Duoya

𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙺𝙴𝙳 - 𝙰 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝙾𝚏 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚁𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢

Not too familiar with World Of Darkness, but interested nonetheless!

Fate/Eigengrau

The dark skies seemed to stretch on forever as Iris stared from her balcony. Over the last few weeks she had spent in Japan, she had grown quite accustomed to the lack of sunlight. If this nation wasn’t such a backwater for magecraft, Iris would expect Dead Apostles to have started flocking here. But even though the skies were dark and barren, the buildings and streets far below were alive with light and activity.

Fuyuki City. Normally Iris would never arrive at a place like this, not without hearing rumors of Mystic Eyes. But this depressing city was apparently the host of a grand ritual, the likes of which Iris had only learned about during her time in the Clocktower.

Iris turned her head back, looking into the penthouse behind her. The room that was once immaculate was now completely wrecked, graffiti sprayed across nearly every inch of the walls and a giant summoning circle dominating the center of the room. It had cost quite a pretty penny to rent such a luxurious room in the Hyatt Hotel - but for a Master like Iris, the expense was well worth it. While not as bustling as it was before the eruption, the hotel still hosted dozens or even hundreds of patrons - scientists who have come to study the eruptions' influences, travelers who wished to see the devastation, and even a few diplomats who have come to discuss foreign aid.

They would serve as excellent shields, barriers to prevent other Masters from reaching Iris and her Servant. The woman turned back to the devastated city, calling out to her Servant as she did so.

“Archer - tonight is the beginning of the war. As a conqueror, how do you suggest we start?”

The servant chuckled at the words of his so-called master. It was a soft but noticeable sound, one that traveled clearly along the midnight breeze. It wasn’t often that he found himself consulted like this. Upon being summoned, he was almost certain he’d be met with a master not to his liking. Needless to say, he was pleasantly surprised by their current arrangement. Archer found his hands reaching up to meet his chin, stroking it in a manner that showed he was deep in thought.

There were multiple things to consider in a situation such as this. He had no doubt that he wasn’t the first to be called into this new era. That thought unnerved him, if only slightly but was what allowed him to respond suitably.

“We already have a nice place set up, a base of operations. My first thought, since that is complete, would be to survey the area and get a feel for just what we’re up against. To beat an enemy, we first have to know them.”

Archer’s brows knitted themselves together, worry was written on his face. His hands seemed to cling onto the railings with even more vigor, all while his head geared itself toward the sky. Now facing the moon, his features were on full display. Sun-kissed skin was illuminated by the faint light of the sun’s other half. With how lively and full of vitality he looked, you could almost say he looked human, but how far from the truth that was. More accurately, he was a conqueror, a beast whose only purpose was to decimate the battlefield. How fitting, he found it that he was again to be used as a tool of war.

“May the games begin.”

He muttered the words under his breath, a small smile snaking its way onto his face. Things would soon get far more interesting than he could even imagine.

Hosts: The Enemy Within

@TheNoCoKid
Fall classes just started up for me, so it took a bit longer than I would have liked. Here's my application for Sloth.

Roman Mordel

"I don't care if I must spend centuries with you, demon. You won't put any more souls in Lucifer's hands while I live!"
-Romanos Cypselos Moriades.

"Eugh, fuck - left Holy Water in the flask. Anyone got some whiskey? ... God, I need a nap..."
- Roman Mordel

Name:
Original: Romanos Cypselos Moriades
Current: Roman Mordel

Age:
27

Appearance:
Roman has several scars from supernatural studies he performed early on in his immortality, mostly across his chest. His frame is lithe and weak looking, a reflection of his incredibly non-physical lifestyle that he tries to cover up with thick jackets and coats.

Personality:
Romanos was originally a man of responsibility and duty, willing to sacrifice his eternal soul in order to restrain one of Lucifer's Generals. While he never sought out work and hardship and was often quite lazy, he would always rise up to the occasion in order to help those around him. His simple upbringing and lifestyle made it hard for him to understand the world around him, but he took things in stride and always tried to look at the positive parts of life.

If he didn't look the same, few people would believe Roman is that same man. Millenia of exhaustion, frustration, and corruption from his demon has left him an apathetic and cynical shell of his old self. He spends most days in a stupor - either from alcohol or from drowsiness. Worst of all, his years of study and learning have left him thinking that he is the smartest person in the room (and admittedly, he usually is). He keeps this unlikable persona in order to avoid getting close to any mortals, because he is terrified of losing more people that he cares about. The only thing that remained is that, no matter how much he denies it, Roman will take a bullet if it means someone else won't have to.

Biography:
Romanos, much like his name implies, lived his mortal life in the Roman empire. He lived as the son of a street vendor, selling salted lupin beans, beef, and even fried fish. His life was very meager and simple, and while Romanos was often situated outside the Coliseum to hawk his wares, he only ever saw the inside after becoming a Host. To pass the time he mostly fished, lazing about and giving whatever he managed to catch to his father. The days passed peacefully, and while he lacked most comforts, Romanos was happy. Eventually, his father passed away from a heart attack, and Romanos inherited the responsibilities involved in the family business - though, without the experience and work ethic of his father, Romanos quickly floundered and began accruing debt. Only a year after his father's passing, Romanos was conscripted into the military to pay off his debts, and he would soon experience Lucifer's army firsthand.

Romanos would serve as a soldier for 3 years, him and his peers mostly acting as a distraction while monks performed the sealing of whatever demons they were facing. Romanos doubted he would live out the full 6 years of service required of him, and this acceptance of his mortality allowed him to perform his job much more effectively than those around him. One day, when the Roman army had pushed back Lucifer's army to the point that they reached one of the Generals - Sloth.

Romanos is still not sure how it happened - he had lived for so long, and the event was millennia ago after all. Maybe the original Host candidate was killed in the battle, or there was an error in the sealing, or Sloth simply preferred Romanos as a host. It doesn't matter too much, really. At the end of the day, Romanos was the new Host to Sloth. The few surviving Monks would retrieve his battered body, and bring him to a monastery to recover.

Romanos' body rapidly degraded with the lack of exercise, and the physical exhaustion he experienced from simple tasks made his job as a vendor an impossibility. His status as an immortal and his immunity to physical trauma meant that he had little means of harming himself to end his suffering - and when he brought up the topic, the monks had adamantly warned him of the severity of releasing a Sin back into the world. So instead, Romanos stayed in the monastery - over the next three decades, he would learn a variety of topics from the monks. Literacy, Greek, History, Religion, Lucifer and his Demons, and more. All Romanos could do was study and talk, and when he had absorbed everything he could learn from the monks, he commissioned a cart and left.

Romanos traveled the world over the coming centuries, constantly refreshing what he has learned and spreading it freely. In the beginning, he was quite optimistic - immortality had given him a chance at taking whatever he wanted from life for as long as he wanted. Eventually, Romanos took on students - one of whom he would fall in love with. Jin Lo came to study under Romanos to perfect his alchemical research, and the men fell for one another as the years went by. But no matter what kinds of alchemy or medicine the pair studied, Jin was destined to die as a human. In the later years of Jin's life, Romanos would commission a voyage to search for a demon that could be sealed within Jin to lengthen his life, just like Sloth had done for Romanos.

The search lasted 10 years and was unsuccessful. By the time Romanos had returned, Jin was long dead. He had passed from a heart attack, like Romanos' father.

