Player 2

Fate/Empty Providence

okay I'm back from deadline hell

Momus/Fable 13

Fable 13: World Deception Protocol
The Boy Who Cried Wolf / Momus

Class: Assassin

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

History: Who knows, who knows. The creation of a magus filled with hubris, who saw language and rationality - or rather, the misuse of such, as a means to reach a goal of his, maybe?

A boy born with a supreme ability to make his false words reality, perhaps. An ability which was punished by the World itself.

A minor Divine Spirit, gifted with the sight to see the flaws in everything the gods created, who then turned the ability on the World, using it to make flawless falsities. So many choices, so many choices! It could be one, all three, maybe just two. Maybe one and a half? Maybe something entirely different! Who knows, who knows.

Ah, well, his essence was captured by one man. A strange, ugly man who had a penchant for stories...

Personality: A mischievous youth with an adventurous streak, who seemingly fits right in with the modern times despite coming from antiquity. He cares very little for 'ideals' or 'wishes', he merely wishes to complete a story, and so the Grail War offers him the stage to do so.

Attribute: Earth

Place of Origin: Greece

Armaments: -

Likes: Day to day life, attention, sheep (they’re cute)

Dislikes: Being ignored, careless authors

Talents: Everything, clearly!

Natural enemy: Beast

Image color: Murky rainbow, every color passed through an unfortunate filter

Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: E
Mana: E
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: EX

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment: -
Assassin lacks the Presence Concealment Class Skill, being completely inept at concealing his presence.

Personal Skills:

Divinity: E-
Confusion of ideas has resulted in this skill being attributed to Assassin at a low rank. Although Fable 13 is distinctly the Boy Who Cried Wolf, he has also shares traits with the former Divine Spirit Momus, a being of critique, satire and comedy. It is unknown if this is because the Boy Who Cried Wolf was Momus, or if their shared and notable existence within the Aesopica itself has resulted in them being fused. Essentially a non-skill, at this point.

Unfortunate Fate of the Jester: A+
A skill shared among the fools of history, regarded lowly for their ways of buffoonery and comedy (intentional or otherwise), seen as incompetent and harmless beings. Oft underestimated, and rightly so, they nonetheless have a demanding presence. While attention grabbing, their perceived harmlessness means that they, in a way, are paid no mind.

Assassin is deeply steeped in these ideas, making him a particularly bright presence even among Servants. Regarded as having an intrinsic affinity with the ideas of comedy and entertainment, his presence cannot be concealed in the slightest. However, his presence still deceives even the instincts of the most battle-hardened individuals, and the clairvoyance of the highest of minds. Assassin’s attacks are not regarded as such by the relevant skills, ‘flying under the radar’ as it were in terms of intent. A deadly blow is no different from any other of Assassin’s acts, treated as entirely neutral by the relevant skills - and maybe even friendly, if the target is entirely lacking in instinct or clairvoyance. At this rank, it is paramount to a deception of fate.

In short, despite there being an awareness of Assassin, there is no awareness of his intent or attacks, beyond that he is a fool and not to be taken seriously. So long as it does not immediately induce death, Assassin may pass off one attack in a foolish manner to those being deceived by this skill, however if a second attempt is made, Assassin’s harmful nature becomes known to the target. In the event of this event being relayed to another Master/Servant, it will not break the effect if it has not already been broken by Assassin’s own efforts.

Nature of the Critic: A+
The ability for one to identify the faults in things. Generally held at lower ranks with generally very little use outside of outwitting an enemy, at its highest rank it becomes more of a Burden of the Body, allowing one to perceive faults in all things, from objects to thoughts, movements and techniques to abilities.

The Divine Spirit Momus was a being of critique and satire, the ability to critique infused into his very being, capable of criticizing gods and their creations alike with a depressing (if nitpicking) truth to his words, to the extent that Momus was cast out of Olympus for his nature. This manifests in Fable 13, a being which is either the amalgamation of the Boy Who Cried Wolf and Momus, or Momus - the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Confused Presence: B+
The identity of this Servant is an uncertainty, the air around them muddled and almost discordian in nature. True Name, Noble Phantasms and Skills cannot be discerned through most methods. In Assassin’s case, it may show an outright falsity when probed, such as the acquisition of the “Chinese Martial Arts” skill, or differing parameters.

