Parallel Hearts

Fate/Abyss

Fate/Abyss

The Holy Grail War.

A ritual in which mages from all walks of life vie for the right of acquiring the Holy Grail, the all-powerful wish-granting device. Those selected to participate in the ritual are called Masters. They summon and, with the help of the Command Spells which assert their rights as Masters, fight alongside powerful figures of legend and lore of the past, Heroic Spirits from the Throne of Heroes given flesh once more under the name of Servants.

Its creators are believed to have perished, or retreated to the shadows, following a string of terrible misfortune, leaving behind a ritual whose true purpose isn't known to any. Even so, the ritual of the Holy Grail War is still held once every century or so. The staging grounds for the war being nowhere other than the city of Tokyo, Japan, the heart of the land where the ritual was created.

Now, in the winter of 1995, mages from all around the world have been selected as the new Masters. It's time for the Holy Grail War to be held once more.

Setting

Welcome to the Holy Grail War.

I believe there's not that much to speak about Fate's premise, especially since all you need to know is already included in the intro, so let me explain what this story will be about.

Simply put, it's a (supposedly) regular Holy Grail War happening in Tokyo. Whether or not everything is as it seems to be, is a mystery yet to be seen. Because everything is following the most basic principles of the franchise, I won't make any other extensive explanations. Anyone looking at this should have an idea of what to expect.

Rules

Putting that aside, here are some basic rules concerning what can and cannot be done.

General

- The basics: be nice, keep discussions to a minimum, respect the Guild's rules, etc.
- I'll not make much requests when it comes to post length, but please try to use your best judgement. Don't write anything that's either too long or too small for any given situation. However, try to keep the quality as high as you can.
- Likewise, I won't impose a strict time limit for posts. But I'll also not allow this story to stall for the lack of posting on anyone's part. After about three days with no posts and no news from whoever is in need of posting, any hanging scenes will be moved forward, with the appropriate consequences taking place. Usually this means that the character who ghosted will simply go back to their workshop/base of operations, but that may change depending on the situation they were in before the player went MIA.

Servants

- Only the seven classic Servant classes, plus Shielder are available to be summoned. In other words, this will be a Holy Grail War between 8 Master/Servant teams.
- Servants that are too powerful to be fun to fight against are going to be banned. At the moment, this list is comprised of Gilgamesh alone. Anyone else can be fought and defeated under the correct circumstances but not him.
- Furthermore, people who are still living (except for Merlin), those who were born after the turn of the 20th century, pseudo Servants, those who do not exist in the Greater History of Mankind, and Galahad (because he's a douchebag who never answers summonings) can't be summoned as well.

Masters

- For the time being, there are no special rules concerning Masters.

Character Sheets

Masters

• Name\Title: Your character's name. You can also include any titles, pseudonyms, etc, that they may have here.
• Appearance: Your character's appearance. Either an image (no real people images/photos, please), (short) text description, or both would be alright.
• Short Bio/Synopsis: As the prompt says, keep this short. Think of that like the description of a character that you read on the back cover of a book. If you can't do this under a limit of two paragraphs, I'll ask you to trim it down until it fits.
• Magecraft: Any important details relating to your character's magecraft skills. This can include, but isn't limited to their family crest (if they have any), their magecraft foundation, any signature spells, sorcery traits (especially Mystic Eyes, if they have any), and a general overview of how good a mage they are.
• Mystic Codes: A wizard's tools. Make a mention of any important mystic codes your character may have with them, as well as their main functions. Generally speaking, no sane mage would leave for a Holy Grail War (or leave home at all) without bringing a few tools with themselves, so keep this in mind while building a character.
• Misc/Other/Trivia: Anything else not covered by the sections above that you may judge to be relevant (like an unhealthy obsession, an important secret, a very strong goal, their personal ethos, etc). Please keep this section short as well. Preferably have this in bullet point format, if there's any information to add.
• Special Boon: Every mage should have an "Ace in the Hole" that they can deploy to instantly turn the tables of a situation or give themselves an great advantage before the war even begins. In way, these boons are analogous to a Servant's Noble Phantasm (in terms of storytelling relevance) so keep that in mind when deciding what to pick and when to make use of them.