Three days later, Genghis Khan along with a small army of demons invaded and captured Beijing. Romanos barely escaped with his life, and Sloth only bothered to reveal the reason behind their failed search in a dream that night. Lucifer had purposefully told his demons to be scarce so that Jin would die, and Romanos would kill himself - thus freeing Sloth.

Romanos was enraged at the revelation, and refused to commit suicide and give Sloth freedom. Of course, this was just what Sloth had wanted - if it truly desired freedom, it would not have informed Romanos of Lucifer's trick.

Romanos would fall into a depression shortly after this event, sleeping for three decades - it was only the intervention of other Hosts that had shaken him from the stupor, and he would eventually continue his studies throughout the world. In the late 1700s, he would adopt the persona of Comte de Saint Germain, and used his charisma to get close to many French nobles. He even had a close friendship with the french writer Voltaire, whose death sent Romanos into another deep depression.

With the death of his friend, Romanos moved to America and never took another student, afraid of being hurt once again. He would continue his studies across various colleges around the country, changing his name and identity every few decades to avoid suspicion. Several patents in the name of false persons (as well as a brief stint playing the stock market) meant that Romanos had little need for money. By the time he had adopted the identity of 'Roman', the only people he meaningfully interacted with were the other Hosts, and Sloth itself.

Sin:
The sin of Sloth is that which settles and seeps in. Unlike the Sins of Desire - the Greed, the Lust, the Gluttony - Sloth is not an active pursuit. Instead, it is a sin of omission - of convenience. Sloth is in the student that oversleeps and misses their classes, the employee that coasts on the minimum work necessary, and the king that leaves responsibilities to his advisors and lives a life of leisure. Sloth is delicate in its temptation - another 5 minutes of sleep, which turns to 10, and then an hour. At that point, why even go to work today? While the other Sins are similar in nature, Sloth is the most capable of taking a mile when given an inch.

Sloth is not simply laziness, or not working - it is ignoring your responsibilities, apathy, and coasting on the least effort possible. Sloth does not care for the crippled who cannot work or the homeless who beg on the streets. Escaping Jury duty, pretending to be sick to avoid work, accepting a C instead of studying for an A - that is where Sloth feeds and festers.

As a General of Hell, Sloth (much like their name implies) was one of the least active - not even a single person was directly killed by Sloth, and the sealing of Sloth was less difficult than some minor demons. However, while Sloth lacked direct combat potency, it served as a vanguard that other demons rallied around, attacking humans who were stuck in Sloth's frozen sphere. Quite often, entire armies would simply give up and leave when faced with Sloth, their will to fight drained as soon as they enter the battlefield.

Calling upon the power of Sloth, Roman is able to enforce the stillness and apathy that Sloth embodies. An area is established around Roman, roughly 10 meters in radius, and anything within begins to slow. Fire eventually stills and snuffs itself out, Water begins to chill and freeze, and movement is like trying to wade through molasses. The effect is stronger the closer one is to the center, with bullets freezing about a meter or so from Roman. Even the mental abilities of those within are slowed, people growing more apathetic and less willing to harm Roman the closer they get. While the host can concentrate to lessen the effects on allies in his aura, this drains him faster physically. And Roman himself cannot move around while the aura is established, forced to end the effect if he wishes to relocate.

The only reason Sloth is still within Roman is because it enjoys being sealed. Away from Lucifer, Sloth may rest and do nothing as long as it wishes, never forced to act or do battle. The only thing that awakens it from a peaceful slumber is when Roman calls upon its power. Conversation only occurs while both of them sleep, within a shared dream - though even that is rare. Their relationship is less like that of a trapped demon and a human, and more like two acquaintances who are stuck on the same project at work. If someone looked at them without context, it could even be described as friendly.

Curse:
In order to minimize the amount of time that Sloth is called upon while also preventing the Host from killing himself, Roman's curse has been one of exhaustion. Physical effort drains him, to the point where sprinting can knock Roman out faster than anesthetic gas. Even light activities, like walking and holding things, lead to Roman growing so tired and weak that he must sleep for 12 hours a day to function properly. Roman is quite dissatisfied with his life because of this, but the recent inventions in the last century have made a mostly non-physical lifestyle significantly more tolerable.

Likes:
Sleeping: Unlike some of the Hosts, Roman indulges his Sin quite often. He sleeps 12 hours a day on average thanks to his curse, but during the height of his depressive episodes, he would sleep for years at a time, only waking every few days to eat and drink so he wouldn't die. Thankfully, with the advancement of technology and a much better quality of life for the handicapped, Roman is (relatively) happy in the modern day and mostly sleeps to sustain himself.

Movies: Ever since the early 1900s, Roman has been quite a fan of movies. He had grown bored of reading to satiate his boredom, and movies were a much more interesting and cheaper alternative to plays. Roman is especially fond of Westerns, having been one of the many people to set out on the Oregon Trail.

Studying: One of the few things that Roman does to feel productive. To keep himself from falling to his Sin, Roman is diligent in studying new topics and fields as much as he can. History, languages, engineering, and more. He's currently getting into computer programming and is quite a fan.

Music: Roman had attempted delving into various Art forms, and found success in a few (and had even been the artist and author of a few Medieval encyclopedias) - but his passion lies in Music. He is skilled in a wide array of instruments, from harp and lyre to the guitar and piano. Music is both the best way to keep him awake, as well as the best way to put him to sleep.

Dislikes:
Sports: Both playing and watching. His Curse makes it so that most physical activities are barred from Roman, so he tries to avoid watching something out of his reach. The only ones he was really into were Gladiator battles and Chariot duels - now those were sports.

Exercise: Roman 'exercises' once a week, doing light weightlifting and a very short jog. Even this is incredibly strenuous for him, however, and he only does so to prevent his body from atrophying. Despite knowing he needs it, he still despises the activity and must do it within the safety of his home.

Connections: After forming several close bonds with mortals throughout his life and being grief-stricken every time they passed, Roman has given up on forming interpersonal bonds with any non-Hosts. As a result, he is scared of becoming close with another person who he will eventually outlive, and his abrasive personality is a defense mechanism to compensate.

Nosey People: Roman prefers staying in his private space, and intruding on that is a quick way to get on his shit list. Of course, there are exceptions - he had spent a few decades in the late 1800s in New York City, and grew quite close to his neighbor who gave him extra meals and pastries that she had cooked.

Quirks:
-Roman is capable of lucid dreaming, but he rarely does so. Instead, he prefers the dark emptiness that comes with sleep.
-Within the library of his home is a variety of books from the last few thousand years. Roman hasn't read any of them in a while, however - he much prefers PDFs.
-Despite knowing how to and it being one of the few activities that he doesn't get exhausted from, Roman refuses to drive. He instead relied on taxis and carriages, and thinks he's an idiot for not coming up with Uber.
-Hates sweets.
-Gets incredibly aggressive if anyone brings up the scientific inaccuracies of the past. Don't even get him started on the whole 'germ theory' thing- "How the hell was I supposed to know?! YOU CAN'T SEE THEM!!!"

Hosts: The Enemy Within

Finding a good face claim is hard - I'll try and get my character posted by Tuesday.

EDIT: Make that Thursday. Got classes all day tomorrow. Thankfully I only have to finish the personality section and format.