Noble Phantasms:

_{Αἴσωπος}
Aesopica
Three Grand Lies, One Supreme Beast
Type: Anti-World, Anti-Humanity
Rank: EX
Range: -
Targets: -

Fable 13 may tell three ‘lies’ which become an accepted truth to the World around him. There is a limit on this (evidently false lies, such as ‘I am king of the universe’ will fall apart simply due to the passive scrutiny present within human rationality), but certain lies are distinctly difficult to dispel once told, considered self-fulfilling once they are in effect. The lie ‘I have the highest parameters in this Grail War’ becomes a truth with no way to be disproven due to it being the case, even with the revelation of Fable 13’s identity. The halfway point between this is a lie which is treated as true until evidence to the contrary has been found. For example, the lie ‘I am Sir Lancelot of the Round Table’ will be treated as true, either until Fable 13 has been identified as not being Sir Lancelot or if someone who knew Sir Lancelot is present to dispel the falsity. Even in the case of a lie claiming to be a different Servant, he cannot acquire their Noble Phantasm, but does acquire everything else about them - from their ‘True Name’, to their skills and parameters.

After the third lie, the Anti-Humanity function of Aesopica comes into effect. Fable 13’s third lie triggers the emergence of a ‘Beast’, a creature of the Counter Force manifested seemingly to punish him for his supremely World altering lies, going beyond the realm of illusion and deception into actuality. The Beast is not inherently linked to Fable 13’s existence, and may remain even after his death to ‘clean up’ the surrounding area.

In the possible event of a lie being used in an attempt to negate the ultimate result of Fable 13’s Noble Phantasm, be it in the form of something like ‘I will not die after my third wish’, or ‘I will not summon the Beast’, he will become the Beast of his own punishment, his existence both melded with and overridden by it, in order to fulfill the lie and the truth simultaneously.

Saisei: The Crimson Dawn

Matsudaira Kiri

Matsudaira Kiri

“In through the nose... out through the mouth. Nice and calm. Repeat, until serene. Try it!”

---

---

---

---

NAME

Matsudaira Kiri

ALIAS

'Beast'

GENDER

Female

AGE

12

ORIGIN

Konohagakure

RANK

Genin

---

---

---

---

APPEARANCE

A relatively tall girl at around 5'1, Kiri could easily be confused for a boy were it not for her low, messy twintails and her feminine voice. Her eyes are a cold blue and distinctly intense in contrast to the rather pleasant and relaxed expression her face rests with. Despite her kind expression and soft features, her body is a defined and trained thing, a result of many hours of intense physical exercise. It’s not hard to imagine her filling out with more muscle in the coming years, but as it is she merely looks stronger than her average classmate.

Kiri tends to dress in rather traditional martial clothing, from her baggy and ill-fitting blue dougi to her hand wraps and sarashi. Strangely enough, her hands have already started to develop callouses, and she has a few scars on her palm and knuckles. It cannot be said that she isn't a hard worker, and her body reflects that perfectly.

PERSONALITY & MOTIVATIONS

If there was one word to sum up Kiri, it would be ‘charitable’. Undoubtedly a result of her upbringing, Kiri seems to have a philanthropic streak, not only in a monetary sense but in the spiritual and mental senses too. While no genius, she is the sort to go out of her way to help a struggling classmate, encouraging them to do their best. While not rich, she will give coinage to the struggling—and so on. It would not be unfair to call her a peaceful idealist.

But how does becoming a ninja, a literal soldier, fit into the worldview of one who could be called a peaceful idealist? In short, Kiri is not a pacifist. She is a strong believer in self-defence on all levels, from the personal to the national. Naturally, she takes issue with being the initiator of a conflict, but has no qualms with an equal response to an initiation. She desires to protect Konohagakure and the Land of Fire, her beautiful home, from those who would see it sullied. She is her mother's daughter in that sense, if willing to be more proactive to reach that end.

Beyond that, she seems driven by a desire to escape the trappings of her family and the role which is expected of her, to branch out from the family tree and explore the world and meet a certain individual with the opportunities offered to her by the ninja lifestyle.

