Alfonso X of Castile
Titles: 'King of Castile and Leon', 'The Wise', the Astrologer.
Class: Caster.
Gender: Male.
Era: 1221 to 1284 AD (Life). 1252 to 1284 AD (Reign).
Alignment: Lawful Good.
Attribute: Man.

History

Before there was a Spain, there was Castile-Leon, the most powerful Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. And Alfonso was the Crown Prince, dutifully helping his father reconquer the lands that would become Spain from the Moors, and later, the King who would take from the achievements of all three Abrahamic Faiths - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - to make his court a center of culture, wisdom, and in secret, the Occult. He was not just a conqueror; he was a builder, a lawmaker, and a scholar, even earning a mention in the United States Capitol, due to how his laws are still used in the American Southwest.

He fought off an invasion by the remaining Moors, took one of their remaining Sultanates, then reduced the last remnants of their nation to their final sliver of land in Granada. But he also knew that they had knowledge to contribute to the world, and so he translated their works from Arabic to Castilian, works of Astronomy, Mathematics, Alchemy, and the properties of precious stones and talismans (Mineralogy).

And while unlike his descendants and their Inquisitions, he tolerated the Jews, he forced them to translate the Kabbalah to that same language, enabling other scholars to gradually Christianize its teachings. By personally supervising the translation, he learned a lot of secrets that the Kabbalists had kept away from prying eyes, including Golemancy, where he mixed Avicebron (Solomon ibn Gabriol)'s teachings with what he knew about Astrology (Astromancy in Clock Tower jargon) and Mineralogy, giving it a gloss more acceptable to his co-religionists and The Holy Church.

But more relevant to this tale is that he was a gamer, compiling an entire book on how to play chess, dice, and early backgammon, and this, not just his achievements in translation, the compiling of works on astrology, and getting a crater on the moon named after him in modern times, earn him the role of Caster in this Grail War.

Personality

A believer in chivalry, but also pragmatic when called to it, Alfonso genuinely believes in the virtues of Knighthood and that true Knights should strive for virtue. A believer in the fruits of tolerance and understanding (as much as a medieval ruler can be), Alfonso is more than pleased to talk with scholars, translate their writings to his own language, and yes, share the fruits of his wisdom with his 'subjects' (aka Spaniards and people from former Spanish Colonies). He appreciates Masters who are scholarly and wise and not snobbish towards other sources of knowledge, and holds them to his own standards of Knighthood, even if they are not Knights themselves, making sure they do not harm civilians.

He also expects his Master or Mistress to ride or pilot the Mechs he creates; this is not him absorbing them into the Golems by force - He keeps insisting he is not an inhuman monster - but rather them voluntarily serving as its core as long as they are in it. He even provides escape pods for them made out of clay should they be defeated.

Alfonso X's Wish is to revive the glory of Spain and turn Spanish into the language of culture and scholarship once again, displacing English and French.

Parameters

Strength: D
Endurance: C
Agility: C
Mana: B
Luck: B+ (The plus is when he is playing a board game, using dice, or placing a bet).

Class Skills
Territory Creation (B+): A King of one of the greatest kingdoms of Western Europe at that time, who poured his resouces into maintaing a court of scholars of different faiths, who translated books from Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew into Castilian at great expense can certainly justify a world-class workshop dedicated to acquiring, digesting, and 'hispanizing' the knowledge of the world. But as he is called to specialize in this Grail War, the Workshop has to focus on one or two things, in this case, Golemancy. In order to avoid overlap with Avicebron, whose writings he had ordered translated, Alfonso focuses on making a small, limited number of high-quality Golems empowered with a small number of weapons and armor; these, in turn, can be piloted by Humans, who voluntarily serve as the Golems' core but are not absorbed into them - He is not an inhuman monster!

Item Creation (C++): By ordering the translation of Avicebron's texts on Golemancy, Alfonso can justify knowing it. By being a gamer, Alfonso can justify having knowledge about Mechs pumped into him by the Throne of Heroes. By combining the two, plus the unique properties of his Workshop, plus his Noble Phantasm, and of course, confining himself to a single specialization (Mechs!), Alfonso can build powerful Anime Mechs out of clay, scrolls containing the Name of God, and have them be piloted by his Master or those serving said Master. He can also build specialized weapons and armor for each Golem he creates, further improving the quality of each individual one, and add ejection seats for the Master in case they are defeated.

Personal Skills
A Personal Touch (B): Alfonso had a stake in making his court a center of culture, and personally supervised the translation work going on in his scriptorium, or book-making workshop, during his life. Now that his Workshop as a Heroic Spirit is oriented to making Golems, maintaining Golems, and building weapons and armor for them, this tendency to supervise or join in important tasks manifests differently, in that he can customize individual Golems to make them stronger, more enduring, capable of carrying magical railguns, faster and unlike Avicebron's, able to fly.

Numerology (B): As stated, Alfonso personally supervised the translation of books on numerology, learning a decent amount of knowledge in it, and thus justifying his possession of this Skill. As his type of Numerology comes from the Kabbalah, it is based on Gematria, where not only does each letter have a numerical value, but so do specific phrases and terms; this allows him to compress entire spells into a single number or short strings of them; this allows him to 'program' his golems with multiple commands.

Gamer (A): Alfonso, as a Caster, is summoned in his role as the translator, compiler, and writer of the Book of Games, giving him knowledge of all games, their rules, tactics, strategies, and rules-lawyering. Tournaments and Battle Royales, such as the Holy Grail War, qualify as a game for this skill.

Noble Phantasms
Tablas Alfonsines
Title: The Alphonsine Tablets.
Rank: B+
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1 - 100
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description: A set of mathematical and astronomical texts meant to provide data for computing the positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, as the Noble Phantasm of the Servant Caster, the Tablas takes on the form of a mechanical globe similar to CHALDEAS from another timeline. As Alfonso X, in Caster form, is also summoned due to his legacy as an Astrologer and a Gamer, the Tablas acts not just as a magical computer, but also as a Mana Reactor that when placed into just one Golem Mech, gives that Golem and its Pilot inside the attributes of a Noble Phantasm. By that, he puts the Tablas/Core inside a Clay Golem Mech, and the Mech and its Pilot become a Noble Phantasm, able to withstand the attacks of Servants (including other Noble Phantasms), fight Servants on an even footing in both melee and ranged combat, and of course, fly, fire laser beams, and be extremely lucky.

Libero de los juegos
Title: Book of Games.
Rank: D++
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description: Alfonso gathered the knowledge of the Arabs regarding chess, dice, backgammon, and other board games into one text, and added to it; the Book of Games is the crystallization of the idea, and despite its name, it can be both a literal book and so much more. When opened, Alfonso can see the 'Stats and Skills' of his Golems and the people piloting them (Master and Friends), as well as any upgrades the former get. This seems weak at first, but with a True Name Release, he can rearrange the Stats and Skills of each Golem he has and add new upgrades by reshaping the Clay they are made of.

With the Pilots' explicit consent, he can spend a lot of Mana to rearrange their existing stats and skills, transfer them to each other, or even give them his own skills, adding an element of customization that other Golemancers lack. These skills are retained even when they leave the Golem Mechs.

True Name: Hollófernyiges
Titles: Black King Fernigesh, The Dragon Tyrant
Class: Rider
Gender: Female
Era: 12th Century
Alignment: Chaotic Good Chaotic Neutral

Attribute: Earth

History



Personality
Personality Overview: When it comes to Rider, her looks are not all that far from what one might expect of her personality. Innocent, oblivious, full of energy and childlike curiosity. However, this does not mean that she is to be underestimated. If nothing else, Rider possesses determination-- leaps and bounds of it, and seems to be very intelligent for someone of their stature to match this level of bravery and supplement it nicely. Though one may need to remain patient with her given her seemingly airheaded and oblivious nature outside of battle, there lie all the things needed for a powerful warrior to take root. Sharp reflexes, great analytical skills, and tactical cunning. Though, one may have to stop her from attempting to befriend every opponent she fights, and encourage her to go for the kill rather than showing mercy.

The Horse of Yega seems supportive of the girl in all of these matters, often calling her ‘princess’, much to the girl’s visible glee. He seems to serve as a more level-headed translator of her sometimes immature speech littered with childish rhetoric and allegories. It often feeds into her imaginative tangents, seemingly seeking to please and entertain the young girl at almost any and all times. Regarding external events, it will often commentate on them with a certain dry wit, whether it be regarding opponents, allies, or even Rider’s own master. The only time that they drop these mannerisms is regarding Rider herself, which the Horse of Yega treats like the royalty it often refers to her as.

. . .



Parameters
Strength: D*
Endurance: B*
Agility: D*
Mana: A
Luck: D

Class Skills

Riding: EX

A Class Skill of Rider and Saber class Servants, denoting the ability to ride mounts and vehicles. Rider-class Servants will typically possess a high rank. It is said that dragon type mounts are an exception, requiring a different ability other than Riding.

All vehicles and all creatures up to the level of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast can be used as mounts. Hollófernyiges is able to ride anything, including other dragons as the one once known as the Dragon Tyrant, as her memories are not sealed even in her base form.

Magic Resistance: C+

A skill that grants protection against magical effects. At C-rank, this cancels spells which have two verses or below.



Personal Skills

Claws of the Raven: A

A skill which represents Hollófernyiges’s extreme degree of proficiency in dicing opponents into chunks blisteringly fast, earning them the nickname “Ravenclaw”.

The sealed variant of this, available in her first form, allows for Rider to, however limited, project slashes from arm movements as ranged attacks, as if the Dragon King’s swipes were so strong that they projected outwards, slicing through the air itself. Due to the clumsy movements afforded by her restrained hands and the three seals placed upon her via means of the cuffs, these attacks are not very strong (using only her base STR stat), and are fairly telegraphed with the movements which have to be made. Thus, it is only really viable at close ranges and point blank in lieu of a melee weapon.



The King’s Scales: A
A skill which is emblematic of the claim made by the other dragons throughout the land that even united in their strength, they would never be able to defeat Rider. To these ends, in her sealed initial form, this skill allows Rider to gain physical invulnerability in one specific area of the body at a time against all forms of attack, selected either every hour or right as she expects a fight. This is a handy skill to assist Rider’s longevity with her otherwise frail body.



Dragon Core (Tyrant): A

As the strongest dragon in the land, it is unsurprising that the Tyrant receives a core of her own. In her starting, sealed form, Rider cannot count on the core much at all, as the three seals placed upon her do their job rather impressively. This reduces the dragon core to a nearly ‘dead’ skill, where the only benefit it provides is higher passive mana regeneration seeping through the seals with its strength, making her base form an efficient Servant in terms of mana economy.



Noble Phantasms

「The Five-Legged Steed」
Horse of Yega

Rank: A
NP Type: Anti-Army
Range: -
Maximum Number of Targets: 500
Description: The magical, monstrous steed that Hollófernyiges once rode. A phantasmal beast, it is an equestrian being with five legs which could fly so long as all legs remained intact. This sentient talking horse is leaps and bounds quicker than any other, to the point that when queried on if they would be able to catch up to some fleeing adversaries, it loudly declared that Hollófernyiges could go about many daily errands, and still catch them easily. It was said to traverse “twenty miles in twenty steps”.

To represent its blistering speed, with every step it takes, the Horse of Yega may choose to engage in an instantaneous sprint, be it a short distance or a long one with a maximum range of one mile per step. When provided with ample mana reserves, this may be incredibly dangerous, as each step represents a possible repositioning, and all flanks are no longer safe. Otherwise, it is an incredibly quick endurance runner, and at most levels of mana will likely hold back greatly on its true sprinting potential. Whilst its speed in endurance is unrivalled on the ground and formidable even in the sky, it must rely on trampling whatever foe it wishes to inflict harm on as physical attacks, or rely on the Dragon Tyrant herself, which tends to be difficult in the sealed form she starts off in. All defenses are shared between Rider and the Horse of Yega whilst she is riding it aside from the effects of The King’s Scales.

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Rome’s Colosseum was more than a battleground, it was a theater of war, where blood was spilled not in sorrow, but in triumph. The gladiators who fought beneath its scorching sun were more than warriors; they were living embodiments of greatness, their skill refined through pain, discipline, and sheer will.

Among them, the most legendary warriors were hailed as gods upon the sand, their victories met with deafening cheers, their movements shaping the rhythm of battle itself. Some etched their names into history, but many more transcended individual legacy, woven into the very spirit of the arena itself.

Through these men, combat became art, and through their relentless mastery, a new entity was formed. Aureus Deus Bellator is the collected triumph of Rome’s greatest fighters, not a singular soul, but the manifestation of battle perfected. He does not lament those who fell, he embodies their glory, their final strikes frozen in time, their echoes lingering across history as a spectacle that would never fade.

Summoning him is not calling forth a lone warrior, nor is it summoning a slave seeking freedom, it is invoking the theater of war itself, the Colosseum reborn through living radiance, clad in gold and wreathed in legend. Aureus does not fight for survival, he fights for the roar of the crowd, for the perfection of battle, for the eternal stage where only the worthy may stand.


Aureus Deus Bellator is the embodiment of combat as spectacle, a warrior who does not simply fight but performs, shaping each battle into a grand display of mastery. Arrogant beyond compare, he sees himself as the pinnacle of martial prowess, a force beyond human limitation, forged from the greatest warriors of Rome’s Colosseum. Every movement he makes, every strike he delivers, is done with intention, precision, and showmanship, not merely to win, but to be witnessed.

For Aureus, combat is not survival, nor duty, it is art. A duel is not a contest between two souls, but a moment in history, a scene to be perfected before an unseen audience. He believes that warriors should be measured not by strength alone, but by presence, technique, and the spectacle of their execution. If an opponent lacks these qualities, they are beneath him, undeserving of acknowledgment.

He does not obey commands; he chooses when to fight, who to fight, and how to fight. His so-called "Master" is not his ruler, nor his superior, but rather a mere spectator, fortunate enough to witness his greatness. At first, he speaks around them rather than to them, treating their presence as incidental rather than meaningful. If they wish to earn recognition, they must prove themselves, not through words, but through action.

Even as time passes, Aureus never truly accepts the modern world. The absence of Rome weighs heavily upon him, and though his initial outrage fades, his discontent lingers in sharp remarks and dismissive gestures. He does not complain outright, but his dissatisfaction is evident in the way he continually critiques his surroundings, commenting on their lack of grandeur.

Beyond his arrogance, Aureus carries a deep reverence for true warriors, those who embody combat with presence, discipline, and honor. While morality holds no meaning to him, strength in battle does, and an opponent who fights with brilliance and dignity may earn his grudging respect. However, those who rely on deception, cowardice, or dishonorable tactics are seen as stains upon the battlefield, unworthy of his time. Against such opponents, his scorn is absolute, and his refusal to acknowledge them is sharper than any blade.

His speech is layered in grandeur, often interwoven with Latin phrases, spoken as though proclaiming divine truths. His voice carries weight, commanding, theatrical, undeniably authoritative. He does not waste words on pleasantries or meaningless exchanges; each statement is crafted for impact, a declaration of his presence rather than mere conversation.

Aureus is not irrational, nor blinded by madness, his Berserker nature manifests not in frenzy, but in unshakable conviction. He is not a man, nor a servant to be controlled; he is the Colosseum reborn, the arena made flesh, the spectacle of combat given form. He does not serve. He does not bow. He is witnessed, and that alone is enough.


"Theatrical Fury"

Aureus's Mad Enhancement does not manifest as mindless rage, but as an unshakable compulsion to fight in a manner worthy of history. His fury is not reckless, it is measured, disciplined, and driven by the necessity of combat remaining a spectacle befitting the Colosseum’s legacy.

• Baseline Rank: D – Provides a boost to Strength and Endurance, reinforcing Aureus's ability to endure prolonged combat and strike with unwavering force.
• Conditional Rank: B – If an opponent relies on cowardly tactics, stalling, fleeing, deception, or otherwise avoiding direct engagement, Aureus's battle fervour intensifies. In this state, his mana recovery increases, and his agility is pushed to Rank B, ensuring he can close distances and dismantle evasive foes with relentless precision.
• Retains eloquence, charisma, and tactical reasoning, as his madness is conviction, not chaos.

"Weapons of the Colosseum"

Aureus does not wield a single weapon, he commands the arsenal of the Colosseum itself. Through grand gestures and calculated movements, he summons various gladiatorial weapons mid-combat, each materializing in bursts of golden light, their arrival carefully timed to enhance the rhythm of battle.

• Weapons Summoned: Trident, net, spear, cestus (battle gloves), and other gladiatorial arms.
• Theatrical Summoning: Weapons do not appear instantly, each is summoned through deliberate action, ensuring its arrival is as much a part of combat spectacle as the fight itself.
• Combat Timing & Showmanship: Aureus’s weapons arrive exactly when needed, appearing as the final step of a motion rather than a sudden event. Every action flows seamlessly into weapon conjuration, reinforcing his battlefield dominance.
• Manifestation Principle: These weapons are not illusions, but temporary physical constructs, forged from the unseen essence of the Colosseum, enforcing his belief that true battle demands variation and spectacle.

