SSW

Fate/Lost Epoch

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
King of Infinite Hells

Academy, The Banquet of Kings

Rather than attend himself, Markansas sent a puppet in his stead, disguised in a mask. Though enemy Masters might notice something wrong, not sensing the presence of a command seal, and with the puppet’s inhuman movements, there were plenty of distractions in any case.

In contrast to his usual bombastic persona, Markansas silently watched the various ongoings while trying to avoid notice.

Upon his Servant’s request, Markansas examined the competition. The various kings gathered around all seemed interesting in their own way. Many of the Servants reached ‘King of the Abyss’ in parameters, and others were at the level of ‘Deity of Chaos’. He reported this to his Servant without the usual flair; quiet and practical.

When the attack came, Markansas merely gave a chuckle. Whoever had decided to attack such a gathering of kings and heroes had been foolish indeed. For a moment, it seemed that the banquet was over as several Servants moved to chase down the intruder. But then, the doctor appeared.

"Come, then. Cull the disease. Slay the monster. Once more, the villain will be toppled, and the day will be saved."

How unfortunate. How truly, truly unfortunate.

For Markansas, the concept of ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ were one and the same. Identical in function, differing only in aesthetic. Both served to unite people, to inspire them, to exist beyond the ordinary of humanity. Just as curses and blessings are the same, just as a holy sword can become a demonic sword...

Of course, there was a difference between ‘saving others’ and ‘killing others’. But when two wishes clashed, it was often simply the victor who became a hero, who decided the definition of justice.

The nature of his ally was obvious now. Someone who fate had thrust the role of villain upon, who had attempted to embrace the role of a hero. A tragic story.

How impressive. Markansas spoke to his Servant. This war is truly impressive. Ah, but to think the glorious clashes between hero and villain would be so sad. I’ll use a Command Seal to bring you out if it gets dangerous. But I’ll be abandoning this puppet to see things to the end.

“You think a mere demon lord can compete with the King of Infinite Hells? Die in shame to my weakest of minions!” The pathetic voice of a cowardly master, one who swaddled himself in lies, one who hadn’t even attended the banquet himself. But in that moment, his voice did not waver.

A cursed birth that existed to prevent the success of heroes. One whose fate was always to be ‘ruin’. A person without malice, forced into the role of a villain.

There could be no question that such an existence was a ‘scapegoat’.

“I’m sorry, Hercules.”

The conditions had been set. The entity with the designation ‘Hercules’ became a being that took on the grudges of the living.

The starting penalty is five.

@ReallyDumb @Froppy @wug @Yankee @Over Illusion @BB @Phlogistinator @Crusader Lord @Aoko Aozaki @Phonic @Reflection

Fate/Aureum Mea

I'm the friend Cu was talking about doing a Master pair with, hello!

I've run stuff similar to this in the past, always fun to play into the mystery aspect of the Servants.

Is Berserker's 'boarish' nature deliberate, or is that a misspelling?

Fate/Lost Epoch

Astolfo

Foreign District, Crashed Plane

"Ma'am, the person who died here was not Santa, that is not a sleigh, and you are not the new Santa either."

“Huh? Huh? Huh!?” The barrage of revelations came thick and fast, leaving Astolfo with little response. “That doesn’t sound right. If I’m not the new Santa, then why did I already give my master one of my Noble Phantasms as a gift, then?” His response was accusatory and indignant, but it mostly just came out as cute. For some reason, that was the one counterpoint that he could think of in that moment.

“But wait… You were talking in red, so it must be true,” Astfolo said, placing a finger on his chin in thought. “Alright! I guess I’m not Santa after all! Honestly, I was getting pretty worried about how tough the job is, so it’s actually a relief!” He lifted his arm in a cheer of joy. Once again, the emotions he was displaying were wiped away in an instant to make place for the new truth, accepted in a moment.

“Well, that means I can focus on winning the Grail War! As the cutest Servant summoned in the strongest class, it should be a piece of cake.” At that, Astolfo struck a pose, holding two fingers around his eye, and opening his mouth wide in a smile that showed a small fang. “Oh, I should talk in pink, that would be even cuter.”

He looked towards his fellow Servant, as if really seeing her for the first time. ”I guess that makes us enemies, but you seem nice. We should be friends instead!” He held out his hand towards the Archer, beaming through closed eyes as he offered a handshake, a symbol of friendship. It was a strange thing to offer someone who had only spoken a single sentence to him, but that was just the kind of person Astolfo was.