CLAN HISTORY

The Matsudaira are not a family of ninja, but a shrine family. Their charge is a purely spiritual one, acting as religious guides and intermediaries for the people of Konoha. In a sense they are analogous to ‘shamans’, performing cleansing rites and other rituals which are viewed to be vital towards the more mundane spiritual elements of the culture. Notably, the family structure tends towards the matriarchal, priestesses having more weight behind them than the priests. In order to defend their temple, be it petty thieves or something more dire, members of the Matsudaira family are trained in use of the daikyu and naginata from a young age. Although they are untraditional weapons in the history of ninjutsu-based warfare, they offer a slight benefit to those untrained in the ways of ninja and samurai if used proficiently, giving them the ability to 'pick off' individuals and keep a safe distance. Although civilians, the Matsudaira are tough civilians.

It is not entirely unheard of for members of the Matsudaira clan to leave and become members of some other institution, but the small family generally sticks to their role of priests and priestesses. In fact, it is considered odd by the nation at large when a Matsudaira leaves their clan’s role to take up another given the long and dedicated history of their family towards spiritual matters. They rarely interact with the ninja side of Konohagakure outside of occasionally hiring genin teams to assist them with mundane and everyday matters, and have a more of a more noteworthy presence in civilian life. Any recent, extensive interaction with military matters have not ended well for the Matsudaira.

Aiga Matsudaira, the previous matriarch of the family before the current, was a known element in the world as a rather outspoken advocate for a peaceful resolution between the warring nations, but she ultimately met her end on the Day of Fallen Leaves as an unfortunate casualty— or potentially as an intended target. Likely as a result, the eldest son of the current Matsudaira family members, Saga Matsudaira, left Konoha for his own reasons. The second eldest, Iri Matsudaira, took up the role of matriarch of the clan with her grandfather assisting her, and the youngest abandoned her duties as a shrine priestess to begin training as a ninja.

PERSONAL HISTORY

Kiri’s family life was tense. Interactions between her older siblings, father and grandparents always seemed to have an air of discomfort which she could never quite ignore. Not long after Kiri’s birth, the Matsudaira lost a beloved member of their family— they lost Kiri’s mother. In a sense, she was the then-lynchpin for the family, the point they could all agree that they loved without condition. Without her, there was noone to mitigate the disapproval of Kiri’s grandparents towards her older brother, or for someone to break up the disagreements between her older sister and her father. It all combined to make a very terse setting for a family dinner.

She was raised in relative comfort, and without much conflict, but the absence of her mother and the climate of the Matsudaira household chafed Kiri. She attended to her role as a priestess-in-training, learned what was expected of her, all without as much of a peep of discontent from her mouth, but the feeling was there, brooding away.

The event which triggered these feelings of discontent to surface was the self-imposed exile of her older brother, abandoning his family due to the exact same feelings held by Kiri. While Kiri was far too young to remember her mother, her older brother remembered their mother well. Without her around, he picked up the proverbial slack in looking after Kiri, firmly securing his place as the ‘cool brother’ in her eyes. The one who had provided her relief from the monotony of her education was gone, and suddenly the world seemed that much more uncomfortable to Kiri.

She wanted to leave.

The desire to become a ninja was rather sudden, but it was the obvious path to take in order to escape the Matsudaira household and stretch her legs. Not only would she become stronger—and not meet the same fate as her mother, who could not defend herself despite preaching for peace— but there was also the chance that such a life would allow her to find her brother once more.

Upon entering the academy, it was obvious that Kiri was not from a ninja stock. Her control was less than adequate, and her natural chakra reserves were nothing to brag about, but within her was a drive and a desire to learn which compensated for those failings of hers. One step away from being considered a dead-last or an underachiever, Kiri redeemed herself from such a label through beating enough of her classmates during sparring sessions. Instead, she was considered something of a 'beast', only good for punching and kicking but not for the more refined elements of being a ninja, like ninjutsu. Such an idea hardly phased Kiri, despite the negative denotations, and she instead took it as a sort of compliment to her abilities. Nonetheless, she is still genin material.

INFLUENCE & RELATIONS

Within the village, Kiri is considered the stray daughter of the Matsudaira clan. This isn't necessarily a negative thing, but it definitely isn't a positive thing either. This does not impact on how she is treated, and is more of an afterthought when regarding her. If anything, the worst thing to come from it would be the association with her brother, the one who ran away from his duties at the Shrine and the Land of Fire as a whole.

