Such is what could have been expected to be heard. The standard greeting/confirmation was meaningless to the Berserker class, and no Master of previous Grail Wars had provided records of chatting pleasantly with a Berserker, to say the least.
"What dismal wheeze of a walking stick is this?"
Sleek with muscle and heroic sinew telling of hard-fought conquests and victories, shining with otherworldly power and grace...that was not what Lord Stirner had summoned. As the light of summoning a Heroic Spirit into a Servant container, a miracle in and of itself, faded, there was a somewhat portly gentleman with an 1800s Navy uniform, an umbrella in one hand, a peacock feather tucked into his top hat, and a truly rich set of facial hair.
A mustache brimming with vigor! A beard that spoke of...of... the Servant had already picked up his Master's crutch, and was curiously turning it over in his hands with a frown. Stroking his beard, the man scrutinized the crutch, poking it a few times, then shaking it as if expecting it to suddenly reveal some secret majesty. Then his eyes lit up, the completely mistaken brilliant Emperor's insight cluing him to the- oh no nevermind, he'd snapped it into three pieces. One stayed in each hand, while the third whirled through the air, bonked off the ceiling, and landed on the bed.
...
"Sorry, lad! That was yours, wasn't it? I've gone and broke the silly thing. Not as sturdy as they used to make them, are they? Here!" It was only fair he provide suitable replacement until something more fitting could be used, so the even-minded Emperor didn't hesitate to offer his umbrella, which his Master's sight could probably recognize as linked to his Noble Phantasm. "Oh, yes, proceedings! Servant..." The portly gentleman patted himself down as if trying to remember where he'd put his keys, before his eyes zeroed in on his umbrella, knowing of the sword it concealed. "Saber! Emperor of the United States, Norton the First!" He wasn't trying to deceive his Master, which would be pointless anyway, but since the Emperor was clearly perfectly sane just then as he was in life, he couldn't possibly be Berserker, right? Thus, since he had kind-of-a-sword, that made him Saber! Flawless logic.
It is possible that he had some form of ESP in his life, due to his wholly unorthodox perception of the world. Had he not been humored and embraced by those around him, he would be unfit for civilization, likely committed to an insane asylum (and almost was). Whether he was simply insane or truly able to perceive a world in which he was exactly what he believed himself to be can only be guessed at.
Like his parameters, Norton’s intelligence is enhanced, as is his speed of thought. It also leads to him growing easily bored, however. And as by his very nature he is regardless an absurd legend, he has a strong preference for doing things in as over-the-top or magnanimous ways as possible. All the same, he will prioritize “what is necessary of a proper leader”. His mannerisms are very royal as a result, bombastically so. The only giveaway that he has any madness at all is his insistence that he is the sole emperor of America, albeit he knows better than to blurt out such an obvious indication of his true name. As he has been summoned into 2004, a period very skeptical of his country, he is apparently more cunning and conniving than in life, though he was by no means simple-minded to begin with.
For example, cognizant of the value of hiding his identity and strengths, Norton is entirely willing to act how one might imagine an uncontrollable Berserker to, to catch an enemy off-guard or deceive them. On the other hand, if it is advantageous to not reveal himself as Berserker and leave others guessing about his class, he will do so. He can be quite a con man, and has no hesitation to tell any sort of lie if it would be prudent or self-aggrandizing, with a habit of making rather dubious claims about himself. There is a sense of inferiority to "genuine" legends behind this, as regardless of whether or not he was Emperor, he fully acknowledges that the legendary heroes of folktales he admired as a child are far beyond him. Norton is aware of how absurd he truly is in a Holy Grail War.
History: His history does not deviate from public record, save for the potential that he may have had ESP of some kind rather than being truly insane.
Weapon: Due to Norton always carrying around either a gentleman's umbrella or officer's saber, he has manifested with an umbrella that conceals the sword inside of it. By necessity, it is able to withstand his forceful blows while using it, and can withstand basic attacks equal to his B-rank strength if the umbrella is opened like a shield. It’s rather unwieldy, however, as an item not at all made to the same standard an actual shield would be, and thus it is poorly-suited to melee combat. Additionally, due to the thin material, it will break under the force of many attacks it would otherwise be able to endure (even his own under augmented conditions) when closed.
Parameters: (Include Mad Enhancement)
STR: B CON: C AGI: B MGI: B LCK: A
Class Skills:
Mad Enhancement: EX The compatibility between Emperor Norton and the Berserker class is almost impossibly high, due to the weaknesses of the class instead becoming strength. As a result, Berserker’s rank in this class skill cannot be quantified normally.
The influence of the legend of Emperor Norton I, which converts the Mad Enhancement class skill into an almost transcendent state of insanity, in which the original personality is overwritten by a fantasy worthy of awe. Rather than his intelligence or skills being sealed in exchange for increased parameters, Norton’s intelligence and skills are amplified in addition to his parameters.
One would not be mistaken to say that his unique madness is the core of his legend. All parameters receive a rank-up, in addition to intelligence, which is reflected in the above parameters.
Personal Skills:
Rank: D
A “distorted, feeble imitation” of the skills held by proper Emperors. The Servant qualifies for any pre-set personal condition, without gaining any of the benefits of actually being so. In other words, the ability to “meet any criteria imposed upon the self without basis”.
An example application would be, if an opponent had some means of defense that had a conditional bypass (“only men born of a specific country/household”), Berserker could bypass the defense. Likewise, this can be used to exploit compatibility-based weaknesses of an opponent. “X is a dragon? What good fortune, I am a dragonslayer!” Of course, it does not grant him any suitable skills to carrying out battle against a dragon, nor would it improve his parameters to where such an act could be feasible.