Hosts: The Enemy Within

@TheNoCoKid
How old are the Hosts on average, considering they are immortal? Trying to get a good idea for personality and history, a guy who's a couple thousand years old would be pretty interesting to play. Might make a Roman boomer or something.

Also I'm gonna go with Sloth, but can switch to something else if someone else is deadset on that.

Fate/Eigengrau

Iris Macinban

"Oh geez, are we gonna have a philosophical debate while we fight? Listen I've done this song and dance before, can we skip to the part where you sell me your eyes or I kill you?"

Name:
Iris Macinban
Title(s):
Deputy Macinban, Retina of the Rail
Gender:
Female
Age:
26
Alignment:
Lawful Evil
Objective for the Grail:
"A Rainbow-Ranked Mystic Eye. That is all I desire."

Command Seal:

A simple sphere, tapering off on the side to give an almost crescent moon shape. Two smaller spheres reside within, the larger of the two overlapping the primary sphere. The smallest is the only sphere that doesn't have a break in it. with the massive quantity of tattoos covering her entire body, it is a bit difficult to pinpoint where her Command Seals are located - and with her Tattoo Magecraft, she is more than capable of moving the physical location of her Command Seals on her body.

Appearance:
Iris stands at 5'10 and weighs 145 lbs. Her hair is a muted brown, cut short to prevent it from getting in the way during combat. Finding bare flesh that isn't covered in tattoos is difficult, and if you are particularly attentive, one may see the designs slowly shift and move across her body.

Her time on the Rail Zeppelin and traveling around Europe seems to have hardened her somewhat to the cool climate of Japan, as she sticks to long sleeve shirts rather than jackets. Formal wear is her preferred style of clothes, but in combat, she sticks to outfits that reveal her skin - this allows her to more easily release her familiars.

---

Personality:
Iris is cheeky and manipulative, quick to push others into positions that benefit her. Loyalty, tradition, honor - none of it has any meaning if it can't be used for her own benefit. She would much rather force or trick someone else into doing the working or fighting for her, only to swoop in after the fact to snatch up the rewards. Because of this and her approach to magecraft, her main combat style is to chip away, use underhanded tricks, and strike when someone least expects it.

Most of Iris' personality stems from her hangup on her own Magic Circuits. Iris has a very traditional view of what a Mage is, and what defines a successful magus: If someone is born with good circuits, they will always be a better magus than someone born with worse circuits. And because she was born to a young family, Iris would never be a good Mage. If she was lucky, her grandchild might be decent - all she'd ever achieve was a small stepping stone in her family's history, inevitably forgotten.

But the Rail Zeppelin, with its ability to transfer Mystic Eyes from one person to another, shined like a beacon of hope to Iris. Even if she couldn't have perfect circuits, she'd at least be able to have something that few other Magi could aspire to possess. This idea led to her obsession with Mystic Eyes - both acquiring them, as well as hoarding them.

Greed and materialism are what drive Iris to action. If you can't attach a price tag to something, then there isn't really that much point in working for it is there? Reaching the Root is meaningless to Iris, as doing so would mean leaving behind everything that a Magi family has worked to gain and hoard over dozens or even hundreds of generations. This outlook is what separates her from the average Mage - while most Mages merely covet wealth in order to progress their research, Iris wishes to have it for the sake of holding onto that wealth and to give her a sense of fulfillment. While Magic Circuits can only be built generationally, a massive amount of Wealth can be generated over an incredibly brief period of time, given the proper conditions.

On most topics she seems to just be along for the ride, throwing out generic responses or whatever she believes will make someone feel a connection to her. Being respected is almost as useful as being feared in the world of magecraft, so Iris is careful to avoid burning bridges unless absolutely necessary. But when frustrated or pushed, she will quickly snap back, her hostile and abrasive nature boiling to the surface.

Iris struggles to build close bonds with those around her - interacting so much with Mages has led her to assume the worst in anyone she meets, and her line of work had seriously crippled her empathy. She isn't a sadist that gets pleasure out of seeing people hurt - she just couldn't be bothered to care. "Why would it matter if someone I don't know gets hurt?" is all she would say.

It is because of this apathetic nature that she is more than happy to accept surrenders or alliances - even if she is aware that an alliance in a Grail War (or in life) is short-lived, the end result will be a single opponent rather than six - much better odds. Of course, if someone could convince her to join their side with something more valuable to her than the grail, they would gain a powerful and 'loyal' ally.

As far as Servants are concerned, Iris is incredibly laissez-faire in their treatment - she rarely gives orders or limits her Servant's actions, only stepping in when they blatantly put her at risk. She views the war as a waiting game - why get into a bunch of fights and burn through her magical energy, when you can just let them kill each other? But just because she is not willing to crack the whip does not mean she is the submissive one in the relationship - she is perfectly happy to waste Command Seals forcing her Servant to obey her rare few requests, and will only restrain herself when brought to her last one. Iris has a fondness for younger Servants and Lilies, and she will reveal a softer and more maternal side to those that remind her of her brother. While she would normally be restricted to very weak Servants thanks to her poor circuits, she is perfectly fine with letting her Servant consume the souls of humans to gain energy, so she functions well with those of an Evil alignment.

Iris' wish for the Grail is simple. Mystic Eyes are all that she cares for, and having a truly unique pair would make her a truly unique Mage. She would need the best Mystic Eyes possible - those of the Rainbow rank. It didn't matter what it actually did - only that it was powerful, and people respected her for having them.

Bio:
The Macinban family is a very recent family, barely a century old at this point. Their founder was a tattooed freak, who learned of magecraft from the man that ran the carnival that he worked for. The Macinbans had since laid their roots down in Ireland, hoping to be as close to the Clock Tower as possible while still avoiding the financial costs that came with living in London. The progress they've made in their short existence is notable, but trying to reach the Root by scribbling on your skin is absurd, to the point that the Macinban are laughingstocks even amongst the new families.

Iris is from the fourth generation of her family, and while her youth was a lot less rigid compared to most older families, she still spent most of her time as a child either studying magecraft, or strapped to a chair as a needle prints new designs on her skin. Despite this, she was a relatively happy child, and the birth of her younger brother gave her someone who she felt that she could confide in and protect.

When Iris turned 16, her family had scraped together enough funds to send her to the Clock Tower to study. It was here that Iris was finally exposed to the hazing and discrimination that newer families face - hypnotism that made her act out in classes, worse marks on her papers, and even theft of her precious few mystic codes. Iris would spend 4 months in the Clock Tower before eventually leaving.

Her brief but formative time at the Clock Tower made her realize that no matter how hard she tried or worked, she would never accomplish the goal of her family. At best, she might marry a better mage, produce an heir with better circuits than her, and pray that dozens of generations later, someone will finally succeed in reaching the Root - or at the very least, adjust their Magecraft to a more likely path.

Iris did not want to waste her life researching and placating the upper echelons of the magic world, only to risk not even accomplishing her family's goal. She had already lost her chance to become a skilled mage - no matter how hard she trained or studied, she would not be able to safely acquire more Magic Circuits. The only way to be a potent mage without proper circuits is by being born with a special ability - a psychic power, a unique bloodline.

A Mystic Eye.

Upon learning of the Rail Zeppelin four months into her study at the Clock Tower, Iris immediately dropped out, using the funds that should have gone towards her tuition instead to gain a position on the train. After a year of hard labor as a cook and waitress on the Train (and having successfully convinced one passenger to sell an eye), she was promoted to being a Deputy - someone who enforces the peace on the Rail Zeppelin, and searches for new Mystic Eyes to add to the Rail Zeppelin's stock.