Among her family, Kiri is regarded as a young upstart. Even her older sister, Iri, wishes for her to put aside her desire to become a ninja and focus instead on her role as a soon-to-be Shrine Priestess, even though she was the one who approved her entering the academy as the current clan head. Conversations with her father and grandparents are few and far between, as she avoids them on her own initiative, believing that they would have very little to say to her beyond their desire to see her 'return', as it were. Her father and grandfather, Furuta and Kitajo Matsudaira, are something of a pair of dour traditionalists, hardened by years of seeing people go off to war to see them not return, only for the war to then come to Konohagakure and take Aiga from them at the very end. Their desire to see Kiri remain with her family is entirely justified, but she remains adamant on her choice, something which has soured relations between Kiri and the eldest members of her family. They don't want to see her meet the same fate as her mother, but she fails to see it as they do.

In the Academy, Kiri has earned the nickname 'Beast' due to her near-savantish focus on Taijutsu and her below-average scoring in other areas. She's not necessarily unpopular, but she is not highly regarded either. Still, she offers what help she can to those who desire it.

Family

Mother † - Aiga Matsudaira(42), both a reputable priestess and a known, outspoken advocate for peace. Killed by Iwa forces on the Day of Fallen Leaves.

Father - Furuta Matsudaira (45), married into the family from a civilian family. A stoic historian and a dabbling martial artist. Disapproves of his youngest daughter's choice to become a ninja.

Grandmother † - Inoue, Matsudaira (81), more of a warrior than a priestess. While not a samurai or a ninja, she could handle herself in a fight better than most. Was responsible for Kiri and Iri's education up until her natural death in the summer of CE 107.

Grandfather - Kitajo, Matsudaira (85), not too dissimilar from his son-in-law, Kitajo is even more of a scholar than Furuta. Because of his late wife's more hot-headed nature, he tended to be the one to handle the more official side of running a temple. A long term planner, and fiscally intelligent, enough so to ensure the Matsudaira family was comfortable with what money it had.

Brother - Daigo, Matsudaira (20), the prodigal son. Influence from his father resulted him taking to martial arts from a young age, focusing more on that than his potential duties to the temple. By the time he left the Matsudaira household for good, he was on the cusp of becoming a world-class fighter in his own right. Cared deeply for his siblings. Location and status currently unknown.

Sister - Iri, Matsudaira (17), the current head of the Matsudaira family. Where Kiri and Daigo picked up elements from around the entirety of their family, Iri is most certainly her mother's daughter. A kind and considerate soul, she is not fond of conflict and does what she can to steer individuals away from it. Disapproves of her sister's choice to become a ninja, but it accepting of it.

Peers

Namikaze Fukushu: The distant Namikaze has Kiri's respect, complete and absolutely. While the term 'friends' is certainly not in consideration, Kiri admires the raw amount of dedication Fukushu has put into her education, from her ninjutsu capabilities (which greatly outshines Kiri's own) to the physical. Although Kiri has no idea why the young Namikaze is the way she is—not that she would dare ask— she'll gladly spar with her, and smiling all the while. If she's able to help her classmate push her boundaries, all the while improving herself, then the reason is unimportant to Kiri, so long as they can both reach their respective heights.

---

---

---

---

CHAKRA NATURE

Lightning

SPECIAL TRAITS

Hakkyokuken, the 8 Extremities Fist: A fledgling style of Kiri’s own design, Hakkyokuken’s basis comes from the lessons of her brother, academy taijutsu and her education in naginata techniques. The idea behind Hakkyokuken, as put forward by Kiri, is to hit where you would be afraid to be hit, and with a force you would wish to avoid. While still a ‘work in progress’, Kiri believes that regions like the legs, neck and thorax are the most effective areas to strike. She is of the belief that the practice of this style will be additionally beneficial against non-taijutsu specialists due to the absence of a comprehensive guarding technique taught to students at the academy. The development of Hakkyokuken is a long-term project for Kiri, and she intends for it to be her legacy to give to the ninja world. To the end of using this form of combat, Kiri has trained her body into a powerful weapon with room to grow further.