"Dominion of the Grand Spectacle"

Where Aureus fights, the presence of the colosseum lingers, turning any battlefield into a grand stage for combat. Even where no arena stands, combat creates one, a contest of skill, presence, and spectacle, as if unseen spectators judge their every move.

• Battlefield Reshaping: Combatants instinctively feel drawn into duels and structured engagements, compelled to fight as if the Colosseum itself demands it.
• Unseen Spectators’ Judgment: Roars, gasps, and drumbeats begin bleeding into reality. Warriors who fight with dignity and presence feel a faint surge of power, while those relying on dishonourable tactics experience subtle disruptions, an unsteady grip, faltering words, mistimed movement.
• Aureus Thrives in His Arena: The battlefield strengthens him, his strikes heavier, his movements sharper, as if his presence alone commands the flow of battle.
• Endures Until The Final Strike: So long as the battle demands his presence, Aureus refuses to fall. Even when wounded, his sheer force of will keeps him standing until the moment the duel reaches its rightful conclusion. Though he does not fight for survival, the Colosseum will not let its champion fade before his performance is complete.

"Memory of the Arena's Warriors"

Aureus is not merely one fighter, he is the sum of the Colosseum’s greatest warriors, their instincts and experiences ingrained within him. The echoes of thousands of battles shape his skillset, granting him the ability to shift between the combat disciplines of Rome’s many gladiatorial traditions. Through these inherited memories, he adapts fluidly to the nature of battle, proving his supremacy in any arena.

• Unyielding spirit: The brutal realities of the Colosseum have conditioned Aureus to withstand mental warfare. Fear, coercion, and psychological manipulation falter against him, as the countless warriors within him have long since learned that hesitation leads only to death.
• Instincts of the Besriarii: The memories of beast fighters grant Aureus natural advantages when facing non-human opponents, enabling him to read their movements and react accordingly. He holds inherent knowledge of how to evade, subdue, and kill wild creatures, from roaring lions to monstrous foes beyond Rome’s walls.
• Furor Gregatarius: Trained in the brutal contests of one-versus-many combat, Aureus excels when surrounded, his movements adapting to fighting multiple opponents at once without losing efficiency. He instinctively manages angles, spacing, and engagement tempo to avoid being overwhelmed.
• Adaptive Combat Mastery: Aureus instinctively recalls the battle styles of countless gladiators, enabling him to not only fight proficiently in various disciplines, whether mounted, unarmed, or armed with improvised weapons, but also counter those who specialize in them. He can unseat riders, suppress brawlers, evade beast-like aggression, and dismantle group tactics, ensuring his dominance in any combat environment remains undisputed.

"Games of Glory – The Eternal Spectacle"

Rank: A
NP Type: Reality Marble
Range: 0~50 meters
Maximum Number of Targets: 15

For Aureus, the battlefield does not exist, only the Colosseum, roaring beyond time, demanding its warriors uphold the grand spectacle. The moment his Reality Marble manifests, the world simply steps into the truth of Aureus’s mind, a gladiator who has never known anything beyond this eternal arena.

Aureus is not an individual, he is a legion, forged from the countless warriors who bled, triumphed, and died beneath Rome’s gaze, their spirits merging into one undefeated champion. In Arena Ludorum, there is no external force, no interference, only battle, as dictated by the expectations of unseen spectators beyond time.

• Reality Marble Activation: The battlefield reshapes into a vast Colosseum, enforcing the laws of its eternal spectacle, where Aureus alone commands the combatants within it.
• Legion of One: Aureus does not summon warriors, he becomes them, ensuring every combatant in the Colosseum faces not echoes, but purely him, in different forms, all motivated by the phantom audience’s approval.
• Absolute Combat Law: Upon activation, the Colosseum restricts battlefield conditions, preventing outside intervention, external magic sources, and abilities that manipulate reality outside of direct combat. Noble Phantasms tied to raw combat remain, but those reliant on external forces falter against the Colosseum’s demand for martial prowess.
• Oppressive Atmosphere: Every strike carries weight beyond mere force. Enemies feel the unseen audience’s judgment, their movements subtly pressured by roars and drumbeats, as if every action is scrutinized in real time. To falter is to be condemned by the spectacle itself.

"The Fall That Crowns Glory – Final Judgment"

Rank: A+
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 10 meters
Maximum Number of Targets: 1

At the conclusion of a worthy duel, Aureus raises his hand, releasing his gladius into golden light. For a few seconds, it vanishes entirely, and the battlefield falls silent, the unseen audience ceases its roar, the crowds roar fades, and judgment begins.
This moment of absolute quiet lasts just long enough for the verdict to be decided, not by Aureus, but by the unseen spectators.
Then, the weapon returns, taking one of two forms:

• Gladius Divinus – A radiant blade that pierces any defense, concept, or spell, an executioner’s sword designed to sever fate itself.
• Rudis Misericordia – A simple wooden training sword, given only to magnificent opponents, symbolizing their right to leave the battlefield in honor.

Aureus himself never decides which form appears, the Colosseum itself judges, rewarding glory or delivering punishment.
Once the choice is made, Aureus will not strike again. The judgment is final.

Hagen von Tronje
Titles: Elf-Blooded Knight
Class: Lancer
Gender: Male
Era: 440-450
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Attribute: Earth

Identity
The Elf-Blooded Knight who slew the hero Siegfried and brought great tragedy to all involved. One of the most famous anti-heroes of Germany, about whom many legends speak. His treachery and tragedy are primarily attested to in the “Nibelungenlied”, in which he usurps the main character role after his murder of Siegfried. Yet, the real main character is Siegfried’s wife, Kriemhild, and Hagen is the deuteragonist to her great tragic revenge plot.

The tragedy began when Siegfried arrived in the Kingdom of Burgundy seeking Kriemhild’s hand in marriage. Hagen was there alongside him, battling in war, seeking Queen Brunhild’s hand for King Gunther, and the two became peerless friends. Yet due to Siegfried’s treachery for the sake of King Gunther, conflict between his Kingdom of Worms and the Kingdom of Burgundy began to arise. The honor of King Gunther was damaged by the insults of Queen Kriemhild towards Queen Brunhild, and needed to be rectified.

So to preserve the king’s honor, Hagen tricked Kriemhild into revealing Siegfried’s one weakness, and murdered him on a hunting trip.

He stole the great hero’s weapon and treasure, keeping the former on his person and dumping the latter in the river. All to prevent Kriemhild from having any leverage with which to strike back at her husband’s murderers. Yet his advice was repeatedly ignored. Kriemhild married King Etzel, and the Kingdom of Burgundy went to their wedding feast and their doom.

Many foreboding omens and conflicts occur before they even reach Etzel’s Court, and further tragedy only follows after they arrive at the court. Hagen and Kriemhild’s plans danced around one another until, eventually, Hagen brought about open conflict by slaying Etzel and Kriemhild’s young son Ortlieb. Open conflict followed, which saw many slain, and Gunther and Hagen as the last survivors. Hagen refused to tell Kriemhild where he hid the Rheingold, and was decapitated for it.

Yet, there are a great many inconsistencies in Hagen’s actions throughout the tale…



Personality
Quiet and withdrawn, Hagen presents as a man with no pride or principles. An extension of his master’s will, he tries to act as the epitome of a loyal knight. Yet comes across as a treacherous and otherworldly figure. Someone who would do whatever he was ordered, as he has already committed the gravest of sins. He who would give advice willingly, who sees far more than any man should, but will never truly act on it and bring about the world he wants. Truly, he is more like that foolish hero than he’d ever admit.

Because of his self-hatred following the events of the Nibelungenlied, he has extremely low self-esteem. Viewing himself as little more than an instrument of the misfortune brought about by Das Rheingold, he will ignore his desires in favor of his masters, while trying to guide them away from ruin. Yet, if pressed about what his wish would be…

He’d simply like the chance to meet with his dearest friend again and apologize for failing to stop the calamity that came after his death.

Parameters
Strength: C
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Mana: B
Luck: E

Class Skills
Magic Resistance: B
Cancels spells with chants below three verses.
Lancer's inhuman blood and decent class container result in an above-average Magic Resistance rank.

Personal Skills
Human-Observation: A
A technique to observe and understand people. At an A-Rank, it is not simply observing, but the capacity to hypothesize livelihoods, preferences, and even the lives of those whose names are unknown.
He contemplates the natures of many people. His brother, the Queen of Iron, the Dragon-Blooded Knight, and the Queen of Revenge. When the Dragon-Blooded Knight spoke, he could see what he truly wanted. When the Queen of Revenge cried, he knew she'd never forgive. He tried to warn them, but they never listened.

Mind's Eye (Fake): B
A natural talent to foresee and avoid danger based on innate intuition.
He always saw a way out, always knew what he needed to do to achieve victory. Knowing who they needed to defeat the Queen of Iron, finding the weakness of the Dragon-Blooded Knight, how to forestall the Queen's Revenge, and how to get across the Danube, he always found a way. Until he faced the Devil-Blessed Knight, and he could no longer find a way out.

Fairy-Eyes: B
The eyes of a fairy that can see through lies.
A bastard half-elf, born from an elf intermingling with a queen. The inhuman monster that slew the great Dragon-Blooded Knight through treachery. Nothing good can come from a human contemplating the difference between good and evil.

Noble Phantasms
Rhine-Ward
Title: Veil of the Rheinmaidens
Rank: D
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1-2
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description:
The first noble phantasm of Hagen.

A veil of water that surrounds Das Rheingold and contains its terrible curse. A bounded field constructed by a trio of water spirits and maintained by Hagen, it is an immense amount of water within a slim bubble around the spear. This hides its true appearance and prevents its curse from flowing freely.

It provides Hagen with additional attack power, increasing his spear’s mass through the weight of the water. By manipulating the water, Hagen can perform many actions, such as long-range attacks or boosting mobility. It is even possible to unleash all the water at once in a pressure jet with magical energy equal to a true name release.

To utilize Das Rheingold’s true effects, Rhein-Ward must be dismissed. When this is done, it coats Hagen’s body. It provides additional physical protection and insulates him from Das Rheingold's curse.

Das Rheingold
Title: Treasure of Inevitable Calamity
Rank: A+
NP Type: Anti-Country
Range: 1-99
Maximum Number of Targets: 500
Description:
The Second Noble Phantasm of Hagen.

It is a one-handed, golden spear with a dragon-like motif at its guard and an elegant, otherworldly style to its construction that speaks to an inhuman origin.

The treasure of Fafnir, won by the great hero Siegfried after slaying the worm. After Hagen murdered Siegfried, the treasure was destined for Kriemhild, his wife. Yet knowing she'd only bring ruin using it, he stole it and dumped it in the Rhine, where only he knew. Even when faced with death at Kriemhild's hands, he refused to reveal its location, taking it to his grave. An unending treasure that brings great wealth to its owner but also curses them with great misfortune.

The spear that took Siegfried’s life and the treasure that cursed him with misfortune have been combined due to “both bringing about the hero's downfall.” A terrible weapon whose curse is only kept in check by Rhine-Ward preventing it from being seen.

If Rhein-Ward is dismissed, the spear's wealth and curse flow freely. It's unending wealth and abundance flowing freely from it in the form of a mana reactor to be utilized by Hagen. Yet while its wealth flows, so too does its curse. Taking the form of a Curse of Greed, those who see it will be forced to make consecutive luck checks to avoid falling under its effects. Starting as a simple fascination effect, those without mental resistance can quickly become obsessed with the spear, even as the curse brings them to ruin. The logic behind the obsession differs per person, but the effect remains the same.

A true name release sends the reactor into an out-of-control overdrive. Magical energy and the curse flowed in a flood from the spear. Those caught in the effect will find themselves consumed and drowned in the curse, their minds lost under the weight of gold. A noble phantasm reaching the rank of “Anti-Country” due to its wide-reaching effect and potential if left alone, rather than its raw power.

Hagen would prefer to never use the true name release.

Hassan of the Shining Eyes, birth name, Firuz Salim
Titles: Hassan of the Shining Eyes, Hassan the Refounder, Defender of the Faith.
Gender: Male.
Age: 30.
Alignment: True Neutral with Good leanings.
Affiliation: The Refounded Order of Assassins, under the authority of the Imam of the Nizari Ismail’i sub-sect of Shia Islam.
Clock Tower Rank: None.
Command Spell: Three flowery henna vines on one’s left hand.

Background

The sect that birthed the Assassins still exists today. The Aga Khan, who is also the 49th Imam of that sect, had turned his energies to charity and development, to helping others instead of annihilating the enemies of the sect. Millions were kept from dying through his compassion and his willingness to spend his fortune for their sake, to keep them fed, housed, and educated through tumultuous times.

If not for the sect and its charitable networks, the boy who would become the Hassan of the Shining Eyes, the Hassan who refounded the Order of Assassins, would be dead.

He vaguely remembers the 80s, where he was raised in an orphanage for exiles that also doubled as an orphanage of love. Even then, he knew, from the faces of his fellow orphans, that love and warmth were fragile, that hate and fear found a way, but that love, warmth, and light were worth fighting for.

And so he studied under the masters of the sect, the teachers, philosophers, and theologians. He learned of how God, in their eyes, was beyond limits, beyond definitions, beyond all human conception and intellect. Through his teachers, he revered the Imam, who in turn interceded for God, and he learned that his sect was regarded by many as heretical or even abhorrent, no different than other religions.

He persevered. He studied. Even as the world grew dark again, with strife and poverty tainting large regions of the world, he persisted in his beliefs. In time, he became known as knowledgeable, as wise, but also as someone who struggled against his anger towards those who would target his sect in the name of the same God they praised.

By having a single, high-quality Magic Circuit, born through a random genetic quirk, the young man who would become Hassan of the Shining Eyes was qualified to be taught the basics of Magecraft with the permission of his mentors, many of whom had some knowledge of Mysticism and even Occult Theory, although they kept this secret from the uninitiated. This, however, was merely so he can see the commonalities between Magecraft and what the Ismail’i sect already knew in their hearts.

In time, the Aga Khan, his Imam, gave him a task: Refound the Order of Assassins, both as destroyers of the foes of the faith and defenders of the innocent, the helpless, those who were weak against their own choice, but can one day be strong. But to do that, he would have to sacrifice something of himself, to risk damnation to protect others from the pain and suffering that would tempt them to dark paths.

The then-young man didn’t hesitate; he owed the sect his life. Despite their human imperfections, they tried their best, and he will not fail them. He would sacrifice everything he had: name, rank, property, so that his peers could continue helping others without harassment from those who would shed their blood.

One more thing was asked of him after his declaration: That he sacrifice his mundane sight and the ignorance that came with seeing only the physical.

He did not hesitate.

The process by which he was given the Mystic Eyes of Lie Destruction was painful, risky, but also transcendent, illuminating. At the end of it, he can see the omissions, lies, and half-truths people said to others and themselves, and see his own organization as flawed, with all the sins of a large group led by fallible humans, but still trying to do its best in an imperfect world.

And he learned forgiveness, even for the people he was going to kill.

Personality

The Ismai’li creed does not believe in hate, that the struggle against one’s own vile urges is the greater one, and that the struggle against the enemies of the faith must only use force and violence as a last resort. He is the last resort. Hassan of the Shining Eyes is sent to kill those who are a proven threat, those who have rejected friendship and redemption.

He is an Assassin deliberately selected from those who do not want to kill, so that they may not take pleasure in it. He is an Assassin selected from those who are kind but smart enough to know when death is a mercy. And finally, he is someone who passes judgment because he is bound by his own laws.

What does he wish for, then, if he has no other desire? The answer is that he wants to be a true Heroic Spirit, to uphold his duties till the end of time.

Magecraft Information
Elemental Affinity: Fire.
Number of Magic Circuits: E
Quality of Magic Circuits: A

Magecraft:

The Basics/General Magecraft - Crafting a Workshop, Bounded Fields, Sensing Magical Energies, Reinforcement, Mental Interference, etc.

Magic Crest: N/A - A member of the Reborn Assassins does not need a Magic Crest.

Mystic Codes

’Zabaniya’: Mystic Eyes of Lie Destruction - A combination of Mystic Eyes and Pure Eyes that can detect lies, causing them to manifest as multicolored strings, which, if cut, frayed, broken, or just willed to vanish while being in sensory range, causes the lie to no longer be believed in, ‘destroying’ the lie, and in some cases, causing the truth hidden by the lie to be instantly lrevealed. This can be used as a tool of sure, near-instant assassination when confronting those whose lives were based on constantly lying to themselves and others; those people, when confronted with their delusions, would rather kill themselves than live with being wrong and having done wrong, qualifying the Mystic Eyes as a ‘true’ Zabaniya; a technique that inflicts certain death in specific circumstances.

Mystic Eye Killers (Glasses) - Special magical glasses that suppress the effects of one’s own Mystic Eyes, ensuring that Hassan of the Shining Eyes does not kill himself by staring into a mirror.

Mystic Eye Killers (Skull Mask) - A Skull Mask that is also a Mystic Eye Killer and protective headgear made from a Phantasmal Beast’s chitin that makes it extra-tough, especially against Magecraft.

Phantasmal Bodysuit - A bodysuit made from the leather of a Phantasmal Beast, a Wyvern, plus silk from Phantasmal Beast Spiders, making it able to endure bullets, blades, and attacks from Magecraft.