Here's a list with examples of boons that you may pick, or you can ask about something else that you may be interested into:

• Superior Magical Skills: for example, being a mage from a noble lineage within the Association, with power and prestige to match your name, or being a mage that comes from an unusually strong/exceptional bloodline/a freak mutation granting you access to a magical power humans are normally unable to have. This can include things like having a Reality Marble, a superior familiar that can't be reproduced by modern magecraft, a spell who borders on the realm of True Magic, etc.
• Superior Mystic Code: Similar to the above, but concerning Mystic Codes. Those could be anything from Jewels capable of releasing A Rank spells with a single action, to a nearly complete Philosopher's Stone, to even an unassigned Noble Phantasm that still remained in the World after its original owner passed on.
• Superior Sorcery Trait: Again, like the above, but for thing like high grade Mystic Eyes, and freakish bloodline abilities, rather than spells or Mystic Codes.
• Dead Apostle of Renown: Exactly what it says on the tin. While anyone can be a random Dead Apostle with no powers or skills worth mentioning, with this trait, you can be one that's significant enough to make a name for yourself in the mystical world. This doesn't mean DAA levels of power of course, so don't go too overboard if you pick this. Also keep in mind that the Church won't offer any protection and will in fact actively antagonize any known Dead Apostles involved in the Holy Grail War.
• Executor/Knight of the Holy Church: Again, exactly what it says on the tin. Anyone can be a member of the Holy Church, but you are a member of one of the many special branches that compose it the Church's active arms. Keep in mind that this means that you'll have automatic ties with the Church, but also not be subject to asking for protection from the Association's representatives.
• Superior Servant: With this boon, your Master is allowed to summon a Servant from the partially banned list (i.e.: Gilgamesh and co), or a Servant that would have strong Staging Grounds bonus while being strong themselves (e.g.: George Washington and most of the other big name American heroes). Of course, to make better use of this trait, you'd have to reach an agreement with someone else looking forward to play one of these characters.

Servants:

• Class: Your character's class. Only the Seven basic classes are available normally. However, a Mage with the Superior Servant boon can Summon an Extra Class Servant from any canon Class other than Ruler, Beast, and Moon Cancer. If you wish to play one of those, try to make an agreement with someone else.
• Name\Title: Your character's name. You can also include any titles, pseudonyms, etc, that they may have here.
• Appearance: Your character's appearance. Either an image (no real people images/photos, please), (short) text description, or both would be alright.
• Short Bio/Synopsis: As the prompt says, keep this short. Think of that like the description of a character that you read on the back cover of a book. If you can't do this under a limit of two paragraphs, I'll ask you to trim it down until it fits. You can omit this for a canon Servant, instead giving a link to their description in the wiki, if you so wish.
• Stats: Your ranks in STR, END, AGI, MAN, LCK, and NP. They can range from E to A (very rarely EX), as normally, and have any modifiers you judge necessary, as long their triggers are logical and everything is explained within reason.
• Class Skill: Your character's Class Skills, the ranking system follows the same instructions a above.
• Personal Skills: Limit of 3 for OC Servants unless a really good explanation is made. The instructions on rank are the same as above.
• Noble Phantasm: Limit of 1 to non-Rider OC Servants and 3 for Rider OCs, unless you have a very strong case on your side I'm very much unlikely to let you break this rule.
  
  
  
  • Name/Tile: The name and title (flowery kanji name) of the Noble Phantasm
  • Rank: Follow the same rank rules as above once again.
  • Type: Anti Unit, Anti Army, Anti Fortress, etc. Think well before choosing this.
  • Range: The typical format is something like 1 - 99, but there are others that could apply on specific circumstances like 0 or -. Use your best judgement to determine this but don't overthink it too much.
  • Maximum Number of Targets: How many people can your NP hit at once. This is very self-explanatory, but the biggest number possible should be around 1000 people. More than this is rather unnecessary.
  • Description: What your Noble Phantasm is, what it does, and how it looks. Keep this as concise as possible as well. For example, you are not obliged to, but if your Noble Phantasm has a really long list of effects, consider listing them in a bullet point format for clarity, and brevity's, sake.
• Misc/Other/Trivia: Anything else not covered by the sections above that you may judge to be relevant (like an unhealthy obsession, an important secret, a very strong goal, their personal ethos, etc). Please keep this section short as well. Preferably have this in bullet point format, if there's any information to add.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"Hahaha! Yes, that's more like it, show us what you are made of, Berserker!" Kriemhild said before bursting out in a fit of crazed laughter. Whether it was to kill, or capture, going after a prey that wouldn't fight back was not enjoyable at all. Seeing Lancer pay the price for his insolent barking was just icing on the cake. However, it seems like the mad dog—the one that was their ally—was still enjoying this battle. If that's what he wants, then so be it, Kriemhild didn't care either way. If nothing else, Lancer thinking that she was doing this for the same reasons as him would probably make him less obnoxious to stand around in the future.

