Name:
Vincent Smoaks

Age:
24

Gender:
Male

Appearance:
" Why hurry and miss everything in life when you can stop to enjoy it? "

Personality:
Vincent is a curious soul to the very depths of his personality, with a precise and painstakingly careful attitude. He is what you would comfortable term as a perfectionist who desires to know the truth, having the ambition and desire to get the results that he wants even if it pushes him out into his discomfort. He has little patience for playing around the bush, preferring to be blunt with his observations and get directly to the point. Despite his direct nature is earnest at heart with he says along with being objective as well that rarely betrays what his beliefs are. With a calm and controlled disposition, he has a carefree attitude around him that seems to go with the flow that has a touch of an adventurous spirit. Making him a strangely companionable person if what you desire is realism.

Skills:
A person born in a first-rate magus family, he is severely lacking in many of the skills that make a functioning person of today with only several areas that he can handle in day to day situations that come about. He is very interested in the arts such as seen from his culinary skills that reveal him to be a wonderful cook that has come from years of experience in the kitchen and some time dedicated to studying it. He also is decent is various other creative arts such as painting and drawings along with general arts and craft to make small trinkets or decorations. Outside of that, his other mundane talents are pretty ordinary as he possesses above-average constitution and body that comes from the time that he spends outside, with him being proficient in traversing natural terrain. More than capable enough to do hobbies he likes like soccer, swimming, dance, and hiking to name a few that he dabbles in as a hobbyist.

Abilities:
A calm and collected person, his control over his magecraft is impeccable with his two attuned affinities towards fire and wind magecraft that is evidence of his skill as a first-rate magus. The blood that runs through him comes from a family of magi that run several generations that have passed down that gives Vincent quality magic circuits and a sufficiently abundant amount within his body that provide enough energy to get what needs to be done and a little more.

As the next figurehead of the lineage that his family has backing him, he has inherited all of their teachings which allowed his fine and deft control as his main focus. At the most basic level of his skill, the control over his flame magecraft is astonishing to the point that he can create definite shapes that can represent images. With extensive knowledge about this kind of magecraft, he can be said to reach a high level of mastery that would be suitable to a person like him coming from the Smoaks family despite not showing it. His wind magecraft while not as advanced, is the other side of his focus that is adept enough to be considered a threat even solely using it. With eerily acute control, the fine manipulation of the air above simple blasts of air or flight can be achieved by him and can be expanded to other uses.

In more advanced areas, he specializes in explosions which is surprising as given when attacking, he opens a thin pathway to his target by concentrating the density of oxygen to a volatile point to create chain explosions. With his main right hand used for more dexterous application of his mageraft with scary accuracy while the other is used for violent applications, he shows surprising skill in using two elements at the same time. While he dislikes the uncontrolled use of his explosive magecraft, if brute force is needed to accomplish something that fine control can't, then it doesn't bother him to do so. What he lacks in versatility, he specializes in the destructive potential of his magecraft that he is comfortable in saying that could handle any foe.

He, however, takes it to an even higher level when combining the two elements into something much more. Using fire and wind magecraft together, he is able to create a strong burst of electricity by superheating gas with his magecraft. His control over this combination of magecraft is rough but highly potent in its purely destructive capabilities that unleash highly concentrated energy. The higher amount of energy he's trying to control the less controllable the action he is trying to do becomes as it becomes more imprecise but higher destructive potential.

Brief Backstory:
Vincent Smoaks is heir to the family fortune of the family magus known as Smoaks, focusing on a slightly more modern type of magecraft known as 'explosive magecraft' which heavily involved gun powder back in the old days. A family originating from the Americas as they took on the new wave of ideas that developed in the country with the passing ideologies and technology that influenced them. With their knowledge being developed and passed down through the family where they could actualize it without the assistance of material ingredients. Known as the 'Illuminated Prince' in the Clock Tower where his peers and teachers remarked his resourcefulness and creativity that shined brightly.

Despite being the next head of the family, his position is taken with a slight grain of salt as his time so far has not shown his full potential as a magus with much debate about the role that he has. With the displays of his abilities that have been heard or seen has been his shows which have a niche following of magus who actually are humans who like entertainment from his flashy shows. His fire magecraft is most commonly the one on display in his shows, with the creativity that he brought forth in his shows baffling the people that were his fans. Many people wondered what the inheritor of the Smoaks family's crest would be capable of doing if his skills were put to their proper use as a serious combatant.