Amulet of Alamut - A protective charm that takes on the form of a pendant with Arabic writing and verses from the Qu’ran hanging from a woolen string, the Amulet acts as a defense against curses by transferring them into itself.

Nonmagical Assets

Skills:

- Stealth (Sneaking around in Urban and Rural Environments).
- Parkour.
- Wrestling.
- Boxing.
- Driving.
- Equestrianism.
- Computers/Technology.
- Basic Marksmanship.
- Poison.

Equipment:

- Personal Documentation.
- Lots of cash in Euros.
- Civilian Clothes (Luxury Items).
- Hotel Reservation,
- Sports Car.
- Laptop (with charger).
- Smartphone (with charger).
- Knife (for when someone can survive having their self-delusions destroyed).

It would be impossible not to think of him as a hero. A man who is remembered like a fair day in spring. One who helps the unfortunate without any expectation of thanks, whether they’re a beggar on the street or a wounded eagle.

Ah, but he’s not without his flaws. He’s the type whose temper flares easily, and he acts quite disproportionately when it does. The taking of a limb, eyes, or even death is a reasonable punishment for a careless offense. He simply acts as he wishes with no thoughts for the consequences, whether that’s for the better or for the worse.

That could be considered the epitome of a hero, perhaps. Or perhaps the epitome of a human.

He has an odd sense of humour, too. Thankfully, he doesn’t expect people to laugh at his jokes.

His wish is simply to incarnate in the world once more. Though simply existing for a week or so as a Heroic Spirit might be enough to scratch that itch. He has plenty of regrets, but none of them are enough to fight a war for - he would rather make them all over again in a new life.

When it comes to his relationship with a Master, he’d simply ignore or intimidate anyone he doesn’t like. But if he got on with someone, maybe he’d even let them ride his horse.


There are as many legends of Prince Marko as there are stars in the sky. Whether he was born of a fairy, a dragon, or a simple union of humans, it is certain his father was the cruel king Vukasin. Whether he was abandoned and raised by a shepherd, or a fairy, or simply raised by his parents, it is certain that he was a strong, wilful child, his heroism obvious from the start.

Certainly, he loved his mother, and disliked his father, though had no course to go to war with him. He grew into a strong man and ranged in the employ of the sultan. He met a great many heroes, like Milos Obolic, Vuk the Fiery Dragon, and Alil Aga. He fought many great villains, such as the Perilous Bogdan, Philip the Maygar, and the greatest of all, the three-hearted Musa the Albanian.

Throughout all the tales, though, his constant companion is his horse, Šarac. When Marko was seeking a horse, he would toss the horse over his shoulder with a single hand to test if they were strong enough to hold him. But when he got to Šarac, a diseased horse who looked on the verge of death, he tried this test but could not move Šarac even an inch. After he cured the horse with his mother’s help, they were partnered for life.

It was thanks to Šarac that Marko was able to capture Ravijojla, a Vila that attacked his companion for singing. He urged Šarac on, pushing him to his absolute limit, until he was able to overtake the fleeing fairy. After battering her with his mace, she ended up becoming his sworn blood-sister.

Perhaps it’s obvious, but Marko’s tendency to solve every problem with violence tended to work out more than it should have.

Marko’s death is shrouded in as much mystery as his birth. Many insist he still lives, sleeping in a cave while Šarac eats away at the moss encasing his tomb. Others say he was transported to heaven in Elijah’s chariot. But another story says that, seeing his death coming, advised by his sister Ravijojla, he retreated to the mountains, killed Šarac and shattered all his weapons except his golden mace, and lay down to sleep.

Armaments: Saber, War-Spear, Golden Mace and Rocks

Parameters

STR: B+
END: B
AGI: B
MGI: C
LCK: C


Magic Resistance: C

Cancels spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of greater magecraft and Greater Rituals.

Even if he rarely encountered Magi, his frequent encounters with Fairies allow a high rank for a Rider.

Riding: A+

All vehicles and all creatures up to the level of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast can be used as mounts. However, that does not apply to members of the Dragon Kind.

The level of riding necessary to handle a fairy horse.


Natural Body: A

The possession of a perfect body from birth. No matter what Marko does, his physique will not change. In addition, it grants a plus modifier to Strength.

Whether it’s from drinking Vila milk or having the blood of a Vila, it seems he is beyond human.

Projectile (Rocks): A

The ability to throw rocks. Strength, speed, and trick shots are included.

Derived from various boulder-throwing anecdotes associated with Marko, with many large rocks all over Eastern Europe thought to have been thrown there by the great hero, regardless of their size.

At this rank, even the simple throw of a rock can reach the level of a Noble Phantasm.

Dark Determination: C+

The capacity to determine a course of action and carry it out without thinking.

So long as the person is a true ‘enemy’, he can act swiftly and without hesitation, uncaring of limits or consequences. Even if he’s stained black by his actions.

Though he was a hero, one regarded as kind and charitable, Marko certainly acted cruelly in many cases, cutting down or torturing people simply because of their allegiances, even if they were otherwise innocent. It’s a skill that betrays a somewhat inhuman nature. Whether it’s due to his birth in the wilds, or his association with fairies, it’s an ability that only a true anti-hero would be able to fully master.





A black-and-white piebald horse that was said to be a gift from the fae. His hooves flash with fire and blue flames steam from his nostrils when he’s angered. He’s also sometimes said to have wings and be able to speak, but it doesn’t seem either of those are the case, here…

He’s a powerful Monstrous Beast at the apex of the creatures that roamed Europe after the age of the Gods.

As Marko’s constant companion, the two have developed enviable combination techniques. That is to say, Marko is able to use the motion of Šarac to boost his attacks, adding the horse’s power, magical energy and flames to any attack he makes while mounted, so long as Šarac’s movement is not constrained.

In addition to that, his main claim to fame is allowing Marko to catch Ravijojla, a fairy fleeing through the skies, with a great leap. This leap can be recreated by invoking his true name, as he blazes forward in a flash of fire. Horse and Rider become one, an immaterial, transient flame that can pass through and overtake even a fairy. As an ‘attack’, it’s not especially damaging, but as a method of catching up to or passing a fleeing opponent, it is top-rate.



A Vila, and Marko’s sworn blood-sister. Unlike Šarac, her power is considerably limited, to the point where only her vision and advice are present. She has a body, but it’s almost entirely without power.

She’s the type to insist that, if she were manifesting completely, she’d be able to slaughter every enemy with two arrows each.

But without that ability, or her capacity to heal, she’s limited to guiding Marko unerringly towards victory. If the enemy has a weakness, she will grasp it. If the enemy’s attacks have a pattern, she will see it. At least a single ‘exchange’ is required, and the more exchanges that happen, the more likely that she will reveal any secrets of the enemy’s techniques or skills. Even if they’re hidden, they can be uncovered by her unerring eye.

Effectively, an externalised form of a hero’s instinct, to grasp the path to victory no matter how low the odds. One could call her the goddess of victory that rides alongside the hero.

However, she’ll get jealous and abandon him if he invites another woman on his horse.



The wolfskin cloak and cap that Marko wore. Since they’re such an iconic part of his mythical appearance, wearing them means his name will likely be revealed, so he doesn’t always put them on.

Though it’s not recorded in myth, it seems he harvested these pelts himself to help a shepherd who raised him for some time.

The skin of the wolf makes one appear as a wolf, a danger. And yet, it is also the sign of the one who protects the sheep by slaying the wolf. Perhaps that’s why many found his appearance intimidating while others found it comical. For the sheep, he appears as a protector, and for those who would hurt the sheep, he’s a terrifying monster.

Essentially, a low-level mental interference effect that differs based on how the viewer perceives Marko. If he’s a friend, it’s a bolstering confidence, and if he’s a foe, it’s a dreadful fear.

---

Thalorian was born far from the Mage’s Association, but his roots run deep within it.
His mother, Elisabeth Varnhegan, was the second-born daughter of a prestigious English mage family known for their structured ritual magic, a system optimized around Norse runes, elemental theory, and legacy.
However, the Varnhegans had once been something older. Before politics and prestige, before efficiency became dogma, they were druids. They spoke to the land in Ogham, etched glyphs into stone circles, and lived according to the rhythm of ley lines.

By Elisabeth’s time, that tradition had become little more than myth, retained in old texts but dismissed as impractical compared to modern magecraft. She learned it, memorized it, and practiced it in secret, but her true education was in dominance, control, and the rigid inheritance of magic.

Eventually, Elisabeth walked away. She abandoned her name, her Crest, and the Association entirely.
In the years that followed, she fell in love with a mundane man, a kind soul untouched by mage society. Their time together was short but deeply cherished. When he passed, Elisabeth chose to remain in the countryside, raising their son alone and far from the reach of her former life.

It was early in Thalorian’s childhood that Elisabeth noticed something strange.
Even without formal testing, she could feel it. Mana clung to him, and the forest seemed to lean toward his voice when he laughed.
Though his father had no magical aptitude, Thalorian’s prana resonated with the world around him with unusual sharpness. It was not chaotic, but deliberate and vibrant.

Elisabeth understood then that the Varnhegan blood had not faded.
Somehow, against the odds, it had crystallized within her son, a presence more focused and more refined than anything she had seen even among trained heirs.

It frightened her.
She had abandoned her family to escape that legacy, and now, unknowingly, she had passed it on in a form even they might covet if they ever learned of him.

Perhaps it was this fear, as much as love, that led her to teach him magic differently.
Not as a tool for conquest, but as a conversation with the land.
Not as an inheritance, but as a joy.

She passed down the Ogham runes she had practiced in secret, showing him how to carve them into bark, how to listen for the thrum of old ley lines beneath his feet, and how to feel the changing breath of the seasons.
Magic was not obedience or control. It was reverence. Play. Curiosity.

It was during these early years that Thalorian met Tuthail, a fox-shaped forest spirit, old enough to remember the first druids, wary of humans, and reluctant to interfere.
Drawn by Thalorian’s purity, yet cautious of Elisabeth’s bloodline, Tuthail kept his distance at first. Over time, however, the spirit grew to trust the boy and began teaching him things even Elisabeth could not: how to feel resonance beneath words, how to hear the silent songs of the land, how to exist with magic rather than over it.

In time, Thalorian’s mastery of Ogham grew far beyond his mother’s.
Where she had only fragments, he had time.
Where she had secrecy, he had freedom.

But not all things remain still forever.

In the final year before the War, Elisabeth began to wither.
There was no visible cause, no curse, no injury he could see. Only a slow, terrible fading.
Her magic dulled. Her hands shook. Her laughter grew soft and strained.

Thalorian tried everything.
He blended salves and tinctures from ancient herb lore.
He inscribed healing runes beneath her bed and lined their home with bounding circles tuned to harmony and rest.
He performed quiet rituals, trying to draw gentle ambient mana into her from the nearby leylines, not to force healing, but to harmonize her spirit and slow the decline.

Though he tried every remedy and rune he knew, her spirit seemed to slip further from the world with each passing day.

And then, one night, the Command Spell burned itself into Thalorian’s arm.

Panicked, he ran to her, and for the first time in years, saw true fear in her eyes.

It was Elisabeth who explained the truth.
She told him about the Grail War, about Servants and Masters, and about the death that inevitably followed those chosen.

She begged him not to participate.
She told him to surrender the Command Spell, to sever the bond before it could be sealed.
She warned him that staying would mean certain death.

And for a moment, he agreed.
He nearly did.

Until she weakened further, collapsing into his arms, and he heard, from broken lips, her whispered fear:
"Don’t... throw your life away..."

And for the first time, Thalorian asked what the Grail truly was.

When she told him that it could grant any wish, he realized there was still hope.

Not for power.
Not for glory.

But for her.

And so, against her will, with a heavy heart and trembling conviction, Thalorian made his choice.
He would claim the Grail.
He would save her.
Even if it cost him everything else.

Though he did not fully understand how, he felt a pull. It was subtle but persistent, a resonance through the strange sigil seared onto his arm.
At the same time, the forest itself grew restless. The leylines that had always hummed quietly now stirred with unfamiliar tension, their currents shifting unnaturally.
Tuthail, ever watchful, confirmed it with a simple warning:
"The world is calling you. It will not wait."

Both spell and spirit seemed to point toward the same place.

Toward Sion.

And so, with little more than instinct, memory, and the silent support of an ancient spirit, Thalorian set out for where the leylines churned and fate awaited him.


Thalorian is a soul shaped by stillness, by soil, by old songs carried in the bones of the land.
Gentle, curious, and instinctively kind, he believes magic is a conversation, not a command. It exists to protect, heal, and grow, not to dominate.

He distrusts cruelty and resists the idea of controlling others, even his own Servant. He prefers collaboration, trust, and respect. Yet beneath his gentleness lies a quiet strength: those who harm life or twist nature will find in him an unyielding defender.

He is slow to anger, quick to trust, and vulnerable to betrayal. His bond to people and the land runs deep, and when hurt, he withdraws like a wounded animal rather than lashing out.

Though self-taught in many ways, Thalorian is intelligent and perceptive. He views the world like a puzzle made of rhythms—people, places, energy. He is most comfortable outdoors, grounded by the feeling of soil and sun, but adapts well when challenged. Cities overwhelm him at times; he finds them “loud in all the wrong ways,” but he does not fear them.

Despite his talents, Thalorian often underestimates himself. Having never met another true magus, he has no real context for how rare or potent his magical aptitude truly is. He does not see himself as powerful, just in tune. He doubts, second-guesses, and sometimes holds back out of fear of harming someone or disrupting balance.

He is deeply sentimental. He carries his mother’s scarf in the bottom of his pack. He plants seeds in forgotten places. He speaks to birds and trees without expecting answers, simply because it feels right.

In the context of the Grail War, Thalorian is completely out of his element. The ruthlessness of other Masters may horrify him at first. The brutality of Servant battles will likely shake him. But he will adapt, not by becoming colder, but by becoming clearer. He will fight, if he must. And if he wins, it will be with conviction, cleverness, and the quiet power of someone who knows exactly what he is trying to protect.

At the start of the War, his wish is simple:
To save his mother.



Elemental Affinity

• Primary: Earth
• Secondary: Air

Origin
Growth — His magic seeks to nurture, adapt, and restore.

Number of Magic Circuits
B

Quality of Magic Circuits
A

Magecraft
Thalorian practices Ogham Runecraft, an ancient and flexible form of druidic inscription magic based around resonance with nature and ley lines.

His magic focuses on the following:

• Subtle stealth through environmental blending
• Vine and root manipulation for mobility, ensnaring, or defense
• Minor healing through harmonizing his spirit with surrounding natural mana
• Simple bounded field creation tied to living wood and trees
• Detection of nearby disturbances in ley flow
• Creation of natural sanctuaries in the forest

While Ogham is highly adaptable, Thalorian requires a natural medium for carving or inscribing his runes. His style focuses more on harmony and control rather than explosive offense.

Familiar
Name: Tuthail
Type: Ancient Forest Spirit
Form: Fox-like being, leafy green fur flowing like leaves in the wind.

Tuthail:

• Senses leyline disturbances and changes in the land
• Carves simple runes and channels Thalorian’s prana into them
• Masks Thalorian’s magical presence against detection
• Teaches fragments of ancient druidic magic (through cryptic metaphors and parables)

Tuthail sustains himself primarily through ambient natural mana, drawing on trees, plants, and rivers. In urban settings, he can feed from potted plants and scattered greenery but must also rely partially on Thalorian’s prana when nature is scarce.
Although not directly combative, Tuthail acts as a spiritual guide and mentor figure. Their bond was formed naturally through resonance rather than ritual binding.

Bounded Field Creation
Thalorian grows hidden sanctuaries from forest trees rather than building artificial workshops.

Effects of his bounded fields include:

• Concealing his presence from magical detection
• Passive health restoration over time
• Creating unease or confusion in intruders
• Amplifying leyline attunement inside the bounded area

Many Branches Bracers:
Leather bracers carved with multiple Ogham runes, allowing Thalorian to activate minor magical effects.
Grants access to runes for vine whips, root entanglements, defensive bursts, and sensory dampening.
Effects are weaker compared to fully prepared runes on stones.

Girdle of Gort (ᚌ — Ivy Rune):
A finely worked leather belt carved with the Gort rune.
Grants the ability to summon vines or roots for binding and to blend into the environment for temporary camouflage.

Boots of Luis (ᚂ — Rowan Rune):
Sturdy travel boots carved with the Luis rune.
Grants the ability to perform two midair steps before landing, aiding movement and evasion.

Cloak of Nuin (ᚅ — Ash Tree Rune):
A travel cloak etched with the Nuin rune.
Slows falls drastically and allows short gliding descents from high places.

Spirit Whistle of Saille (ᚄ — Willow Rune):
A ritual-carved bone whistle embedded with the Saille rune.
Calls nearby lesser spirits (if willing), weakens illusions within a short range, and illuminates safe paths with ethereal blue wisps.

