisuke Emiya. Dr. Weiss impregnated Irina with this material, and used her to give birth to a daughter. But the pregnancy was filled with twisted experiments; Irina was modified, altered, and subjected to mental horrors as Weiss tried to create perfect mother, and in turn the perfect child. The result was a tremendously powerful, but thoroughly broken creature that could no longer be called human.

The last human thought she has left is the memory of her daughter being taken away from her. This is all that still drives her bestial soul. She is incapable of perceiving humans by their true forms anymore. She sees only her daughter and Dr. Weiss. All children, to her, appear as the former, and adults as the latter. The former she pursues fervently, screeching and howling to try and get her to come back to her. The latter she ruthlessly hounds and attempts to kill. This is made much easier by her greatest mystery: A Reality Marble. She has no name for it, but Dr. Weiss studied it thoroughly and dubbed it the Nursery. It is a projection of her perfect life, of the home she would have raised her child in if she had managed to retain her sanity. But neglect and mental decay has turned it into something from a horror movie. The world around her is constantly morphed, and those unfortunate enough to be caught in her Nursery are transported to a rickety, dying old mansion upon what was once a beautiful cliff side overlooking the ocean. But the skies are gray, the water unforgiving and cold, and the beautiful house has grown dark and unwelcoming. The only exit is located within the nursery room of the colossal building, where she would have raised her lovely daughter, but to reach it any victim must brave the horrors located within…

She was left in the asylum alone for many years after Weiss’s experiments drove her insane but was very recently removed, and handed off to Daisuke, who was in need of a powerful weapon to serve as his Cherubim. He had no attachment to this woman, but was certain she would be effective in her mindless task.

THE CHERUBIM’S CASTER – Einstein
Parameters
STR: E
END: D
AGI: E
MAN: C
LUK: C

Skills:

Magecraft: E- (Caster is paradoxically unsuited towards his own class, being both untalented and uninterested in magic.)

Empty Headed: C- (Caster’s mind is devoted wholly to his passions and spares no room for any information not relevant to it. As a result he has trouble recalling simple information, even facts about himself, and is occasionally burdened by a lack of common sense.)

Eye for Art: C

Pioneer of the Stars: EX

Phantasms:

Gedankenexperiment: Philosophy of Science: EX (A Noble Phantasm whose purpose is drawn from the idea of a thought experiment: to draw hypotheses from internal visualization and the application of the mind to calculate actions impossible to physically recreate. Caster’s unique affinity for such thought permits him a level of ability that could be called an alteration of fact. Caster may view his surroundings and, through his mind, perceive an alternate course of events to the one he is observing. Should he be able to logically prove to himself that this new course is feasible, reality adjusts itself to follow this new sequence.)

A frazzled-looking, gauche man in an unflattering sweater, Caster is not the heroic visage one expects when they think of a servant. Though he is not unhealthy it would be incorrect to call this individual physically fit; he is a servant wholly unsuited for combat. However, Caster is by no means helpless. Blessed with a titanic mind and wit, he is the embodiment of all that humankind considers “genius.” Of course such things do not translate into his personality. He is brusque, and pointedly rude, having very little concern for the feelings of others once they are in the way of his work. He is forgetful, and often needs to check a book to recall a fact other people might consider basic trivia. This irritable servant was called into the Holy Grail War to serve as the loyal retainer of one of the seven Cherubim, but he has found himself removed from the battle since its beginning. Due to an unfortunate lack of understanding with his crazed master, Caster was trapped within her reality marble shortly after being summoned, and remains there to the present. Here he has little to do but lose himself within his own thoughts, complain to the walls of his unfortunate circumstances, and guard the innermost secrets of his poor master.

This time has had a positive effect upon his relationship with his master, however. Though he considered her a pest at first, days spent in her Nursery has granted him insight into her suffering; and though he is rude Caster is still a compassionate man at heart.  He has become familiar with the horrors within the Nursery and is regarded as one of them now, able to traverse the dilapidated mansion without hindrance. He finds his Noble Phantasm even works to greater effect within this place, where the definitions of possibility are inherently looser. The truth is he is no longer trapped, but a willing guardian that watches over the little fragments of a soul that his master still clings to.

THE SIXTH CHERUBIM – Brother Kuzey
Origin: Gospel, Age: 29, Sex: Male, Mage level: EX

Ordinarily this man would never see the light of day. His home is deep beneath London, locked behind a hundred bounded fields and guarded by a full complement of soldiers. His curly, dark hair has grown pale, as has his skin, once a beautiful sun-kissed tone. He appears malnourished, and barely eats. Once a simple priest, known for his kind demeanor and earnest faith, Kuzey’s life changed when he awoke to his own origin. He is what might heretically be called a living prophet, and his voice is infused with divine authority. The Word of God. When he speaks, the world obeys. It is incorrect to call it magecraft, it is closer in function to the authority a divine spirit might have over its domain. A simple sentence from him inadvertently slaughtered his parish, and a plea for safety killed the hundred executors sent for his head. In the end only the deadliest member of the Burial Agency, a woman so dangerous that she is called the Angel of Death, was able to subdue him. He was affixed with a permanent gag and locked far away from where anyone could hear his commands. The men who guard him are permanently deafened before they are allowed within a mile of him.

But he is not evil. Kuzey’s gift is one that came against his will, and for all the harm he inflicted he is still a man of God, who willingly suffers his isolation for the safety of others. He loves his fellow man as his savior instructed him. This is why when that same woman, years later, was asked to select her Cherubim, Kuzey is the one she chose. Though he still wears his gag so as not to speak and cause harm, he has entered the Heaven’s Feel. Without words, it is difficult to ascertain his opinion on such a blasphemous ritual. The truth of his opinions are likely only known by himself, his servant and the Angel of Death.

THE CHERUBIM’S BERSERKER – Samson
Parameters
STR: E-~EX
END: E-~EX
AGI: B
MAN: D
LUK: B

Skills:

Divine Fervor: A (Upon summoning his servant, Kuzey was granted one hour from which his gag was removed, and he could speak freely with his servant. He found his Mad Enhancement made Berserker a poor conversational partner, and with a word altered the skill. Berserker’s sanity is now fully restored, but he retains the benefits of Mad Enhancement as well, in addition to a supplementary buff granted from his piety.)

Judge of Israel: A (As one of the Judges, Samson holds authority over those with faith in YHWH. He cannot be harmed by them, nor can he harm them in turn so long as their faith and piety remains intact. He gains boons when battling those of a faith that his people came into direct conflict with.)

Ass’s Jaw: A (Samson may take any mundane object that cannot qualify as a “weapon” under normal circumstances and instead turn it into his Noble Phantasm of C-rank.)

Phantasms:

Seven Locks of Hair: The Strength of God’s Grace: B (The source of Samson’s power, and the symbol of his blessing. So long as he retains his hair, he shall have the blessing of the Lord and a default Strength and Endurance parameter of A. In addition, for every inch his hair grows, he shall receive a further rank-up. There are no limits to this Phantasm and the number of buffs he may receive. However, his strength is split among his seven braids. To remove one braid is to steal one seventh of his power, and to shave him completely robs him of it all. His strength and endurance will fall to rank E- until his hair is long enough to again be divvied into seven braids.)

A powerful man of strong bearing but hunched posture. He is shirtless and wears only simple leggings, over which lay faulds of lamellar armor. He is extremely hairy, and it is for the most part brown, save the hair upon his head. This hair is divided into seven braids, each of which is a different color of the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. These are the source of his tremendous strength, and he grows more powerful as they grow longer. Currently, the braids are four inches in length, and his Master used his brief moment of free voice at the start of the War to command his hair to grow at a more rapid pace. He gains another inch approximately every three days at the current rate. Although he enjoys slaughtering those who deserve his wrath, he is pious and devoted to his Lord, and will follow the tenets that have been laid down since his death. He obeys his Master faithfully, is respectful and loving even to his foes, and offers them a chance at surrender before he destroys them. But to those he finds heretical, it should be noted that he offers no mercy.

THE SEVENTH CHERUBIM – Caitlin Cruz
Origin: Swell, Age: 16, Sex: Female, Mage level: E

A young girl in a blue dress and a heavy brown jacket. The hood is drawn over her head, so others cannot tell that she has no hair. Her skin is paler than it should be, and has a sickly shade to it. She doesn’t like to speak, as her voice has taken a raspy tone. She is introverted, and is very shy around others, fearing that they will judge or pity her. She was born to a lowly family of magi who had fallen from higher standing, and had attempted radical techniques to create an heir with improved magic circuits. They failed in every conceivable way. Their daughter, Caitlin, was even weaker than her parents. And several years ago it was discovered that she had a terminal illness, most likely from the experiments on her in the womb. Her family drove itself into bankruptcy and ruin trying to cure her, taking her to every doctor and spiritual surgeon on the ruined earth and in the Clusters orbiting it. No one has been able to save her, only slow down the rate at which she is dying. The efforts to cure her have taken a toll on her that is almost as great as the sickness itself. She cannot walk without crutches, and her circuits themselves have become diseased. Casting spells causes tremendous pain and shaves off a considerable portion of her remaining lifespan. She and her parents had given up hope before they were approached by a representative of the current Lord of the Babylon Cluster: a man by the name of Clayton Van Oberon. A recluse of great power and wealth that had not interacted with the outside world in years. Yet he approached them, and revealed he had an offer for the family: if their daughter would pledge service to him for the remainder of her life, he would grant her a chance at curing her disease. Though her illness was beyond the power of any medicine known to man, the power of the Holy Grail was one beyond mortal limitations. Should she win him the Grail in the coming Heaven’s Feel, he would use its power to heal her. And so Caitlin became Oberon’s loyal Cherubim. She was weak, and in conventional terms almost worthless as a mage. But Oberon defended his choice against the protests of the rest of the Seraphim. She was dying, and she was scared. The desperation of someone in that position could lead to a ferocity that no one could match.

THE CHERUBIM’S RIDER – Sinbad the Sailor
Parameters
STR: D
END: C
AGI: C
MAN: B
LUK: A

Skills:

Riding: A+

Guile: A (Rider has a chance based upon his Luck versus his opponent’s to discover a way to kill or escape them without direct combat.)

Storyteller: A (Rider is a master of spinning the yarns of a good tale. He is so good, in fact, that he can properly bluff anything that is remotely possible into “something that most likely happened”. This makes him an excellent deceiver and one capable of avoiding conflict with ease. As a side effect, he has managed to bluff an entire Noble Phantasm into existence when it has no true basis in his stories.)

Sea Legs: B (As if guided by fate, Rider can never die by way of water. Should he be submerged in any body of water, he will always be drawn to one shore or another and live.)