Still, rumors and talk behind his back didn't bother Vincent as he continued the way he always has done things with his nonchalant attitude. However, when rumors reached his ears about something going down in the small town of Redrock his interest was piqued about what was going on. With his ears in many different circles, it wasn't hard for him to heard the news about the brewing event that was begining to develop. An event known as the war for the "Holy Grail"...

• Name: Mira Grace
• Age: Physically, about 16. Mentally... she's lost track. 20? 30? 50? Who knows...?
• Gender: Female
• Appearance: Mira is a short, doll-like girl, who has been left lithe and pale by a life spent almost exclusively indoors, locked away from society. Her long, dark hair tends to be just a little bit messy despite its natural straightness, as she doesn't take very good care of herself. Nevertheless, despite her unkempt, gloomy appearance, she tends to strike beholders with a strange sort of fascination - her pale skin, raven hair, and silvery grey eyes just seem so... odd, somehow, as if she doesn't really belong in this day and age, but rather strolled out of some kind of old portrait. Of course, her tendency to dress up in fanciful getup such as lolita fashion or pointy hats doesn't really help much, but even without taking her odd choices of attire into account, there is just something incomprehensibly strange about her. This sense of out-of-placeness and separation is a hint at her true nature as an inheritor of an old mystery, and the last successor to the bloodline of a Witch.
  
  
  "Casual" Attire [+]

  
  
  
  An Old-Fashioned Witch [+]

  
• Personality: Cripplingly shy, chronically depressed, and wracked by more fears and phobias than one might care to count - most prominently agoraphobia, but with many others tacked on - Mira's attitude is exactly what one might expect from an individual whose very Origin is "Isolation." Terrified of the outside world, she has been, up until this point, too scared to even contemplate setting foot outside of her mansion. However, with the coming of the Grail War, and her own selection as a Master, she's had no choice but to either comply with the system, or leave behind her home and belongings and place herself in the care of a Church-sanctioned administrator. As a Witch who would likely be considered an aberration fit to be purged by the Church, she has understandable reason not to trust even a member of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament, and thus has refused to do so.
  
  However, unlike the other Masters, she doesn't really have much of anything she'd call a "wish" that is unattainable by normal means. She's simply afraid of the outside world, of the Humans who reject the possibility of a mystery like herself - One Who Is Separated From the World - and even moreso of the Magi who bend that world to their own ends. Left alone for so long, she has instead taken to a solitary existence living by herself, hidden from the outside. She was satisfied by this, in a sense, as it meant she didn't have anything to be afraid of, and could simply spend her days in peace. But, there is one thing she's always wanted. Having had nobody to talk to ever since her mother's death when she was an child, she's slowly grown desperately lonely through the years, and wants nothing more than to have somebody she can trust who will show her kindness and keep her company.
  
  In this sense, she's remarkably childish, even moreso than she appears. Satisfied by simple games and reading children's stories, she's come to want a friend to enjoy those things with. Even all alone, she likes to dress up in the fanciful, old-fashioned dresses her mother left behind, upon the style of which she's fashioned several new garments of her own. In particular, there's one outfit she made for herself which she cherishes above all the others - a black dress of slinking silk, a heavy, fur-lined cloak, and a tall, wide-brimmed, pointed witch's hat. Whenever she needs a confidence boost, to assure herself that she's safe and separate from the outside world, she'll dress in this attire, and will oftentimes take on a demeanor that more befits a bold and brazen Witch, boasting of her abilities or threatening those who oppose her with curses. She doesn't really mean most of what she says, but to her, it serves a similar purpose to some forms of meditation, helping to clear her mind by distancing herself from her real thoughts and fears. In this sense, it's no different from a child's game of make-believe, but it does help her overcome her cowardice through disassociation when the need arises.
  