FOCUS & SKILLS

Kiri has a rather blatant leaning towards taijutsu to a near exclusive extent. This is not because she is incapable of ninjutsu, but that she lacks an obvious talent for it like a child from an actual ninja family would. She is perfectly mediocre (if leaning towards below average) when it comes to her academy jutsu, but puts in enough effort to make herself passable. However, her physical ability was worth mentioning among her classmates. She took to academy taijutsu well enough to the point where she progressed beyond it, adapting more complex techniques and stances into her fighting style. Her affinity for taijutsu is a result of her brother’s influence, a not unskilled martial artist in his own right. One of her fondest memories is that of her brother first taking her aside and teaching her how to throw a good punch, one she thinks back to as 'the good times'. It cannot be said that Kiri is a taijutsu genius, not a natural one at the least, but rather she is a monster of effort, putting far more into her craft comparative to the rest of her studies.

On a slightly related note, if academy students were graded on their abilities with a daikyu, Kiri could have been considered a prodigy.

EQUIPMENT & INVENTORY

Being less than exceptional in terms of chakra and ninjutsu, Kiri compensates with this by being rather savvy and on the ball when it comes to making use of the standard array of ninja equipment. Her aim with kunai and shuriken is decent, and her ability to make a plan of attack with them is not half-bad either. Beyond the standard ninja equipment, Kiri is something of a prodigy with a daikyu, having near supernatural aim and ability with one, but this is something which will rarely ever be seen due to the nature of being a ninja.

On top of this, she is quite exceptional with spears and glaives. Both the daikyu and the spear were a subject of her initial training in the Matsudaira, essentially taught to pull a bowstring at the same time she learned to walk. Although unlikely to actively be seen, the skills she learned from her initial training have helped her in the creation of her own budding martial style.

JUTSU

S Rank

N/A

A Rank

N/A

B Rank

C Rank

Flying Tetsuzanko
River Crushes Stone

D Rank

Charging Step Technique
Kagura Flip-Crescent Slam
Stone Divides River

E Rank

Academy Techniques

CUSTOM JUTSU

Charging Step Technique

Name

Charging Step Technique

Rank

D-Rank

Range

Medium

Description

When first conceptualizing Hakkyokuken, Kiri encountered the problem of range. In an actual fight, it wasn’t inconceivable for her to simply be outranged and punished for it, so in order to resolve that she began working on the first ‘complex’ movement of Hakkyokuken, the Charging Step.

At the core of Hakkyokuken is the idea of explosive force transferred through striking points, and the Charging Step is no different. Through the balls of her feet, Kiri expels enough force to send her almost gliding forward, closing the gap between her and an opponent at a distance. There is the obvious problem of it being a one directional movement, and therefore predictable, but speed of the movement is nothing to scoffed at. For those at the level of genin, the movement would be observable, but the problem comes with reacting to the movement in a timely manner. It is the simplest expression of Hakkyokuken’s base idea, and a display of how it could grow in the future. The immediate drawback of using this technique is the amount of strain it puts on Kiri's legs. As she currently is, utilizing abilities which require strength of such degree are bound to take their toll, at least until her body has grown to accommodate such a thing.

Flying Tetsuzanko

Name

Flying Tetsuzanko

Rank

C-Rank

Range

Medium

Description

The tetsuzanko is a rather basic movement in Hakkyokuken, in which force is applied through a turning step into a charge-lean, directing the force through the back of the shoulder. The Flying Tetsuzanko is the same in principle, there being no difference in the fundamental movement, but it is done through the Charging Step Technique, increasing the force- and therefore the force expelled- behind the technique. To those unable to dodge the Charging Step-Tetsuzanko combination, they should expect a blow strong enough to blow through the doors of a temple gate. Its weakness is inherently linked with the Charging Step Technique, given that it is built off of it. Smashing into something with so much force is, much like the initial movement of the Charging Step, bound to take its toll if used without a degree consideration.

Kagura Flip-Crescent Slam

Name

Kagura Flip-Crescent Slam

Rank

D-Rank

Range

Short

Description

Kiri shoots into the air, doing a rapid flip forward to position her descent just above her opponent. When she is in range, she grips what she can (usually the shoulders) and performs another flip with them in her grip, swinging them with her and then slamming them into the ground, upper-back first. Naturally, this taijutsu technique has a not inconsiderable amount of setup, and relies on it not being done in isolation in order to pull of it. If done in isolation, it can be avoided or countered off by a mindful opponent.

