[hider=Caster] [list][*][u][b]Name[/b][/u]: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus [*][u][b]Class[/b][/u]: Caster [*][u][b]Appearance[/b][/u]: [url=https://i.imgur.com/pnGcvTD.png]Looks like a Saber[/url] [*][u][b]Personality[/b][/u]: Love-obsessed and prideful to a painful degree. Utterly convinced that she's an artist to rival Apollo and a Charioteer to rival Sol, Nero has an unshakeable belief in her own talent and skills (and aside from her completely bizarre artistic views, her skills can unfortunately make this rather true) on top of the sheer haughtiness she developed as Emperor. Quite a contrast with her small stature. Nero's idea of love is passionate and overwhelming--of herself, she will give everything, yet she expects to receive as much in turn. Tender, affectionate love is foreign to her, and as such Nero's love is like the fire she fights with so often--all-consuming, impermanent, but brilliant and blazing. Likes beautiful things more than anything else. Seems to hold the opinion that beautiful girls are preferable to boys, although it hardly matters with how enthusiastic she can be regardless. Does not take criticism well at all. Or dying alone. [*][u][b]Stats[/b][/u]: [list][*][u]Strength[/u]: D [*][u]Endurance[/u]: D [*][u]Agility[/u]: A [*][u]Mana[/u]: B [*][u]Luck[/u]: A [*][u]Noble Phantasm[/u]: B[/list] [*][u][b]Class Skills[/b][/u]: [list][*][u]Magic Resistance:[/u] C. Even as Caster, Nero still wishes to present herself as a great warrior and someone who should obviously be Saber, which gives her a small resistance to spells... most of which is quite pointless given the odds of running into a powerful magus are minimal with her class. [*][u]Riding:[/u] A++. Despite not having a mount, nor any exposure to dragons, Nero nonetheless possesses the ability to ride those of the Dragon Kind. Why? She doesn't know, nor cares to think about it. [*][u]Item Construction (Odd):[/u] EX. Ever the self-proclaimed genius, there is nothing that Nero thinks she shouldn't be able to make... however, as her artistic sensibilities show, her tastes and trains of thought are hardly in line with anybody else, so the results will always be unorthodox. Moreover, the chances of successfully completing any long-term project are heavily diminished by the interference of migraines. [*][u]Territory Creation:[/u] A+. Of course, as a former Emperor, the architect that rebuilt Rome and designed her own theatre and palace, and the head of Rome's religion, Nero has an exceptional talent for constructing a favourable terrain and a Temple for herself. So long as you can tolerate the gaudiness.[/list] [*][u][b]Personal Skills[/b][/u]: [list][*][u]Imperial Privilege:[/u] EX. The ability to gain skills temporarily, even those that would apply some burden to the body. As always, the skills Nero derives from this are primarily those that would befit an emperor, a general, and a warrior. Riding, Swordsmanship, Arts, Charisma, Tactics... unfortunately for her, her migraines interfere. [*][u]Invictus Spiritus:[/u] A. Three times Nero can fall, and three times she can revive herself, although its usage requires initial setup after being summoned. To try and push it further, and react the death that she once accepted... [*][u]Migraine:[/u] B. Exactly what it says on the tin. [*][u]Seven Crowns:[/u] C. "Her fragrance thickens her sword and sharpens her armor. Her state becomes ambiguous and the disadvantages brought by her class lose their meanings. The ???? comes out of the sea. Behold, the seven necks smoldering in the roaring sea. Earth's amassers of fortune, it is time to pour your desire into the golden goblet." Always active, whether she should like it or not, this assists Nero's rather loose attitude towards being Caster, whilst also reducing any damage that she takes in line with someone wearing a fine suit of armour. [*][u]Undying Magus:[/u] A. Magic learned from Simon Magus to allow resurrection after death. Unnecessary due to Invictus Spiritus, but...[/list] [*][u][b]Noble Phantasm(s)[/b][/u]: [list][*][u]Name[/u]: Aestus Domus Aurea - Golden Theatre of the Deranged [*][u]Rank[/u]: B [*][u]Type[/u]: Anti-Team [*][u]Appearance[/u]: [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/241207880907227137/1174259634605932615/image0.png?ex=6566f181&is=65547c81&hm=c865da237f4ebfc196ac3337fff777756a2e962924238c7b1e0a61137aa80257&]Gaudy.