"Beware, Lancer, if you let your mouth do the talking instead of your blade..." Caster snapped her fingers, producing another Rune which made a wall of roots and brambles to burst from the ground, shielding Rosa and herself from the spray of concrete shards, "... you might end up having to eat a mouthful of dirt," she said before weaving her hand, causing the same brambles that protected them to shoot towards Berserker, trying to skewer her like a hail of many enchanted rune spears.

"Also, don't worry about it, Child. You have amused me so far, letting you perish would be too much of a waste," she finally said, answering Rosa's plea. "You can hold on tighter if you want more comfort, or enjoy the confrontation. Our enemy doesn't seem to have any form of resistance to magecraft, maybe even your spells could harm her, if you are willing to give it a try. There's no need for a Master to be passive while their Servants do all the job, is there?"

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

I'm posting to inform you all that my next post will come sometime this week, as soon as possible.

Also, if you need anything from me, like an explanation of Kriemhild's action or anything like this, it would be easier to just send a message over here since I keep forgetting to check the Discord regularly.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"This isn't half as useful as I thought it would be. If she won't defend herself even after an attack like that, it'll be impossible to judge anything other than the information we have at the moment," Kriemhild said as she maneuvered her mount away from Berserker. She expected a much more forceful reaction. Being met with something less threatening than the mewling of a newborn kitten was a massive disappointment.

"Very well, I was waiting to make use of this later, but you leave me no choice," she said to herself before extending a pointed finger towards the rageless Berserker. "Consider this an honor, child. You'll be bear witness to Lord Wotan's true wisdom, the real power of his Primordial Runes," Kriemhild said to the Master clinging to her as she drew another rune in the air with a swipe of her fingertip.

As soon as she finished, the atmosphere rumbled with power. Contrary to the traditional runes and staves she had been using until now, this was legitimate Magecraft from the Age of the Gods, a power strong enough that only the best of the mage killer Servants would have any hope of shrugging off its effects. The secret she invoked came from the rune of Thurs, the God of Thunder, son of Wotan, a warrior whose rage had no limits and, the effect she imposed on Berserker was just that: the mad rage of the God of Thunder. A blind and bloody rage of the greatest of all Berserkers.

"Go, nameless Berserker. Let us see what what you can do when you are at your peak. Let me judge if your strength is worth adding to our cause," Kriemhild said, again to herself, as she filled Berserker's heart with a rage that only she could extinguish.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Hi there.

I just want to make sure that you don't think that I've dropped this. I'm waiting until something happens to post. That is, if this will move forward at all.

Anyway, just let me know of any status change and I'll try to do the same.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"It seems that my joke didn't come through the way I intended it to. How strange, back in our days, Siegfried would always laugh and compliment my sense of humor whenever I tried to lighten the mood," Caster said after Rosa's reply. The way she spoke, however, left some doubts about whether it was she who lost her sense of humor or if Siegfried was the one indulging her back then.

Regardless of the truth involving Kriemhild's past love life, the following developments regarding the mysterious Servant that shambled towards Lancer made her raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "A Berserker whose raging heart have been stolen by one of the world's most renowned thieves, huh? That's certainly an intriguing situation," she said, thinking out loud.

"Very well, then, I'll do as you say. Even though I'm not certain whether or not I can directly support Lancer after his insults to the Runes. Nevertheless, I do have a request. If this Berserker had her willpower truly stolen, it's very likely that I should be able to tamper even further with it and add her might to our numbers. So, command Lancer to not kill her if possible. Incapacitating an enemy who won't fight back to her utmost shouldn't be too much for a warrior of his skill, I believe," Caster said as she stroke the side of her mount moving away from Lancer.

To say the truth, she was only being courteous and indulging the others' interests at this moment. Disabling Berserker in a non-lethal manner would have been child's play for her but doing so before the others had their fill would be disappointing in more ways than one. In fact, instead of being worried about Berserker, Caster was more interested in seeing how Lancer and Archer would behave in a fight.

"With that said, I shall provide an opening for you. Try to exploit it to the best of your ability, Lancer," she said as she slashed her finger across the air, drawing a single rune...

"Isaz."

She called forth the rune of ice, summoning forth the cold winds of the North. The swept by the park, no doubt reminding Rosa of the cold back in Chaldea, before congregating around Berserker, flash freezing her in a huge pillar of ice as blue as the heart of a glacier. Even if the cold didn't hurt her and paralyze, the frostbite would slow her down and make reactions sluggish.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"While I agree that eliminating our enemies as soon as we get the chance is the best course of action. There's no way to be sure about who is friend or foe in a situation like this until we get a hold of the bigger picture," Kriemhild said once Rosa pointed that it would be much easier to dispose of the wandering Servant as soon as possible. It wasn't a bad plan on principle, but if they killed a potential ally this would place them at a disadvantage later.