Stone Divides Surging River

Name

Stone Divides Surging River

Rank

D-Rank

Range

Short

Description

A defensive taijutsu technique. While by no means a perfect defense, it is effective at enabling the user to block or parrying a single attack, even if it may result in the user still being harmed to some degree. Kiri covers up her openings in this brief defensive stance, allowing her to move and respond to an oncoming attack. This response is not absolute physical protection, especially from overwhelming ninjutsu or certain weapons and excessive physical force, but it does contribute to mitigating the damage of such. Taking swords as an example, she may 'parry' the blade, but she could still receive a cut. None the less, it is a decent attempt at a defensive technique by a beginner.

River Crushes Stone

Name

River Crushes Stone

Rank

C-Rank

Range

Short

Description

In the event of the blocked or parried blow being close range, Kiri can respond to Stone Divides Surging River with River Crushes Stone. She reaches out, gripping the front of her opponent, and drags them into a fierce palm strike to their thorax. The strike is intended to be done with enough force to do serious damage to the sternum, and send the opponent reeling backwards. While a highly situation based technique, once an attack has been blocked by Stone Divides Surging River, the setup for River Crushes Stone is essentially a minimal effort. The potential lethality of River Crushes Stone is reflected in its rank, riding the line between a simple martial technique and a straight up assassination technique. The conceptual idea behind it, according to Kiri, is that of a bow being loosed, and the arrow hitting true. It is her current 'trumpcard', largely untested but unseen by most.

Fate/Empty Providence

Lancer Nimrod

"Forgiven. You could hardly prepare for the circumstances, I understand." Nimrod took steps over the map, appraising with a hand on his chin. The Throne had imparted unto him knowledge of the times, but only in 'vague terms' as it were. No extreme details, just enough of an idea to function. It was one thing to have the information implanted, and it was another to actually experience. The city of the contest was large, by his standards - very much so. Still, he understood enough to know that this Fuyuki area was not necessarily all that big compared to the major cities of the region.

A grin split across his face, eyes taking on a dangerous quality. For a moment, he had the image one would expect of a tyrant - but only for a moment. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." The Tyrant threw his head back, letting out a cackle, his body shaking with it. Clearly there was something very amusing to Nimrod, but all he had seen was a map. Strange. He moved off to garb himself in the aforementioned quilts, throwing them over himself with seamless movements, tying them off into some sort of ad-hoc toga. "Indeed, let us take in the scenery. I wish to see with my own eyes what the people have done with the time. Fighting can wait for a night - tonight, we plant our roots."

Nimrod moved past Ernest, clapping him on the shoulder as he did so. He returned to the map, at least until Earnest was ready to move or bring up another matter. There was a whole new city to take in, after all. He had a picture in his head - it initially jumped to the idea of a 'city' from his original time, a far cry from what he was looking at on the map. It was difficult to really compare the two things, and even now he was having problems grasping how far city-building had come comparatively.

It was shaping up to be a good time.

"I look forward to working with you, Ernest."

And he did. The stick of a man had his head on straight. His interest in the grail was... minimal, but having the opportunity to explore a civilization so far from his own image of it was more than worth it. So long as they played their cards right, he could maximize his time on the planet, and he could get his glorified cup.

Everyone wins. Other than their enemies. They lose.

---

Master Stirner Cartisius

This was already a terrible mistake.

Stirner reached out to try and stop the Servant from breaking his crutch like a twig, but what is the meager hand of a young lord compared to a Berserker. His crutch broke, leaving him with only one. Aah. He had them specially made for him, light weight but sturdy, carrying just enough weight to give him a firm foundation when he moved.

Now a pair missing one half.

How do you even begin to respond to that? Stirner's expectations were not exactly high - they never have been - but this was... not how it was supposed to go. None the less, he took the unmbrella as it was handed out to him, trying his best to support his weight between the umbrella and the second crutch. Not exactly the most efficient way of doing it, that's for certain. Stirner inhaled, shutting his eyes for a moment as he tried to find his centre.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

"Servant...-" He hesitated, considering the Berserker's words. 'Saber' he had called himself, despite his summoning having clearly specified otherwise. Had he failed something as basic as recitation? "- Saber. Servant Saber." He repeated with a bit more certainty, if a bit put on. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emperor Norton." Stirner smiled, a weak looking thing which was in line with the rest of his appearance. A legless magus, young enough to be Norton's grandson if they went by mental ages.