Wanderlust: C (Rider is gripped by a constant yearning for adventure, and is not content to sit in any one place for long.)

Golden Rule: A

Phantasms:

The Seven Voyages: By Fortune and Fate: A+ (Rider carries on his belt a copy of One Thousand and One Nights at all times. It is from here he reads and entertains both himself and others, but it is also the greatest source of his power. It is a Noble Phantasm that he can activate seven times only, but every time he activates it, it shall echo the events of one of his Seven Voyages, depending upon how many times he has already activated it. This effect shall always work to his fortune, and in a way that will best aid him in his current situation. For example, if he is trapped or lost and he activates his Phantasm for the fourth time, an animal may appear to lead him to freedom. When he has used the book seven times it shall become inert, and have no remaining power as a Phantasm.)

The Treader: E (A curious Phantasm, indeed. Rider traveled upon many ships in his voyages, but none were of particular note, and almost without fail they were all destroyed. However, as a side effect of his Storyteller skill he has created an amalgamation of all these ships and forced it to become a pseudo-Phantasm, and uses it as his mount. This is a ship that is respectably quick and armed, but most notably is capable of flight as well as traveling the waters. There is no crew, and it seems to move itself based upon Rider’s will. The only unfortunate truth about this marvel of a bluff is that the ships he chose to base it upon were all doomed to violent death. Thus, this Phantasm is doomed to be completely obliterated at some point or another.)

The Roc: The Bird of Wonder: A (Rider’s real mount, but one he can only summon upon the second or fifth activation of The Seven Voyages. A colossal bird which looks similar to the African Crowned Eagle. This bird is a Phantasmal Beast of a ranking just below that of dragons, and died with the Age of Gods. It possesses no supernatural powers, but is such a magnificent beast its existence and basic functions border on Magic. It can scream through the air at speeds and levels of agility that even jet fighters could never match. Its beak is sharp and powerful, and could pierce a tank’s armor with a single rap. Its claws are strong enough to grip and lift even full-grown elephants with ease. Its wings are razor sharp and can cut open any material. Its screech is even deafening to human ears. This is Rider’s ultimate weapon, and not one he uses lightly. Even he has difficulty making use of such a ferocious animal.)

A handsome and charming young Arabic man. His face is bright and full of cheer, with the kind of smile that is contagious. He has a thin beard, as if he can’t quite grow in a proper one yet. He is dressed quite lightly, to the point that one would question if he has no other clothes to wear. A tunic and pants made of pure white cloth, and no shoes whatsoever; he goes barefoot. Around his head is a red sash, from which two red tails trail behind him. A similar sash is wrapped around his waist, secured in which is a leather-bound book, a pouch full of coins, and a beautiful curved sword. His voice is full of wonder and joy, and he speaks with such enthusiasm that you cannot help but be swept up in the marvelous stories he tells. He sees the entire world as opportunity, both for riches and for the thrill of adventure. He loves things that he has not experienced or seen before, be it food or recreation or even life-threatening peril. It is remarkably difficult to scare him from his sense of wonder, though he’ll sober up when the danger becomes particularly clear. He has a silver tongue and uses it to great effect, as he’s not a Servant particularly suited to one-on-one combat. Instead he convinces others that he is no threat, and plays people against one another to do his work for him.

When he was first summoned, he actually immediately tried to run away and abandon his duties as a servant. His masters, the Seraphim, were exactly the sort of men he hated. Those who lurk in shadows and ignore the call of adventure, preferring their secrets and safety to the unknown. He was only drawn back when he learned of his master, Caitlin’s situation. Appealing to his better nature ensured that he couldn’t just crush a girl’s last wish so off-handedly. He was left confused by Caitlin, as he had never before dealt with the sort of certain death that couldn’t be averted with sleight of hand and the wiliness of his words. He has taken a liking to the child, and is distraught by the thought of her death, because he has no way to fight it or trick it away. He has sworn to Caitlin that he’s going to make sure that she’s about to set out on the greatest adventure she’s ever heard of. And no matter what it takes, he’ll find a way to bring her the Grail. He cheated death so many times in life, he’s certain he can do it one last time

THE VOID

An anomaly that was never meant to come into existence. The Seventh Heaven’s Feel was always intended to possess 49 Masters and 49 Servants. Yet somehow, a 50th pair was chosen against the Seraphim’s will. This pair became the Void, and their very existence is the first clue that something within the ritual has gone catastrophically wrong.

THE VOID – Daria Hughes
Origin: Thirst, Age: 22, Sex: Female, Mage level: EX

A bright, cheery and boisterous young woman with short brown hair. Bangs fall over the front of her face, over two bright and wide green eyes. She has an exuberant smile that while enthusiastic has something unsettlingly violent about it. Her personality is an athlete’s, always centered around self-betterment and physical activity. She is competitive to a fault and eager to learn how she stacks up against other athletes and mages alike, despite her talent for it being quite poor. She is short and muscular, being only about five and a half feet tall. There is overall something manic about her appearance. She is dressed in a long-sleeved purple shirt, over which she wears an unbuttoned white dress shirt, overtop of jeans. The most notable thing about her besides her abundance of energy is her neck. A black tattoo is ringed around her neck, made up of some runic pattern that is apparently magical in nature. This is her choker, and it is the only thing keeping her from becoming a monster.

Daria was born on the Atlantis Cluster, the only of the orbital city projects to be deemed a failure, due to the mysterious death of all of its pioneering inhabitants. The truth of the matter is that Daria was the cause. Her father, Dante Carmichael, knew something was different about Daria from birth. Her mother died in the process of giving birth to her, and the doctors noted that all of the mana in her body had vanished, as if sucked up into the infant Daria. It was then they discovered that her Origin was Thirst. In her natural state, Daria has a void in her body that desires to be filled. And to do so, it sucks up all the mana it can from everything surrounding her. While the wildlife living off the spirit of Gaia managed to persist, humans and their own mana, their souls, were of a much lower endurance, and were killed almost instantly. For her and others’ safety, Daria was locked in a forgotten room of their castle, and her existence kept a secret. Only a few maids tended to her needs, and only in short visits so as to avoid death. But Dante did not forget about her. He spent fourteen long years preparing for the greatest moment of his life. The moment he would access the Root. He had always sought the Root by using magecraft to perfect his own body and soul, but now he knew that he was not the key; his daughter was. If she could suck the mana away from other magi, perhaps she could absorb their entire existence? To accomplish this, he began abducting magi from wherever he could find them. Quietly, always certain to take individuals who would not be missed, or whose disappearance could be explained easily. Anyone that had a unique talent or vast reserves of prana was taken, and brought to his dungeons where they were kept until the promised day.

On Daria’s fourteenth birthday, she was finally let out of her room, and brought to a chamber she’d never seen before. She was dressed in a strange gown, and placed atop a pillar. And all around her were laid the comatose bodies of one hundred powerful magi. The girl was scared, and asked her father what was happening. He told her that today was the day she would ascend to godhood. The day that the goal of all magi would be reached at last. He began the ritual, and sacrificed the one hundred magi. Their souls were released, and immediately drawn into Daria’s.

But then something happened. Perhaps Dante had not properly prepared the ritual. Perhaps Daria’s mind was too weak for this strain. Or perhaps it was impossible all along, for such an abomination to be born. But when the hundred souls penetrated her own, it crumbled beneath their weight. She broke. And she became rabid. Her body began to spasm uncontrollably. Her howls of rage and fear echoed in the halls of her father’s manor. Her eyes became golden. And she felt the first craving of her thirst. She turned on her father, and attacked. He tried to defend himself, but the abomination he’d created was so much stronger than him now. She tore out his throat and devoured his body hungrily, all to the sound of his panicked, fading screams. He became a part of her perfection; Daria escaped her family’s castle that night, and was free within the Atlantis Cluster.

Over ten thousand people lived in the Atlantis Cluster at that time. A single night was all it took. She killed and devoured every last one of them. Weeks later, when she descended from her rage, and the thirst subsided, she had forgotten everything except her name. She knew nothing but that, and that she for some reason was the only girl alive on a station slick with blood.

A month passed before someone was brave enough to investigate. A single mercenary was sent in by the Mage’s Association to find out what had happened. And then he was to plant charges and destroy the entire thing, before whatever was inside broke out. This mercenary’s name was Dirk Hughes. He entered the Atlantis Cluster and scoured it up and down, finding nothing but the remnants of carnage. He placed his charges, but on the way back to his shuttle, he encountered a single survivor. A terrified young girl who begged him to stay away. Wherever she went, things died. Just being in her presence drained Dirk. But he decided he couldn’t leave the girl to die, and chose to save her. He used his knowledge of formalcraft to inscribe a tattoo on her neck which he called her “choker”. It restricted her Origin, and prevented its draining nature from manifesting. The only downside was that it caused her potential for magecraft to be restricted to a novice’s. Nonetheless, she had an aptitude for learning, and he chose to take her on as an apprentice, and even a sister of sorts. For years they traveled together, Dirk teaching Daria everything he knew, educating and training her, as well as teaching her to use her own Mystic Code: The Mana Drop, which served as a sort of marionette that parroted her movements, but was strong enough to damage things her flesh could not. He never once told her the conclusion he had come to, that somehow she was responsible for that mass slaughter. He never wanted to burden her with that knowledge.

Their time together was ultimately cut short. Several years ago, Dirk died in a conflict with a rogue mage, leaving Daria alone. Unsure of where to go or what to do with herself, she used the inheritance she was left by her older brother to move to the Eden Cluster, and try to make a new, peaceful life for herself. She joined a baseball team and tried to slip into mundane living, though it has never matched the thrill of following her brother on his dangerous assignments as a mercenary. She had been there for some time now, and was getting into the ease of a leisurely life, but it was not to be; somehow, for some reason, the Grail chose her to be a master. She had some wish that was worth granting, enough to override the place of one of the Seraphim. And so she became The Void. She does not have one of the standard Command Spell sets. Her Spells are only visible when she is at her full strength, and they are horrifying to behold. A vast, twisting spiral of crimson seals that number in the thousands runs across her back, even stretching off of it and floating freely in the air, tendrils of spells jutting out all around her body. They are always there, but can only be accessed without her choker. She has so many spells that her power is effectively limitless, though those few who know of them are mystified and increasingly scared of just what kind of person could become such an anomaly.

She is proficient in hand to hand combat, and her irregular style with the Prana Drop makes her deadly enough to challenge other magi despite her overall incompetence with magic. But it’s when the choker comes off that she becomes a threat on par with even the deadliest of monsters. Magi cannot survive for more than a few minutes in her presence; merely physically touching them drains them even faster. What’s worse, it overrides her “Tabula Rasa” affinity with their own Origin, granting her a crude and limited access to their spells. She can attain full access, as well as incorporating their magic circuits and prana supply into hers if she physically devours their flesh. But to do so would be to re-invite the madness that once overtook her, and led to the death of thousands.