[/url] [*][u]Effects[/u]: To the casual observer or subject, this theatre is effectively indistinguishable from a Reality Marble: magically created from nowhere, inescapable, and anything happening within it doesn't affect the World outside. The truth is slightly different, instead: the theatre isn't Nero's internal world made manifest, but instead a greater magecraft only Nero can perform (not that such things can normally be performed anyway), constructing itself atop the world entirely. Unlike a Reality Marble, this means it can endure for a vastly longer amount of time, and as Caster she can tie its manifestation to her territory to reduce the cost of both initiation and continuation even further, at the cost of versatility. If desired, Nero could modifier it even further to gain physical presence, but nothing like that seems necessary to her in a normal war. As for the effects, it's quite simple: enemies are weakened, and the interior can be customised to benefit her Majesty's whims. Rose petals are ubiquitous. [/list] [*][b][u]Alignment[/u][/b]: Chaotic Good [*][b][u]Changes[/u][/b]: "Nero in danger of becoming a Beast (or at least a larval form) during a Grail War." Although she wishes to fight like a Saber, her attacks are even more flamboyant and heavy on the magical effects than normal--impractical and dangerous, if not for the damage they might cause should she actually hit and her own defences allowing for such a risky approach.[/list] [/hider] [hider=Einzbern] [list][*][u][b]Name[/b][/u]: Asteriel von Einzbern [*][u][b]Age[/b][/u]: < 3 [*][u][b]Gender[/b][/u]: Female [*][u][b]Appearance[/b][/u]: [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1137918495452037160/1174673294906118224/illyasviel_von_einzbern_fate_and_1_more_drawn_by_puyo_puyotopia__27fbd728287e24c5a090f80780d6c4bf.jpg[/img] [*][u][b]Personality[/b][/u]: A facade of ladylike refinement over one angry child. One of the deficits in Asteriel's creation appears to have been that although she was born with the [i]intellect[/i] of an adult, her emotional understanding and control has lagged behind... somewhat drastically. Perhaps this isn't the biggest downside--unlike many homunculi, at least this gives her room to grow as a person--if it weren't for her entire existence being oriented around one goal. Anyone or any[i]thing[/i] that gets between her and winning the grail is going to be met by disdain or frustration at best, and anger at worst. Despite her lack of life experience and general wonder at new experiences, Asteriel is perhaps even [i]more[/i] determined than most who deliberately compete for the grail. Not only is it the entire reason for her existence, she's acutely aware that she can both survive the grail manifesting and [i]needs[/i] to win it if she wants to live much longer at all. Whether by taking the wish for herself, or by turning what remains of the Greater Grail to its original purpose if it could still manage that. All told, this means that there are very few lines she won't consider crossing: there's nothing for her to lose. [*][u][b]Skills[/b][/u]: She can swim. The homunculus also has some surprising competence with the weapons she owns--though not, really, enough to trouble an expert... except for the sheer weight of the things. [*][u][b]Abilities[/b][/u]: Naturally, as a Justeaze-pattern homunculus, and an exceptional piece of Einzbern craftsmanship at that, Asteriel's innate ability as a mage is exceptional, able to supply enough mana to meet the demands of even the most egregious Servant--but at the same time, said Servant is subject to far more extensive and enduring command seals than anyone else is likely to have... although, that does come at the cost that she herself has no near-miraculous sources of mana to pull from unless she gets another person's. In terms of magecraft, Asteriel predictably displays nothing that her predecessors did not, sharing their skill in transmutation and any abilities developed [i]before[/i] they left for the prior grail wars. Her hair can be used as a startlingly strong wire to bind, or to shape into familiars to fight with--either by firing magical energy, physically, or simply as autonomous defences. As a homunculus, her age is no impediment to being well-rounded within the domains the Einzbern care about, possessing skill at magical healing and surgery (even if the real use for that is simply to transplant in enhanced organs), a surprising amount of utility magecraft for [i]avoiding[/i] being noticed or fought, and Transference of Consciousness--not needing a specially prepared vessel or familiar, just some connection to the object. Scrying