  She has no knowledge of modern entertainment or technology, and no real concern with it, as it is anathema to her own Mystery. Her hobbies are reading books, sewing, and practicing her magic, even if she doesn't think she'll ever have any real use for it. She's a kind, gentle girl who, under normal circumstances, would probably never hurt anyone. But, the Holy Grail War can hardly be called "normal," and Mira is now forced into a place where her fear may get the better of her tender heart, and she'll be forced to kill or be killed herself. But, if it will mean returning to her peaceful life, and possibly even having someone to break the monotony of her solitary life, then maybe risking her life is worth it...?
• Skills: She can sew her own clothes, grow her own food, and take care of her own mansion - albeit most of these are done with partial assistance from her familiars. She's also got a strange ability to make animals like her - possibly rooted in the fact that they view her less as a Human due to her Mystery and upbringing.
• Abilities: Mira herself, being only half-inheritor to the Witch's bloodline, has very few magical circuits. Those she does possess, however, are of exceptional quality, far beyond that of even prodigious modern mages. Because of this, she's capable of providing her Servant with tremendous amounts of power, perhaps even enough to boost his or her functional stats, provided that they're fighting close to Mira. However, due to her predominantly defensive strategy, this is seldom the case, forcing her Servant in most cases to fight without support save when Mira sorties personally, necessitating a high level of Independent Action or, at the very least, energy efficiency in order to stay safe. However, she lacks any elemental affinities whatsoever, substituting instead her Origin of "Isolation," with an additional focus provided by her Mystery - "One Who Is Separated From The World."
  
  Due to these twin affinities, she naturally excels at magic that focuses on the division or displacement of the world - most particularly, the art of constructing Bounded Fields, as well as the spell "Flash Air." Although most users of this latter spell are limited to low-level substitutions of one item for another, Mira is capable of much more advanced feats, such as substituting one room for another to make doors lead temporarily to different places, or substituting areas of space to displace objects. In order to do this, however, there is the caveat that she must have a complete grasp of the area she's attempting to cast the spell on, forcing her to share her perceptions with either her Familiars or her Servants in order to gather the data she needs to reliably cast the spell.
  
  As for her Bounded Fields, these are where she truly shines. By offering a sacrifice of a body part, or a pre-prepared offering of her own blood or long hair, she's capable of imbuing a Bounded Field with her Origin. As a defense mechanism over her mansion, which resides on a large convergence of leylines ideal for the manifestation of the Greater Grail, she's prepared several nested Bounded Fields over the same spot. The outermost layer imposes "Isolation" upon the territory within, separating it from the outside world and the perceptions of non-magi outside, while also offering sublime protection from attacks launched outside of its radius. It resists the efforts of those who would attempt to enter, but can be broken through either with sufficient ritual preparation, or simply through the priority of a Servant's Magic Resistance or a particularly powerful usage of Prana. However, upon entering, one will encounter a true anomaly.
  
  Although it appears that those who enter are somehow "warped" to another location, leaving them isolated - a feat which would approach true Magic - in reality, this is nothing more than a sleight of hand, achieved by placing multiple "layers" of Bounded Fields over the same space. Each person who enters is placed within a different "layer," creating a division that makes them unable to see or interact with those not in the same "layer" as themselves, thus presenting the image that everyone else has been "warped" away. This is incredibly effective against other Masters, as they are cut off from their Servants and unable to support them with Prana or call upon them while inside the Bounded Field, save through the usage of a Command Seal. This might even extend to Servants with little to no Magic Resistance, preventing them from either aiding their Masters or escaping. However, those with high Magic Resistance, such as the Knight Classes, have a vastly superior Priority, which prevents the Bounded Field from fulfilling its function of imposing them with "Isolation." And, due to the Shared Perception of Servant contracts, if one's Servant is not affected, then neither will the Master be.
  
  It also serves as an incredibly effective defense for the Bounded Field's creator, however, as Mira, too, is placed in the innermost layer of the Bounded Field system, at the very center of the ritual. While inside, those who would intrude can't reach her without first dismantling both the Bounded Field containing them (from the inside) and the one containing her (from the outside) - a difficult task when she who is aware of all the other layers is using Flash Air to transport curses to their location, alter the structure of the area around them through displacement, and assail them with golems and other such Familiars. The Witch's Mansion is thus rendered a truly terrifying magical fortress, made only the more formidable by the Servant who protects it. However, on the downside, it also means that her position is obvious to her enemies, and that they'll likely make their way towards her by the most direct means possible, barring interference on her part. And, even if she has a great deal of magical power, employing curses remotely via Flash Air tends to deplete this rather quickly, making it a matter of endurance rather than a direct confrontation of power. If she can't eliminate her enemies before her Prana runs out, she'll be in a difficult spot.
  