THE SERVANT OF VOID – Cuchulainn
Parameters
STR: B
END: C
AGI: A
MAN: B
LUK: E

Skills:

Territory Creation: B

Mad Enhancement: B

Magic Resistance: C

Battle Continuation: A

Protection from Arrows: B

Divinity: B

Beast Killer: B+

Rune Magic: A

Disengage: C

Phantasms:

Wicker Man: Cage of Scorching, Consuming Flames: B (A great golem constructed from a hundred trees, with its torso fashioned into a large, empty cage meant to contain offerings to the gods. It is a bestial existence whose only purpose is to find a sacrifice worthy of its gods, and will seek out its creator’s foes to consume them as such. Its sweltering flames burn away at any who come too close, and to be locked in its cage is an almost certain death by heat and fire.)

Ochd Deug Odin -- Carved Seal of the Fathergod: A (The hidden trump card of Cuchulainn in his Caster class. By invoking all 18 runes taught to him by his master Scathach, and calling upon the true name of their origin, the Norse all-father Odin, an outpouring of incomparable magical force strikes his foes. Its pure destructive power is tremendous, but it carries further demerits to those lucky enough to survive, placing permanent debuffs upon their stats and all of their skills, as well as temporarily disabling any active Noble Phantasms.)

Gae Bolg: Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death: B (An alternate usage of the spear Gae Bolg created by Lancer to suit his own style of combat. It is used against a single foe, and reverses cause and effect to deliver an assured killing blow. It conceptually enforces the fact that its target has been stabbed in the heart, and alters the events of the past leading up to that point to create a timeline wherein this fatal wound has occurred. Only great luck can avert the definite death of having one’s heart pierced, and even should that occur a cursed wound is left behind that cannot be healed so long as this spear exists.)

Gae Bolg: Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death: B+ (The true use of Gae Bolg and its most powerful attack, taking all the power of its wielder and delivering it with a single throw. It is an attack that draws upon the spear’s capacity to create many barbs to strike at foes to assure that no matter what is done to dodge or block this attack it shall still strike. After leaping away and above his foe, Lancer’s spear can be tossed for a distance of many kilometers; if the alternate usage of the spear is a single, precise strike, this could be equated to a carpet bombing.)

Riastradh: The Warrior’s Battle Frenzy: A (Should Cuchulainn be summoned under the class of Berserker, he would gain access to a phenomenon known as the warp spasm. His body changes shape, twisting into a grotesque and weaponized form where every inch of him has become a weapon to eviscerate with. His skin and hair turn red, and gouts of flame pour from his open mouth. Though he loses his mind in this form, he is certainly more deadly ever before. The Hound leaps into battle, his body becoming as fluid as water and adjusting shape to serve as a weapon in its own right.)

A tall, well-defined Irish man with a healthy skin tone. His long, blue hair is drawn back in a ponytail, revealing his handsome and somewhat impish face. His eyes are an inhuman red and gleam with the spark of mischief. His armor is minimal, consisting primarily of iron pauldrons and a set of furs from a beast he hunted, and wears a blue bodysuit. He carries both a long, wooden staff decorated in a druidic fashion and the cursed red spear he was most famous for using.

Though he is referred to as Lancer by his master Daria, Cuchulainn’s status as a servant is an anomaly. He has been summoned initially into that class, but the nature of his master’s status and the effectively infinite energy she has to fuel him has distorted his summoning, and he is capable of shifting into either the Caster or Berserker class as well, gaining the skills and Noble Phantasms of that class while losing those that belong to him as a Lancer. His power itself has not exceeded what he is normally capable of, as his container is not capable of such strength; only the number of roles as a servant he can fulfill has been changed. Thus his rune magic, diluted when summoned as a Lancer, is retained at its full capacity, and should he enter the peak of his rage, warp spasms shall take him. Cuchulainn is not inherently restricted to Lancer, Caster, and Berserker as classes, but to alter his form to Saber or Rider Daria would require a proper catalyst. Perhaps Fragarach, the sword of Cuchulainn's father, would suffice, though it remains in the possession of the Seraphim for the time being.

Lancer is a naturally carefree soul that loves nothing more than the pursuit of his own pleasure. He yearns for nothing more than to be challenged and overcome those challenges. Noble and caring to his friends and ruthless to his enemies, Lancer has found himself perfectly suited to be the servant of his master. Her own competitive streak is a match for his own, and she is always willing to go up against him in whatever contest he chooses, be it fishing, sports, or sparring. It certainly doesn’t hurt matters that she is a beautiful woman with a fiery spirit. Possessing all the qualities Lancer finds most attractive can never harm relations with him, though his every attempt to bed her has been spurned. Despite the flat rejection they get on famously, and have rapidly become a grievance to the Seraphim and the war they carefully planned. A rogue element and a powerful one at that, Lancer is too easygoing to question the non-standard summoning he has undergone, and would rather enjoy the uncharacteristic streak of good luck he’s undergoing. A beautiful girl for a master, a new world to explore, plenty of lakes to fish in, and an endless supply of powerful warriors to fight. What more could a man want?

THE SERAPHIM

The co-conspirators of the Seventh Holy Grail War. Each of the seven Seraphim possesses seven Command Seals, the highest number granted to any master. They command what are considered to be the seven strongest servants in the war, and through manipulation of the Cherubim and their other hirelings orchestrate the war from the background so as the maximize bloodshed and the amount of mana fed to the Holy Grail. Though they are unified in the goal of seeing the Holy Grail born again, they each have their own agenda hidden from the rest.

THE FIRST SERAPHIM – Salem Harwey
Origin: Mystery, Age: 23, Sex: Male, Mage level: A+

Salem Harwey became the latest patriarch of his family at a young age, after his father died of disease. Though his family has always been one of excellent administrators and leaders, Salem was thrust into a position of great responsibility early in his life. He is an intense and stern man, with a severity to his expression that indicates the burden that only those who are called “king” carry. His lustrous golden hair is parted neatly across his forehead, and its length at the back is neatly twisted into a braid that rests over his shoulder. He wears a circlet upon his forehead, a Mystic Code called the Litany. It is a library of all the knowledge his family accumulated over its many generations, all its magical knowledge focused into a point he may draw upon in times of need. It can be said in this manner that Salem is not a mage to be judged on his own merits, but as the net sum of every Harwey that has come before him. Though most individuals would be unable to make full use of the Litany due to irreconcilable lack of compatibility with the wide variety of spells within, Salem’s origin of Mystery is one that opens his mind to possibilities that otherwise would not exist. Mysteries that he otherwise could not reach are within his grasp. At his side he carries a brilliant red sword, with ornate patterns and letterings of no known human language. He calls this sword Caledfwlch, and claims it is the weapon of King Arthur himself, a divine sword afforded only to those worthy of kingship. Though a certain Archer has laughed at the notion of this blade’s pedigree, its destructive power cannot be questioned, its blade capable of eradicating any barrier with a single swing. Upon his belt sit a dozen gems that serve as batteries of mana to power the weapon, beyond even Salem’s ability to fuel naturally.

In every sense he is someone who embodies the superiority of royalty, and the divine right to rule. His words are powerful and chosen with care and sincerity. He could be called the “face” of the seven Seraphim, as the most charismatic and the one best suited to currying favor. He has a head for numbers and can keep excellent track of the many schemes in motion upon the Eden Cluster, so in another sense he might be called their secretary. He is the youngest of all those present by far, and feels the pressure of their judgment upon him at every hour. He affords himself no pleasure, and devotes his entirety to attaining victory. The stress he has undergone since taking his father’s place has only grown since involving himself in the recreation of the Heaven’s Feel, and he is more assured than ever of his own purpose. Though with his multiple conceptual weapons he might be called the greatest mage present in the Holy Grail War, he is yet inferior to the overseer of the Seraphim: Lady Barthomeloi, Wizard Marshal of the Mages Association. It is an inferiority that can be called a part of his very bloodline. Though the Harweys have risen to prominence, they have never surpassed the family that has held the title of Marshal since even before the Crimson Moon Disaster. This is a situation that must change. The ascension of his line that began with Leonardo must end with Salem, one way or another. He shall win the Holy Grail and assert dominance over the Plutocracy, or he shall die trying.

THE SERAPHIM’S SABER – King Uther Pendragon
Parameters
STR: A
END: A+
AGI: B
MAN: A
LUK: C

Skills:

Magic Resistance: A+ (With the magical core of a dragon, Saber’s magical resistance is beyond any modern mage’s strength. In addition to the natural resistances of his class, he is a servant who can be all but called immune to magic.)

Eye of the Mind (True): A (A keen sense built by a lifetime of war and conquest, Saber’s intuition is tempered by his experience and can provide a means to victory even when assured of defeat.)

Plundering Magpie: B (Saber is a king that took what he desired from those he conquered. Should he best them in combat, he is able to take their possessions as his own.)

Mana Burst: A (Saber can take his already impressive strength and improve it further with an explosive burst of mana from his own body.)

Dragon's Head: A (Saber's body has been heavily altered by surgical procedures that have altered his organs, tissues and even soul, imbued with the properties of a dragon by his court mage. Underneath his skin thick scales have begun to grow that resist blade and blow, and his strength is so tremendous that he can topple buildings of any size with his strikes.)

Military Tactics: B

Battle Continuation: B

Phantasms:

Calesvol: Mighty Sword of the Promised King: A+ (A dazzling sword that would one day come to be known by the name Caliburn, and rest at the side of the Once and Future King of Britian. The blade has not yet been tempered to match the image of a king, and instead is the war sword of a chieftain, one who values strength over impression. Its design is striking, but not overly ornate, with a handguard made of two chimeras that seem to come together and expel the blade of the weapon as if it were a gout of fire. In battle, the mana of Saber naturally accumulates within his weapon of choice, and the sword glows with a warm golden light. As it has not yet been weakened by its alterations, Calesvol may be used at its full potential, and in its wielder’s hands is a ranged weapon as well as a simple blade. When Saber swings the blade, his Noble Phantasm expels its golden light in a wave, cutting through all in its path for a considerable distance.)

Stonehenge: Betrayal at the Giant's Ring: A++ (???)

Pendragon: Searing Comet of Prophecy: EX (The true Noble Phantasm of Saber, and the trump card that signifies not only his reign but the mythos of his son, and all the stories of the realm of Camelot. Upon the first night of Saber’s summoning, a great meteor streaks across the sky, leaving a trail in the shape of a dragon. A recreation of the same comet that Uther witnessed at his coronation, and with its omen took the surname Pendragon. This is an omen of another sort, however, of a comet bound for the earth. A tremendous mass of rock and ice in the shape of a dragon comes enters the solar system at one hundredth the speed of light, streaking through space towards Saber. In roughly seventeen days it will reach him and crash into whatever location he wills, annihilating anything within ten miles of wherever it lands. And from its ashes will rise a divine beast, the embodiment of the twilight of the Age of Gods, to eradicate all that it sees of mankind. A beast that Saber bested once before, at great cost, named Vortigern.)