”I’m Astolfo, one of the Paladins of Charlemagne. What’s your name?” After carelessly giving away his true name, he finally stopped babbling, giving the other Servant a chance to respond.

@Astarte @Cu Chulainn

Fate/Lost Epoch

Astolfo

Foreign District: Crashed Plane

“Huh, wait! I forgot to bring Hippo-kun! Oh no!” Looking up at the flying red dot in the sky, Astolfo had tried to summon his Hippogriff to go and say hello. Whoever was up there had a great idea, scouting the city from above, but he couldn’t join them. How sad, how sad.

For a moment, he wracked his brain trying to think of Servants that travelled in small red airborne vehicles. “Wait a minute- could that be Santa Claus?” He wasn’t sure about the timing, but even if that was wrong, Santa Claus could certainly have been summoned as a Servant. Would his Noble Phantasm be his sled, a method of traversing the entire world in a single night using the theoretical power of imaginary numbers? Would it be the machine of mass surveillance used to construct his list of absolute judgement? Or would it be the coal (curse) imposed upon naughty children? Any of them would be pretty hard to deal with. “Oh no, am I going to have to fight Santa?” Astolfo squeaked, terrified by the possibility.

As it turned out, that wouldn’t be a worry for long, as the red dot in the sky began to collapse towards the earth. For a moment, Astolfo smiled in relief at the knowledge that he would no longer have to fight Santa Claus. “Wait! That means someone else is attacking Santa Claus! That’s even worse!” Setting aside how powerful an enemy would have to be to deal with Santa’s omniscient machine and capacity to dodge any attack, it meant he wouldn’t be around to deliver presents to the world’s children! Astolfo took off on an immediate sprint, running towards the crash site.

Tears welled in his eyes as he saw that nobody had survived the crash. It didn’t really look like a sled, but by this point Astolfo’s imaginative theories had swelled to ‘fact’ in his mind. Picking up a tattered briefcase, a tear dropped from his eyes and splashed on the leather. “Don’t worry, Santa. I will inherit this burden. Yes, that’s right. There must always be a Santa, after all.”

Then, as if the sadness had never existed at all, he perked up. “Aha, get ready Fuyuki! It’s time for Astolfo-chan to deliver presents to all the good children of the city! Ah, but where do I start… And how do I tell who’s good?” Racked by the difficulty of the question, Astolfo sat in thought for a while, all considerations of the Grail War and the task given to him by his Master completely forgotten.

@Astarte @Cu Chulainn

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
Sewing-Life Chirurgeon

Western Farms: Tom Fruz’s Workshop

It had certainly been strange to learn of Hercules’ Master and the lengths he had gone to avoiding his various debts. Markansas would have to try harder to match the evils of loan sharks.

In any case, his method of ‘healing’ was highly compatible with these injuries. By now, the inner organs were all entirely functional and standard, and perhaps that had caused Markansas to go a little overboard on the eye. It was a pitch black obsidian orb with rings of many colours where the iris should be, flashing in and out of existence. Each ring was jagged, surrounded by a pentagram.

“You’ll probably have to keep the eyepatch,” He said, a note of sheepishness in his voice. Quickly, he followed up with a return to his usual bombastic style; “The evil eye of perdition is not something to be witnessed by mortals, after all.”

“Take some time to rest,” He said. “After all, it wouldn’t do if you go and die on me. Fufufufu….”

It occurred to Markansas that this sort of healing didn’t mix well with his image. While he’d been willing to talk to Hercules entirely seriously, his Master was another matter entirely. Yes, he needed some kind of excuse here. “If each of those organs was so valuable, their replacements must be just as valuable… Taking into account the cost of the materials- Yes, I expect to be paid back in full. A villain such as I would never act out of pure charity, after all.”

@ReallyDumb

Fate/Lost Epoch

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
Jet Black Antihero

Considering an Offer: Commerce District

Whatever Markansas had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that. For his Servant to manifest in protection, and for the enemy hero to react in such a way, both were far from his fear-driven estimations. And some strange interference from a nearby master… Along with the strange and beautiful music that also began to play. Well, whatever they had been attempting to do, it seemed harmless enough.