would likely be a more efficient form of information gathering, as at least it doesn't rely on her body being protected whilst she's absent. Of course, it isn't just her magecraft that is exceptional. Created with combat in mind, her raw strength is comparable to a Servant's, and although her other physical abilities don't nearly stand out as much, they are still comparable with a magus' expectations when using reinforcement. [*][u][b]Assets[/b][/u]: [list][*][u]Money:[/u] A fairly blatant one, but the Einzbern are far, [i]far[/i] from poor, and if she needs to spend on something... well, it's not really an option. This also leads into... [*][u]Workshop:[/u] Having been in the area for months as it is, Asteriel has both secured herself a rather out-of-the-way property, but spent the majority of her time reinforcing it. Given the state of their residence after the last two wars, it was obviously necessary to layer far more protections around this one, reinforcing it as much as possible before Servants would arrive. Not that this is likely to dissuade them, but at least it should give the Masters pause--unfortunate as it is that doing things [i]properly[/i] and getting permission means the Einzbern presence in the area is known. [*][u]Weapons:[/u] Although neither is really a mystic code per se, both the axe-sword previously used by the Fifth Grail War's Berserker and the Rhenium halberd used by Leysritt. Neither is something that a normal human should be swinging about, yet their weight doesn't bother her. [*][u]Maids:[/u] What is a lady without her maids? They are, naturally, homunculi--nothing special compared to herself, or even her predecessor's attendants, but if there were to be a need for more mana somehow, or perhaps raw materials for a certain mystic code... well, there are four of them on hand.[/list] [*][u][b]Brief Backstory[/b][/u]: After the last Fuyuki Grail War, the Einzbern were prepared to give up on their goal, with even their greatest achievement in modern times not being sufficient to win the war with an overwhelming advantage. The battle over whether the war would continue? Hardly their concern, although there was some token involvement, as should the war continue they would always be able to take part no matter how hopeless it might seem. But the grail was dismantled and that was that: soon, all the apparatus of the Einzbern Castle would begin to fall into disuse, with its overseer no longer having a means to reach their goals. Except... news that some magi were attempting to reuse the remnants of the Greater Grail for something as petty as starting the war just for a wish found its way back to Germany. How [i]dare[/i] they try to reuse the Einzbern's greatest creation for their own ends? Moreover, they did this without reaching out, without [i]asking[/i], and in the process might have destroyed what little remains of the Third Magic. Asteriel is the response Jubstacheit came up with. Unsurprisingly, another Justeaze-pattern homunculus, but unlike previous creations, none of her creation was made with thought of shielding or [i]being[/i] the Lesser Grail, only of being a Master for the upcoming war. A standard homunculus would hardly do, the [i]previous[/i] Einzbern Master at least showed the value of such ridiculous magic circuits and command seals, but this one would have to stand endure a war with even less support, in an area where the Einzbern hadn't had centuries to work with the spiritual land the war was fought on. Fortunately for their goals, there was much that could be sacrificed for this achievement; this homunculus need only live for long enough to see the war to its conclusion, any any deficiencies in personality hardly mattered as long as she had nothing to live for but the goal itself. The homunculus' life, therefore, has been set from the beginning. It would be short, and it would be violent, and to that end she was made as strong in magic and body as could be feasibly achieved, taught what the family had ever learned in direct combat applications--something worthwhile, at least, to have come out of their previous failures--and sent to Japan. First, to reclaim the catalyst from the previous war... if not to use it, at least to arm herself, as well as the weapon handed to Leysritt. Then, of course, to prepare for the start of the war proper. For once, the Einzbern have nothing up their sleeves to try and rig the Servant selection. But whatever Servant Asteriel [i]does[/i] summon will never want for mana.[/list][/hider]