A stunning, confident man with flaxen hair and a heroic face. His eyes are daring and a brilliant shade of green, and he wears shimmering silver armor with deep, green details within its grooves. Beneath the armor he wears well-fitting clothes of that same shade of green, and a fur-lined hood that can be drawn over his head in combat, stitched with the hide of a divine beast to shield him from enchantment. When augmented with Saber’s own mana, it changes form into a helmet. He carries with him an enchanted shield that resists hammer and spell alike, and wields Calesvol, a Noble Phantasm that would one day become the blade of his son Arthur. King Uther Pendragon was the foremost of chieftains in his era, and their king and warlord in his own right. Once the general of his brother, the king, he gained unmatched experience in warfare, and conquered all those in reach of Pendragon Castle. His was a legacy that would create a generation of the greatest knights and heroes, and as their progenitor his skill is appropriately unmatched. He is no knight like his child, and instead carries himself into battle viciously, with a ravenous appetite for combat like a berserker. His mighty shield and resistance to wounds grants him a defense enabled by a monstrous offense that cannot be moved against. He is someone who leads through example, both in life and in war, and as such does not restrain himself from any of life’s pleasures. The weapons he loots from his foes, the riches he plunders from their halls, the women he takes in their beds, all are his property by right of the sword and he shall savor them in every way. In this way he might be considered shameful to his son, for the Saber of Seraphim lacks any notions of chivalry.

But he is not unjust, and as king his judgment was sound. He is the accepted leader of the Seraphim upon the field of battle, and the other masters and servants—when agreeable enough to come to any form of cooperation—defer to his decisions. He is fair to non-combatants caught in his conquests, though with most of the population indisposed this is a quality he displays less frequently. He leads from the front, kills his foes quickly, and finds torture and cowardly tactics that avoid combat to be distasteful. The Heaven’s Feel, to him, is open warfare, and he will simply smoke out those who would do battle from the background. It is for this reason he finds the other Seraphim to be cowards of the highest order, preferring to let puppets fight their battles for them instead of taking the field in person. He would kill them all if not for the insistence of his master.

Though Salem and Uther display the respect for one another that two fellow kings must, they have not reached a true understanding. Saber sees in his master a sense of obligation and great stress. Harwey was someone who never truly understood the pleasures of being human, bound instead to the duties of leadership from a tender age. So it was that Saber sought to instruct his master in all earthly pleasures he had denied himself, and to understand his own humanity.

Saber is the most active of all the Seraphim’s servants, and has developed many rivalries upon the battlefield. Most intense is with the Archer of Dominions, who views the warrior king as his most visible rival, and one whom he must overcome before destroying the rest of the Seraphim. Though they have clashed several times, neither of them has been able to claim victory.

THE SECOND SERAPHIM – Belka de la Fuente
Origin: Dead End, Age: 33, Sex: Female, Mage level: C

Belka is a mousey, introverted woman; her hair is a black bob cut, and she dresses in turtlenecks and other warm clothes. She keeps to herself and her voice rarely reaches a volume above a whisper. In a crowded room she would be inaudible, and seems incapable of shouting, or at the least unwilling. Belka’s attitude is brusque and she never minces words or speaks of pointless things. Her every action is meticulous and affirmed. She is the oddest choice as a member of the Seraphim, as she has no true power base of her own, and as a magus is lackluster. It is for a different reason she was chosen to join their ranks.

Belka is known to most mages by a different name: The Angel of Death. Every generation of magi for over two thousand years has possessed a single individual with a unique affinity with death. A chosen one who will become the new Angel of Death. The previous holder of the title seeks them out and trains them in their unique methods of killing. The Angel of Death can be called with certainty the deadliest human alive at the peak of their strength. Through her training from her mother, the previous Angel, she learned every way to kill another human that exists. Martial arts, pressure points, disease, mastery of poison and medicine, and the handling of all weapons within human ken. These and many, many more she was instructed in before killing her mother and ascending to the role herself. She is what might be called the foremost expert in death, and knows all the ways in which it can be applied. But this is only one piece of the Angel of Death that makes them so infamously dangerous.

The second is her weaponry of choice. A dark mark sits on the palm of her hand, and from it she can draw out a long scythe. Its haft was carved from a dark wood, harvested from the first tree to die upon the earth. Its blade is a black alloy that cannot be recreated by humans. This is the weapon of choice of the true angel of Death, stolen long ago by the first human to take the title for themselves. It is a conceptual weapon that carries perfect authority over the life of humans. When its blade passes through a human body, it draws no blood but pulls out threads of an indescribable color, the very threads of life that belong to that person. In the hands of its proper wielder the scythe would thresh life from flesh effortlessly, the threads severing and ceasing the life of the human they belonged to. But humans were never meant to hold this tool, and cannot properly make use of its ability. They can draw out the threads but they cannot force the scythe to cut them. So instead, Belka wields in conjunction with the scythe a pair of shears stolen from the Fates of Grecian myth. Her weapons complement one another perfectly, her scythe drawing out the threads of life that bind her victims, and with the shears she cuts them loose. In this manner the victim’s existence ceases, and their life ends without a moment’s delay.

Her means of killing are a closely guarded secret; all other mages know is that all those who fought the Angel of Death did not live to tell the tale. And that is reason enough to fear her. The only exception to this rule is a man who until recently had been locked far from where anyone could hear of his experience, and even now that he is free he has sworn himself to the Angel’s service and serves as her Cherubim. It is for her deadly status that she was chosen as the assassin and the enforcer of the Seraphim. She never knew her father, and only knew her mother as a teacher and a woman to one day be killed; her only human contact was with the Church, and the priest who raised her. She is uncomfortable with human contact, and seems doomed to sabotage any relationship she creates in a catastrophic manner. She views humans themselves as disgusting, and so much as seeing her own body in the mirror is enough to make her ill. Though she is by technicality an Executor of the church she has no personal faith, having been turned away from God by negative memories of her caretaker. Despite her absent piety she has still adopted many of the tenets of the faith as her own for sake of familiarity, and through that lens views the Holy Grail War as blasphemous.

There is yet another secret that she keeps from the other Seraphim. She has no intentions of allowing them to claim the Grail. To regress in such a way, to scramble for an ideal world that has been forever lost, is in her view pathetic. The only paths for humans now are the path forward and the path to extinction. She is not interested in trying to correct past mistakes, only moving forward with herself at any cost, and she’ll enforce that same belief upon her fellow conspirators. She is the deadliest of them all with certainty, but gathered together they would still be too great a threat for her to overcome. So instead she plots, and waits for her chance to play them against one another.

THE SERAPHIM’S ASSASSIN – Hassan-i-Sabbah
Parameters
STR: B
END: D
AGI: A
MAN: C
LUK: C

Skills:

Presence Detection: A

Presence Concealment: C (Assassin does not use this skill to hide his body as is the norm; instead, it is the presence of danger which he conceals. The true depth of his power is not apparent when interacting with him, and only when he cuts loose is his power readily apparent.)

Charisma: C

Self-Modification: A

Barterer: A+ (Assassin is a cunning conversationalist, and a shrewd businessman. As a Servant, he is capable of perceiving the concept of possession, and much like a Master can “read” Servants he can read any physical object and decipher its true owner. Through this knowledge, he is capable of offering trades and purchases to transfer the ownership of this object from them to himself. This includes things even as unique as Noble Phantasms, or unique traits of a magus’ body. However, while Assassin will always keep his end of the bargain, he may deliver payment in a way recipient hadn’t intended.)

Phantasms:

Zabaniya: The Mark of Hashashin: A (Unlike the other Hassan, this Assassin’s normally pure white mask is marred by what appears to be a crack in the forehead. This crack forms a bizarre pattern that hurts to look directly at. This is because it is a variant of Rune Magic, imbued with such power as to become a form of Divine Word. To see it is to gaze through a window that peeks into death itself. This is the symbol of Assassin’s order, and his deadly work. To use this Phantasm, Assassin presses two fingers against the mark upon his mask. When he pulls them away, a small stamp dipped in red ink is betwixt them, connected to the mask by a thin, white string of prana. The goal is to use this stamp to “paint” a target in its red ink. The method of delivery varies; Assassin could use this stamp and use his hands to press its mark on bare flesh personally; he could throw the stamp like a missile and let the force of impact imprint its omen; he could submerge the ink in water and permit his target to drink of it, allowing the ink to reform and press itself within his stomach. In theory, drawing the stamp is not even necessary. Should he be able to press his forehead against his target, that would be enough to paint them. No matter how it is delivered, the mark’s result is the same: the target is thereby doomed to die. It is a spell that overrides the target’s fate with a new one of impending death. Their body and soul alike react poorly to this shift, and the target is stuck with unbearable pain and illness, unable to eat or drink without violently vomiting it back up. They are unable to sleep, as visions of Assassin haunt their dreams. Within days these hallucinations have spread even to their waking mind, and as their paranoia grows they lose all rationality and hope. The Assassins begin to “attack”, and in fighting them off the victim begins to harm himself and others with his mad outbursts. Over the steady period of 10 days the victim is torn asunder in mind, spirit, and body, and is left a broken shell that has no will left to resist Assassin when he finally comes to claim their life. It is a slow-acting Noble Phantasm, and not as immediately awe-inspiring as the deadly methods of his many successors. But the original Assassin’s method has the advantage that others do not, relying not on Assassin’s skill, but the assured self-destruction of the target. Because of this, he will certainly destroy his target, even if he should fall in the process.)

A black-skinned, black-cloaked individual whose only standout feature is his white skull mask, with an indecipherable symbol cracked onto its colorless surface. This is the Assassin of Seraphim, and leader of the Hashashin, Hassan-i-Sabbah. Each leader of the order has taken this name and its duties for themselves, but this is among the earliest. Those who do not know of the wraith which haunts even the Hassan know him as the first, from which the other eighteen draw their power. As the prototype of mortal Hassans to follow him, he is not only markedly different from the others, he is an even deadlier foe. The other Assassins have treated the shadows as their ally, and have only found shelter within its dark embrace. But this Assassin embraces the light, and walks freely among other Servants and Masters. His Presence Concealment serves not to hide his form, but from the threat that lurks beneath his affable surface. He is chatty, persuasive, and even noble-hearted. He does not fill any of the stereotypes associated with the Assassin class beyond his appearance. That does not mean he lacks the skills of his class. He is astounding in his ability to gather information, but he does not do so as a fly on the wall, but an elephant in the room. His charisma is of a level that he can convince most anyone that he is on “their side” and thus become privy to their secrets.