• Handmade ritual kit — Including carved stones, chalk, dried herbs, and basic ritual implements
• Basic survival gear — Satchel, waterskin, dried food supplies, fire-starting tools
• Sketchbooks — Containing rune designs, leyline resonance maps, and notes on natural observations
• Tracking and foraging expertise — Highly familiar with wilderness survival and resource gathering
• Mother’s scarf — A cherished keepsake, worn or tucked safely away

Name: Rhodri Bowen ap Bleddyn

Titles: "The Grudge Bearer" (a family title)

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Affiliation: Valualeta/Democratic Faction

Clock Tower Rank: Fes

Command Spell: It generally takes on the shape of a dagger, and is splint into three distinctive sections for the blade, crosspiece, and hilt/pommel.



Rhodri was born the scion and heir of the Bowen, a Welsh family of magi who have cultivated their own path to the Root: The purification of humanity. To withdraw and accrue all the sin, and all of the grudges, from a human being in order to revert them to a ‘pure’ state (akin to when they were first emerging from the Root) that touches upon the Root itself and opens a pathway to it. Originating as ritual community sin-eaters in their day and age, they used this role to both remain isolated to the edges of their local community as well as to accrue grudges/sins as part of their magecraft. A bonus of this isolation would be ‘being left alone’ well enough by the mundane world. Remaining local yet still living a life as ‘outcasts’ living at the edge of their hometown, and having done so into modern times at that, they use this status even still to further their art into the current day and age.

Growing up steeped in his family’s arts, however, Rhodri also found that to accrue grudges from others via modern technology was also a rather possible feat. While his father had been somewhat more keen to see the value of such things to a rather limited extent in his lifetime, however, it was Rhodri who managed to elevate the family craft to integrate these modern methods into the family craft and harness their latent and as-of-yet unused potential. Were his grandfather to see what he’s ‘become’, however, it is likely Rhodri’s ancestor would be rolling in his grave. Among his methods of ‘accruing grudges’, then, includes methods such as ‘internet trolling’, engineered spam or prank calls, and ‘just a little trolling irl’ if he needs to. However, by the time Rhodri’s ideas came to be appreciated by his father his parents had nearly went and produced a second child out of concern that the heir was ‘going to be unfit to be a magus’ despite his training and so forth. In reality, he furthered his family’s craft by a fair leap and turned out to be a rather intelligent and keen student with a deceptive exterior by many accounts. It is also of note that he would become a student sent to the Clock Tower as well in due time, where he took a class in the Department of Modern Magecraft Theory to help further his personal work on the family craft.

Yet it would also be during this time that Rhodri’s father would be stricken by an unknown event during a subspecies war he went out and ‘observed’, thus placing him in a state of bad health. While alive and conscious, he was injured greatly but managed to protect ‘what was important’ and managed to make it home ‘mostly in one piece’. Still stuck in long-term recovery, but able to think and talk and direct things from his bed, Rhodri's father kept up the mundane side of things for the family at this stage and Rhodri was forced into the leadership role as a magus. Having cultivated a spot in the Democratic Faction while going there to learn, he had kept up his family's existing political alignments in the Clock Tower and likewise went about to set his family's work on a path to the future at the same time.

However, at the same time he would suddenly take up participation in yet another subspecies Grail War of his own accord....all after a set of Command Seals appeared on his left hand one odd, rainy day. It was curious enough of a thing, and yet after some research into the matter Rhodri began preparation to travel to Switzerland without another word. What is it about this tiny town of Sion that drew in him so? Ah, perhaps that would need to remain a se-cret for now, hmm? After putting some plans in place for his travel there to participate, and locking up a personally-penned and updated compilation of his magecraft studies and research at the family estate, the Welshman would work out some initial lodging at Sion and hit the road without any more than a casual wave behind him as he walked out of his family's home.

What will the war in Sion bring? What does he desire for the Grail? Ah, only time will tell in reality.



A man with a laid-back attitude and casual manner who enjoys 'living life', and one who enjoys video games and browsing the internet and whose well-versed knowledge of modern culture and technologies makes him seem like just a 'modern guy' for the most part. A person who enjoys prodding with jokes, usually puns, at times and seems to be of the friendly and amicable sort of figure up front and on the surface. The sort of guy who introduces himself to you, offers to get you a snack if you look hungry, and then proves to be pretty relaxed when hanging out with him if one is a friend or neutral party to him. At the same time, he is also tech-savvy 'bro' who will laugh at an enemy magus for their confusion in using it without a doubt, however, and is capable in his abilities to irk, earn the ire of, and 'piss off' others. He is a relentless internet troll who as a magus accrues great quantities of grudges/curses for magecraft with ease in this manner in the modern age, and someone who has worked hard to learn how to 'get people angry' and 'stir up the pot' either tactically or in a more chaotic manner alike.

While to the naked eye of many magi he's "an annoying idiot", underneath he's a magus with a serious dedication for his family's work and who has a rather keen mind apt and happy to learn and further things along. Even at the Clock Tower he proved to be a skilled and rather avidly superb student, as well as being such in his general education in life to boot, which is something many are surprised to learn about him if told about that. When it comes to the Holy Grail, however, his true motive seems to be somewhat concealed if not an enigma. For all those who know him know, he wants to snag the Nadelkiss Holy Grail and use it to turn 'the skin of all Aristocratic faction members permanently pink' or something just as silly and irritating. On the other hand, as a magus some who know him more deeply believe he might be seeking to further his family's work in a more expedited manner....or perhaps he is up to something else entirely.



Elemental Affinity: Fire, Earth

Number of Magic Circuits: B
Quality of Magic Circuits: B

Magecraft:

• General Magecraft - The basics, things like setting up a workshop, detecting magical energy, and contracting a familiar, etc. In terms of familiars, for Rhodri, these skills are also involved in the creation of families borrowing the appearance of “will-o’-the-wisps” as familiars as well as these familiars’ potential modification (general use as a familiar for scouting, use in protecting a location, use in misleading and misdirecting enemies, or even in creating more malicious ones imbued with grudges/curses).
• Western Curse Magecraft - While certainly behind the practitioners of the East in terms of the cursing techniques of the west, his family for obvious reasons has cultivated a study and understanding of curses as part of their magecraft lexicon. He has the proper ability to apply/use countercurses, and like others in his line is highly adept at use of the “Evil Eye”, a simple but anciently-rooted means of cursing requiring only bad intentions/feelings aimed towards the targets and a nasty glare to cast it (causing misfortune and injury to targets as a result). He is also skilled in the use of verbal curses, as well as the use of curses engraved into parts of buildings and so forth to afflict others who dwell within, and scratching the initial of someone to be cursed on lead or slate and throwing it into a well, etc.
• Grudge Magecraft - The true core art of the Bowen Family, it centers around the accruing, gathering, and the harnessing of grudges and ‘sins’ and making use of them. It combines the culturally-relevant practice from Wales such as sin-eating rites, and the widespread concept of a ‘scapegoat’ in the West, into a cultivated magecraft specialized at the ‘purification’ of others by the user taking the sins and grudges of others upon themselves. From here said grudges and sins can be harnessed by the user in turn, such as being used as fuel for strengthening Curse Magecraft. With this magecraft, the user is capable of accruing the grudges and sins of others through acts as simple as walking through a busy street or eating food in proximity to people. Even turning one’s hostility toward a user of this magecraft, giving them the ‘stink eye’ or a bad look, and so forth are able to be drawn upon by the user as a source of strength. One can also use this to perform other feats, such as combining it with sympathetic magecraft to "return turn grudges/curses and negative emotions directed at him 'back to the sender'".
  
  In the case of Rhodri, he also combines the use of this magecraft with others he has learned as per family tradition. For example, he combines this with Fire Magecraft to create things such as ‘fires powered by grudges, which keep burning even underwater, and likewise which curse others who come into contact with them’. Another example would be combining this magecraft with a bounded field to afflict intruders with a myriad of curses, or do something like trigger several grudge-infused sharp stones or a set of wraith-infused weapons to automatically attack/pursue an intruder. Even things like combining this with sympathetic magecraft to 'amplifying and reflecting grudges back on/against his attackers' are possible, etc.
• Sympathetic Magecraft - An older form of primitive magic, ranging from practices such as the stereotypical 'voodoo doll' of modern pop culture, to pouring water on an altar as part of a sympathetic magic ritual to summon rainfall, to other forms of 'imitative magic' using objects and/or actions and things such as human hair or blood to exert influence over places and people alike.
• Spiritual Evocation - A supporting magecraft in a general sense, which for the Bowen includes but isn’t limited to, matters such as imbuing objects with wraiths and creating a location that draws in wraith/grudges of the dead. Etc.
• Elemental Magecraft (Fire) - Fire element magecraft. The generation and manipulation of fire. Flinging fireballs at enemies, conjuring great blazes, emitting jets or streams of flame, setting things on fire, conjuring fire as well as manipulating existing fire, and so forth. Also includes skills in scrying via the use of fire in this case.
• Elemental Magecraft (Earth) - Earth element magecraft. Conjuring and flinging large boulders at people, pelting enemies with a hail of myriad sharp rocks, the physical manipulation of existing sources of earth, making defensive barriers of rock and stone (or some such earthen substance), etc.

Magic Crest: 350 years old, placed on his upper back, and taking on the shape of a rose flower from the top-down with an ornate design of petals that grows with each generation adding to it.

Mystic Codes:

• The Golden Gazer - A simple mystic code easily concealed within mundane society as a normal lighter, Rhodri most often uses it for purposes of fire scrying (‘scrying on the fly” as he calls it) via magecraft. He has become adept with its use and with using fire scrying in general as a supplementary skill. He can also infuse the mystic code with a limited fuel of ‘grudges’ in order to light a cursed fire somewhere with ease, though if he managed to get a grudge against someone he is looking for and infused it into the lighter while fire scrying….well, tracking down opponents could be made a bit easier in the present, perhaps, eh?
• Magecraft-Altered Modern Smartphone - While it is a mundane item at heart, Rhodri uses modern phones as ‘vessels for accruing grudges’ for himself as well as to store an amount of them akin to a ‘reserve vessel’. Even if his current phone is ever broken or destroyed, though, it can just be replaced with another one that fills the same role with ease. Though he did get some smartphone insurance to make sure he can afford another one on the regular at a lower cost, and bought a backup one for the war to boot, even if money isn’t really a problem for his family in the general sense due to their long-term business investments heading into current times.
• The Grudgety Suitcase - What he calls a suitcase filled with minor mystic codes. Its contents consist of: A number of curse/grudge-infused knives possessed by wraiths/grudges, general ritualistic materials and tools for his magecraft, pre-cursed legal Swiss money/coins alike, several items useful as ‘backups’ to further ‘store curses/grudges for the user’ as additional ‘spare vessels’, and a set of unique mystic code eating implements that are themselves mystic codes that act like ‘receivers/catalysts for grudges and drawing in them into the food he is eating using said implements’ and which can be combined with his family magecraft to pull in grudges from a wide area over something as simple as eating.
• Bwch Dihangol, aka: “Goatie the GOATED Dagger” - Despite his silly nickname for a mystic code that’s just a dagger with a goat head on the hilt, but as a mystic code it has been suffused with grudges throughout Rhodri’s life after he began training as a magus under his father. He has accrued and infused it with a fair deal of curses, and it is a tool he has been trained how to use practically as a weapon. The latest example of a rather old family tradition that dates back many generations for heirs and heads of the Bowen. It was designed to also be used to ‘scapegoat’ grudges/curses/sins as a ‘transferring tool’, meaning that if plunged into a living target it could be used to ‘overwhelm a target with grudges’ beyond simply the harm caused by being stabbed with a dagger. On that note, normally members of the Bowen are laden with stored-up grudges and know how to contain them within themselves as it is already, and Rhodri is no exception.

Nonmagical Assets:

• Normal Uncursed Swiss Money (plenty for the war’s duration)
• Changes of Clothes (a reasonable amount the average middle-class person would bring on vacation)
• Dagger/Knife Combat - Trained in professional dagger/knife combat, making him proficient in use of one of his mystic codes in an additional practical sense. He is noted as being fairly adept with such a weapon in terms of skill.
• Brazilian Jiujitsu - A martial art he took classes in alongside the above skill, mostly in case he is attacked unarmed. He is fairly adept in this skill as well.
• Travel Supplies - Mundane stuff like floss, toothpaste, etc, for a week’s trip to another county.
• A backup mundane and fully functional smartphone - Just in case, altering it into a lower-grade mystic code is also a simple enough process for him.
• General Internet/Modern Tech Savviness - An expert in this, including and especially with regards to 'trolling' and 'meme culture'.

Name: Philoctetes

Titles: “Friend of Heracles”, “The Slayer of Paris”

Class: Archer

Gender: Male

Era: Trojan War

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Attribute: Earth



The son of the Argonaut and king of Meliboea, Poeas, and out of everyone present at the funeral of Heracles was the only one to light it for the Greatest Hero of Greece. It was this boldness and bravery on his part, and kindness in ending the great hero’s agony, that earned the young Philoctetes the favor and affections of the now-deified Heracles proper. For this Heracles granted him both his bow and hydra arrows, as well as granted the youth tutelage in his fighting technique known as “Nine Lives”. The younger prince would grow with these things in hand in his life, not only becoming able to draw the huge bow of the deified hero but likewise able to produce a variant of his fighting technique in due time.

Philoctetes was also one of the many suitors who sought the hand of Helen, a daughter of Zeus, and was sworn to the same Oath of Tyndareus that would push him and many others into participating in the Trojan War on behalf of getting her back for Menellaus. Yet it would be along the way, as the Greeks stopped at the sacred Isle of Lemnos, that the goddess Hera sent a poisonous serpent to (as punishment for his service to Heracles) bite the heel of the now-older but great archer. Such was the pains and wailing of agony for Philoctetes that disturbed the Greeks, and so badly did the festering and incurable wound stink in the literal sense to those about him, that Odysseus convinced Menelaus and Agamemnon and the other leaders of the Greeks to abandon the now-crippled Philoctetes on Lemnos after he eventually slept. Thus when he awoke, not only was he suffering yet still but was abandoned for dead on the island.

Here the hero lived for ten long, agonizing years in suffering and pain as he hunted game with the Bow of Heracles and meted out his survival as the war against Troy raged on without him. For ten long years, his wound and grudge against those who had abandoned him (especially and including Odysseus) festered alike. Yet after the capture of the Trojan prince Helenus, the Greeks would return for the bow and arrows after being told they were necessary for the fall of the city of Troy. It was also here that the group of Greeks sent to retrieve said bow and arrows, led by Odysseus and Diomedes, would, most surprisingly, find that Philoctetes was still very much alive….and able to draw an arrow pointed at Odysseus out of pure spite for the man. Ultimately being tricked out of the bow and arrows by Odysseus, however, Diomedes would intervene and refuse to take the weapons without taking Philoctetes with them as well.

Ultimately, the defied Heracles himself would descend from Olympus to Lemnos, all just to talk Philoctetes into going with the Greeks by promising that he would be healed by a son of Ascelipus and win great honor and glory as a hero of the Achaean forces. Thus, consenting to his friend, Philoctetes would return with the Greeks and be healed before finally getting to fight in the latter end of the Trojan War. Not only would he battle and fight for the Greeks, then, but the hero would famously kill the Trojan prince Paris in turn. He would then be chosen as one of the heroes to hide within the famous Trojan Horse, and would slay many Trojans as he participated in the sack of the city itself.

After the war was over, Philoctetes would leave to go to the city of Macalla to settle down again instead of returning to Meliboea. He would also go on to found, and be accredited for the founding of at least, the cities of Thurii, Petilia, Krimisa, and Chone, and ultimately to deposit and dedicate the legendary Bow of Heracles and the Learnean Hydra arrows themselves to the temple of Apollo Halius in Macalla proper. Upon his death, not only would a bronze shrine to him be erected on a barren island near Lemnos but he would have a great shrine built above his grave in Macalla and become venerated as a god with libations and sacrifices of oxen.



A magnanimous man who is hospitable and generous to guests, and a brave warrior who doesn’t hesitate to engage in battle and combat with his foes or to encourage allies to do the same. A hero who remains stubborn to enough of an extent when he sets his mind to something, but one who humbled himself after speaking with the deified Heracles and has also finally let go of the anger and resentment he pent up within himself at Lemnos. A warrior of the Acheans who was not worn too weary with the ten years of war that preceded his eventual arrival at Troy, and at first encouraged them to storm the city due to his lack of war-weariness, but was a sensible sort of person who went along with the scheme of the Trojan Horse and saw the value in it. A fighter who with pride avenged the slain Achilles by slaying the Trojan hero/prince Paris and participated in the sacking of the city after being chosen to hide in the Trojan Horse. A leader who, at the end of his journey, held the wisdom and skill to found a number of cities and remained pious to the gods (including his deified friend Heracles, to whom he dedicated some of his plunder from Troy) for the rest of his days.

Were he summoned as a Berserker, one would get a far different version of Philoctetes. Indeed, Philoctetes the Archer is a reflection of Philoctetes at his best, aka “Philoctetes the wielder of Heracles’ bow and arrows, the slayer of Paris, and a glory-achieving pillager of Troy who went on to found a number of cities”. In turn, then, Philoctetes the Berserker would inevitably be “Philoctetes the ever furiously angry, one who is filled with pent-up grudges against the Acheans, the abandoned man suffering from a maddeningly painful wound, he who would explode in anger upon merely seeing those who vexed and abandoned him so, and who is willing to kill Odysseus and anyone merely with him on-sight all while going about dressed in animals skins from the prey he hunted over the past ten years”.