  Similarly, outside of her Bounded Field, and without the support of her Familiars - who are tethered to the area surrounding her mansion for the most part, as they draw on Formalcraft Rituals and the native Mana of the Leylines for their sustenance - Mira is significantly less of a threat. Unable to perform more advanced feats of Flash Air reliably, she's thus left to rely on the curses bequeathed to her through her Magic Crest. While all of these are tremendously old and powerful, being handed down amongst Witches for generations, they can be difficult to land on a mobile enemy not singled out by her Origin. Among them, she has a few she relies on most often. One example involves the creation of tiny wires which inflict a curse of numbness upon those who touch them, slowly withering their nerves through consecutive contact until they are paralyzed and die. Another forms darts shaped like crow quills to rain down upon a target, eroding living flesh through necrosis until it rots away. Yet another is a gas that, when released from a vessel, will slowly strip away the strength of those who it touches. While all of these could be resisted by Servants with strong Magic Resistance, or Masters provided with adequate defensive measures, for any Master found unprepared and isolated within the labyrinth of the Witch's Mansion, they could spell certain death.
  
  Aside from this, she's adept at crafting golems, in most cases fashioned after dolls and mannequins. Most of these, in addition to being reasonably powerful physically, contain curses inside of them, making it just as dangerous to destroy them as it is to fight them while functional. She also has a flock of crow familiars, which, while utterly useless in a fight, nevertheless provide her with valuable sensory data as her scouts. Finally, she has a black cat that has followed her ever since it somehow managed to stray onto her manor's grounds, before the erection of the barrier. He's not magical at all, but he does make her look more like a Witch. She calls him Whiskers. He likes fish.
• Brief Backstory:

A Witch is never to fall in love with a Human. Although this rule has been in place since time immemorial, there are nevertheless those who break this rule. Mira is the result of one such union, with a father who, upon stumbling upon the truth of his wife's nature, tried to take Mira with him and flee the family. An altercation ensued, and when he couldn't have her, her father tried to kill both her and her mother, burning down their home in a fit. In order to keep her identity secret, Mira's mother fled to an isolated, ruined mansion on the outskirts of what was, at the time, barely a dot on the map. Rebuilding the manor over time through the usage of her familiars, her mother passed on to her daughter what she knew of magic, as well as the accumulated stockpile of curses within her Magic Crest. As if her duty was complete, the moment Mira had nothing more to learn, her mother passed away, and her daughter buried her in the garden, inheriting her territory and all of her familiars.

Heeding the warnings of her mother, Mira never once went outside, ever since the incident when she was a child. Humans and Witches were not meant to coexist, and she herself had no place in the world beyond the walls of her manor. All she knew of what went on outside, she knew from the storybooks her mother had left her, which she read dutifully every day, as if they would provide her whatever element of "life" she was lacking. Playing with her familiars, taking in animals that strayed onto the ground, and taking care of her home - these were the only things she knew in her quiet life.

Yet, in every book she read, it was always the same. There wasn't just one individual alone, but rather at least two, sometimes even more! Through the company of another, all manner of things became possible. Laughing together, crying together, even falling in love... Mira, forbidden as she was from leaving the mansion, and terrified as she was by her experiences as a child, came slowly to realize that it wasn't the world that was strange for not accepting her, but rather her who was strange for existing only apart from the world. These ideas amazed her, yet when she realized that they were all futile for her to contemplate, she fell into despair, growing to loathe herself and the way she was. At that moment, she understood why her mother had broken the ancient rule, had been willing to go so far just to experience the life that was denied her. But what could she do? She who had been born destined for isolation would live in isolation and die in isolation.

But then, as if by some magic that had heard her wish, something changed in the neighboring city, and a new "miracle" took shape within the earth. That night, Mira dreamed of a distant figure who called out to her, offering words into her willing mind, a formula to lay back the fundament of the world and delve deeply into its roots, drawing forth a "vessel" that would give "substance" to that "miracle," and, in so doing, would offer her a chance at the "life" she was lacking inside of herself.

Mira was afraid, but she went through with the ritual, and resolved to face the world that rejected her. In spite of her cowardice, she pressed on, in order to attain that which would spite the very basis of her existence, and set aside the rules that confined her to rot away outside of the world that rejected her.

On that night, she of beguiled blood rejoiced, for her wish might yet be granted.

* Name: Hasabe Evans

* Age: 19

* Gender: Male

* Appearance: The hell is a Master? And why is your friend there in cosplay?