She did this job for nearly a decade - searching Europe for strong Mystic Eyes, attempting to convince the holder to sell, and killing them if they refused. Her reputation as a hunter of Mystic Eyes grew to be widely known in the Association, to the point where many who crossed paths with her simply offered to sell a single eye in order to avoid being killed. She grew incredibly wealthy off of the commission she got from these eyes, which in turn she used to pay back her family and win new Mystic Eyes at auction. She believed that eventually, with enough searching, buying, selling, and killing - after she got enough money, after she got a strong enough eye, she'd eventually be a good mage.

And she'd fill that void in her life.

But every year, the options in Europe grew slimmer and slimmer. Eventually, the Deputies had to widen their search - the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

And in 1990, after rumors of an exceptionally potent pair of Mystic Eyes of Distortion were discovered in Japan, Iris was quick to follow.

When Iris arrived in Japan, the nation was in despair - earthquakes and floods decimated the population, and you couldn't walk far without seeing the sick or dying. It was perfect - many Mystic Eyes mutated during life-and-death experiences, and Iris was sure to find at least a few potent ones before reaching her target.

But during her initial research in the area, she uncovered something that she had only heard in passing back in Europe - a great ritual constructed by three mage families and held in the city of Fuyuki, the winner of which would be granted a wish.

Reaching the Root or a True Magic was not something that Iris cared for - She knew just from hearing of the ritual that was the intention the mages had for it. A way to cheat centuries of research and reach their goal in only a single generation. But something deep in her gut pulled at her. If she could wish for anything, maybe she could skip all of this hunting and just get the Eyes she needed right away. Nothing would prove that she was a better mage than winning a war among mages.

Spending a sizable portion of her fortune on a proper catalyst, Iris made her way to Fuyuki. She was confident that she could handle the opposing Masters - she had fought mages for years.

But the Ghost Liners - the Servants. That would be an issue.

---

Magic Circuit Switch:
The feeling of a hot needle piercing the eye.
Number of Magic Circuits:
D
Quality of Magic Circuits:
D

Elemental Affinity:
Water
Origin:
Staining

Magecraft:
Tattoo Magecraft:
The art of inscribing one's own body with ink, utilizing various patterns in order to draw out the conceptual meaning behind the shapes inscribed on the user. It is based on the runic tattoos that Berserkers and Vikings were adorned with, which were designed to grant strength and courage in battle. The Magecraft could thus be described as an overspecialized mishmash of Runes and Reinforcement.

In essence, it focuses on creating spells that are permanently etched into the body, which can be activated by pouring energy into rather than reciting a Chant or using a Mystic Code. For example, the tattoo of an Eye could be activated to grant increased visual acuity, a bear could grant increased strength, or a flame might function like a lighter. The larger the tattoo, the more potent the effect - a small fire on the thumb might work like a lighter, while an entire sleeve of flames could shoot out short gouts of fire, provided they receive enough magical energy.

The main limitations of Tattoo Magecraft are the prep time involved, and the incredibly weak strength. While versatile and capable of a wide array of effects, only something large like a back tattoo would grant a supernatural edge over a normal trained person. And for their weak effects, the tattoos require quite the investment of time - even the simplest designs take dozens of minutes, while large and actually combat-applicable tattoos take up massive portions of the body, limiting the total number of tattoos and taking days to fully etch out.

With her limited magical energy and lack of training in her Magecraft, Iris almost exclusively uses Tattoo Magecraft in the creation of her Familiars - instead using her Mystic Eyes to combat others. Still, it's a fun party trick to make your tattoos dance and move around.

Familiars:
Because she left the Clocktower before acquiring a proper education in Magecraft, the only aspect of General Magecraft that Iris is capable of is the creation and maintenance of Familiars. However, in conjunction with her Tattoo Magecraft, collection of Mystic Eyes, and specialization, Iris is in possession of a number of potent Familiars.

Rather than create Familiars the most traditional way, by stuffing leftover human thoughts into an animal's corpse, Iris instead uses the tattooed animals and plants on her body as a vessel. While much more fragile and weak due to not having a physical form, these familiars are also exceptionally fast and stealthy. Iris uses them for reconnaissance, seeing through their eyes and stalking her prey before eventually attacking them for their eyes.

The most notable attribute of these Familiars is their ability to be 'equipped' with Mystic Eyes from Iris' collection. While weaker at using them thanks to their limited Magical Energy, this effectively allows Iris to use over a dozen Mystic Eyes at any one time... so long as she is willing to risk losing the eyes if a familiar were to die.

Since she forms these Familiars with her Tattoo Magecraft, the Familiars that Iris creates must adhere to a 'surface' - slinking along the ground or walls like graffiti, or flittering on a piece of paper through the air. As a result of this and the ink that forms them, Water is both an impassable barrier as well as an easy method of killing them.

Crest:
N/A.
The Macinban family Crest was not passed to Iris due to her abandoning the research of her family Magecraft in favor of being a Spellcaster. Instead, it was given to her younger brother. Not a tremendous loss, considering the youth of the family.

---

Weapon:
Mystic Eyes:
Occasionally, a person's Magic Circuits will mutate and congregate in the area around the eyes, resulting in eyes that are capable of manipulating the world and casting spells through sight alone. These organs, Mystic Eyes, are very rare as they only manifest after extreme circumstances or the user is born with them. Mystic Eyes even come with their own Magic Circuits, allowing even a weak mage to have a hidden advantage over their opponents. Normally a person would only be able to use a single eye or two at most, but thanks to her unique application of her Magecraft, Iris is far stronger the more eyes that she has access to.

As one could expect from a Deputy of the Rail Zeppelin, Iris is in possession of a wide array of Mystic Eyes. Many of these were acquired from her own missions abroad, the occasional eye slipping into her possession or bought at the auctions that the Rail Zeppelin organizes. While she is only able to have two eyes at any time and must undergo surgery to replace them, her use of familiars in conjunction with them has led to her being a very intimidating Spell-caster to face.

While on the move, Iris keeps her Mystic Eyes in enchanted, hermetically-sealed vials - which she usually keeps in her belt pouches or pockets. While it is technically possible to implant these eyes in another being without the advanced techniques and facilities of the Rail Zeppelin, it would require some exceptional quality of the recipient - for example, the Eroding Detachment ability possessed by some Mixed-Bloods, or the Self-Modification skill.

She has brought the following eyes with her to Japan:

Mystic Eyes

Binding: Nine. The most common Mystic Eyes, to the point that skilled mages are even capable of artificially reproducing them. The Mystic Eyes of Binding casts a disabling spell on anyone who looks into them, limiting their ability to move.

While one or two uses may be ignored, Iris' primary tactic is to swarm opponents with familiars containing these eyes - they will either look into them and be crippled or forced to look away and create blind spots. Either way, it allows Iris to shoot them with minimal risk. Despite the simple strategy, it is overwhelmingly effective on the unprepared.

It should be noted that the effect of these eyes on Servants is minimal at best. And even with that, the lowest ranks of Magic Resistance can allow these eyes to be entirely ignored.

Iris doesn't even remember where she got all of them from.