He is a shameless capitalist, and nothing is too sacred for him to sell. The other Seraphim consider him a tremendous nuisance, because they suspect that he’s been trading off top secret information about them and the nature of the Holy Grail War to masters who shouldn’t be blessed with such information. If they could arrange his death, they would, but to do so would invite the wrath of the Angel of Death. None of them are in a confident enough position to open that can of worms. Yet. He is a dutiful soldier in Belka’s personal war, and has gladly taken on the role of triple agent. Openly operating as a rogue element who is selling information to undermine their efforts, the Seraphim are well aware that even if he is hindering their efforts somewhat, he is a greater boon for it by meeting and gaining the trust of enemy masters. But the truth is that he serves neither the Seraphim nor their foes, and is working with his master to undermine and destroy the entire Holy Grail War. It was not difficult to earn his aid in this task; if the artifact is truly of almighty Allah, he knows better than to let these corrupt fools get their hands on it.

THE THIRD SERAPHIM – Van Oberon
Origin: Blaze, Age: 45, Sex: Male, Mage level: A+

The least and most haggard of the Seraphim, with a body that has begun to fail him in his middle ages. His body is kept warm beneath multiple layers of clothing, but even with their protection he shivers constantly. His face is deeply lined with stress and exhaustion, and his once brown hair is predominantly gray. His eyes have grown cold and listless, with a noticeable cataract over the left. In his age he is forced to wear glasses to aid his failing vision, though he refuses to let anyone see this weakness. In his youth he was called a revolutionary. He was never meant to become the patriarch of his family, the title instead intended for his older sister. But when a catastrophic misstep caused her to fry out her own nerves and left her a barely-functioning cripple, he was forced to step into the position. This was a molding experience for him, and he has always viewed magic as a terrible danger that should be treated with an equal measure of respect and fear. He used his family’s clout to campaign relentlessly for restructuring of the power in the Plutocracy, supporting a gradual course to move away from its current dependence on magic, and the necessity of strong familial bloodlines and magical potential to be considered for a leading position. That path was certain to lead to greater catastrophe. And for a time he met success. But that changed when a serial killer of some infamy by the name of Marx turned his eyes on Oberon’s older sister.  Oberon’s attempts to save her and track down the criminal met with repeated failure. The mercenary and old rival he hired to help, Dirk Hughes, died in a confrontation with the killer and his young protégé disappeared without a trace. And when Oberon took it upon himself to settle things personally, he failed yet again. There were no witnesses of the battle; all that is known is that Oberon killed the man he sought, and made him suffer terribly. But he was left terribly diminished, with a constant shiver and physical frailty that never left him, and his sister had been dead for quite some time before he arrived to rescue her.

Oberon’s campaigning ceased, and he withdrew from the public eye. He was not heard of again for many years, before the mysterious individual called Ozymandias von Einzbern approached him, and requested his aid in reconstructing the Heaven’s Feel. Empty of all feelings but regret, Oberon seized the opportunity to try and fix his many errors. He was a willing pawn in the plans of the Seraphim, willing to go along with their plan to slaughter many thousands for the sake of recreating the Third Magic that had disappeared from the earth for many centuries. That changed when his fellow Seraphim Belka shared with him the truth of his sister’s death. The serial killer Marx had been in jail until shortly before his move against Oberon’s family. He was released under the orders of Lucien Rey, a fellow conspirator in the Holy Grail War. It was his word and direction that led Marx to target his next victim.

Oberon was a very powerful mage in his prime, but he has withered to a shadow of that strength. His spells have always focused on pure firepower, a strong blaze that swells tremendously then is snuffed in an instant. He is capable of recreating his original splendor for brief instances, but the effort causes him harm. His own distrust of magic makes him unwilling to even attempt it under most circumstances.

He gets along very poorly with his servant, his overconfidence and pride drawing out a little of the stubbornness Oberon used to be known for.

THE SERAPHIM’S RIDER – Sun Wukong
Parameters
STR: B
END: A+
AGI: A+
MAN: B
LUK: A

Skills:

Riding: A+ (Capable of mastering any divine beast short of a dragon as his mount)

Transformation: A- (Rider knows 72 Transformations, able to change his form into many different beasts with a variety of skills. These transformations are troublesome for him, since he never was able to learn how to transform his tail; it always remains as a mark of the beast’s true nature.)

Magecraft: B (Rider is an accomplished magician whose hairs possess magical properties, able to transform into clones of himself or many other objects. He also possesses a variety of spells to command the elements.)

Chinese Martial Arts: A+

Bravery: A

Divinity: A (Born as a lowly monkey, Rider eventually acquired Buddhahood.)

Golden Gaze: A (Rider’s eyes are piercing, and he can recognize the evil in any person he looks at. However, he cannot stand to be near smoke, and even the faintest trace of it can blind him.)

Phantasms:

Cloud-Walking Boots: Gift of the Dragons of the Four Seas: B (Rider’s mount is not a living beast, but a pair of boots. When he leaps into the air, the clouds gather beneath his heels to lift him and grant him flight. With these the monkey king’s tremendous leaping ability is augmented further, such that he never needs to touch the ground if he does not wish it. They propel him through the air at tremendous speeds.)

Ruyi Jingu Bang: Golden Measuring Stick: A+ (The only weapon of the dragon Ao Guang that Rider found satisfactory. It is a long, black iron pillar with two golden bands encircling its ends, with golden script upon its body that declare its name and weight. Normally weighing over eight tons and standing twenty feet in height, only Rider is capable of lifting this cumbersome and unwieldy staff. At the command of its wielder Ruyi Jingu Bang can extend or shorten in under a second, from the size of a sewing needle to the depth of the oceans; in addition, it can make as many copies of itself as Rider requires.)

Cocktail of Immortality: The Monkey King’s Rebellion: EX (A Noble Phantasm that augments Rider himself rather than harming his enemies. Sun Wukong devoured multiple items from heaven that granted him immortality. He became all but impossible to kill from the slurry of blessings he digested. As a servant this immortality is as prevalent as in life, and no injury stays upon his person for longer than some few seconds before it is healed. The only weakness Rider possesses is his perpetually irksome tail. Should it be destroyed in any manner, his immortality shall be lost.)

Magical Restricting Headband: “Property of Xuanzang”: C (A demeaning and entirely debilitating Noble Phantasm that was permanently affixed to Rider’s head once he chose to accompany the pilgrim Xuanzang, as recited in the “Journey to the West.” A demeaning message of ownership is inscribed upon it, and should anyone speak the secret phrase to activate the headband, it would immediately shrink and squeeze Rider’s head, causing him terrible pain and leaving him helpless as he rolled about in agony.)

Rider is none other than the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, Sun Wukong. He stands a full head above even the tallest human, and his body is built like a statue. He is covered in tawny fur that sits flat upon his body and shoots off in every direction from the top of his head. His eyes twinkle with mischievous glee at any given moment, and he is dressed in clothes suited to warmth and luxury. A simple metal pauldron with a strap over his bare chest, and a pair of loose pants made of exquisite fabrics and embroidered with gold and other fine materials. He is the King of Monkeys, a divine sage, and an unparalleled warrior. These may be facts, but their truth is second in his mind to assuring that all those within earshot know it. Rider is tremendously proud of his own qualities, and no one is safe from his willingness to talk their ears off boasting about himself. He is puckish and enjoys nothing more than taking the wind out of other people’s sails, but in turn his own ego is fragile. He responds with rage and often violence to any insults, and when he believes no one is looking he cries over them. There is a certain tenderness and sincerity to Rider, however clouded it may be by his own hubris, and it has left him with no end of frustration to know he is certainly on the wrong side of this Holy Grail War. But he has been told to fight, and his inner warrior cannot resist the opportunity to test its mettle against the greatest heroes of all time. He has resolved that things will most likely work out for the best in the end, so in the meantime there’s no reason for him to get so worked up about moral misgivings. He’ll go with the flow, and see this conflict through.

The freedom-loving primate is displeased by his master and finds him a weakling that isn’t worthy of his respect. They butt heads constantly and refuse to find common ground over anything, despite their similarities. Indeed their compatibility comes from their equal unwillingness to be compatible.

Rider is a deadly fighter and dominates on the battlefield. He is a master of martial arts, and his staff is so heavy that even dropping it on his foes is enough to kill them. You would never know it watching him use it, as he twirls and thrusts it as gracefully as any staff fighter could. He is fond of trickery and unexpected attacks, and so makes common use of his staff’s ability to grow and shrink on command. He can thrust it a dozen times without ever moving, simply letting the spear shrink and grow to strike at foes, his arms only controlling the direction of the thrust. His maneuverability and ability to fly let him strike at unexpected angles, and his magecraft allows him to even clone himself, and fight enemies as a group.

Though he has no personal connection to the war, he enjoys fighting it, and his master has repeatedly sent him to battle against pairs of masters and servants whose compatibility are growing too high. By his reasoning they need to be removed before they become a threat, though of course Rider is certain no servant present can become a threat to him. However, should his open strikes continue, perhaps certain servants may learn to band together against him.

THE THIRD SERAPHIM – Evangeline Edelfelt
Origin: Repetition, Age: 35, Sex: Female, Mage level: A++

Evangeline is the quintessential noblewoman. Tall, strikingly beautiful, mature, well-dressed, and carries herself with an air of power and authority. Her straightened hair goes all the way down to her knees, save for a single spiral beside her face. Black ribbons are woven in in an elegant pattern. She wears a long, dark dress that she fills out quite nicely, with long sleeves and bared shoulders. Her expression is inscrutable and icy, her face’s beauty meticulously augmented with makeup. She has a deep and booming voice that carries easily in any location, and a laugh to shake the walls with. Her magecraft, the Edelfelt’s notoriously powerful Gandr Shot, is one of the strongest in the family’s history. Only her elder brother Ultrecht was a superior magus, and he disappeared close to a decade ago. Her spells impact like tank rounds and leave craters no matter where they land. She is not haughty, but is occasionally prone to boasting. She is very critical of others and demands that they meet her expectations of strength and honor or else be cast aside. Her expectations are indeed lofty, though she is no hypocrite, as she meets her own criteria. She has no tolerance for undue criticism, and if she believes she is right woe befall anyone who dares to mock her or her judgment.

She is overall a very harsh and unforgiving woman. A character that all but melts away whenever she is around her dear old friend Jack, who helped her in a time of need as a child. The memory of the kindly old man stuck with her throughout her childhood and even well into her adult life. To this day, he remains the only person who can openly question her judgment. And not only does she not respond with her usual vitriol, she actually gets upset and starts moping like a child that’s been scolded. The other Seraphim are baffled by this power that Jack holds over her, and why she’s so attached to him.