Well, if this Hercules was speaking seriously, the least he could do was offer the same courtesy. Markansas’ tone shifted, away from his bizarre and dramatic speech, and his body relaxed, entering a neutral position after his strange poses. Behind his mask, his expression changed, too, from a fake confident grin to neutrality.

“I see. You two are similar, after all. As for myself, I chose this fate. If it were me alone, I would gratefully refuse this offer… But this is a partnership. And we both have our wishes to consider.”

There was another factor, too. Multiple masters were watching. The people who had been warned about Hercules appearing in public, who had been curious enough to attend. Markansas’ command seals burned. Regardless of whether accepting this offer was a good idea or not, it was something they would take notice of. Accepting would mean establishing the alliance as a threat - and perhaps even a danger to the secrecy of the grail war itself.

Even so, that man’s words were inspiring. If this Servant truly was the greatest hero of Greece, then perhaps none of that truly mattered. Overcoming the fate that the world imposed upon people - yes that was a desire shared by heroes and villains alike.

“Then I will accept your offer. That is, so long as my partner can accept this too. In any case, we should discuss this elsewhere.”

He turned towards the crowd, scanning it for potential enemies. If his mask had been off, he would have given an enormous smirk, but as it was, he simply settled for a bow. “Adieu, Servants and Masters of the Holy Grail War. I urge you, prepare yourselves.”

@Yankee@Over Illusion @Flood @Reflection @Crusader Lord @ReallyDumb

Fate/Lost Epoch

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
Obsidian Eye Titan

Attending a Yoyo Show

Rushing there on his long, noodly legs, Markansas arrived just in time to see the yoyo show conclude with the hero’s use of some sort of technique that seemed on par with a Noble Phantasm.

He paused only for a minute or two, doubled over, to catch his breath. Then, he paused again for a moment as his heart leapt at Hercules’ parameters. Steeling himself and forging ahead anyway, Markansas then broke out into applause. A slow, teasing clap. “Bravo, bravo. No less than I would expect from the Twelve Labours Luminary himself.”

Though Markansas was similarly a bombastic sort, who made little effort to hide his eccentricities, there still existed a ‘taboo’ in his mind. Mystery could not be revealed to those outside of the moonlit world. That much was obvious. But commanding such a hero to stop would obviously be futile. The best option, then, in Markansas’ mind, was to make the situation seem so absurd that any civilians would assume it was either some strange public performance, or the filming of a movie.

And of course, with Masters and Servants alike gathering towards the spectacle, it would be useful to introduce himself.

“To think that one such as yourself would appear here. But it’s only natural that the world would summon forth the greatest hero of Greece to deal with myself, the embodiment of all humanity’s evils.”

He paused for a moment. Hopefully, Hercules wouldn’t take a moment to destroy him now, considering he was already acting in broad daylight. “But of course, it would be premature to come to a confrontation right now,” He said, only a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Travel to the outskirts of the city, and there you will find the first of my Four Kings of Calamity. Or perhaps they are an opponent beneath your notice… If you are willing to risk that the first of my dark designs shall proceed as planned. Fufufufufufu....”

With that absolutely careless bluff, Markansas stopped speaking, ready to run the fuck away from the terrifying Servant at a moment’s notice.

@Yankee@Over Illusion

Fate/Lost Epoch

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
Great Beast of the End

Wandering through Shinto Town

“Will you be able to glimpse it?” Markansas echoed. “Ohoho… If my illusions have the power to deceive even Servants, I will pride myself on the depths of their darkness.”

As Tutankhamun talked about his abilities, his Master listened in earnest. Speaking with a soft tone for once, he said, “A curse is a terrible thing. A great burden that nonetheless imposes greatness. That is the fate for people such as us. I apologise for dragging your spirit from the great throne only to force you to embrace that… But remember, our wishes are what’s at stake here.” After saying that, he grew silent, perhaps embarrassed at his own sincerity, cloaked as it was in grandiosity.

As the pair strode towards the hotel, they were stopped, as someone notified them about the presence of a certain hero acting in public.

“Oh, how strange. Not only has the greatest hero of Greece been summoned, but somebody wants us to come to a confrontation…” Markansas pondered for a moment. “It’s only natural that the Twelve Labours Luminary would be confronted by myself, The Dark Deva of Destruction. But who is pulling the strings here?”