Piercing: Two. Mystic Eyes that are capable of seeing through deceptions and figments, such as Illusions or Shapeshifting. Even a Servant that is in their Spirit Form can be observed. These eyes see only the truth that is present before them and rejects lies, but they only penetrate visual illusions. Auditory or physical illusions are still just as effective at deceiving the user of these eyes as any other target.

They are superficially similar to the Pure Eyes, but those are more of a psychic ability rather than true Mystic Eyes.

The eyes were gotten from two separate individuals, who Iris convinced to sell to the Rail Zeppelin.

Keen Sight: Three. Capable of easily picking out details from long distances, with all three eyes being able to easily read a page from a book that is over 30 meters away - and 10 meters in near-total darkness.

Iris stole one eye from a mage in New York City, blackmailed an Aristocrat from the Clock Tower into buying the other for her at a Rail Zeppelin auction, and convinced an Iranian boy to sell one of his to the Rail Zeppelin - the funds from which he used to pay his tuition to the Clock Tower.

Flame: Two. One of these has replaced Iris' left eye. By pouring magical energy into them, a target that the user can see is instantly ignited, regardless of flammability. While relatively cheap to activate, they guzzle mana to maintain and will quickly dip into the user's own reserves, so Iris mostly limits its use to setting flammable objects ablaze before immediately cutting the flow of energy.

While igniting a mage's flesh is impossible thanks to their natural magical resistance, affecting clothes is well within this eye's power, and Iris finds it to be nearly as effective.

The first was taken from a Spellcaster that Iris drowned in ink, while the one she had implanted in her body was traded with an eccentric Aristocrat for a particularly rare vintage of wine.

Remote Viewing: One. The sole Gold-ranked Mystic Eye in Iris' possession, and the one that replaced her right eye. By focusing on a target who she can remember the face of, Iris is capable of viewing both the target as well as their immediate surroundings. She can do this at a range of dozens of kilometers, and switching between targets is as simple as blinking. A Bounded Field or a Caster's Territory is able to alert the target to this occurring, and stronger ones can even block the viewing from taking place.

But if Iris was able to obtain an item connected to her target (like their clothes, a pendant, or even their blood), this eye would be able to pierce nearly any barrier. The distance this operates at is given a similar boost in potency, with a strong catalyst allowing viewing of a target from a hundred or two kilometers away. Only an entirely separate world, like a Reality Marble, would be able to hide someone's location at this level - though exceptionally camouflaged or invisible opponents may be able to hide, only revealing their surroundings.

It is easily Iris' most treasured Mystic Eye, and as a result, it can serve as an excellent bargaining chip if one could somehow acquire it.

She does not share where she got this eye from.

Panoptes Lens:
A tattoo design that covers the entirety of her arms, chest, and back. The hands taper off into crescents which when brought together form a large eye. This is a kind of Mystic Code that Iris had developed over her years working for the Rail Zeppelin, basing its function and design on the Mystic Eye Projector utilized by the train. By holding a Mystic Eye (or the transparent containers that Iris carries them in) and activating the Mystic Code, Iris is capable of utilizing the Eye at 10x the normal power, at the cost of burning out the lens and rendering it blind (and therefore, useless).

While it lacks the raw power that its progenitor is capable of, the Panoptes Lens can be deployed nigh-instantly and is 'carried' on her person at all times. It is her trump card, the last resort when stealth and subterfuge have failed to kill a target. The fact that she was able to make something like this when her magecraft had such a weak foundation is a testament to her obsession.

Familiars:
A large number of Tattoos litter Iris' body - Chinese dragons and flowers, birds and wolves, countless eyes whose nerves split into wings or legs - all manner of lifeforms cover her flesh. With a command, she is capable of animating these as fragile familiars, which leap off of her body and slink along surfaces. Some, like the bird tattoos, are even capable of controlling how a paper floats on the wind, allowing a poor imitation of flight.

While weak enough that even a normal human could scratch and wipe one or two away, their ability to use Mystic Eyes and provide intel is invaluable in a war. And in a pinch, a large enough number could be used to drown someone in ink.

Normally around 10 can be animated at any time without strain to the user, but depending on the maintenance cost of her Servant, the actual number of familiars that Iris can keep active may be far lower.

A Gun:
A simple handgun - a Beretta Mod 92, to be specific. While Iris is far from being a master marksman like the many Freelancers in the world of Magecraft, she values its raw efficiency and the countless mages who underestimate a firearm.

Fate/Eigengrau

Here's my Master! Let me know if anything here should be changed or removed.

Iris Macinban

"Oh geez, are we gonna have a philosophical debate while we fight? Listen I've done this song and dance before, can we skip to the part where you sell me your eyes or I kill you?"

Name:
Iris Macinban
Title(s):
Deputy Macinban, Retina of the Rail
Gender:
Female
Age:
26
Alignment:
Lawful Evil
Objective for the Grail:
"A Rainbow-Ranked Mystic Eye. That is all I desire."

Command Seal:

A simple sphere, tapering off on the side to give an almost crescent moon shape. Two smaller spheres reside within, the larger of the two overlapping the primary sphere. The smallest is the only sphere that doesn't have a break in it. with the massive quantity of tattoos covering her entire body, it is a bit difficult to pinpoint where her Command Seals are located - and with her Tattoo Magecraft, she is more than capable of moving the physical location of her Command Seals on her body.

Appearance:
Iris stands at 5'10 and weighs 145 lbs. Her hair is a muted brown, cut short to prevent it from getting in the way during combat. Finding bare flesh that isn't covered in tattoos is difficult, and if you are particularly attentive, one may see the designs slowly shift and move across her body.

Her time on the Rail Zeppelin and traveling around Europe seems to have hardened her somewhat to the cool climate of Japan, as she sticks to long sleeve shirts rather than jackets. Formal wear is her preferred style of clothes, but in combat, she sticks to outfits that reveal her skin - this allows her to more easily release her familiars.

---

Personality:
Iris is cheeky and manipulative, quick to push others into positions that benefit her. Loyalty, tradition, honor - none of it has any meaning if it can't be used for her own benefit. She would much rather force or trick someone else into doing the working or fighting for her, only to swoop in after the fact to snatch up the rewards. Because of this and her approach to magecraft, her main combat style is to chip away, use underhanded tricks, and strike when someone least expects it.

Most of Iris' personality stems from her hangup on her own Magic Circuits. Iris has a very traditional view of what a Mage is, and what defines a successful magus: If someone is born with good circuits, they will always be a better magus than someone born with worse circuits. And because she was born to a young family, Iris would never be a good Mage. If she was lucky, her grandchild might be decent - all she'd ever achieve was a small stepping stone in her family's history, inevitably forgotten.

But the Rail Zeppelin, with its ability to transfer Mystic Eyes from one person to another, shined like a beacon of hope to Iris. Even if she couldn't have perfect circuits, she'd at least be able to have something that few other Magi could aspire to possess. This idea led to her obsession with Mystic Eyes - both acquiring them, as well as hoarding them.

Greed and materialism are what drive Iris to action. If you can't attach a price tag to something, then there isn't really that much point in working for it is there? Reaching the Root is meaningless to Iris, as doing so would mean leaving behind everything that a Magi family has worked to gain and hoard over dozens or even hundreds of generations. This outlook is what separates her from the average Mage - while most Mages merely covet wealth in order to progress their research, Iris wishes to have it for the sake of holding onto that wealth and to give her a sense of fulfillment. While Magic Circuits can only be built generationally, a massive amount of Wealth can be generated over an incredibly brief period of time, given the proper conditions.