She was intended to be the Master of the Lancer of Seraphim in this Holy Grail War, but in an abnormality in the ritual that no one understands, her spells were given to an unknown person. That person became the Master of Void, and now lays false claim over the servant that by rights belongs to Evangeline. She is not fond of this robbery, and has chosen to take action in annihilating the interloper herself. She has called upon her vassals in the Fraga family and acquired a summoning catalyst of tremendous power: the divine sword Fragarach. With her new Lancer, she intends to kill the upstart mage that stole her precious Lancer and bring him back where he belongs.

THE SERAPHIM’S LANCER – Lugh
Parameters
STR: B
END: A
AGI: A
MAN: D
LUK: C

Skills:

Magic Resistance: C

Divinity: A+

Rune Magic: C

Jack of Trades: A (Can imitate any skill employed by his opponent at one reduced rank.)

Eye of the Mind (False): B

Phantasms:

The Spear of Lugh: Treasure of Tuatha Dé Danann: A++ (A mighty spear of a lusterless gray metal that carried with it the strength of indomitability. It is a weapon that cannot be broken by any means, and so long as its wielder holds it in his hands, its invulnerability is passed onto him.)

Gae Assail: Price of the Sons: B+ (A mighty green-tipped spear with two runes inscribed upon its tip that bestow two enchantments: When thrown, this spear shall always strike its target, and when called upon it shall always return to its wielder’s hand. The progenitor of the spear that came to be called Gae Bolg.)

Areadhbar: The Slaughtering Flame: B (A potent spear that hails from the land of Persia. Its tip is kept immersed at all times in a pot of water secured tightly around its end. When the pot is shattered or removed, the spear’s tips light up with searing flames that leave cursed, horrible burns upon anyone they touch.)

Yew: Finest Tree of the Wood: B (The last of the names of Lugh’s spears and the most humble in appearance, a simple wooden spear with a short, blunted tip that seems unsuited for killing. It possesses a dangerous curse upon it that strikes blind all those who feel its sting.)

Magical Pig Skin: The Sorrow of Tuireann's Sons - C, Self (A pig skin won on Lugh's behalf on an impossible quest by the sons of Tuireann, who slew Lugh's father and suffered his wrath in return. It is sewn onto Lugh's back, easily seen by his bared torso. So long as the skin is attached to him, Lugh shall heal from any wound, no matter how severe.)

Fragarach: Gouging Sword of the War God: D~A (An anomalous weapon that Lugh should never possess when summoned under the class of Lancer. His deadliest armament only came to him by the grace of the family, the Fraga, who were chosen to watch over it for thousands of years. The sword they watched over was used as Lancer’s summoning catalyst, and by rights is his to use as he pleases; so he has taken the sword back, and now makes use of it. A weapon that rewrites the flow of time as the perfect counterattack, Fragarach can only be used properly in response to an enemy’s most powerful strike, their Noble Phantasm. Once this attack is drawn out and Fragarach is used immediately afterwards, cause and effect are reversed, and a new reality settles in where Fragarach struck first, and by gouging out the enemy’s heart prevented their ultimate ability from being used in the first place. This paradoxical strike is the ultimate equalizer, ensuring death upon even the strongest foes.)

Lancer is the Irish god of war. His chest is bare and coated in scars gained in combat with his back possessing a darker, more scarred tone from the presence of the pigskin that he has sewn onto his person. His hair is red and flares back like a roaring fire, and every action he makes is vivacious and aggressive. Dressed only in boots and the lower portion of a black bodysuit, he does battle focused wholly on the offensive. Lancer enters battle with four Noble Phantasms, an array of intimidating spears that float effortlessly around his body. Lancer commands through verbal usage of rune magic, and by shouting commands may use them in a variety of combinations. The normal range that is inherently imposed upon spearmen is ignored by Lugh, and he may strike at enemies from any distance, and with more weapons than he could hold in his hands. Though his method of combat is unusual he is no less proficient at getting his hands dirty, able to strike hard and fast with any of the spears he chooses to take up by hand.

Lancer is a driven individual that can never forsake a cause once he has chosen to devote himself to it. He pursues his goals with a ferocity that approaches madness, and nothing can divert his course. And as a god of war, there is no greater focus in his mind than combat. The war has presented him endless opportunities for war, but he has accepted the will of his master and selected only a single target to suffer his wrath.

He is brutal and vicious to his foes, and will accept no injury to his pride or his character save from his master, whose insults he bears silently for reasons he keeps to himself. He has little to say to his “allies” in the Seraphim and instead keeps his own company, nursing a drink around his own fire. He is well aware that he is a replacement in his master’s eye, meant only as payback to punish the master that stole the servant meant to be Evangeline’s. It was perhaps by fate that that stolen servant was none other than his own son Cuchulainn. Lancer has no strong ties to the fruit of his loins, having shared only a few moments with him throughout both of their lives, but still views this other Lancer as a challenge for himself and none other. He will chase the servant of Void relentlessly, and shall not cease until one of them has slain the other.

THE FIFTH SERAPHIM – Lucien Rey
Origin: Temptation, Age: ?, Sex: Male, Mage level: *

A suave, charming man with a voice like honey. He wears a long, gray coat with magenta trimmings. His feathered hair seems to shine with a heavenly light. His face has the first few lines of age forming, but they suit him well and make him look gentlemanly. He is polite and impeccable in timing. He makes a point to never be seen without looking his very best, and presenting a respectable and approachable image. He has a way with words that makes him impossible to ignore. His resources are seemingly infinite, and no one is quite sure how the Rey family came into their privileged position. Two hundred years ago they sought asylum in the Clock Tower, claiming association with the Sea of Estray, presumed annihilated in the wake of the Crimson Moon Disaster. They brought with them expertise in alchemy and body alteration thought lost to the Association forever, and they were welcomed with open arms, no one daring to look their gift horse in the mouth.

He is not a frontline fighter by choice. He is a weaver of intrigue and deceit, and always knows just what to say to turn people against one another, and debase their very natures. He claims to be working for the good of the people he manipulates, teaching them to seize their own destiny and define themselves as they wish, not by how society says they should be. But this is a façade. The truth is simply that Lucien enjoys suffering. He gets no greater pleasure than from watching innocent humans defile themselves, from the suffering wrought from one’s own misguided purpose. He makes every effort to spread his madness of sin and vice, all under the name of human’s rights. He is truly a genius. But ultimately he is nothing but a child. Underneath his exterior is monstrous, prone to fits of rage and blind fury. He is petulant and vindictively petty, seeking devastating vengeance for the smallest offense. He is vain and proud and all too loving of his own glory, unable to accept the wisdom or judgment of other people. He considers his power ultimate, but there are many that are superior to him. He is so arrogant that there is no servant in existence that could possibly satisfy his need for self-glorification. So in compromise the Grail gave him the only servant that could ever please him: himself. This man is no human, but a devil in disguise. The Archangel Lucifer.

THE SERAPHIM’S “BERSERKER” – Lucifer the Archangel
Parameters
STR: B+
END: B+
AGI: B+
MAN: A
LUK: A

Skills:

Divinity: E~EX (Stripped of all heavenly glory, Berserker is a pale shadow of the glory he once possessed, but his vanity will not permit him to accept a divinity below that of the impossible. His skill is displayed as EX despite its true level.)

Mad Enhancement: EX (Berserker’s madness has gone far beyond rage and become truly disturbing insanity. He possesses charm and guile, and can even sway others with his words, but despite his seeming grasp of reality, beneath the surface he is a bubbling pot of hatred. His every action is skewed and diverted toward the action of damning humans, and he will stop at nothing to inflict suffering upon all those he can.)

Transformation: A (Lucifer may alter his shape to that of beasts, and though he could become humans of various appearance as well he denies this from himself, refusing to mar his visage with the filthy looks of mortals.)

Charisma: A+- (While his mastery of words is unrivaled, Berserker’s true nature is plain to those who might be considered “Saints.” He has no sway over such individuals.)

Divine Mandate: EX (The culmination of Berserker’s own madness and delusion, a skill that has been perverted from Imperial Privilege to grant Berserker any skill that he believes he should possess. Berserker’s madness prevents him from granting himself any non-martial skill.)

Phantasms:

Serpent: Original Sin: B (The greatest tempter of humankind, according to Judeo-Christian texts, is none other than Satan in the form of a snake. The serpent, in its envy of man, toppled him and cast him from the garden of Eden. Berserker’s Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of this myth, the ability to indulge even the purest soul in sin. As the Satan and judge of mankind, Berserker is charged with evaluating the faith of humans. In this role he possesses power that he may grant portions of to humans in the form of a variety of boons. In a way, he grants wishes. In return, however, they must permit him to brand their body with his insignia, the mark of the Beast. He carves this mark into their flesh with a stone knife, history’s first murder weapon used to take the life of Abel. The terms of their agreement are fulfilled, but the soul of the human now belongs wholly to Berserker, and he may control them to do whatever he wills.)

A glorious Servant, geared in the finest shining white armor. Glorious blue and golden trim and exquisite marbling form beautiful patterns that naturally catch the eye and draw it to his body. Golden light shines from within the armor, and a slim full helmet conceals his face totally. In truth, the man beneath this armor is Lucien Rey himself. Though, this is misleading. It is more appropriate to say that Lucien Rey is, in fact, Lucifer the fallen angel. They are one and the same and physically identical. Though Berserker was summoned not from the past or present, but from the tale of Armageddon, where he has been cast into the pit of fire to suffer forever. This agonizing sensation broke him, and whereas Lucien is an incarnation whose crafted exterior hides a petty, vindictive soul, Lucifer’s hides the true face of madness. He is prone to violent outbursts, and only willpower keeps him from cruelly slaughtering everyone around him and reveling in their blood. He is as a result somewhat less composed than Lucien, and wracked by constant headaches, and allows him to direct the war effort while he performs field work. Their identical appearance is a tactic they use to their advantage, though, Lucifer occasionally posing as his Master and vice-versa. Berserker and Lucien both see the Holy Grail as the holiest of relics, and therefore the greatest possible route to defile the will of God. They are both incredibly intelligent and cultured men, and have used this to their advantage, crafting a supposed intellectual curiosity in the Grail, and a desire to see it in action. In truth, Lucien has been the architect of this reborn Heaven’s Feel from the very beginning. He is intimate with the knowledge of the original ritual’s failure, the accidental summoning of an Avenger Class servant, and its corruption of the Greater Grail with Angra Mainyu, all the evils of the world. For over two hundred years he has bided his time, manipulating everyone from the greatest minds of the Association, to the ancestor of the Angel of Death, to even the Crimson Moon itself, in anticipation of this ritual.