“Nontheless!” He proclaimed, raising a finger to the sky. “One must not cower away from one’s fate. First we will confront this Hercules. Then, we shall see who will next draw our ire. We will be able to visit my lair soon enough.” He placed a mask upon his face. It wouldn’t do to see the first great hero of this war without fully looking the part of the ‘villain’.

Wandering Through Shinto Town --> Rushing to Attend a Yoyo Show in the Commerce District

@Yankee@Over Illusion

Fate/Lost Epoch

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
Unholy Destruction Emperor

A lonely graveyard: Hilltop Church

“I see…” Markansas muttered, swirling the wine in his hand before draining it with a final sip. “You wish to enter through Gehenna’s Gate into my lair of sin…” Markansas threw down the wine glass with a dramatic flourish, and it crashed against a gravestone. It was either that or return the glass to pizza hut after he had run off with it in the first place, and this felt like a time for drama. And carelessly littering dangerous glass in a graveyard was a sin worthy of his darkness, too.

“Naturally!” He exclaimed, adjusting his gloves. “I shall guide you there, but beware that only those who I have granted my permission may enter without facing utter obliteration. And do remember when we arrive; though it’s disguised as a simple hotel, it is in truth a hell of my creation, hidden from mortal eyes.”

He paused a moment, looking at his Servant. “Well then,” He said. “Let us depart. Time rushes on always to perdition. There’s none of it to waste…”

The walk wasn’t a long one, and Markansas’ noodly legs gave him a fast pace. In truth, the area near the church had a somewhat eerie feeling about it, and he was happy to leave it as fast as possible.

Markansas brazenly strode through the town with no attempt to hide himself or lessen the amount of attention his extravagant outfit. The puppet followed after, its movements slightly inhuman, still holding the box of now stone-cold pizza.

Hilltop Church --> Wandering Through Shinto Town

@Yankee

Fate/Lost Epoch

“To think, that this ambrosia would spread even to the far reaches of the East…” Markansas pondered, staring at the open cardboard box in front of him.

“The land of the rising sun even thrust its own mascot on the brand,” He said, stroking a gloved hand across the small cheese-kun plushie that he had picked up at the restaurant, squeezed underarm. In his other hand, he held a glass of wine ordered from the same restaurant, which he sipped intermittently.

“The topping of sin makes a pizza so delicious… Would that the flames of perdition left it warm for longer.” When he’d placed the box down, there had still been a thin steam rising from it, but that had now disappeared entirely.

As he picked up a slice of pizza, his gloves began to soak in the grease of the cheese. A glob of tomato sauce dropped onto his extravagant cravat.

“Oh for fuck’s-”

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn
Avatar of Ruin

A lonely graveyard: Hilltop Church

Markansas licked at the scarf inelegantly, dabbing away the sauce with his tongue. Finishing up, he looked back towards his Servant. “If you require sustenance, devour to your heart’s content. The toppings are bacon, asparagus, and bolgolgi…”

Naturally, he had summoned an excellent servant. A name that resonated around the world. A name that had unleashed a blighted curse upon the world when unearthed.

Well, in truth he was a little worried that that sort of character would be a little too much for him, so it was probably good that it was just a kid, after all.

“So, it’s time to begin-” With poor timing, Markansas took another bite of the pizza, chomping down on his own words. “Begin this festival of pandemonium.” As he finished the slice, he leaned against a nearby grave, placing his palm near his face in a strange pose. At his instructions, the nearby puppet, dressed identically to him but for the mask covering its demonic face, picked up the box of cold pizza.

“It’s simply a matter of selecting our first targets.” He took an elegant, if small, sip of wine. “Unfortunately, my dark eyes of the abyss have been unable to glimpse any opponents. Yes, it’s unfortunate indeed. But a good opportunity for you to prove your worth as the right hand of the king of infinite hells.”

Despite his grandiose speech, it seemed the magus was at a loss as for what exactly to do after eating pizza in a graveyard, and looking to his Servant for advice. Whether the pharoah realised this or not, Markansas was not the type to talk directly.

@Yankee

Fate/Lost Epoch

The King of Infinite Hells

“As Life and Death dance, I play the tune they move to. I am their weapon. I am their Hope and I am their Despair. So - shall we begin that dance?”

Markansas Valdark Reschyshyn

Devourer of Vice

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Alignment: Chaotic Evil (False)

Rank: ?

Objective for the Grail: “To plunge the world into sin and despair, the likes of which have never been glimpsed before!”