Strength: B

Endurance: A

Agility: C

Mana: D

Luck: D

• Independent Action: A - The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the Magical Energy supply from one's Master; the ability that allows for action even in the absence of the Master. At higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without an established contract. At this rank it is possible to take action even without a Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great magical energy consumption, backup from the Master is necessary. At Rank A, it is possible for a Servant to stay in the world for about a week without a Master.
  
  Philoctetes spent ten years, abandoned and alone, on the Isle of Lemnos, all with a festering incurable wound on his foot and afflicted with the poison of a divine serpent and while hunting to survive using the Bow of Heracles. And, once the Greeks returned and were surprised to find him alive, he could still draw the Bow of Heracles to aim a shot at Odysseus out of anger.
• Magic Resistance: C - Grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether. Gains this rank due to living within the Age of Gods, where spells and weapons and such alike were present during the Trojan War.
  
  Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of greater magecraft and Greater Rituals.

• Affection of the God: C - A skill that denotes one being loved by a god. In the case of Philoctetes, this affection originates from the deified Heracles. This skill provides Philoctetes with an automatic passive recovery ability, healing him of injuries and status conditions alike over time, as well as helps him continue fighting even underneath the effects of conditions such as very paninful injuries, poison effects, or other such negative status conditions. It is overall an embodiment of Heracles' promise that he would be healed in life after returning to Troy with the Greeks.
  
  The affection and favor of the deified Heracles that was gained by Philoctetes for his friend’s service in lighting the great hero’s funeral pyre, an act that none other would perform for the suffering hero save for Philoctetes himself and for which Hera would later punish Philoctetes by sending a divine serpent to bite him. Whilst Philoctetes did receive Heracles’ bow and arrows as gifts for his act of lighting the hero’s pyre as well, the god continued to watch over him from then on. It would even be the deified Heracles personally coming down from Olympus to persuade Philoctetes personally to go fight against Troy once the Greeks came back for the bow and arrows, promising that he would be healed at the Greeks’ camp if he went with them.
• Unyielding Will: A - A skill that represents one's extremely firm will that never yields to any sort of agony, despair or circumstances. At this rank, Philoctetes possesses resistance against physical and mental damage. However, said resistance will not hold against deceptions and attacks that aim at beguiling others such as illusions.
  
  Philoctetes gains this rank for his survival on an, at the time deserted, isle of Lemnos. For ten long years, with a festering, stinking wound and body coursing with the poison of a divine serpent sent by Hera to punish him for what he did for Heracles years ago, he not only survived but used the Bow of Heracles to hunt game to survive at that. He then went to Troy when the Greeks came to retrieve him, as the Bow of Heracles was required to win against the Trojans, and was finally healed after being brought to the Greek camp.
• Clairvoyance: C - connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons. At higher ranks, it is possible that the bearers of this Skill have acquired abilities such as precognition ("future vision") and other forms of perception beyond standard eyesight (X-ray vision and so forth). It is a skill furnished on the flesh. At this rank, Philoctetes is able to precisely snipe even enemies moving at high speeds as long as they are within a 4km range.
  
  Not only did his skills as an archer surpass those of his father, Poeas, but was known as a famed archer of the Trojan War. Combined with his ability to use the Bow of Heracles to hunt game after being abandoned on Lemnos. Likewise he was a superior archer who killed the Trojan prince Paris in battle. Then, later on in the Odyssey, even Odysseus himself would admit that only Philoctetes was superior to him in the use of a bow at that.

Name: Τόξο του Ηρακλή (Tóxo tou Iraklí - “Bow of Heracles”)

Title: “The Venomous Greatbow of the Hero”

Rank: A+

NP Type: Anti-Unit

Range: 1-99

Maximum Number of Targets: -

Description: The huge bow and poisoned arrows of the Greatest Hero of Greece, granted to Philoctetes as a gift for being the only one brave enough to light his friend’s funeral pyre. A weapon that, as a weapon, is a Continuously Active-Type Noble Phantasm whose ranged attacks are always passively/inherently imbued and suffused with the rather deadly poison of the Learnean Hydra. It normally acts as just a rather solid Noble-Phantasm-grade weapon for the wielder, one whose attacks are sufficiently dangerous enough in their own right.

((The poison of the Learnean Hydra, as with that of its kin, easily kills humans outright. Simply being in the presence of the poison, though, an adult one a human’s lungs will begin to rot. Yet while it cannot outright kill a servant, it remains harmful to them all the same. The pain and suffering caused by this poison is so incredible, however, that it both pushed the Divine Spirit Chiron to abandon his divinity and immortality to escape the pain, and pushed even the Greatest Hero of Greece to be in so much suffering he built his own funeral pyre and threw himself upon it in order to die and escape the unbearable pain it caused him.))

Name: Πέντε Ζωές (Pénte Zoés/Five Lives)

Title: “Πυροβολώντας τα εκατό κεφάλια” (Pyrovolóntas ta Ekató Kefália - “Shooting the Hundred Heads”)

Rank: B

NP Type: Anti-Unit, Anti-Army

Range: -

Maximum Number of Targets: 5

Description: Along with being given the bow and arrows of Heracles, Philocetetes would likewise, in gaining the affections of the deified Heracles, be blessed with his fighting style as well. In receiving this second gift, he would forge his own variation of it in turn.

This use of it by Philocetetes is best depicted in his slaying of the Trojan prince Paris. The first arrow was meant to seemingly "always miss" in order to corral the Trojan prince into place, and was meant to force the enemy’s movement and position so that the others strikes are guaranteed to land. The second blow then struck the leading hand of the prince that held his crossbow. The third struck him in the right eye. The fourth, finally, struck him in the heel. From there, it was noted that there was no need for a ‘fifth shot’ despite Philoctetes possessing the skill to have launched one in this situation.

However, this technique's capabilities remain intact at their very root as well. Regardless of whether it is delivered with a bow, large sword, shield, spear, axe, or possibly even unarmed, the technique is a "variable attack" that both changes form depending on the target and boasts power on the level of Noble Phantasms by drawing out the maximum power of the weapon being used. It further remains a martial art technique that was originated from Heracles' slaying of the immortal Learnean Hydra, and still inherently "exterminates [the target] no matter how many times his opponent resurrects" and is “a high speed attack consisting consecutive strikes, as swift as if the attacks are overlapping.”

Gender: Female
Age: 33
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Affiliation: Clocktower (Mystile/Democratic)
Clock Tower Rank: Pride
Command Spell: A pair of intersecting spirals surrounded by a sphere.



There are many beautiful things in this world.

All that is needed is for someone to find them.

The von Gotzen family formed in the 16th century in Germany as a minor branch of a long-standing magus bloodline.

Despite being a branch, their founder took an opportunity to study under a far kinder teacher. Paracelsus, the great Swiss alchemist, took a passing interest in the young branch and helped the young family head learn.

They benefited greatly from acquiring copies of his notes and research after Paracelsus' death.

Some theorize that the founder directly aided the Clocktower Assassins in infiltrating Paracelsus’ workshop.

Regardless, the family adopted Paracelsus' techniques and were among the earliest adopters of the alchemical system he devised. There was success to be found there, and yet…

It was not their own.

Others followed that path, many older families who could use his techniques better. It wasn’t what the Gotzen family was destined to do, even if it did give them an early boost.

The following generations would work towards stabilizing their alchemy while experimenting to see if they could uncover their path.

Two generations later, an idea was formed. A thesis statement that would form their path.

It had been staring them in the face the entire time.

The Emerald Tablet states that which is above corresponds to that which is below, and that which is below corresponds to that which is above.

The traditional path was to work towards completing the Magnum Opus and achieving spiritual enlightenment. To remove all earthly influences and thus be purified.

They would reach upwards, to what they couldn’t grasp.

Why not instead bring it to them?

The theory was formed around the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, as their bodies were comparable to the World and the Universe. Enforcing that sympathetic connection, making their bodies indistinguishable from the World itself, would result in them being given the Anima Mundi directly.

The family had found its path.

Diving into their work, the Gotzen family carved out a place in the Clocktower’s Department of General Fundamentals as they began heavily researching ley lines and magic circuits. They believed the secret to their thesis would be found in studying the correlation between ley lines and magic circuits.

Over time, the family has made small inroads into the Department of Archaeology and Creation. The first to join in on expeditions to study distant leylines, and the latter in a political sense, as the family became members of the Democratic Faction under Trameblio.

Along the way, they discovered many beautiful things about the world.



Frederica von Gotzen, the wonder child.

A prodigy that would elevate the Gotzen family to new heights, and see them take their place among the prestigious families of the Clocktower!

At least, that was the hope, for her to focus on honing her abilities to the fullest. To become the greatest head the family had ever seen.

It kind of turned out that way… but it also didn’t?

-

Tell me, class, do you think the World is beautiful?

No, this isn’t a trick question.

There are multiple ways to look at it. Do you take that question literally or philosophically?

If you look at it literally, then how do you consider it? There are beautiful places in the World, that much is for certain. There are natural wonders, architecture that takes the breath away, animals that inspire awe, they are all things of beauty.

Yet there are also polluted rivers corrupting the land, battlefields stained with blood and screams, and rotting cities where desperation flows down the streets. How can the World be beautiful when it contains such things?

If you take it philosophically, then the question is even more complicated.

What is the World? Is it that which inhabits it? People who are just capable of love, kindness, and charity as they are of anger, hatred, and greed? Animals that must fight to survive and suffer because of it?

Is it the systems that make up the world? The delicate balance that allows life in the first place? Is it some animating force, a cosmic underlying principle that unites everything? Or is it an arbitrary distinction humans made for ourselves, to encompass whatever we see fit?

Your answer then leads back into the original question. Can that be beautiful, and is it?

You may wonder why I ask you this question, but it is an important one you might not have considered for your magecraft. As you all know, a Bounded Field separates an interior from an exterior. It acts as a boundary from the rest of the World.

Thus, what you think of the World is important. It colors your magecraft. Your viewpoint has far greater influence on what you do than you may think. How you interact with ley lines, how your bounded fields function, these change just as much with your viewpoint as your foundation.

You don’t have to tell me, but think about it.

… Hm?

You’re wondering what I think?

Aren’t you nosy?

If I had to give you an answer…

The Department of Archaeology requests that I go on expeditions with them fairly frequently. I’ve been across the entire globe, from the jungles of Mesoamerica to the Arctic Circle to Mesopotamia, and even worked alongside the Spiral Manor a few times.

There’s been ups and there’s been downs. I’ve seen plenty of things people would kill to see. I’ve seen plenty of things that people would want to forget. There have been plenty of times I’ve almost died.

The good, the bad, and the ugly. Humanity at its best, at its worst, and its most unsavory.

After seeing all that? Yeah, the world is beautiful. Even with all that bad and all that ugly… No, because of all that bad and all that ugly. The most beautiful artwork is because of its flaws, not despite them, because it’s in the flaws that you see the truth.

Anyway, remember, no lecture next week! I’m heading out of London for a bit. I’ll be back for next week's lecture if everything goes well. If not, you’ll need a new professor.


Elemental Affinity: Water
Number of Magic Circuits: B+
Quality of Magic Circuits: B+

Magic Crest: 542 years
A branch crest of an older magus family that no longer exists, with the fragments of the original family recombined into it at a later date. It is placed directly over Frederica’s heart, and is defined as a ‘core’ from which the ‘World’ is built.

Attributes:
Sympathy: A type of magecraft based on creating a connection between two similar things, or taking advantage of a preexisting connection between two similar things.

Transmutation: A type of magecraft based on changing something into another form.

Flow: A type of magecraft based around manipulating the natural progression of things from one state to another.



General Fundamentals:
The fundamentals of magecraft that any true magus is expected to learn. This is the purview of things such as mana theory, magic circuits usage, the creation of bounded fields, the usage of sympathetic and contagious magecraft, and other underlying principles of Western Magecraft.

It is the understanding of Western Magecraft’s core that all thaumaturgical systems use at their most basic level. To understand the interactions between the World and the magus. Through this understanding, a magus is capable of reaching great heights.

Frederica has reached those heights, as she has the respected position of Professor in the Department of General Fundamentals. Her specialties are Magical Energy Studies and Sympathetic Magecraft.

Sympathetic Western Alchemy:
A magecraft that is centered on the study of the flow of matter. Concerned with the transformation of matter, whether it be minerals, states of matter such as the transition from solid to liquid to gas, or even conceptual forms that do not exist in the World.

It is a variant of the traditional system proposed by Paracelsus, or rather, an extrapolation and exploration of one of the fundamental concepts. As above, so below.

Through Sympathetic Magecraft, the user aligns themself with the World around them. Breaking down the conceptual barrier as “Above” and “Below” are temporarily made one. Or at least, parts of the Self are aligned with the World. This allows the user to enact natural interference upon the environment as if it were their own body, and transmute their own body as if it were the environment.

Effects include but are not limited to: producing arms from the environment to grab targets, generating temporary bodily duplicates from substances such as water or air, transmuting the body's makeup to, in turn, transmute the makeup of their environment, and so on.

Internal Geocentric Astromancy
A magecraft that is usually centered on the celestial bodies above, transformed into one that is focused on the organs within.

Usually, an art based on predicting the future through observing the heavens. Traditionally utilized by alchemists to determine the best times to perform experiments and prepare remedies according to the alignment of the celestial bodies.

However, following the principle of sympathy, those internal organs can be utilized in place of the celestial bodies by which they are governed. Utilizing one’s own body to represent the “World” rather than the true world, allowing the user to manifest the effects of astromancy without needing the celestial bodies to be in the correct positions.

It is a supportive magecraft to the mainstay of Alchemy, primarily acting as a reinforcing element to the various alchemical spells. That doesn’t mean they don’t know any spells utilizing solely Internal Astromancy, as they have a small suite of spells independent of Alchemy. These are primarily based on affecting herself in various non-physical ways.

Hermetic Numerological Incantation
A magecraft based on the study of numbers. Through the understanding of numbers' mystical meanings, it becomes possible to recreate magical phenomena.

The particular variant used is based on Hermetic Numerology, with various numbers connecting things such as 1 connecting to the Monad, 2 connecting to the concept of Polarity, 3 connecting to the Tria Prima (Sulphur, Mercury, Salt), and so on.

It was a useful supplementary work to the family's Alchemy core until Frederica became heir. Through numerological principles, she managed to compress many of the family’s spell formulae down, allowing the same strength of spell to be completed in a quicker incantation. In other words, she had achieved High Speed Incantations.

She has only managed to reduce incantations to half the normal length.



Mantle of Earth
To become the Earth itself would require more than just study.

It would require a change.

Mantle is a mystic code that wraps around Frederica’s internal skeletal structure, a specially prepared dense alloy of various minerals taken from various fallen leyline locations mixed with the bone marrow of past Gotzen magi. It is formal wear embodying the concept of “the Earth’s Bones,” designed to ease the establishment of a sympathetic connection with their environment.

It dramatically increases the owner’s defensive abilities by strengthening internal bone structures. Manipulating the material around the body for various purposes is possible. The only limitation is that it is considered a “body part” and cannot be separated.

Rangefinder Luna
To become the Earth, one must first know the Earth.

A silver cylinder decorated with numerous numbers in spinning rows, which at a glance appears as an antique rangefinder.

A specialized mystic code meant to be used to observe the environment. It acts as a metaphorical “mirror” that translates data about the environment into numerical code that appears via the rows of numbers across its surface. Able to be used to gather information from long distances, as long as a line of sight is established.

It can also function as a mundane wayfinder if magical energy is not introduced.

Celestial Talismans
A wide variety of numerical astrological talismans are kept on her person at all times.

These talismans are protective, invoking the planetary spirits to provide their protection against specific diseases passively, and being able to protect her against specific curses actively.

Though the utilization of these talismans to protect herself against magecraft results in the talismans burning out and needing to be replaced.

Azoth Blade
A common mystic code given to students in coming-of-age ceremonies.

It is a tool for performing magecraft first and foremost, amplifying the user’s magical energy to assist and strengthen them. It is also able to be filled with magical energy to allow it to be utilized as a magic wand to create magic circles.

The Azoth Blade given to Frederica has been altered by her into something more resembling a messer for practical useage. The idea of using a ceremonial tool for something as mundane as clearing brush or cutting ropes is sacrilegious to some, but to Frederica, not using it as a blade would ‘deny it its original purpose.’

The fact that she has stabbed at least one person with it goes unmentioned.



Messerfechten-Ringen
As every Magus knows, sometimes you’re just gonna have to get your hands dirty.

Part of the training regime of the Gotzen family is practice in traditional German martial techniques to aid in honing the body and mind. Primarily, what is taught is Ringen, grappling techniques developed by German fencing masters such as Liechtenauer and Hans Talhoffer.

Ringen translates to “wrestling,” being a martial art primarily based around grappling techniques, originally designed to be utilized alongside a weapon. The Gotzen primarily utilized it by itself, with Frederica deciding to pick up “Messerfechten,” Messer-Fighting, as an additional bit to add to it.