On most topics she seems to just be along for the ride, throwing out generic responses or whatever she believes will make someone feel a connection to her. Being respected is almost as useful as being feared in the world of magecraft, so Iris is careful to avoid burning bridges unless absolutely necessary. But when frustrated or pushed, she will quickly snap back, her hostile and abrasive nature boiling to the surface.

Iris struggles to build close bonds with those around her - interacting so much with Mages has led her to assume the worst in anyone she meets, and her line of work had seriously crippled her empathy. She isn't a sadist that gets pleasure out of seeing people hurt - she just couldn't be bothered to care. "Why would it matter if someone I don't know gets hurt?" is all she would say.

It is because of this apathetic nature that she is more than happy to accept surrenders or alliances - even if she is aware that an alliance in a Grail War (or in life) is short-lived, the end result will be a single opponent rather than six - much better odds. Of course, if someone could convince her to join their side with something more valuable to her than the grail, they would gain a powerful and 'loyal' ally.

As far as Servants are concerned, Iris is incredibly laissez-faire in their treatment - she rarely gives orders or limits her Servant's actions, only stepping in when they blatantly put her at risk. She views the war as a waiting game - why get into a bunch of fights and burn through her magical energy, when you can just let them kill each other? But just because she is not willing to crack the whip does not mean she is the submissive one in the relationship - she is perfectly happy to waste Command Seals forcing her Servant to obey her rare few requests, and will only restrain herself when brought to her last one. Iris has a fondness for younger Servants and Lilies, and she will reveal a softer and more maternal side to those that remind her of her brother. While she would normally be restricted to very weak Servants thanks to her poor circuits, she is perfectly fine with letting her Servant consume the souls of humans to gain energy, so she functions well with those of an Evil alignment.

Iris' wish for the Grail is simple. Mystic Eyes are all that she cares for, and having a truly unique pair would make her a truly unique Mage. She would need the best Mystic Eyes possible - those of the Rainbow rank. It didn't matter what it actually did - only that it was powerful, and people respected her for having them.

Bio:
The Macinban family is a very recent family, barely a century old at this point. Their founder was a tattooed freak, who learned of magecraft from the man that ran the carnival that he worked for. The Macinbans had since laid their roots down in Ireland, hoping to be as close to the Clock Tower as possible while still avoiding the financial costs that came with living in London. The progress they've made in their short existence is notable, but trying to reach the Root by scribbling on your skin is absurd, to the point that the Macinban are laughingstocks even amongst the new families.

Iris is from the fourth generation of her family, and while her youth was a lot less rigid compared to most older families, she still spent most of her time as a child either studying magecraft, or strapped to a chair as a needle prints new designs on her skin. Despite this, she was a relatively happy child, and the birth of her younger brother gave her someone who she felt that she could confide in and protect.

When Iris turned 16, her family had scraped together enough funds to send her to the Clock Tower to study. It was here that Iris was finally exposed to the hazing and discrimination that newer families face - hypnotism that made her act out in classes, worse marks on her papers, and even theft of her precious few mystic codes. Iris would spend 4 months in the Clock Tower before eventually leaving.

Her brief but formative time at the Clock Tower made her realize that no matter how hard she tried or worked, she would never accomplish the goal of her family. At best, she might marry a better mage, produce an heir with better circuits than her, and pray that dozens of generations later, someone will finally succeed in reaching the Root - or at the very least, adjust their Magecraft to a more likely path.

Iris did not want to waste her life researching and placating the upper echelons of the magic world, only to risk not even accomplishing her family's goal. She had already lost her chance to become a skilled mage - no matter how hard she trained or studied, she would not be able to safely acquire more Magic Circuits. The only way to be a potent mage without proper circuits is by being born with a special ability - a psychic power, a unique bloodline.

A Mystic Eye.

Upon learning of the Rail Zeppelin four months into her study at the Clock Tower, Iris immediately dropped out, using the funds that should have gone towards her tuition instead to gain a position on the train. After a year of hard labor as a cook and waitress on the Train (and having successfully convinced one passenger to sell an eye), she was promoted to being a Deputy - someone who enforces the peace on the Rail Zeppelin, and searches for new Mystic Eyes to add to the Rail Zeppelin's stock.

She did this job for nearly a decade - searching Europe for strong Mystic Eyes, attempting to convince the holder to sell, and killing them if they refused. Her reputation as a hunter of Mystic Eyes grew to be widely known in the Association, to the point where many who crossed paths with her simply offered to sell a single eye in order to avoid being killed. She grew incredibly wealthy off of the commission she got from these eyes, which in turn she used to pay back her family and win new Mystic Eyes at auction. She believed that eventually, with enough searching, buying, selling, and killing - after she got enough money, after she got a strong enough eye, she'd eventually be a good mage.

And she'd fill that void in her life.

But every year, the options in Europe grew slimmer and slimmer. Eventually, the Deputies had to widen their search - the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

And in 1990, after rumors of an exceptionally potent pair of Mystic Eyes of Distortion were discovered in Japan, Iris was quick to follow.

When Iris arrived in Japan, the nation was in despair - earthquakes and floods decimated the population, and you couldn't walk far without seeing the sick or dying. It was perfect - many Mystic Eyes mutated during life-and-death experiences, and Iris was sure to find at least a few potent ones before reaching her target.

But during her initial research in the area, she uncovered something that she had only heard in passing back in Europe - a great ritual constructed by three mage families and held in the city of Fuyuki, the winner of which would be granted a wish.

Reaching the Root or a True Magic was not something that Iris cared for - She knew just from hearing of the ritual that was the intention the mages had for it. A way to cheat centuries of research and reach their goal in only a single generation. But something deep in her gut pulled at her. If she could wish for anything, maybe she could skip all of this hunting and just get the Eyes she needed right away. Nothing would prove that she was a better mage than winning a war among mages.

Spending a sizable portion of her fortune on a proper catalyst, Iris made her way to Fuyuki. She was confident that she could handle the opposing Masters - she had fought mages for years.

But the Ghost Liners - the Servants. That would be an issue.

---

Magic Circuit Switch:
The feeling of a hot needle piercing the eye.
Number of Magic Circuits:
D
Quality of Magic Circuits:
D

Elemental Affinity:
Water
Origin:
Staining

Magecraft:
Tattoo Magecraft:
The art of inscribing one's own body with ink, utilizing various patterns in order to draw out the conceptual meaning behind the shapes inscribed on the user. It is based on the runic tattoos that Berserkers and Vikings were adorned with, which were designed to grant strength and courage in battle. The Magecraft could thus be described as an overspecialized mishmash of Runes and Reinforcement.

In essence, it focuses on creating spells that are permanently etched into the body, which can be activated by pouring energy into rather than reciting a Chant or using a Mystic Code. For example, the tattoo of an Eye could be activated to grant increased visual acuity, a bear could grant increased strength, or a flame might function like a lighter. The larger the tattoo, the more potent the effect - a small fire on the thumb might work like a lighter, while an entire sleeve of flames could shoot out short gouts of fire, provided they receive enough magical energy.