In actuality, his goal is to create a grand utopia; a world where nobody has to suffer. To that end, he’ll stain his hands red if he has to.

Personality: A monstrous villain who embodies all the world’s evils. A creature who feasts on sin and despair, spreading it throughout the world as a plague.

In truth, this is merely a facade. Markansas is a man thoroughly stuck in the mentality of an edgy middle-schooler. Cultivating an act similar to a supervillain, making various grand declarations about his own power and wisdom.

Though his excuse for the act for any who see through it is that it’s essential for both his Magecraft and makes others underestimate him, it is also a method of disguising his true feelings. Those who think he’s a villain, or those who think he’s a fool

Biography: A demon born from the ashes of ruin, to split the world apart in his mad quest for vengeance.

In reality, Markansas is a failure of a Magus. Born to a family that bore multiple children to compete for inheritance of the crest, integrating some Eastern methods in an attempt to strengthen their weakening magecraft.

Markansas was one of the youngest, and barely stood a chance to inherit in the first place. Rather than simply wallow in failure, he decided to play the role of the villain, to unite his conflicting siblings, forcing them to cooperate and even befriend each other.

Of course, there could only be one heir, and it couldn’t be the one who’d spent all his effort making the rest of the family hate him. Perhaps he learned the wrong lesson from this, considering his villainous act a complete success despite not benefiting him in the slightest.

Nonetheless, he was able to attend the Clocktower for lessons, where he succeeded at not making any friends. After some time, he left for Japan in search of a certain genius puppet-user and mystic eye expert, but got distracted by the Fuyuki ritual, which seemed much more important at the time.

Magecraft

Magic Circuit Switch: The feeling of crushing his right arm.

Number of Circuits: C

Quality of Circuits: C

Elemental Affinity: Wind, Fire

Magecraft Abilities:

General Magecraft

The basics.

Sin-Eating

The ritual purification of the dead by eating a cake that has soaked in the sins (grudges) of the deceased. Drawing these grudges into food and then devouring them, allowing them to be housed within.

Scapegoating

The purification of a society by casting an innocent, usually a goat, as a being that takes on the sins of the entire group and is cast out. Various rituals also used humans for the role. Taking on this role, Markansas must make himself 'noticed' by the society as the source of their evil, before being driven out. The more it is done, the more he becomes a being that naturally accumulates grudges simply by existing.

Combining Sin-Eating and Scapegoating, one takes on ‘all the evils of the world’. Taking in these grudges is taxing on the human body, akin to a curse, even if they are only housed there temporarily.

Puppet Creation

The creation of puppets. Puppets that exceed humans in strength but are somewhat lacking in dexterity. They have no minds, but are controlled with simple commands, or directly through a karmic link.

Angels and Demons

Added to stabilise the craft. Puppets are created in the shape of angels, as a sinless shell. When tainted by the sins passed on through Markansas, they become fallen angels (demons); the natural minions of a king of darkness. Utilising the sins as fuel to go beyond their ordinary status as puppets. They are also equipped with what Markansas calls 'Dread Destruction:Demon Detonation', wherein they rapidly burn through all of the grudges within them to cause an explosion that leaves no trace.

Mystic Eyes of Command

Mystic Eyes that briefly impose a simple command on the target. They’re weak enough to only be able to influence the target momentarily, for a single action; stalling the enemy by ordering them to halt, or placing them in a disadvantageous position by making them kneel or fall to the floor. Repeated use leaves the target with resistance and immunity, but since it’s a mutation of ESP and not a form of hypnosis, it can’t be simply countered with magical energy.

Magic Crest: None

Equipment:

Mask of Perdition: A mask forming a lens that amplifies the scope of Mystic Eyes. It doesn’t increase their power but allows multiple targets to be affected, as many as fit within Markansas’ vision. It also has the effect of hiding his face.

Puppets: 2 puppets.

Fake Masks: Masks identical to the Mystic Code, simply used to hide the inhuman faces of the puppets.

Changes of Clothes: 1 set of civilian clothes and 30 sets of Markansas’ elaborate supervillain outfit. 3 pairs of boxers.

Money: Markansas’ life savings. Most of it’s been spent on copies of the same set of clothes and materials for puppets, so he’s only got a hundred thousand yens or so.

Guitar: An ordinary electric guitar.

Exceptional Benefit: Preparation.