If you ask her why, her only answer will be “because swords are cool.”

Urgrund Mining Ventures
All that research isn’t exactly cheap, you know?

Urgrund Mining Ventures is a German mining company that the Gotzen formed to fund their ventures in the magus world. Through magecraft, allowing the finding of valuable mineral deposits, they have been able to build the company up to being very profitable. While not as wealthy as some of the older bloodlines, the family's net worth is not something even they can scoff at.

Frederica lets the business run itself for the most part, only interacting with it as necessary to keep it going. She’s far too busy with her expeditions and research normally.

Miscellaneous
Various ritualistic items such as alchemical reagents, candles, incense, and other items for set-up purposes.

Mundane items to aid in daily life, such as changes of clothes, a laptop, a smartphone, and a new car she bought explicitly for the Grail War.

A pistol.

Appearance:


This servant has many possibles appearances, but it will mostly be average looking adults westerners and they will always wear 1st world war military uniforms from the allied nations.

Pseudo True Name : The Unknown Soldier
Class: Archer
Gender: Mostly men, but there are some women.
Era: World War 1
Alignment: Variable, but Lawful is the most common trait.
Attribute: Man

History

Many died in the world war. In respect to those who gave their lives for their countries, many monuments were created to remember their names. You can find them in city, towns and villages of Europe, listing the names of their local heroes.
But there also was those whose names were lost. Did they have no relative who could remember them? Where they disfigured beyond recognition? Where they lost in foreign lands, their bodies never recovered?
Monuments were built for them too. In many countries, you can find a tomb dedicated to these Unknown Soldiers, lost to history.
To reach the throne of heroes, one must inscribe their names onto history itself. But the Unknown Soldier is the concept that assemble all of these lost warring souls from the war that should have ended all wars. It is a concept that denies True Names.

And so, they find themselves fighting another war, in the quest of the wish-granting Holy Grail.

Personality
The unknown soldier encompass a large number of peoples. They are of course all unique individuals, but they also were united in their roles as soldiers. They have all been trained to military discipline but their reasons for joining their respectives armies vary greatly, from strong patriotism to the circumstances forcing their hands.

An important aspect to them (which they will try to hide as much as possible), is that while the Unknown Soldier is a Heroic Spirit, they are not. As none of them left their names into history, the Throne of Heroes is inaccessible to them. This notably means that this servant does not have an actual True Name. The concept of the Unknown Soldier being inscribed into the throne is what is summoned as a servant while the souls of the lost soldiers are brought to fill the class vessel, since this concept is too lacking on its own to form a servant. So in practice, this is a servant which is more of a collection of wraiths than an actual Heroic Spirit. As a result, they bear some level of curses within them.

They are somewhat ashamed of this status as they are meant to face true heroes who properly left their mark on history. But they are determined to obtain the Holy Grail, especially since their unconventional nature as servant and weakness due to their modernity makes them unlikely to be summoned in the first place.
This means they intend to do everything in their power to win the Holy Grail War. Most of them have enough morals to not commit blatant war crimes but they have no interest in glory and honor and will always approach their fights with a pragmatic strategy.
This means in turn that while they admire heroes, they scorn those who fight for glory. After all, the nameless soldiers are the firsts victims of glory seekers. Similarly, those who treat fighting unseriously or do not value life will gain the Unknown Soldier's hatred.
Finally, all rulers, but Kings in particular, are a touchy subject for the Unknown Soldier. That is because of their background, of why they entered the first world war. Because of this, they are very divided. Some are patriots, others feel betrayed by their countries. And the subject of royalty in particular was still the source of many debates in their era. France had been a Republic for only a bit over 40 years. Britain never stopped being a kingdom. Italy was still one. And there are both Americans and Russians soldiers among them as both countries were part of the allies in their own times. And this is only to speak of the most common nationalities.
They apply the same judgement to their master. The Unknown Soldier will obey faithfully someone worthy of their respect, but they will ignore or even scorn one who does not fit their standards. In this case, they will act on their own and chose how to fight based only on their own experience and observations.

Of course, they are full of regrets. The wish they ended up convening to is to slightly alter history so that their names were never forgotten. Doing this would end the concept of the Unknown Soldier.

Whenever they differ on a subject, they will mentally argue with each other to determine their answer. The process is rather fast but can last awhile if they have trouble agreeing together.

Parameters
(Dependent on the individual)
Strength: E to D+
Endurance: E to D+
Agility: E to D+
Mana: E to D+
Luck: E- to B

Class Skills

Magic Resistance E : While they possess this skill thanks to their class, their nature as modern human with no experience of magecraft battles makes it basically defunct. In practice, the Unknown Soldier does not benefit from any protection against any magecraft.

Independent Action B : Their low cost as a servant as well as the concept of a Lost Soldier makes them capable of lasting for up to two days without magical energy support. However, using Selective Deployment to its fullest can dramatically decrease this time.

Personal Skills

Selective Deployment A : The Unknown Soldier has access to 204 different souls and each of them can manifest with a separate spiritual body, spirit origin and spiritual core. Of course, to do so is extremely costly in magical energy so they will restrain their manifestations if there is no need for additional firepower. The minimum number of manifestations is one, as they need at least one spirit origin as Proof of Existence. If the only or last remaining manifested soldier is killed, another one is automatically manifested in their place. This means that it is necessary to kill each and every single one of them to kill the Unknown Soldier, but also that it's possible to kill them in chain by repeatedly hitting mortal blows if there is only one remaining manifested soldier.
The downside of this large number is that they are very weak. A good mage with access to strong destructive magecraft can potentially take them down.
The average mage (Magic circuits rank C) can at best manage to supply about 60 soldiers without using their own spells or the Unknown Soldier’s Noble Phantasm. Only the most impressive of mages may hope to support all of them at once. Independent Action can help to support the cost, but using it in that way during a fight will quickly use up its reserve of energy.
Range: 1-5 (any manifested soldier can serve as the point of reference from which another one is manifested)

Grudges D++ : Basic wraith curses. Potentially strong thanks to their numbers but lacking in subtlety or control. They usually keep them hidden to not reveal their true nature. If possible, they would rather not use them at all. However, since these are the manifestation of their grudges, regrets and resentments, losing control of their emotions could easily means losing control of the curses too.
This is technically a wraith skill rather than that of a servant. Due to this, the defeat of the Unknown Soldier does not fully purge those curses. Some of the wraiths themselves might remain, though such weak spirits are not threat to a servant in decent condition, even a capable enough mage could take care of them.
Those traits are not of much importance in the Holy Grail War, which commonly sees much greater power. Something that does matter however, is that such a servant is improper food to a Holy Grail. This is also a reason why they hide their nature.

Noble Phantasms

First World War Weaponry
Rank: C++
NP Type: Anti-Unit and Utility
Range: 0-2
Maximum Number of Targets: 1 (the user of the Noble Phantasm)
Description: Unknown Soldier's Noble Phantasm. Function in a similar manner to Item Creation. It gives the Unknown Soldier access to all the weaponry they collectively used in their lifetimes. This also includes supplies and tools as long as they are considered military stock. Examples includes rations, medical kits, vehicles and more. The strongest tools they have is a few WW1 tanks and planes.
Of course, since it is a Noble Phantasm, those weapons are effective against Heroic Spirits. But their modernity greatly diminishes their power against strong magic defenses or Noble Phantasms.



The World War to end All
Title: Myriad memories of final moments
Rank: EX
NP Type: Anti-Army Suicide Attack
Range: 30 (cannot be reduced, center of the user, targets everyone in its range indiscriminately
Maximum Number of Targets: ~300

Activation conditions: It requires both a chant including the true name release and a processus called “Cursed energy transmutation”.

“We died for the world
We died alone
We died with no one to remember us
Whoever you are, witness us
Witness the pain, terror and oblivion
Witness The World War to end All”

Performing the chant allows to start the Cursed energy transmutation. It uses the curses contained within the Unknown Soldier as the spark to ignite all its remaining magical energy along with their spiritual bodies, transforming it into curses. This is necessary due to The World War to end All being a wraith’s Noble Phantasm. This means it can only be powered by curses.
As a consequence, if for one reason or another the Unknown Soldier ends up purified from their curses earlier, it will impede on their ability to use this Noble Phantasm. Similarly, as their curses are fueled by negative emotions, they need to channel those for the chant to be effective in the first place.

Description: It creates a unique bounded field, something somewhere between a Reality Marble and the haunted places that wraiths utilize.
It pulls the consciousness of its captives within a separate layer of reality within which a vast hellish battlefield serves as the theater for the patchwork memories of the soldiers’ final moments. It is filled with superficial imitations of humans, resembling distorted shadows, who will recreate these scenes. The remaining soldiers themselves lose their servants bodies as they are consumed in the making of The World War to end All and their spirits are made to inhabit such imitations based on themselves.
On the other hand, the captured consciousnesses are transferred into mirror images which accurately reproduce their own abilities. The curse connects all damage to inflict it upon the original body, including mortal wounds. This means that dying within this separate layer of reality cause death to the true body. In addition, this other layer of reality is seeped with the concept of “high mortality”. This causes natural defenses and armors of all kinds to be severely weakened.
Because of this and First World War Weaponry’s power being applied to the weapons created by this noble Phantasm, while the actors of these scenes possess physical abilities within “regular human limits”, their weapons are particularly deadly, even to servants.
The deaths recreation will start immediately and multiple of them will occur at the same time. The curse will end on its own once all remaining soldiers have met their ends. In the hypothetical event where all 204 soldiers are still present, it could take around half an hour. The less of them were left to activate the Noble Phantasm, the shorter it will be. It can be further shortened by killing them directly, but it is not necessary to participate in any fighting. The extra actors on the side of the Allies will see the captives as either comrades of arms or civilians to protect (depending on one’s martial prowess) while those on the side of the Central Powers will see them as enemy soldiers or targets to capture (based on the same reasoning).
As for the wraiths, they will be initially in a sort of trance, perfectly reacting their final moments. Any interruption could pull them out of it, but they still won't be able to prevent or delay the events which led to their ends.
From the outside, the captives will appear asleep. Only those present at the moment of activation are captured, so it is possible to approach the scene afterward and interact with their bodies. Moving the bodies away from where the bounded field was cast does not cancel the effect. However, as this is effectively a form of possession strongly ranked up, a powerful form of exorcism may potentially free the captives early.
If one can, through any means necessary, be it social skills, sneaking, athletics or anything, survive to the end, their consciousness will be automatically brought back to their original bodies.

This Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of the wraiths’ corrupted desire to share their experiences with others and be remembered. However, as it recreates their deaths, this will end them once more. Furthermore, their cursed aspects make it dangerous to all others involved.
This contradiction, as well as the fact that using this Noble Phantasm means giving up on winning the current Holy Grail War, makes them extremely unlikely to consider using The World War to end All.
They still possess this ability without their class vessel, but it is ranked down to E. At this level, it is incapable of making use of the separate layer of reality, so this is nothing more than a nightmare. The only damage it causes is mental.

Appearance:


A tall (186 cm), lanky guy with a forgettable face and unkempt black hair.

Name: Jerome Meluastea Pearson
Titles: Mole, mage thief
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Alignment: Chaotic/Neutral
Affiliation: None
Clock Tower Rank: Count, though mostly due to familial influence
Command Spell: Swirly lines on the palm side of his left forearm. While not straight, their intersections are all perpendiculars. The design is asymmetric. The largest command spell contains the medium one which contains the smallest.

Life background:
The Pearson family has barely more than 300 years of history. It started with James Pearson, a British gem merchant who found himself dealing with mages. It turned out he had a little bit of talent for magecraft and used it to develop a technique to efficiently figure out the location of gems in the ground of newly explored lands.
Having gained financial success, he decided to invest in the future. He used to connection he made to marry a woman of average mage lineage, as it was the best a complete newcomer like him could get. From there, his descendant kept developing these techniques not to reach the root, but to gain further influence and power. Each generation would work to amass larges amounts of wealth and spend a significant portion of it into obtaining a partner of the best possible mage lineage.
It got them a deserved reputation of greedy upstarts, but they also maintained family connections which would allow them to keep growing. It was facilitated by the growth of their magecraft leading to an expansion of their business. Rather than just gems, they started unearthing anything that was considered valuable. In particular, archeological findings allowed them to ingratiate themselves to the Maluastea family, one of the Twelve Lords families of the Clock Tower. Eventually, it allowed them to become a branch family and secure a marriage.
Myrina Meluastea was a failure. Despite her prestigious ancestry, she was born with little talent for magecraft and an unusually low number of magic circuits. She was never even considered as a potential heir, which would explain how this marriage even came to pass. The Pearson family head was well aware of this, yet he didn’t mind as he thought that even a reject of the Meluastea would greatly improve their own lineage.
The first-born child was mediocre at best, barely in the usual standards of the Pearson family. Still, they kept trying to make a worthwhile heir and, after 10 years, a promising child was born. It was their seventh, born with well above average magical circuits and fated to be the next family head. Her name was Eugenia Meluastea Pearson.
And so the focus of her parents shifted to her education, leaving aside the other children, including the first-born who had been trained to magecraft until this point in case none of his sibling would be any more talented. His name was Jerome Meluastea Pearson.

Years passed, Jerome learning in his teenage years what it meant to not be the central point of a mage family. He already wasn’t used to shows of affection, but he also didn’t have to deal anymore with the pressure of expectations, the sting of disappointment or the antagonism between mage families.
Rather, there was just a void.
So, he tried to fill it.
The Pearson family was so wealthy that they didn’t pay much mind to spendings, giving him all the buying power he wanted. But there was no doubt that material possessions did not gave him the same joy as other kids of his age.
Then one day, he saw a few teens fleeing out of a shop, goods in hands. An adult came after them, running and shouting, but he didn’t notice. His mind was absorbed by the face of the one who ran just past him. Even as the boy was purchased, a large grin crossed his face. He just looked so happy.
That sight stayed with him, even as he was trying to forget about it.
A few days later, Jerome Pearson shoplifted. This was his first theft as well as the most exhilarating moment of his life.

Years later, he had become a full-fledged thief.
He cut ties with his family, as they didn’t bring anything good to him.
He gave up on the life of a mage, only using what he learned to further his thieving skills.
With every theft, he felt closer to being fulfilled.
Yet, the void never went away.
So, he stole more and more, from mages and normal peoples alike, hoping he would find what he was missing.

Then, he learned of a Holy Grail War in Switzerland. That was not the first time he heard of this ritual happening, but it was making much more noise than usual.
A Holy Grail. An omnipotent wish granter. If anything can fill the void, this should be it.

Job history:
He started with small thefts on people incapable of seeing through magic. While his skills were underdeveloped, he was good at practical application and quickly developed specific uses of his knowledge for the purpose of thievery. He also picked up non-magical-skills, which he quickly found to more rewarding than magic.
However, the safety took away all the thrills. He had to target mages.
He started small, with declined, nearly forgotten families or young and inexperienced ones.
But he needed more. Yet he was all too aware of the risk. Even if he pulled it off, they would find out about him sooner or later and he would be on the run for the rest of his life. If he could outrun them in the first place.
Then, a solution offered itself to him. A reseller with whom he had a good business relationship offered him a job. A heretical mage was being targeted by the church, but the family he came from wanted to recover its assets first. The Clock Tower wasn’t going to move a finger. And hired guns would be too likely to destroy the goods. It needed to be delicate.
And he was. He pulled it off. Honestly, it was easier than he would have thought. So, he sought more jobs of this type. He even started fishing for info on heretical mages so that he could find targets of his own, without any employer to force him into a deadline or any other specific requirement.
He came close to being caught a few times. On any of these occasions, it would have spelled death. His unscarred body was the testament to his efficacy. To fail was to die.
As he settled on the Holy Grail as the treasure he wanted to acquire, he realized that his skills weren’t the best for the task. So he prepared in his own way.
His last theft before participating was of a completely different scale to anything prior. His target was a respected and influential family’s prized mystic code. A Magical Energy Reactor developed from a small piece of a dragon’s lung which was revitalized and regrown over decades of arduous care then encased into a large and complex contraception which ensures its upkeep and facilitates the harnessing of magical energy.
Just getting into their workshop was dangerous, seizing the Reactor many times more so and smuggling it out was only made possible by a multiple week set-up and impeccable timing of every step of the operation. The most extraordinary achievement of his carrier.
And it was not enough.
It only steeled his resolve.

Personality
The first thing anybody would notice is how gloomy and discreet he is. He keeps to himself, sometimes mumble on his own but rarely speak in more than a few words. Usually avoiding relationships and keeping his distance from crowded places.
Discretion is a sort of guiding principle to him. He aims to live his whole life without standing out, regardless of how far reaching the consequences of his actions are. If you’d ask him what fate he would wish for the world, he’d say something along the lines of : “Well, obviously it’s more beneficial to me if the world is doing fine”. He doesn’t care much for the impact he has on the world, only that it isn’t noticeable or at least that it can be traced back to him. Deep down, he only wish to escape any sort of binding. Because of this, he hopes he can summon an Assassin Servant.
He is both brash and cowardly, as he takes calculated risks which could have dramatic consequences but always mull over any decision, even inconsequent ones. If he hasn’t evaluated a risk yet, he won’t get involved.