The main limitations of Tattoo Magecraft are the prep time involved, and the incredibly weak strength. While versatile and capable of a wide array of effects, only something large like a back tattoo would grant a supernatural edge over a normal trained person. And for their weak effects, the tattoos require quite the investment of time - even the simplest designs take dozens of minutes, while large and actually combat-applicable tattoos take up massive portions of the body, limiting the total number of tattoos and taking days to fully etch out.

With her limited magical energy and lack of training in her Magecraft, Iris almost exclusively uses Tattoo Magecraft in the creation of her Familiars - instead using her Mystic Eyes to combat others. Still, it's a fun party trick to make your tattoos dance and move around.

Familiars:
Because she left the Clocktower before acquiring a proper education in Magecraft, the only aspect of General Magecraft that Iris is capable of is the creation and maintenance of Familiars. However, in conjunction with her Tattoo Magecraft, collection of Mystic Eyes, and specialization, Iris is in possession of a number of potent Familiars.

Rather than create Familiars the most traditional way, by stuffing leftover human thoughts into an animal's corpse, Iris instead uses the tattooed animals and plants on her body as a vessel. While much more fragile and weak due to not having a physical form, these familiars are also exceptionally fast and stealthy. Iris uses them for reconnaissance, seeing through their eyes and stalking her prey before eventually attacking them for their eyes.

The most notable attribute of these Familiars is their ability to be 'equipped' with Mystic Eyes from Iris' collection. While weaker at using them thanks to their limited Magical Energy, this effectively allows Iris to use over a dozen Mystic Eyes at any one time... so long as she is willing to risk losing the eyes if a familiar were to die.

Since she forms these Familiars with her Tattoo Magecraft, the Familiars that Iris creates must adhere to a 'surface' - slinking along the ground or walls like graffiti, or flittering on a piece of paper through the air. As a result of this and the ink that forms them, Water is both an impassable barrier as well as an easy method of killing them.

Crest:
N/A.
The Macinban family Crest was not passed to Iris due to her abandoning the research of her family Magecraft in favor of being a Spellcaster. Instead, it was given to her younger brother. Not a tremendous loss, considering the youth of the family.

---

Weapon:
Mystic Eyes:
Occasionally, a person's Magic Circuits will mutate and congregate in the area around the eyes, resulting in eyes that are capable of manipulating the world and casting spells through sight alone. These organs, Mystic Eyes, are very rare as they only manifest after extreme circumstances or the user is born with them. Mystic Eyes even come with their own Magic Circuits, allowing even a weak mage to have a hidden advantage over their opponents. Normally a person would only be able to use a single eye or two at most, but thanks to her unique application of her Magecraft, Iris is far stronger the more eyes that she has access to.

As one could expect from a Deputy of the Rail Zeppelin, Iris is in possession of a wide array of Mystic Eyes. Many of these were acquired from her own missions abroad, the occasional eye slipping into her possession or bought at the auctions that the Rail Zeppelin organizes. While she is only able to have two eyes at any time and must undergo surgery to replace them, her use of familiars in conjunction with them has led to her being a very intimidating Spell-caster to face.

While on the move, Iris keeps her Mystic Eyes in enchanted, hermetically-sealed vials - which she usually keeps in her belt pouches or pockets. While it is technically possible to implant these eyes in another being without the advanced techniques and facilities of the Rail Zeppelin, it would require some exceptional quality of the recipient - for example, the Eroding Detachment ability possessed by some Mixed-Bloods, or the Self-Modification skill.

She has brought the following eyes with her to Japan:

Mystic Eyes

Binding: Nine. The most common Mystic Eyes, to the point that skilled mages are even capable of artificially reproducing them. The Mystic Eyes of Binding casts a disabling spell on anyone who looks into them, limiting their ability to move.

While one or two uses may be ignored, Iris' primary tactic is to swarm opponents with familiars containing these eyes - they will either look into them and be crippled or forced to look away and create blind spots. Either way, it allows Iris to shoot them with minimal risk. Despite the simple strategy, it is overwhelmingly effective on the unprepared.

It should be noted that the effect of these eyes on Servants is minimal at best. And even with that, the lowest ranks of Magic Resistance can allow these eyes to be entirely ignored.

Iris doesn't even remember where she got all of them from.

Piercing: Two. Mystic Eyes that are capable of seeing through deceptions and figments, such as Illusions or Shapeshifting. Even a Servant that is in their Spirit Form can be observed. These eyes see only the truth that is present before them and rejects lies, but they only penetrate visual illusions. Auditory or physical illusions are still just as effective at deceiving the user of these eyes as any other target.

They are superficially similar to the Pure Eyes, but those are more of a psychic ability rather than true Mystic Eyes.

The eyes were gotten from two separate individuals, who Iris convinced to sell to the Rail Zeppelin.

Keen Sight: Three. Capable of easily picking out details from long distances, with all three eyes being able to easily read a page from a book that is over 30 meters away - and 10 meters in near-total darkness.

Iris stole one eye from a mage in New York City, blackmailed an Aristocrat from the Clock Tower into buying the other for her at a Rail Zeppelin auction, and convinced an Iranian boy to sell one of his to the Rail Zeppelin - the funds from which he used to pay his tuition to the Clock Tower.

Flame: Two. One of these has replaced Iris' left eye. By pouring magical energy into them, a target that the user can see is instantly ignited, regardless of flammability. While relatively cheap to activate, they guzzle mana to maintain and will quickly dip into the user's own reserves, so Iris mostly limits its use to setting flammable objects ablaze before immediately cutting the flow of energy.

While igniting a mage's flesh is impossible thanks to their natural magical resistance, affecting clothes is well within this eye's power, and Iris finds it to be nearly as effective.

The first was taken from a Spellcaster that Iris drowned in ink, while the one she had implanted in her body was traded with an eccentric Aristocrat for a particularly rare vintage of wine.

Remote Viewing: One. The sole Gold-ranked Mystic Eye in Iris' possession, and the one that replaced her right eye. By focusing on a target who she can remember the face of, Iris is capable of viewing both the target as well as their immediate surroundings. She can do this at a range of dozens of kilometers, and switching between targets is as simple as blinking. A Bounded Field or a Caster's Territory is able to alert the target to this occurring, and stronger ones can even block the viewing from taking place.

But if Iris was able to obtain an item connected to her target (like their clothes, a pendant, or even their blood), this eye would be able to pierce nearly any barrier. The distance this operates at is given a similar boost in potency, with a strong catalyst allowing viewing of a target from a hundred or two kilometers away. Only an entirely separate world, like a Reality Marble, would be able to hide someone's location at this level - though exceptionally camouflaged or invisible opponents may be able to hide, only revealing their surroundings.

It is easily Iris' most treasured Mystic Eye, and as a result, it can serve as an excellent bargaining chip if one could somehow acquire it.

She does not share where she got this eye from.

Panoptes Lens:
A tattoo design that covers the entirety of her arms, chest, and back. The hands taper off into crescents which when brought together form a large eye. This is a kind of Mystic Code that Iris had developed over her years working for the Rail Zeppelin, basing its function and design on the Mystic Eye Projector utilized by the train. By holding a Mystic Eye (or the transparent containers that Iris carries them in) and activating the Mystic Code, Iris is capable of utilizing the Eye at 10x the normal power, at the cost of burning out the lens and rendering it blind (and therefore, useless).

While it lacks the raw power that its progenitor is capable of, the Panoptes Lens can be deployed nigh-instantly and is 'carried' on her person at all times. It is her trump card, the last resort when stealth and subterfuge have failed to kill a target. The fact that she was able to make something like this when her magecraft had such a weak foundation is a testament to her obsession.