* Personality: Hasabe could be best described as one who is quiet, focused, and hard at work. Having been abandoned by his parents at the time for being a 'worthless excuse for a heir,' Hasabe has developed a sort of "inferiority complex," wanting to prove himself to others of his worth by working the best he can at whatever he's tasked at. Some day, he wishes to confront his parets and show them he really isn't worthless. While he does keep to himself most of the time, he does wish the best for other people, and will want to always seek a path that's "good for everyone."

* Skills: If "dedication" was a skill, Hasabe would be excellent at it. Whether it's working towards a goal, or just doing menial labor, Hasabe is one who will always find the best way to get the job done. As a pizza delivery man (and formerly an Uber driver), Hasabe is quite proficient at driving, whether it is behind the wheel or on a bike. He also jogs regularly, and has the stamina of a healthy young adult. Being raised in Redrock, he knows the general area as much as any local would.

* Abilities: Hasabe does not have any knowledge or beyond-the-surface talent in magecraft, only barely recalling the things his father might have taught (which he couldn't comprehend at the time.) He does know of its existence, or well, he thinks he does. Despite this, he still sports a fair amount of above average magic circuits, and while they wouldn't compare in amount to a magus with the magic crest of their family, they still denote him as 'one who was born to be a magus.' If only Hasabe wasn't such a dull child...

* Brief Backstory
Hasabe was born in Japan, to a well known magus family that he can't recall the name of. His father, as he remembered, was a very strict man, and was especially tough on him as he grew older, forcing strange books and lessons on him instead of having him attend school normally. This continued until his parents bore a second child, one who excelled in the lessons that Hasabe just didn't get. At the age of four, he was sent off to live with a friend of a family friend, his father going so far as to change his last name, aware that his family has alot of enemies, and not wanting his own son to die from his incompetence.

And so, Hasabe found himself in Redrock, raised by an average middle-class family, living an average life. He made it his goal to become a competent person, and worked hard to achieve his goals and go to college. He wasn't smart enough or especially talented in any sport to earn a scholarship, graduating with only above average marks. Hasabe still wanted to go to college, and his parents even offered to pay his tuition for him, which he declined, saying he wants to earn all the money on his own, and thanked them for raising him to be the man he is now.

Two years later, Hasabe is living on his own in a cheap apartment, having worked odd jobs here and there until he settled for delivering pizza at a local delivery place. He recieved a strange letter from Japan with no label saying who it's from. They were directions for... some sort of ritual? He wasn't so sure what it was, really, or why it was asked of him to do. The only thing he was told to do after the ritual is to 'reach the root.' Whatever that means...

Curiosity got the best of Hasabe, and...

Name: Elizabeth Reinholt

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Appearance: (In casual clothes, takes off jean jacket to perform martial arts, with her clothes being made to be flexible enough for such activities in the heat of battle)



Personality: Relatively positive and ripe with energy, Elizabeth is someone whose excitement blooms the greater the challenge she faces. It is safe to say that she gets a thrill in the heat of battles of magic or physical might, not unlike some kind of warrior of ancient times, though despite her energy and ease at speaking her mind....she is also still a magus as well as a martial artist. She is able to assert a sense of calm over her breathing and movement even in combat, and can don a sense of almost serene calm when becoming very focused in a situation. In fact, when she drops her excitement for a much more "expressionless" face, it means that she has become that much more serious and more focused as a whole. Though outside of such situations like combat or battle-related things where she naturally will adopt a greater sense of caution and focus, her excitement and enjoyment of living life can be seen as well when in relative enough safety.

As a martial artist, she wishes to push herself to her limits. As a magus, she seeks to perfect her craft. In these both she finds a sense of joy, but also in just being alive and being able to live life. To her, the Holy Grail War is a challenge to overcome, though with its level of seriousness and gravity when it comes to the "prize", she is not simply joining "for kicks". No, to her this will put herself on the line, a test of her ideals and skill that will mean life or death. It is a serious matter of trying to "find herself" in a sense, while to her the threat of death and such allows her to realize the desire to "feel alive" as well.

Skills: She possesses a natural penchant and talent for eastern martial arts, a thing that not many expect her to have considering her Western origins. Having learned from a master of several eastern martial arts since the ripe age of five, and now being 24 years of age, her skills are masterful and very well trained. She used to tend to practice martial arts moves if stressed, and with her training has gained at least an amount of skill in the art of "breathing and walking" in combat that strengthens her use of magecraft to an extent. This also makes her an "oddity" among Western Magi as well, who do not value such things as martial arts and the art of "breathing and walking".