The Pearson family is more open to modernity than most mage families, but only when it comes to practical utility. Modern values failed to influence them. So, Jerome’s firsts acknowledgements of how a normal person think came only in his teens, as he was distancing himself from his family.
As a result, he is judgmental of the immorality of mages. Yet, he himself is an egoistic pragmatic who will sometime try to give himself a better conscience on one or the other matter of small importance, but hardly ever acts based on morality.

He doesn’t drink or smoke as he wants to avoid anything that could temper with his senses. He has bit of a sugar addiction though. Despite appearances, he takes very good care of his health. In particular, he dislikes disrupting his sleep schedule, even though he often has to do it as a thief.

Magecraft Information
Elemental Affinity: Only a moderate ability for earth, but it pairs well with his Origin of Exudiation

Number of Magic Circuits: C
Quality of Magic Circuits: D

Magecraft:

Basics of magecraft: Workshop creation and general knowledge of magecraft. By the time his parents lost interest in him, he had well acquired the fundamentals. As a thief, however, he never needed to set up a workshop.

Geomancy: Magecraft to alter the element of earth. Jerome only mastered the fundamentals of it, which are useful for the skills he trained, but he has little to no experience in practical application of geomancy itself.

Pearson’s brand of magecraft techniques: It started with the alchemical skill developed by James Pearson, known as Ground Touch. It’s a spell that disconnects the caster’s sense of touch from their own body and reapply it to the ground. They will experience sensitive stimuli coming from the ground as if it was their body as long as physical contact is kept. In practice, it allows to differentiate soil layers by softness, grain, humidity and temperature as well as detect cavities, creatures or items hidden underground.
After 300 years of research, the Pearsons added more principles and technique to refine it and create variations based on the needs of the situation. The one Jerome has experience in using is focused on analyzing the structure of building and he slowly altered his brain cognition to be able to perfectly visualize accurate 3-dimensional maps of the buildings he connects to. Using these, he doesn’t even need his sight to find his way.

Undisturbing Retrieval: First, Ground Touch or a similar spell is needed to analyze the targeted ground. Then, Temporary Earth Expansion is a technique which distort for a brief moment the distance between materials of earth attribute before putting them back to normal, developed by the Pearsons to exuviate precious resources with minimal damage (the tendency for archeologists to use dynamite at the time was what motivated them). Since there is always space between atoms, even in solid objects, there is always a gap to extend for passage. Extended Grasp is a similar technique, but used on the self to prolong reach. These two skills were developed to be used together allowing to reach into the ground to pull out whatever is desired with little to no disturbance or damage on either. A skill focused on maintaining the value of treasures.

Traceless Traversal: Jerome’s unique skill which he achieved thanks to his Origin. It derives from Undisturbing Retrieval. He treats his entire body and existence as just another Item to be moved. Rather than extending his grasp, he slips his body through the opening, only distorting as much as needed and letting matter retake its original form afterward. The process is very quick and not particularly flashy. An onlooker might think he somehow got sucked into the wall. On the other hand, while he can take items with him, he is unable to pull a living creature along.
His proficiency with this one specific skill allows him to extend its scope. In addition to earth materials, he can pass through living organism and bounded fields. However, this is much more difficult. This is in part because Ground Touch will not work in those cases, so he must rely on more standard structural analyzes spells.
Analyzing a living being is much more difficult than mere ground. It’s an ever-shifting mess of interconnected systems. Making a path is much more difficult, so, even in optimal condition, Jerome will need multiple minutes of preparation and analyze to be ready to use this spell on a living being. In practice, this is a pointless application.
Being able to traverse bounded fields without disturbing them, however, is extremely useful, even if it takes a large amount of time. And it does. Depending on the size and power of the bounded field, it can take a few hours to multiple days to pull this off. But as mages are overly dependent on these to protect their domains, this spell is the skeleton key that made his success as a thief.

Magic Crest: The Pearson's magic crest is possessed by his little sister Eugenia.

Mystic Codes
Draconic Reactor: A stolen Magical Energy Reactor. While the dragon part serving as the core is relatively small, the contraception around it making it into a proper Reactor is sizeable (over 1 cubic meter) and it weights near 200 kilograms. It is not easy to transport, but the power it gives is well worth it.
Magical Energy Camouflage Seals: A mystic code in a form resembling paper talismans, though it mixes multiple magecraft styles. Once set-up, they hide magical energy in a specific perimeter. Jerome doesn’t know the exact details of how they work, only how to apply them. He is quite used to using them to smuggle magical items.
He uses them to hide the Draconic Reactor, but due to its power, it needs an extra solid set-up. A full-room dedicated to it, with the Magical Energy Camouflage Seals plastered over the wall. It would be very easy to disturb this set-up, at which point the Reactor would be like a lighthouse for his enemies.
Wondrous Elixir: A metabolism boosting potion he stole a while back. He’s been saving it for later.
Box of Darkness: A stolen mystic code which had been created to assist the rituals of a heretic mage. It stores darkness during nights and release it when opened. The more it stored, the more effective and long-lasting the darkness will be. Moonless nights are more effective at recharging it. Jerome uses it to escape dangerous situations or create distractions.
Flask of basilisk’s poison: It is small, most likely there is only enough for one use. But it is potent. Jerome doesn’t remember where he stole this one.

Nonmagical Assets
Mole’ savings: Jerome has made a lot of benefits from selling the results of his thefts. As he doesn’t have particularly expensive tastes or hobbies, the money kept accumulating over the years.
Disguise make-up: One can make themselves looks like a fully different person with the right make-up. As most mages would normally rely on an illusion Mystic Code or spell for this purpose, it has the added advantage of being unexpected. It served him well many times in the past.
Lockpicking set: His own abilities makes it rather redundant, but it can come in handy if he should avoid spending magical energy. Also, he just enjoys lockpicking as a hobby.
3 phones along temporary numbers: Jerome is used to switching those on the regular. The modernity of the phones varies. He feels safer using older models, but recognize the usefulness of modern smartphones.
A laptop: Recently bought as it could come in handy.
A foldable crossbow: Easy to transport and hide. He hopes he won’t have to use them, as he has yet to kill someone and would rather not get his own hands dirty. But he isn’t naïve.
A few pockets knifes: Same as previous.

History
Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince by his contemporaries, looms over the Hundred Years’ War like a demon in burnished armor—hailed in England as the paragon of chivalry, yet feared in France as a scourge whose infernal horse raids blazed across Gascony and Aquitaine. Tasked by Edward III to unleash royal vengeance unto the French, he rode beneath blood-red skies, reducing villages to smoking ash and turning fertile fields into wastelands of despair. His triumphs at Crécy and Poitiers burned his name into legend as both knight-errant and embodiment of War. And yet, before he could inherit the throne, the Black Prince passed in his mid-forties to illness, fading away like a smoldering flame. Perhaps the disease that wracked his body was retribution for the torment the Plantagenets have wrought upon France, or perhaps it was this very illness that allowed the Black Prince to truly embody the divine plague that his father had unleashed because the franks didnt pay their fucking rent.

Personality
Ich Dien - I serve. The words thrice emblazoned on the Black Prince's "shield for peace" best describe the sort of man he is. Despite his dark demeanor, Edward conducts himself with the decorum of a true chivalrous knight, addressing his and other Masters with respect and following courtly conduct whenever possible. One would question if he truly is the brutal warmonger he is known to be in history. Of course, this would quickly change when one looks upon his approach to battle, and to War itself. Every advantage must be taken, every path to victory must be traversed, and the enemy must be left completely and utterly destroyed with no chance of reprieve or recovery.

Such is the Black Prince's belief as a knight- that everything a knight is tasked to do, a knight must follow through to its extreme. If his Master has need of his shield, then he shall be a wall to defend against all who wish his charge any harm. If his Master has need of his sword, then he shall be a hammer to crush his lord's adversaries so that naught but ashes and dust remain. Unless his Master commands, then no quarter shall be granted to those whom his Master has deemed adversaries. After all, what sort of knight would he be if he allowed his enemies the chance to regain their strength and scheme against his liege?

Edward does not speak of his wish, instead seeing the Holy Grail War as another campaign that he has been tasked to complete. Still, he silently relishes the opportunity to clash swords against heroes of legend, especially the knights that his father held in such high regard. Whatever Edward's wish may be, whatever desire yearns at his heart, it matters not, for the Black Prince is a knight first and foremost... And a knight must focus on granting his liege's wish by any means necessary.

Armament
The Black Prince wields a darkened longsword bathed in vermillion hellfire and a black shield of burnished steel. Adorned in sinister black plate mail, Edward sometimes takes up arms atop his nightmarish steed, a warhorse of reputable stock.

Parameters
Strength: B
Endurance: D
Agility: A
Mana: D
Luck: C

Class Skills
Magic Resistance: B
Cancels spells with incantations below three verses. Even then, it is difficult for the Servant to be affected by High Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

Riding: A
The ability to ride mounts and vehicles. At this level, all vehicles and mounts with the exception of Phantasmal Beasts and Divine Beasts can be used as mounts. The most evocative images of the Black Prince depict him on horseback, with his most infamous tactic involving strategic cavalry raids. Edward is assuredly a symbol of chivalry(the Apocalypse)- a knight on horseback leading the charge.

Personal Skills
Black Boar's Hide: A
An evolution of the Innocent Monster skill, the demonic reputation Edward had been given by the French worn as a suit of armor. Given the epithet "the Black Prince" posthumously, Edward is famously depicted in black plate mail, his legend bolstered by his brutality and military success. The black armor he wears reinforces Edward's body based on his infamy. From the fear and hatred he evokes from his enemies, to pain and suffering his hellish flames cause its victims, and even to the grudges of the thousands of dead that lie at his wake, the Black Prince is strengthened by the negativity surrounding him. His armor, a manifestation of Edward's ruthlessness, further invokes fear to those who face him in battle, inflicting all who behold it that do not possess the true mettle of a knight- a virtuous heart of chivalry- with pressure, reducing the opponent's effectiveness. This mental effect is noticeably more effective against French opponents.

Infernal Promenade: B+
The Black Prince's signature method of war, the chevauchée, manifesting as darkened hellfire that surrounds his armaments. Horseback raiding by means of burning and pillaging enemy territory in order to reduce their effectiveness, likened to a virulent plague by the French. The fires that burn on the Black Prince's sword and surround his armor carry the attribute of plunder, bestowing this effect onto every one of his attacks. Those burned by the Black Prince's flames would suffer damage over time as the hellfire burns within them, their magical energy repurposed to sustain the Black Prince. Against Servants, this means that a battle of attrition against Edward is one where they would most assuredly lose as they would find their resources drained while the Black Prince remains relatively unscathed. These flames are especially effective against territory, draining the magical energy and resources from the land and making it harder for the enemy to use. The flames can also be extended outward to spread throughout the land, turning the battlefield into a blighted wasteland if left unchecked.

Royal Knight of the Garter: A+
The Most Noble Order of the Garter was a knightly order founded by Edward III as a means of emulating the Knights of the Round Table. Among its founding members, the Black Prince distinguished himself as the greatest warrior among his fellows. A representation of Edward's chivalry, which brightly shines past the smoke and fire that surrounds him. Displays the martial abilities of the greatest among the Knights of the Round Table, for surely such an order carries the legend of the organization it is based on. Among one of the greatest knights of his time, Edward's martial prowess shall never falter even when suffering from afflictions of the body or mind. Despite illness, the Black Prince fought to the bitter end, never once falling in battle.

Noble Phantasms
The Black Prince's Ruby
Title: The Prize of Plunder, Bought in Blood
Rank: B
NP Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 0
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description:
One of the famed Crown Jewels of England, the Black Prince's Ruby is a splendid symbol of British monarchy, as even now it is still a centerpiece on the Imperial State Crown. The ruby was given Edward's epithet simply due to the fact that it was rewarded to him by Don Pedro of Seville for his military support in the Battle of Najera. Fittingly so, the ruby itself carries the same level of infamy that its namesake possesses, having rumored to be cursed by the original owner of the gemstone after an act of betrayal. Despite its bloodied history, the ruby is hailed for its great size, having been hailed as one of the largest rubies found before it was discovered that the gemstone is actually a spinel.

Edward wears the Ruby as battle regalia, adorned on a black circlet. As one of England's greatest royal treasures, it boasts a tremendously potent blessing (curse) of protection onto the wearer, a blessing that is most apparent in the midst of battle. After all, it is said to have saved Henry V from a lethal blow to the head. The blessing imposes invulnerability in battle to the bearer, preventing them from falling in battle. All wounds can be ignored to a degree, up to and including lethal ones. Perhaps it is this Noble Phantasm that heavily contributed to Edward's legendary feats of arms, having not known to suffer a single wound on the battlefield. However, for such a powerful boon, a great affliction is suffered in place of any wounds the bearer is inflicted in battle.

Much like how the Black Prince's Ruby is not a ruby, but instead a spindel, the blessing does not actually bestow invulnerability to its wearer. Instead, damage that is ignored is converted into a grim curse (blessing) that takes the form of a deathly illness. The bearer would still suffer a portion of the damage that is ignored, though rather than taking all damage at once, it is instead dispersed into a sickness that wastes away at the bearer until their "debt" is paid for in blood. As the Ruby is said to be a form of divine protection on the battlefield, its ruinous curse is equally spoken about, having said to be responsible for the Black Prince's death by disease. It is a treasure that represents glory in battle, while also representing the bloodshed that war brings akin to a plague washing over the land.

---

The Sixth Trumpet
Title: The Hundred-Year Blood War
Rank: B++
NP Type: Anti-Fortress
Range: 1 ~ 66
Maximum Number of Targets: 333
Description:
A crystallization of the century of destruction and bloodshed that England had brought onto France, compared to a virulent plague sent by Heaven to punish mankind. It is said that the Plantagenets are a dark instrument of divine judgment, bringing apocalyptic punishment to France all in the name of conquest. The king that the Black Prince served, his father, Edward III, is compared to the likes of Abaddon, who heralded the end by unleashing a plague of locusts onto the world- the forces of England who came to conquer Western Europe- while the Black Prince and his forces represent the horsemen of the apocalypse, legions of riders unleashed from the depths of the Euphrates to slay one-third of mankind. The penultimate trumpet that heralds the destruction of the world, a belief that the end-times were truly upon the world was something that had been cemented due to both the war and the deathly Black Plague that slayed a third of the population. It is this destruction that is outlined on the Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers, and where the Black Prince is truly immortalized as a rider of the apocalypse.

A Noble Phantasm that represents the destruction that the Black Prince had wrought onto France, and the belief that this period was truly the end of the world to those who faced against him. It would take a different shape depending on Edward's class container- for example, as an Archer, this Noble Phantasm would take the shape of a longbow as it is a symbol of England's military might, a symbol of Conquest. As a Saber, the Sixth Trumpet takes the shape of a simple black sword, a universally known representation of War, and of the desolation it brings. Bathed in the flames of Edward's Infernal Promenade, it is a raw representation of the Black Prince's approach to War- direct and widespread destruction. The sword is also a symbol of knightly chivalry, perverted by the bloodshed it has wrought.

Upon invocation of this Noble Phantasm, the hellfire that surrounds the blade is focused into a blast of infernal radiance. A wave of destruction that can bring an entire castle low, it is the purest representation of the widespread ruin the Black Prince's grande chevauchees brought to the cities and towns of France. The land afterwards is left a smoldering ruin incapable of being utilized by the enemy camp, the very earth plagued with death. At a baseline, the Sixth Trumpet boasts the raw output of a B-ranked Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. However, this output can be increased based on the magical energy plundered by Edward, and the grudges that the Black Prince had accumulated whether from his Black Boar's Hide skill or built up from The Black Prince's Ruby, expending all negative karma to empower this attack to a truly apocalyptic scale comparable to a Demonic Sword. A true representation of the Black Prince's brutal reputation, one that is subject to exaggeration as outlined in the French accounts of Limoges, and also of the illness that plagued him in life only adding to his ferocity in battle.

Appearance:





Name: Kagetsugi Minoru (影継 実), Monobe Tengoku (物部 天獄)
Titles: The Worst Upon This Earth, Demon King, The Fallen
Gender: Male
Age: 19/136
Alignment: Neutral Good
Affiliation: None
Clock Tower Rank: Cause (Formerly)
Command Spell:



Background

“You will die here.”

Who were these words directed at? A killer? A visionary? Perhaps even something in between? Nevertheless, it ended with corpses littering a place that should not have been stained with blood.

A sacred place was desiccated, the ashes that were left behind forming a place that could never be touched by mundane hands. At least, that was the story for one of them. The other one on the other hand…

He had forgotten his name and even the name of the family he was born into. Long ago, he was born into a family, those few British overlords that had decided to settle into the Indian Subcontinent.

But they were no mere noble family. They were those that were long ingrained within the world of magecraft, a branch family of a great family of the West sent to India to study the mysteries of the region.

It was only supposed to be a mere expedition, but as the knowledge and riches that could be extracted became abundantly clear, the founder of the branch family would create a much more permanent presence within the area.