Lucifer’s disguise goes even deeper than the Seraphim know; he is not a Berserker-class servant at all, but a Beast. His very existence puts the Grail and the Heaven’s Feel itself in peril, and should he be slain as he intends, his soul will stain the Holy Grail in his sin, and corrupt the ritual just as it had been corrupted hundreds of years before in its prior incarnation. With that corrupted Grail, Lucien intends to unleash the sinful ichor upon the Eden Cluster and the earth itself, drowning what remains of humanity in mud comprised of a thousand curses of death and hate. At a glance this scheme would seem suicidal. No long-term gain could come from the annihilation of the Earth and its inhabitants. But there is a property of the filth within the Grail that Lucien has studied with particular interest. The gift of incarnation.

When Lucifer was cast down from heaven so too was his angelic glory ripped away from his body. He was left little more than the humans he so envied. Though he was ageless his power was only a mote compared to his prior brilliance. But Lucien believes this process may be reversed, and the will of God overruled, should he successfully taint the Grail and bathe himself in its excess. To do so would restore him to his true, original form, and he is certain, return to him the power of the Lightbringer. With such strength he could escape this planet, breaking free of the heavenly Father's yoke once and for all and freeing him to explore the rest of the cosmos beyond the earth, bending it to his own will.

THE SIXTH SERAPHIM – Daisuke Emiya
Origin: Tie and Bind, Age: 126, Sex: Male, Mage level: E~A

A long-dead man that has cheated the death he is owed. Daisuke was once a powerless mage, the youngest son of his father and an unneeded heir of the Emiya line. He had been raised on stories of his grandfather, an ally of justice who died saving humanity. It was a sacrifice that he admired, and wished to emulate. To become a hero like Shirou Emiya was his only goal. But he was weak, both in mind and in body. He did not have the will to forge his own path, or the skill to emulate the unique magic of his grandfather as he wished. He died alone and unremembered by his family, in the nigh-uninhabitable wastes of the European mainland, protecting a handful of sickly refugees from bandits. That was not enough, in his mind. How could he be called a hero if he died so pathetically, performing such an unremarkable deed?

He desired to live, and that desire was answered by Ozymandias von Einzbern, who found the body of Daisuke and attempted to nurse him back to health. His wounds were beyond the man’s capacity to heal, and he offered Emiya a choice: die satisfied with his life, or accept a curse and remain in the world for a while longer, and help Einzbern in the task his life was kindled to accomplish. Daisuke accepted the offer, and was cursed with the half-life of a Dead Apostle. For many years he was little more than a mindless husk, caught in the agonizing birthing stages of his new form. Ozymandias kept his promise, and raised the infant monster with care, feeding him the bodies of the humans they encountered in the wastes. In time, his mind returned to him, along with power he never knew before. He is inhumanly strong and agile, and his senses are keener than they ever were before. Perhaps the most drastic change is the state of his body. Most Dead Apostles require a steady supply of food, be it wildlife or human flesh to sustain them. But even when suitably fed, Daisuke rots. His body deteriorates at a pace that cannot be stopped. To alleviate this disease of undeath, Ozymandias brought him to the far side of the world, and tested a hypothesis. It was at the long-abandoned gravesite of his lineage where Daisuke discovered he could take what remained of his blood relatives’ corpses and incorporate them into his own to reconstitute himself. And so Daisuke Emiya became a chimera composed of the bodies of his ancestors and descendants alike, tracking down new corpses whenever a piece of his old body began to decompose.

Daisuke’s vain obsession with his grandfather has led him to perform a crime he would never have entertained as a human: he has exhumed the remains of Shirou Emiya, and used them to alter his own appearance to be like that of his grandfather. He even possesses a bare facsimile of the magic that he once possessed. In many ways he has become his idol, and his dream has come true. But there is a price to this heinous act. His mind has adapted poorly to the incorporation of multiple bodies, the traces of multiple souls, into his own. His sense of self has fractured, and there are times when he loses track of his own identity. In these times, without resistance to keep it within, the ego of Shirou Emiya rises forth, and briefly assumes control of Daisuke’s form. With no memory of his death, or of his grandson’s nightmarish life, Shirou stumbles his way through the Holy Grail War, attempting to solve the mystery of his own existence, while Daisuke seeks a method to stem his own deterioration through examination of other masters that seem to have survived the incorporation of other magi's bodies intact.

THE SERAPHIM’S CASTER – Morgan le Fae
Parameters
STR: E
END: D
AGI: C
MAN: A
LUK: C

Skills:

Territory Creation: A

Item Creation: A+

Agent of Discord: A (A woman who by accounts sewed distrust and ruin among even the tightest fraternities of chivalry and knighthood, Caster’s presence naturally unnerves others and frays nerves and trust alike. No contract persists long near her.)

Magecraft: A+

Protection of the Fairies: B

Phantasms:

Orb of Avalon: Crystal of Future Sight: A (A fairy relic of pure, clear crystal, this Noble Phantasm permits Caster to peek into any realm of possibility with foresight on par with the highest ranks of Clairvoyance. As an unfortunate side effect, due to the decades she spent battling for the relic with her rival, the wizard Merlin, to summon her with this Phantasm in her possession also summons him.)

The Pendragon Legacy: A Pawn that Calls Itself a Knight: -- (The overpowering flow of mana from the Holy Grail and the core of the Eden Cluster itself has permitted Caster to subvert the will of the Grail and use the excess energy to craft a false Noble Phantasm and summon her “daughter” Mordred as a servant underneath her control. She is a full servant underneath the Saber class, but her existence is directly tied to Caster’s, and should she disappear Mordred shall as well.)

???

A mysterious, enticing woman with long locks of curly brown hair that drape over shapely bared shoulders. Her golden eyes are exotic, and her lips full and red. She wears a silver tiara rested on her forehead, with a bright ruby fixed in its center. She has groomed herself to be an object of intense physical desire, wearing a skintight bodysuit that is a dark red, and lined like muscle, with two large black straps wrapping across, one beneath her bust and another around her waist. A translucent grey cloak is clasped on, and falls to her lower back in the shape of a smooth-edged chevron. Beneath the cloak, on her back hints of red can be made out, the presence of her own set of command spells hidden as best she is able. Caster walks barefoot, surprisingly uncaring about the rough terrain she encounters. She has a crooning, honey-dripped voice like a mother speaking to her child even when saying the most vicious things. She is passive, but ambitious, preferring not to act towards her goals, but to rig the game from the start, so that her victory was always the only option. Caster is a killer cloaked as an advisor, always willing to assist, but one must always be on guard. It is not a question of if she is planning betrayal, but of how she plans to carry the betrayal out. She serves her master in both his forms, as Daisuke and Shirou alike, using his slips into ignorance and confusion to play him against the other Seraphim and she carefully constructs her own plans for the Holy Grail War.

CASTER OF SERAPHIM’S FALSE SABER – Mordred
Parameters
STR: B+
END: A
AGI: B
MAN: B
LUK: D

Skills:

Magic Resistance: B

Riding: B

Instinct: B

Mana Burst: A

Battle Continuation: B

Phantasms:

Secret of Pedigree: Helm of Hidden Infidelity: C (Given to Mordred by her mother with the instruction never to remove it so as to conceal her identity, this Noble Phantasm is a helmet fixed to her armor that conceals her identity, and all but the most basic information about her from all onlookers, even her own master. Even those who know of her will find the knowledge of her clouded in their minds. This Noble Phantasm can only be ended by removing the helmet from the armor; if she removes the armor entirely but does not detach the helmet, its effects will not end. This Noble Phantasm must be disabled to activate her true trump card.)

Clarent: Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword: C (A dazzling silver sword of equal brilliance to its predecessor Caliburn, meant to grant acknowledgment of royalty and right to the throne. Originally B rank, this Noble Phantasm’s rank was lowered due to Mordred’s theft of it from the vaults of Camelot, and it does not grant her any of its usual benefits. It is still a powerful a blade, and through Saber’s mana burst she can use it as a catalyst for her ultimate attack.)

Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father: A++ (Through Mordred’s hatred, love and resentment for her father, she is able to warp the stolen sword she has acquired and use its nature of “amplification” to channel her own emotions into the blade, then unleash it as a powerful strike born from Saber’s own grudge and inability to accept that the blade that struck down her father could fail to kill any other opponent. Even should Saber reconcile with her father, she retains this ability inherently.)

A small, fit woman encased in thick and intimidating armor. She is the “son” of King Arthur, and a homunculus crafted in her image so as to appear nearly identical to her. She is vicious, and has a lust for battle that edges on the demonic, with little patience for others, developing grudges and disdain as easily as others might breathe. Saber is the enforcer of the Caster of Seraphim, using her as a frontline fighter while she deals with support and moving in the background. She has a complex surrounding her father, due to her bizarre upbringing, and simultaneously worships King Arthur and hates her. While she rebelled against her father’s reign and will not accept any claim of its perfection, neither will she brook any insult toward her beautiful, godly sire, woe to anyone who dares to insult her. In the same way her own gender is a point of displeasure, and to call her a woman or to brusquely regard her as a man with no regard for her is an invitation to a swift death.

Saber is in many ways a weak knight, struggling to embody the chivalry she admires. But her own grudge towards the King of Knights has subsided after her death, and experiences she recalls as if from another life. Under normal circumstances her normal personality, easygoing and relaxed, would show itself. But under the oppressive shadow of her mother, Saber retains the quiet resentment she nursed throughout her lifetime. For being the beloved daughter of Morgan le Fae there is no love shared between either of them, the mother viewing her child as nothing but a tool for her own vengeance, and the child viewing her mother with hatred for the pain she inflicted upon her father. She is bound to the will of Caster, and so Saber has no means of open rebellion, but that would never stop one as vivacious as her. Whereas Caster has come to enjoy teasing the alter ego of her master, Mordred finds “Shirou” to be more pleasant than his true self and prefers his company to Daisuke’s. She is no great tactician like her father, or scheming hag like her mother, but Saber believes she might be able to turn this master who finds her appearance familiar and reassuring to her advantage.

THE SEVENTH SERAPHIM – Ozymandias von Einzbern
Origin: Burden, Age: 228, Sex: --, Mage level: A

Ozymandias is the crown jewel of the Einzbern family, and the last desperate prayer of a bloodline that has been extinct for over two hundred years. The homunculus is androgynous, and bears no clear markings of either gender. Its voice is soft and well trained, and it speaks with the pleasantry of a distinguished blueblood. Its hair is long, colored a lustrous white that drapes around its knees, and favors long and concealing clothing.