This aside, she has become a good cook, at least in regards to simple foods such as cooking scrambled eggs and making a sandwich. She tends to avoid making desserts after an incident at the age of 13, where her attempt to make a more complex soufflé on a youthful whim resulted in nearly burning down part of her family's mansion. Still, it is solid cooking for what it is, usually garnished with simple seasonings that bring out the flavor of the food (or are fitted to her occasionally "odd" tastes in condiment on food).

She is relatively more savvy for technology and such than the older members of her family, though with her family's label of being "odd" among magi this is not really a surprise as well.

Abilities: She possesses the dual elemental affinities of "Water" and "Wind", things she has employed in the creation and use of her trademark "Ice Magecraft" whilst learning some spells from each element as a backup. This "ice" magecraft does not originate from a single unique element or some sort of sub-elemental affinity, but rather uses her combination of the "Wind" and "Water" elemental affinities to rapidly form ice and manipulate its structure. It goes without saying that this magecraft can also be applied in "freezing" or "cooling" objects by lowering the temperature of the targeted area and/or targeted object. However, naturally this sort of magecraft is in application abysmal if not useless in areas with little to no humidity nor containing sources of water nearby, such as a desert, though due to Redrock's placement on the coast of the Unites States it is an ideal place for utilizing this special brand of elemental magecraft.

Her secondary "specialization" when it comes to magecraft is actually Reinforcement, a thing she has applied herself to heavily alongside her elemental magecraft and her martial arts training, all to create an "all-rounder" mage of herself. Able to hit hard in close range, and deal with enemies at a distance, one can say that her ability in regards to close combat is high, whilst her non-combat abilities are ultimately just average for a magus overall.

Otherwise, she also possesses the several general skills of an average mage, including: making a basic bounded field that detects enemies, making a geis contract, using basic to moderate healing magecraft to repair her body and heal herself if hurt or poisoned, being able to use basic mental interference magecraft to remove memories from human bystanders who see what they ought not to, and the general skills of making familiars and using Shared Perception to see through their eyes.

Brief Backstory: The Reinholt family were a group of German magi who around the mid to late 1800's moved to America after having lived in Germany for at least two generations, and came to be known as an "odd bunch" that tried to adapt to the changing nature of the world rather than seclude themselves from it as some of the more ancient and long-standing magus families would do. This being noted, the family was well-versed in elemental magecraft, and this is what composes most of their family's Magic Crest. In the early 1900's, they took an interest in the eastern interest of "martial arts", and its applications of "breathing and walking" to magecraft, contracting a few members of a small Japanese family of lesser known magi, who were excellent martial artists, to come over to America and teach them martial arts.

Thus began the history of the Reinholt family and their investment in eastern martial arts and "breathing and walking" alongside their magecraft studies. Since then the family tradition of the Reinholt have caused them to import contracted eastern martial arts masters/magi, simply to teach and mentor the younger members of the family in martial arts and to help them develop good "breathing and walking" skills. Such mentors are housed by the family on their grounds, generally being treated well for their service in return for serving the Reinholt family and teaching their members martial arts.

It is this family that Elizabeth was born into, and grew up in all of her life. Like her siblings and peers in her family, she was trained in martial arts by her own mentor, even taking side lessons with others to help diversify and enhance her skills. On the other hand, her father drilled her and her two siblings in magecraft and the family legacy, hoping that one of his children would be able to rise to one day lead the family itself or at least seize influence from some of the others relatives who lived on the family's grand estate and in their large and spacious mansion.

However, her family possessed some business and magi contacts in the area of Redrock, leading to the new of this "Holy Grail War" finding its way to their estate. After hearing of this conflict, copied from the one conducted in a backwater city in Japan, Elisabeth found herself intrigued by the ritual. After using her family's contacts to acquire information on how to "summon" a "servant" for the war, she found herself preparing for the conflict even more as the day of its beginning grew closer and closer....

On a side note, Elizabeth's own grandmother was the Japanese daughter of one of these "mentors", who happened to bear a strong and notable enough magical pedigree to be married into the family to Elizabeth's grandfather. Such was done to help bind the family's ties to those they hired to teach them, and to avoid the sort of "separation" between them that could result in revolt from their contracts.