The founder would marry with another mage that had travelled from England, and would father three children.

It is the life of the third child to be born that is of interest.

“You must not exit the estate.”

Those words were repeated again and again to him. As the third child in the family, he was not given priority in regards to being taught the mystical arts.

His father would take note of this, and would dote on the boy, as he did not have the responsibility of being disciplined. To hide him from the ugliness of the world, the father would lock him up in his estate, never allowing him to glimpse the world outside that boundary.

Even though he was not given priority and was sheltered, the one known as Elliot had an inherent wonder for the world that made him the antithesis of his father’s isolationist policy.

His father would go on various journeys and expeditions. Elliot was told that it was for the sake of the family’s mission— to record and relay the information of the Subcontinent to the Mage’s Association.

However, on one journey, his father would not return, and after days of searching his last known location, the man would be declared lost. Following his supposed ‘death’ his eldest son would take over as the head of the family.

It was this eldest son that would take pity on Elliot. After all, the child was like an infant, not knowing the joys and horrors of the outside world. With the founder dead, it was only a matter of time before the Clocktower would put more scrutiny on the family and potentially order them to return to Britain.

And so, the head would allow the third child to gradually become accustomed to the outside world. At first, it was of the more wealthy districts, accompanied by guards that would protect Elliot. But as time went on, the head would allow his brother to explore the more impoverished areas, and as the third son would learn more and more of the outside world, he would feel a great sense of pity and sadness for those outside.

His warped mentality would crumble even when he was in the wealthier parts of the outside world, seeing the suffering that was present. His naivety would be broken.

With his conception of the world destroyed, he would seek to mend the suffering that witnessed, to create the perfect garden that he knew the world could become.

It was in these moments of realization that he discovered the works and writings of the Buddha, and would become immersed in the path of arhathood.

Magecraft was a wonderful thing.

It was the one thing that allowed seemingly powerless humans to grasp the miracles of gods and monsters. And so, was it much of a surprise that the third son would begin to study it even more vigorously once he came to his epiphany?

In his years of self-study, Elliot would wander the Indian Subcontinent, absorbing much knowledge of the beliefs and religions of the people he encountered. Ultimately, he would put his faith in the path of the Buddha. But his mindset, that which had been broken by the suffering he witnessed, did not mend itself into something beautiful.

Instead, his view of the world would become distorted, and he would not pursue the middle path. In his twisted fervor, the third child would slowly fall into madness. In addition, in his travels, he would nurture a mask of someone that cared for the downtrodden whilst his sanity slowly decayed.

In his fervor, he would study more and more of what he saw in his family’s archives, learning of a sect of mages that utilized the framework of Western Magecraft with the the beliefs of the subcontinent and the greater Eastern world. Originally, they were Western mages that came through the paths of the Silk Road, eventually settling in Northwestern India and establishing a stronghold for the Mage’s Association there.

Once he finally found them, Elliot would become a loyal follower of their teachings, eventually reintegrating with the general western mage society once he had nearly reached his twenties. With their help and knowledge, he became a talented mage, eventually attending the Clocktower and becoming a proper mage of the Organization.

However, in his fervor, Elliot would commit a grave sin: that of mass experimentation on a village in Northeastern India. The sheer terror of his daemonic and spiritual experiments disgusted the Mage’s Association and the sect that raised him up once he showed them the result of his work. More importantly, he was risking the intervention of the Eastern mage societies with his foolishness.

He would be designated as a heretic, and would be hunted down to the point where he barely escaped further into the East,

Mononobe Tengoku.

That was the name he adopted in the new land that he had fled to.

Not much was exceptional about the land that he would inhabit. The same suffering and happiness that was present everywhere was present as well. Even though he had learned of the useful practice of self-mummification and had retrieved the bones of those clans that had betrayed the emperor, he would feel only sadness in his rituals.

Even when he had gathered a small following, the memories of his followers still haunted him. It was as if he was merely a husky waiting for death.

When he had purchased a set of Siamese twins from a freak show, he thought nothing of their existence but as sacrifices for his cause.

But as the twins would interact with him, as they would speak to him and share their thoughts with him, fervently declaring their loyalty, something impossible would happen: a bond would begin to develop between them and Tengoku.

It was realized that he looked at them not from an overlooking view, but from the same elevation and plane, did he realize all the suffering that he had caused.

He has become selfish in the best sense of the word.

Slowly but surely, his mind would begin to change, and when the twins were about to undergo the ritual of Kodoku, he objected to their sacrifice.

His followers did not listen.

Instead, they thought of him as going mad from his old age, and would dismiss all his exclamations. After all, the true Mononobe Tengoku would never object to such a thing.

He watched as the twins were locked in the room.

He witnessed them coming out of the chamber, covered in the blood of others.

And he could only watch in horror as they zealously underwent the process of self-mummification. Even as the mummy of the twins would be brought to different places of Taisho Japan, and would cause various disasters from their accumulating curses, he would only feel regret for his actions.

He would begin to despise his ideology of altruism, and would lash out at anyone who would visit his chambers.

Of course, such behavior would only reinforce his followers’ belief that he had gone senile.

As his last act of defiance, Tengoku would order his corpse be mummified into a skeletal form that was infused with the information of his existence and consciousness, and would order the few remaining followers that were still loyal to him to hide it away.

The old man would then inform the Mage’s Association of his existence within Japan, that he had not perished long ago in Southern India. This would lead to the entire sect along with Tengoku himself being wiped out by the Association.

The only thing that remained was the mummy, which was hidden away in the mountains in the same shrine where Tengoku’s puppet was stored.

It is said that upon his death, the old man’s face was that of a tranquil smile.

He was average, painfully so. Everything he did in life was either a failure or completely mediocre. Kagetsugi Minoru was his name, living in an average city with average parents. He thought he could tolerate it, but as he watched his friends and classmates become exceptional people, he could no longer bear with it any longer.

Even the people he saw as peers, as equals in the past, would far surpass him by the time he had reached highschool. He could not live such a life. So by the end of school, he would run. To where? He didn’t know, he just ran as far as he could, taking himself up the small mountain that overlooked his city,

There, he would find a strange place: an abandoned shrine deep in the woods. Something drew him to the place when he looked upon it, and even though he felt a sense of dread approaching it, he felt as if such a feeling would finally make him exceptional.

After all, an average, regular person would run, and never talk about the dread they felt ever again. And so,he would enter the premises of the shrine, the building that held within it the treasure that he hoped would make him special.

Unusually, he would find traces of activity that would mean that it was visited relatively recently, as opposed to the decades or centuries he expected it to be abandoned. Perhaps something was transferred here or taken?

In the shrine, he would find a strange box, and upon opening it, he found something utterly perplexing: a mummy, a corpse with two heads, four arms and four legs, upon its body a tag that had the words “Ryomen Sukuna” on it.

Unbeknownst to him, another mummy would emerge from the deepest depths of the shrine, sneaking up on him. The last thing he remembered was the sight of the decrepit thing’s face, seemingly twisted into a serene smile.

The next moment, he was in front of his home, sweating bullets. Upon spotting him, his mother would rush out, asking where he had been in a frantic voice. He had apparently been missing for weeks, but just as the situation was about to become clear to him, information would flood his mind.

Images of buildings, old enough to eclipse his lifetime by multiple factors. He saw many things, being raised by someone that was not his father or mother, and finally, the information would become coherent, giving him the knowledge of the existence of the Moonlit World, but not much else.

When he was ushered into his home, there was only one thing in his mind: he was exceptional. When he was given dinner, a voice would speak in his head, one that seemed oddly familiar to him: “Who are you?

”

After weeks of study and research, he had managed to contact parts of mage society. Nobody particularly impressive, not even a part of the Clocktower, but still, a pen pal that he could communicate with to figure out the present situation of mage society.

He learned of many things, nothing impressive, as it seemed mage society didn’t change much in his absence. With the knowledge that the two of them shared, the mundane world was much more impressive in its changes.

Especially the miracles of technology known as “cellphones.”

One particular tidbit of information intrigued him: that of a certain ritual happening in Switzerland. Needless to say, he was rather interested in the prospects of such a ritual.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t get into more trouble than he already had in life.

Personality

Although Tengoku is a man that has many regrets, he does not seek to escape from his past, but instead rebuild something new from the present circumstances that he finds himself in. He finds peace in the teachings of the Buddha, but is perfectly willing to let go of the past beliefs that he held in order to atone for his sins.

What he despises most are fanatics that stop at nothing for their cause, not seeing any error in their wrongdoings or even doubting anything that comes from their creed. Those that belong in dogmatic cults and organizations are the worst people imaginable in his mind, especially those that wish to harm and enchain others for their viewpoint.

Meanwhile, Minoru is someone that has yearned for exceptionalism, but now that he has earned the status of being extraordinary, even learning that he had dormant Magical Circuits, now turns to the man that he considers to be like a mentor: Tengoku himself. At first, he felt aimless, but now that he has learned of the regrets of pursuing nothing but one’s ambition, he only wishes to find peace in life.

Still, Minoru has seemingly impossible ambitions: to reach the heights of humanity’s hierarchy, to witness what is beyond the earth’s atmosphere, and finally, to join humanity in the stars. Nevertheless, he tries to keep himself humble and focus more on the present situation that he can improve upon.

Magecraft Information

Elemental Affinity: Earth and Water

Number of Magic Circuits: C
Quality of Magic Circuits: B

Magecraft:

Attribute: Embodiment

The trait that is defined by the concept of taking external factors into oneself, mixing those things into one’s very existence. The existences that are closer to death and the concept of oblivion are far more effective to use with this trait.

Attribute: Deification

Defined within Tengoku’s vision as that which allows the desires of mankind to manifest and become something more than their living hosts. In other words, it is the trait that gives birth to daemons and elevates them to the status of divinity, retaining parts of their sources.

Mudra Hand Signs

A rather simple form of incantation that can be combined with verbal ones. Uses the Buddhist system of Mudras to use magecraft. Spiritual existences can also be used to help with the incantation process, significantly speeding up the time to bring about a spell.

General Fundamentals

Basic magecraft inherited through Tengoku’s family and learned through the archives they kept in their library.

Deity Yoga

The fundamental basis for Tengoku’s magecraft. It is the invocation of “deities” by dissolving oneself and becoming one with them. In the case of Tengoku, even his physical form is affected by such a process, allowing to fully engulf himself in the viewpoints of deities.

Its ultimate goal is to envision the enlightenment of the practitioner through the generation and competition stages. These stages allow the dissolving of a human into a deific form, the host of the deity allowing a better imagery to appear within the mage’s mind. By seeing themselves as something that is perfect, they themselves can gaze upon the true nature of the world.

Allows for a form of divination in its most basic form, but is far more specialized in using existences known as spiritual existences and grounding them to a vessel, allowing for a mimicry of their capabilities.

Generation Stage

The stage that concerns the conversion of desires into spiritual existences. To put it in simpler terms: it is the magecraft that is responsible for generating daemons. This is done through the dissolving of the mage’s mind and the incantations that convert desires and wishes into daemonic existences.

Through this, the third part can be actualized, allowing for the embodiment of these daemons into physical form. This stage is the naming of the daemons with divine language, giving them the traits that correspond with three different classifications.

The three different types of “deities” are as follows: fierce, which are those that take on wrathful roles in order to remove things in the way of the mage’s path; serene, which are those that take on peaceful traits and generally provide a restorative role towards the mage’s path; and finally, semi-fierce, who have the traits of both classifications, although are less specialized and thus weaker at each individual role.

In order to properly enshrine spiritual existences as “deities” their mandalas have to be fully realized as well. The mandala acts as a host of lesser spirits as well as the Buddha Field of the deity in question. Practically, this means either the bolstering of the daemonic existences through the help of other spiritual existences, or summoning these “lesser deities” for various purposes.

Completion Stage

The third stage of Tengoku’s magecraft. It is the process in which a spirit is able to become a so-called “deity.” By practicing various techniques that bolster the subtle body, which can be seen as the intermediary of spiritual and physical— the mind and magical circuits— enlightenment can be accelerated, leading a theoretical path to Truth.

Inner Heat is the core of these techniques, not at all involving those stages that involve death and the dreaming world. Instead, the waking world is the concern of this form of magecraft. The techniques can be separated into three particular classifications:

Tummo: Which is the fundamental basis for the two other techniques. It is the basic manipulation of the subtle body, using breathing as its core in order to access the bliss that can be drawn from magical circuits and the mind itself. In layman’s terms, it is a technique that boosts the performance of the magical circuits, mental capability, Od regeneration and general thaumaturgical capabilities of a mage. By using this, the strength of the “deities” can be further bolstered.

Ösel: The “bliss” that is briefly touched upon in Tummo. Normally, it is something that can only be experienced during unconsciousness or extraordinary circumstances, but through meditation and use of incantations, it can be experienced on command. Unlike other types of bliss, the mind of the mage is clear and further focused on their tasks. In practice, it allows a reigning in of the influences of the body and mind, giving immense amounts of resistance to the manipulations of such factors when active as well as boosting the capabilities of both. It gives greater control of daemonic existences that have been taken into the mage.

Gyulü: The practice of seeing one’s body and existence as nothingness— sunyata. When paired with the second technique, it allows an extraordinary amount of durability and robustness. Instead of giving resistance, it is instead the purging of already existing things such as injuries and the weakness of the mage’s reliance on its corporeal form. In the field, it can be used for rapid regeneration by purging harmful things and integrating parts of the world and environment into oneself to accelerate healing. It is what allows the fusion of deity and mage.

Buddha Field Expansion

The last technique in Tengoku’s arsenal. Seeing the world as merely another extension of one’s existence— or more accurately, oneself as the extension of the world— the Buddha Field of various deities can be coalesced and warped into one existence. All are one, even the Buddhas that have ascended past the cycle of Samsara.

Buddha Fields are combined into one existence, creating something an existence that resembles a Reality Marble. The boundary releases the information of a malformed and incomplete release, a broken Buddhahood that floods all the information that the Reality Marble can pull from the world around it in a way that creates a bolstering of both the mage and the spirits that exist within them.

All so-called "gods" are able to manifest within the boundary without much trouble, giving a tremendous advantage in both combat and general mage activities. While it maintains the resemblance of a Reality Marble, it is truly more like a workshop that can be erected in place in order to empower the spells of a magus and drastically decrease the time of their spell casting. Once set up properly, requires little maintenance compared to a Reality Marble.

Magic Crest: 120 years, first generation

Mystic Codes

Ryomen Sukuna

A cursed object and mystic code that Tengoku grew to hate. The latter is a mystic code that has absorbed countless desires and wishes, used as a receptacle and shrine that can be used to create daemons.

It is contained within the puppet body of Tengoku and Kagetsugi, allowing them to draw power from the countless spirits and daemons trapped inside. The spirits themselves can be used as a substitute for magical energy in powering spells.

However, the original purpose of the mummy was to release curses and absorb the desires, wishes and hatred of those around it on a tremendous scale. Instead of using its own power to create curses, it instead draws out the curses present within humans in a cascading effect, which both Tengoku and Kagetsugi are completely unwilling to use unless absolutely necessary.

When partially drawn from or fully absorbed into the puppet body where it is stored, it twists the form of the puppet into that of a four-armed, two-mouthed and two-faced asura. Such a form has increased physical parameters and can cause paralysis by the mere gaze of its eyes.

Vajra of Fury

A tool in the shape of a two-sided dagger that represents the furious deities that are stored within Tengoku’s puppet body. It emits golden lightning from its form, inflicting curses that give various conditions to those that it strikes. An object that can only be used to harm, it is not something that should be used for most situations where battle is not involved.

Phurba of Rejuvenation

A ritual knife that serves only one purpose: to heal and cure the sick of their ailments. It is a modest weapon that does not have a purpose in drawing blood. Emits maroon flames, that paradoxically, does no harm and instead heals others. Cannot be used to heal the one that is wielding it and it’s blade cannot be used to harm others.

Skeletal Mummy

A skeletal mummy that inserts itself within a host and replaces the existing system. Once inserted into a host, the memories, knowledge and consciousness of Mononobe Tengoku become present within the unfortunate soul that was drawn into the puppet’s presence. The process can only be completed on those that do not have active and awakened magical circuits.

The host is able to perform feats of physical strength, speed and durability that far exceed that of a normal human. Even their mind is bolstered against any threats that may intrude upon it. However, it’s true potential when it comes to storing spiritual existences within it.

A truly tremendous amount of spiritual beings can be stored within the mummy body, specialized in the act of invocation and temporary symbiosis with such beings. The art of using these spirits externally is also a feature, but it is not extraordinary.

Nonmagical Assets

Wrath and Peace

Both a set of skills for hand-to-hand combat and the ability to heal others with first aid. As someone that studied the deities of watchfulness and healing, Tengoku is able to perform both miracles even without magecraft.

His wrathful side gives him an immense amount of skill in martial art, while his peaceful side allows him advanced knowledge and practical skill in first aid. He endeavored to learn such mundane skills in order to truly embody the gods that he used in his craft.

Outdated Cell Phone

For all intents and purposes, not that bad when it comes to phones. But compared to the latest flagship, luxury phones? It pales in comparison. Still useful though.