Ozymandias was born when the Einzbern family died, far removed from civilization in its remote holdings and from the safety numbers provided when the Crimson Moon devastated the earth. In a wave of death, every Einzbern on the planet vanished. This homunculus, the strongest, the most perfect the family crafted since the days of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, was considered too perfect to waste on gambles. It was their insurance, to ensure the survival of their blood even should some calamity or foe brought them to utter ruin. When the last Einzbern died an irradiated, burned husk, Ozymandias woke up in a cavern ten miles beneath the planet’s surface, in a womb crafted for its upbringing.

It was educated in the magic it could perform naturally by tomes and automated caretakers left for its sake. It was taught of the family’s rich history, and its millennia-long quest to grasp the Third Magic once again. It was taught of its burden to carry on the family’s name at all costs, even the death of its own body, or the death of whatever remained of the world above it.

After fifteen years of preparation it was released into the scarred and battered wasteland above, to seek out humanity in whatever form it remained and reassert the dominance the Einzbern deserved. Ozymandias wandered for many years, finding only barren pockets of filthy beasts that barely qualified as human, eking out a life in a world that could no longer sustain them. It was disgusted by these cretins, and kept searching. But before it could find civilization, it was discovered instead by Lucien Rey, who saw a perfect tool for his machinations. Lucien befriended the homunculus, and though it was intelligent it was naïve to human nature. It could not yet recognize deception, and so it was easy to convince it of Lucien’s good intentions. Lucien taught it of its ancestor Justeaze, and of the ritual the Einzberns once attempted in search of the Third Magic: the Heaven’s Feel. Lucien was convinced that such a ritual could be attempted once more, and Ozymandias was the key. It agreed.

It has taken two hundred years since, but the pair’s preparations have borne fruit. Suitable minions have been gathered to play their game, a battlefield of sufficient caliber has been selected, and an army of homunculi under Ozymandias’s command has been birthed. These sons and daughters of the Einzberns possess immense magical potential, and serve as Ozymandias’s “decoy masters,” taking to the field with its servant Archer to carry out their parent’s will, and obscure the true nature of the master of the Seraphim.

Ozymandias knows that Lucien intends to manipulate it. It knows of the true intentions of this Holy Grail War. But it does not care. Its directive from birth never necessitated the survival of humanity. Only the survival of the Einzbern family. If it can reach the grail and recreate the Third Magic, then all else can be forfeited. This one goal, this one chance of success is all that drives it.

THE SERAPHIM’S ARCHER – Houyi
Parameters
STR: C
END: C
AGI: B
MAN: D
LUK: E

Skills:

Eye of the Mind (True): A (Archer’s sight is keen and cannot be tricked by any illusion or sleight; looking upon his enemy is all he needs to intuit the path to victory.)

Clairvoyance: A+ (With an attention to detail that only the most gifted marksman could possess, Archer's instincts have surpassed human limits and become precognition, expertly deducing the actions of his foes.)

Divinity: A- (Once a deity, stripped of godhood and descended to the level of mortals.)

Mad Enhancement: -- (Archer’s summoning by a beautiful master would remind him too deeply of his lost love Chang’e, and cause him to adopt the characteristics he had at the end of his life, where he was known as a vicious, hateful tyrant. However, the unusual circumstances of his Master have replaced this skill with something else.)

True Archery: EX (A skill possessed only by those whose mastery of the bow has transcended skill and achieved the level of divine authority. The god of archers possesses intimacy with ranged combat that intrudes on the impossible and achieves shots that lesser archers cannot conceive.)

Graceful Touch of the Moon: A (A skill that should never manifest, but has appeared in Archer due to his Master's uncanny resemblance to the goddess stranded upon the moon, Chang'e. While Archer would naturally be full of hate and regret, something worse has taken root...)

Phantasms:

Shenyi: Shining Bane of the Sanzuwu: EX (The favored bow of the Chinese god of archery Houyi, and the weapon he used to slay the nine sunbirds that scorched the earth. It possesses a multitude of blessings, imparting improved accuracy and wards against other marksmen. Though his gleaming bow is impressive, it is only the method of delivery for the true strength of Archer's Noble Phantasm: the ten golden arrows in the quiver upon his back. The head of each is hidden within a shining orb of light, burning like a miniature sun. These gorgeous arrows are well-suited to the death of the divine, having taken on qualities of the sunbirds they slew in legend. In imitation of the mercy Archer once showed his foes, these special arrows may not be used at first blows in battle. Such is their power that Houyi must fire a warning shot, striking harmlessly near his intended enemy, to declare his intentions. But should they ignore his warning to surrender or flee, he is free to use the remaining nine arrows as he sees fit. Each arrow is fired with incredible accuracy, piercing almost any defense set against them, in particular those of divine nature. And once the target has been struck the ball of light erupts, searing anything caught in its range with unbearable heat and force, the equivalent of a star forced into supernova, concentrated and funneled into the body of a single victim. With nine such payloads to detonate in a single battle, and the skill to ensure they will not miss their mark, this Noble Phantasm is a testament to Archer's destructive power. Though lesser arrows can be fired from the bow, these ten are the only ones that contain the full power of Shenyi; they must be retrieved from the targets they slay to be used again.)

The Archer of Seraphim is an inhumanly tall figure, nearing seven feet, with glowing bronze skin and beautiful hair that shimmers with a faint blue light draping nearly to his knees. His face is weathered with the burdens of a long and unpleasant life, and his eyes smolder like coal cracking the last few embers its form will endure. Archer’s body is rough and carries a history of regret, affecting his posture at all times and causing his motions to sway and falter outside of combat. He carries on his side a glorious golden bow embossed with the feathered pattern of a sunbird, and at his hip sits a quiver with nine arrows to match it. This divine figure was once the god Houyi, but is now little more than an assassin.

At the end of Archer’s life, after he lost his love forever to a distance he could never close, the unparalleled archer’s heart became hardened. He was cruel and hateful to those he once loved and cherished, and this spirit of resentment has not left him as a heroic spirit. Though he might allow his youthful hope to prevail in other summonings, the unearthly beauty of his master is too reminiscent of his long departed wife to suffer, and his rage burns hotter than ever before. Worse still is the knowledge of the destruction of the moon itself. There is no man or woman, innocent or guilty, who will be spared his hate in such a peak of anger. But though by day he is fury incarnate, at night he becomes despair. All sane thoughts leave him when he beholds a sky without a moon, without his beloved. Coherent words are lost to shrieks of madness. All thoughts are lost save the incessant reminder of the blank sky. His body thrashes about, tears itself apart, and then changes entirely. The mad beast that remains loses what inhibitions Archer still possessed, and seeks to impart his vengeance upon all humans that yet draw breath.

Archer has abandoned his honor and fights with every dirty trick he can muster. Atop his incredible skill and overwhelming power he is a foe that by most accounts cannot be stopped. He has no idea what he wants at this moment. The thought of a Holy Grail that could grant immortality, or perhaps take it away, appeals to him. But for now, his beautiful master has ordered him to kill, and coming from that person he feels a compulsion to obey. Archer will slaughter anyone he has to.

THE SERVANT RULER – Jesus of Nazareth
Parameters
STR: D
END: C
AGI: D
MAN: E
LUK: C

Skills:

Discernment of Creation: A (Ruler, who knows humans by name, recognizes the identity of any living being of Earth that he looks upon.)

Miracle: A (Famed for multiple demonstrations of impossible feats, Ruler is capable of similar performances as a servant. Even raising the dead may not be beyond him.)

God’s Resolution: A

Way, Truth, Life: A (A personal skill similar to Instinct, but rather than combat it provides general intuition.)

Charisma: A+

Divinity: A+- (Wholly human and wholly divine, a contradictory individual that receives both the benefits and demerits of being mortal and a god.)

Phantasms:

The Lion and the Lamb: Son Triumphant Upon the Mount: A+ (Though a divine spirit said to be among the highest, Ruler’s power is limited to the container he has incarnated in. For a single brief moment he may shed this restriction and assume his true self. Clouds form above him, and he is bathed in light. His hair turns white as snow and rises like fire. Seven trumpets held by angels play in turn for as long as their players can. For this duration, his authority is raised to the level of “God, the Creator.” Effectively omnipotence that allows him to alter all that he can see as he wishes. Only authority of a similar level can deny him. Once the trumpets have ended their reveille, the light dissipates and this Noble Phantasm is ended. It may only be called upon once, as a personal restriction Ruler has placed.)

Ruler’s appearance is wholly uncharacteristic of a noble hero. He is a charming, youthful but shifty looking man with long brown hair and light brown skin. His facial hair is trimmed, and he seems to have styled it after a movie star. He dresses in a light blue t-shirt, cargo shorts, sandals, and a brown untied bathrobe. Though he tries not to draw attention to them, there are gaping holes in his palms and a scar on his side. He never wears socks, and considers them the darkest point of human history. He is a free spirit and unbound by worry or severity. If anything it would appear to onlookers that Ruler is unaware there is a war going on. While masters and servants hide away in the dark to strategize he openly roams the streets, seeking fun diversions for himself. An ardent fan of humanity and a deep supporter of their ingenuity, he takes great pleasure in experiencing the pleasures they create for themselves like automobiles, television, and the turducken. Though he enjoys trying new things he scorns overindulgence and pointless luxuries. He is rather disappointed that he was summoned to an earth that was completely devastated, preventing him from further working on most of the things on his Things to Should’ve Done List. He claims he wishes he could do something to fix it, but his class container prevents him from working a miracle on that scale. But he is too chipper to let that keep him down, and has settled for working with what he has been given. He makes no effort to conceal himself and approaches master and servant pairs openly, cavorting with them for a time and dispensing his advice before wandering off and seeking new friends to make.

He is extroverted, but level-headed, never letting himself rise to anger; that said, he is easy to bring to tears over trivial things. He is optimistic, but never naïve and always seems to have wisdom hidden somewhere in his curious outbursts. He’s overly fond of parables, and will use them as analogies to teach a lesson at random intervals. He refuses to fight other servants in open violence, and indeed seems incapable of going on the offensive at all, possessing no weapons and being absurdly slow to anger. He does not enjoy violence, and considers its necessity the saddest fact of the world.

His arrival in the Holy Grail War was wholly unexpected. The architects behind it, the Seraphim, neither expected nor intended a Ruler to appear. Ruler seems to have forcibly incarnated himself into the war. He appears to be something of a yutz though, so they let him roam freely and do not feel the urge to reign him in. This is as he would have it, as freedom to roam allows him to perform the task he has arrived to do. Though those who meet him cannot guess at his motives, his wanderings carry motive, and he slowly rallies the masters of the Holy Grail War for a scheme of his own design. Though the Seraphim do not yet know it, there is a player in the game that sees through their layers of deception.