Norton must use this skill intentionally, taking a single action to do so, and with a clear condition/quality in mind. It does not auto-adapt, but for example he could guess-and-check.
Rank: D
A skill born of the sainthood and veneration of Discordianism. The goddess of chaos, Eris, names Norton as her “begotten son” in the Principia Discordia. As this is deliberately nonsensical and yet sincere respect, the unusual nature of this legend has become this skill rather than a Divinity skill. The heroic spirit of Emperor Norton I is revered as an individual of uniquely disruptive nature, which manifests as a conceptual bounded field with an area equal to his own body size.
The body’s prana is permanently aligned with the concept of "discord". This skill imposes the concept of disorder upon both his immediate surroundings and anything stricken. The exact effects vary, but objects unable to withstand the force are invariably pulverized, approaching entropic equilibrium with their surroundings. This generates significant heat as a momentary side effect, though not enough to be a threat in and of itself.
Any released prana is strongly infused with “discord”, and this skill excels in dismantling systems or order, although any sufficiently strong impact would admittedly do the same. Bounded Fields and other tangible results of intricate magecraft are especially vulnerable, though they are more prone to going haywire than being damaged (although the former easily leads to the latter) unless they’re especially flimsy.
Norton's proximity also causes interference with attempts to cast spells. Namely, the act of connecting to a magic foundation is made significantly more difficult, preventing spells from reaching completion. Rather than "Magic Resistance", one could view this as a kind of "Magic Impedance". However, if a spell is successfully cast, this skill has no further effect upon it.
Anything created by a Servant with at least a D in any relevant skill (item creation, runes, magecraft, etc.) will not be destroyed, though can potentially 'go haywire'.
Noble Phantasms are, of course, immune to this skill, not the least because the Emperor’s Mystery is extemely young, though they may be temporarily harder to use due to the imposed disorder, thus requiring more mana to either use regardless or purge the contaminating disorder. Even this effect, however, is immediately nullified by releasing a Noble Phantasm’s true name.
In general, the more complicated a system, the more vulnerable. This ability is one the Emperor views as contradicting his desire to establish order, but the Emperor knows such upheaval is necessary. Besides, most of the time, this just means that he causes collateral damage on par with average Berserkers!
“Creating infrastructure jobs stimulates the local economy, do not be concerned.”
Noble Phantasm(s):
Rank: C NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1 Maximum Targets: 1-(Upper limit depends on the Master's ability to provide enough prana)
Emperor Norton I’s legend was fostered not only by Norton himself, but those around him, and those who admired his unique madness ever after. Had the citizens not so embraced the self-proclaimed emperor, it is unlikely he would have even become a Heroic Spirit in the first place. This Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of that same “other half” to his legend.
“Those around Norton accepted him and gave him gifts and tributes, and his presence was welcomed in all of the city’s finest establishments. His legend rose from the kindness of those around him.”
As a Servant, this record has become a function of Norton’s very being: That which is given to Norton serves his legend.
If something is willfully given to Norton, it becomes something he can use, part of his existence as a Servant.
A deceptively simple function, and at first not very useful for combat with other Servants. It does not empower things given to him, unlike the easy comparison to make to Knight of Owner. However, once something has been gifted to him, it is permanently part of him as a Servant, and just like equipment of other Servants, can be materialized or dematerialized at his discretion.
As a side effect, this Noble Phantasm also bestows “the ability to use” whatever has been given to him, in cases where complexity or skill becomes a factor, and can even substitute for a low-ranking Riding skill.
However, the true utility of this Noble Phantasm depends on Norton’s allies, enemies, and circumstances, just as in his legend. It is very fitting for an Emperor to play politics, no?
Rank: B NP Type: Anti-Unit (Self) Range: N/A Maximum Targets: N/A
A "conversion" style NP that rejects his 'emperor' persona in favor of the meager, meaningless lack-of-legend truth behind Norton I. Norton gains a large set of armor fashioned out of his ill-fated boat, wearing the very icon and source of his ignominy. Rather than a vessel, the Berserker class converts this into worn armor. It releases "hope-destroying rice" as a vapor of microscopic granules, essentially generating a fog that ranks-down Luck of those around him, due to attacking the very foundation of the idea of "denying one's miserable fate”.
Using this permanently seals his Imperial Decree skill and other "emperor" traits/skills from further usage, and any benefits of Imperial Decree are immediately lost. Anything taken in by Kindly Alms is also incorporated into the armor, though he cannot accumulate more. The ship was originally a merchant vessel, thus it absorbing the Kindly Alms, but if weaponry has been made useable by Kindly Alms, it will be equipped as well. The size of the ship-armor can potentially increase if Kindly Alms has accumulated enough mass, such as if the Emperor is given a vehicle. Unlike before with Kindly Alms, the stored gifts have been integrated into this Noble Phantasm, and equal his own parameters.
The armor grants his STR, CON, and AGI parameters a further-rank up, and cannot be removed. As incorporated items are raised to match his parameters, they do not further influence them. The mana consumption of the servant rises significantly, and even more so if items of large mass or mana needs of their own are involved.
With this Noble Phantasm, Emperor Norton becomes unable to accrue new advantages, but by patiently accumulating enough before using it, they can be fully utilized all at once. However, he is loathe to use this Noble Phantasm, and will avoid doing so if possible, justifying it to himself as "a better opportunity might come later". This view is similar to a gamer hoarding valuable, one-use items.