"That said, I'll not let this be a lost opportunity. This shall be enough. None in Midgard escapes the gazing eye of Lord Wotan," she said as she drew two runes in the air. The first of which was a curse of avoidance, to conceal their presence momentarily, making it harder if not impossible for the Mysterious Servant to realize she had been targeted with a spell (if she was even capable of thinking that far ahead to begin with). And the second one being Odin's mark, a curse of finding, so that Kriemhild could find the other Servant whenever she needed to. Affecting others with Runes at long range may be hard for modern mages, but it was a simple task if one were to make use of Odin's Primordial Runes which rivaled the power of any mage from the Age of the Gods.

"Now that this is taken care of. If that is of your accord, let us continue. Otherwise, please dictate our next course of action," Caster said to Rosa. "Oh, and feel free to hold tighter if you need. I may look like a doll to you but I'm not going to break."

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"I take it that you have never rode a horse, right? Worry not, no harm will come to you as long as you do not let go," Kriemhild said to Rosa as the busty woman embraced her waist as if her life depended on it. In a certain way, it felt entertaining to behold Rosa's struggle. However, they didn't have time to spend with pleasantries right now.

"Tell me if you need support to keep up, Archer. Contrary to Lancer, I believe I'll have no problems in bestowing the power of the Runes upon you," she said to Archer before they departed. Keeping up with a mount for a extended period of time was bound to be tiring even to a Servant of his constitution after all. But that would be easily fixable with runes of endurance and fleetness of foot.

The sight of Lancer's crude behavior as they moved forward forced an exasperated sigh out of Kriemhild.

"You would do well to control your Servant. That kind of behavior will not only get himself but us into trouble as well," she said to Rosa as they followed the trail of her runes, which diverged slightly off the path Lancer was following but not enough for them to take a completely different direction yet.

To make sure that they didn't lose sight of the runaway fool in front of them, Kriemhild produced a pair of flying dragon tooth warriors and ordered them to keep track of Lancer from the skies.

When Lancer came across the mysterious Red Knight who casually walked into buildings and other obstructions while staring at everything with a vacant thousand-yard stare, Kriemhild slowed down looking for a safer approach, or perhaps a way to avoid contact with the unknown variable at all.

"Tell Lancer to not do anything stupid. The last thing we need is to get ourselves in a battle that might be avoidable," she said to Rosa as they observed the unknown Servant from around 50 meters away, which Kriemhild judged to be a safe distance.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"Then we shall head north, that's the direction most of the "roots" are converging to. I imagine we mustn't be far away from at least one of the other Masters," Kriemhild said after both the Director and the Doctor explained the situation to Rosa.

"It'll benefit us if we do not delay our departure. There's no telling when we can run into more troublesome opposition, after all," she remarked as she mounted on the horse and extended her hand to Rosa. "We'll much faster if we can move at a proper pace for us Servants," she said, making her intentions evident.

While she waited for the Master's decision, Kriemhild touched her right gauntlet, drawing another symbol on it. This one was more complex in both shape and meaning than conventional runes. In fact, it was another of the gifts coming from Odin's knowledge, a magical staff. Vegvisir, intended to help one find their way through a perilous journey, be it by land or sea, even when the way isn't know, as well as granting luck and good health to their bearer.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis (F/GO)

Kriemhild

"I agree with your suggestion," Caster said after Archer made his suggestion known.

"In that case I'll—" before she could finish saying anything else, Lancer said something that made her sigh inwardly.

"I wouldn't refer to the Runes with such crass language if I were you. Lord Wotan is known to take offense at lesser insults, speaking ill of his most treasured possession is a certain way to get yourself smitten," she warned Lancer as she got back to her feet and tapped her staff on the ground, summoning a dark horse wearing an aggressive-looking, equally dark armor.

"Nevertheless, while your Master deals with the Chaldean staff, I shall begin the search. I suppose that we can walk while we talk, right?" Kriemhild said as she drew two runes in the air.

Ansuz, and Berkano, the runes of Odin and Birch, the first of which is an amplifier to the effect of the other runes, channelling the wisdom of Lord Wotan to assist the caster and the second, the rune of search spreading its branches like the pioneer birch.

Her objective was naturally to find any of the Chaldean Masters.