Familiars:
A large number of Tattoos litter Iris' body - Chinese dragons and flowers, birds and wolves, countless eyes whose nerves split into wings or legs - all manner of lifeforms cover her flesh. With a command, she is capable of animating these as fragile familiars, which leap off of her body and slink along surfaces. Some, like the bird tattoos, are even capable of controlling how a paper floats on the wind, allowing a poor imitation of flight.

While weak enough that even a normal human could scratch and wipe one or two away, their ability to use Mystic Eyes and provide intel is invaluable in a war. And in a pinch, a large enough number could be used to drown someone in ink.

Normally around 10 can be animated at any time without strain to the user, but depending on the maintenance cost of her Servant, the actual number of familiars that Iris can keep active may be far lower.

A Gun:
A simple handgun - a Beretta Mod 92, to be specific. While Iris is far from being a master marksman like the many Freelancers in the world of Magecraft, she values its raw efficiency and the countless mages who underestimate a firearm.

Hosts: A Demon RP

Definitely interested! Leaning towards Envy or Sloth right now, but all options have a lot of applications.

Fate/Eigengrau

Definitely interested! I'll probably stick with just a Master since people usually want to make a Servant, but if for some reason we are low on players, I can fill a slot if needed.

Quick question though - did the eruption just affect Japan and the surrounding countries, or the world as a whole? My Master will probably be foreign and not as impacted.

The Wards: A Grimdark Teenage Superhero Story

Date/Time: November 11th, 2022. 6:15 PM.
Location(s): Redline PRT Headquarters

---

---

Will didn't really expect much to come out of his half-hearted plea to be left behind, so the rejection from Fukuda didn't do too much to his anxiety. Still, even with a helmet concealing his grimace, most could probably tell his disappointment at the fact that he would be accompanying the others. The confidence that the Director spoke when it came to Will's ability to use his power was probably the only reason he was able to still make snarky comments.

"'Not every problem can be solved by smacking it', huh? I agree with you there, but this definitely seems more like a 'smack it' problem..."

It felt strange to be complimented on his power. Will had despised it ever since he Triggered only a few weeks ago. It forced him to watch everything he said to avoid mastering someone, nearly sent him to super juvie or wherever they send superpowered psychos, and every time people learn about it he's treated like a leper.

...But the fact that the Director seemed so sure that Will could help out - that feeling of usefulness. It felt... nice.

"Guess you're right Mr. F - I can have faith in the team to do the heavy lifting. I mean, one of them has a mech, so heavy lifting is pretty much their main schtick."

An exaggerated shrug, followed by mock realization.

"Hey, think they've got a gift shop? They might give us a discount for saving their Wax statue of Guardian, or whatever shit they have there. I'll get you a Trump Card T-Shirt, lil' souvenir."

Before it could be denied, Will snapped a few finger guns Fukuda's way, walking back to the group of Wards as he did so. The anxiety that was building up in his gut was fading slowly, much to Will's frustration. He was talking to the director as a way to weasel out of this mission, not so he could actually get reassured.

That guy was better at his job than Will thought.

"...run fast, and shooting a gun and tasing people are pretty self-explanatory, right?"

As he came up to the others, Carmen was finishing up her description of her abilities. Will only caught the last bit of her speech, but latched onto it so he could make his way into the conversation.

"Yep, pretty self-explanatory - point and shoot. You'll have some problems with recoil and aiming isn't easy in a situation like this, but you don't have to worry too much about wasting ammo with your power."

"Just, uh, wear something for the noise. That's how you get tinnitus."

Even though Will sounded confident and experienced with firearms from how he spoke, he was mostly spouting bullshit he heard in movies and video games. He had fired a gun exactly once in his life, and only the last bit of advice came from that experience.

"Well, I got this thing- It's big and heavy, takes some pretty big punches. Not much else it does, so- you know, just let me handle that? Pretty much a Brute cape when I get in this thing and it's built like a tank. It doesn't really do a lot more, unless you hide behind it so you don't get shot."

Will nodded his head, grinning slightly. While the tinker suit Jan had made initially made him feel terrified and massively inadequate, he now realized that it was probably the best way to keep himself safe in this mission - as long as Will kept it in eyesight, he could just run behind the hunk of metal whenever someone tried attacking him!

"Really liking that last part, will keep that in mind. Just, uh, how does that thing handle stairs? Don't want to be under that thing if you pull an ED-209, y'know?"

The lack of laughter made Will blush a bit in embarrassment, and he muttered inaudibly under his breath.

"...That's a Robocop reference..."

Thankfully, the director spoke up to address Jane's concerns about guidance on the mission. While he certainly didn't like the fact that they didn't know who was attacking a Museum (or why so many capes were needed for the mission), the fact that they had even more backup was incredible news. Not the capes - the Director already talked about them. No, the big news was that PRT forces would be here as well.

Will was never big on the cape scene, but he knew that most weren't immune to bullets or Containment Foam.

Fukuda whipped back to his paperwork, and Will's usual obnoxious confidence was slowly starting to come back to him. He turned to the late arrivals and gave them a quick appraising look. One of the guys was short enough that Will initially assumed that he was actually on the younger end of things, his disheveled appearance and lateness seeming to imply that he slept in... Well, Will couldn't really judge someone for napping in the afternoon, that's pretty much what he did every math class.

The second guy, on the other hand, was tall and somehow paler than Will was. His wrinkled clothes and heavy-looking backpack either meant he was the anxious and overprepared type or, more likely, he was like some of the other Wards and didn't have the best home life...

The Girl was a bit harder to get a read on. Her appearance wasn't as disheveled as the boys, and the prosthetic leg gave him the vibe that she was more of a noncombatant, like Will... Or she could shoot death lasers, or could read the future, or something else crazy like that. This new girl and Jane should get close with Morie - she might be able to give them their limbs back, and Parahuman healing usually costs an arm and a leg.

Snickering under his breath at his unfunny joke, Will took a few steps towards the new arrivals, beckoning them over.

"Hey there you three. Glad we got some more company for this thing - can you believe we're doing a mission on our first day? I think those kids working in coal mines hundreds of years ago had better receptions than this."

"I'm Will, by the way - we can save introductions for after Rachel hooks you guys up with your costumes, but just felt like throwing that out there."

Will could feel a small pressure build in the back of his head, but it was small and barely noticeable. He didn't know if these three had already gotten their earpieces yet, so he was pushing his power down. Being late left these three a bit out of the loop, so Will was giving them a bit of an in - after all, if he walked in on a bunch of costumed freaks and a mech suit, he'd wish someone was friendly to him.

...Of course, he was also being nice to try and get in their good books, before he dropped the whole 'I brainwash people' thing on them. Just because Will was being nice didn't exclude him from being a selfish asshole.

Turning to the rest of the room, Will kept up the same energy and continued monologuing.

"So any of you guys ever been to this Museum before? I was going on a field trip there back in middle school, but me and my friends ditched it."

July snuck a 40 from her step-dad's liquor cabinet, and Will had gotten so shit-faced that he nearly fell off the school roof. Just remembering it made him smile - things were a lot more simple back then.

"Would probably be pretty nice to know the layout. Entrances and Exits, choke points, ambush spots - that kind of thing."

And where the safest rooms to hide are.