"I'm Stirner Cartisius. I'll be your Master for this war, if that's alright." He spoke with a polite, gentle tone, his smile beginning to betray some nervousness. None the less, he was here. "Are... you certain you are of the Saber class? I mean no disrespect, it is just unexpected."

A delusion created through his status as Berserker, maybe. Maybe it was a delusion created through simply being the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States. "Not that it's a problem if you aren't! Or if you are!" He clarified quickly, lifting his hand from the crutch to wave his hand in a dissuading manner, trying not to offend the Servant.

Not the most forceful of magi, that's for certain.

---

@DrowsyPangolin@Berserk Gene

Fate/Empty Providence

Aight, sorry about that @DrowsyPangolin @Berserk Gene, I was in deadline hell for like 3 days straight. I'll get around to making a post a bit later today.

Fate/Empty Providence

Master Stirner Cartisius

(North Miyama, A Homely Hotel Room)

A purple-clad foot collided with the edge of the hotel room bed as it swung into place, sending a pained shudder through its owner's small body, one of his crutches looking as if it were about to lose balance, only to regain it at the last second. His pale hands gripped onto the leather sealed pouch as he threatened to fall, the powdery grey contents dusting out into the air a little as he did an odd shuffle to refind his footing. Singular.

"Ah... ow."

Lord Cartisius did not have the poise of a Lord. In part because of his absent limb- which could potentially be fixed with something like a puppet leg, something which has yet to happen,- in part because of his personality. Still, he was a growing and competent magus in his own right despite that, and it was that fact he hoped to use to see himself through the war. He had questions, ones which he had not found answers to back home in Europe, not with the friends of his family nor the Professors at the Clocktower. There was a void in knowledge, one which he needed to fill.

The (Supposedly) Omnipotent Wish-granting Device could provide him with the means to fill that void of knowledge. A simple request for knowledge would undoubtedly be easy for something which is presented as omnipotent. If only he thought it to be so easy; there were two 'Holy Grail Wars' prior to the one he was participating in, and the result of these seemed to not yield and notable result - not that he would be able to tell immediately, given the nature of omnipotence - but there would be a record of something, somewhere. Stirner Cartisius did not believe the Grail could grant him his wish, and as such his goal was twofold, to make this hopeful venture more 'worth it' in his eyes.

He did not desire power, or to change the world. He just wanted to know if the system set up by the families actually worked as intended. If he survived to the end, and indeed got to observe the results of his own wish, he would make note of it. He had left quite the trail of his own research into the void of knowledge, so the sudden influx of knowledge would indeed be evidence of sorts for the Grail System.

The research of his mother was largely an enigma to most, even the 'allies' of their family and those she spent time under in her youth. All he had to go off of was the result of her experiments, her and his leg vanishing, along with the room she was conducting the experiment in. Spacial transport maybe? Different worlds? It wasn't out of the realms of possibility, but recreating it in any safe manner had not yielded any good results, or even a result at all.

Stirner frowned as his thoughts dwelled on the failure of his mother. It had made life... harder, to say the least. It was a great shame for the life's work of a magus to backfire as violently as it had on his mother, and for it to also damage her heir in the process was nothing short of an idiotic oversight - hubris. Where the Cartisius family was generally viewed in a favorable light by the community at large, there was something of a funny stain on them now.

He hated thinking about life in such a way. Being a political animal, moving as if alliances and fake friendships were the way of the world, but it was expected of him as the head of his family. He wanted a life of researched above all else, the joy of turning the pages of a new academic piece was among the highest for him. Talking about such matters, the exchange of ideas, came second. Formulating new ideas from the collision of individual truths and findings came third.

To be a magus was not that. Sometimes it could be, but the rest of the time it was like dancing on a knifes edge, and his mother had slipped and cut him in the process.

Stirner leaned on his left crutch, allowing the second to become a bit loose under his right arm as he reached into the pouch. On the floor before him was the summoning circle he had been working on for some time - the difficulty in setting it up was mostly a result of how hard it was to move around the hotel room without messing it up. The final touches, marble dust.

At the center of the circle was a simple piece of faded, old paper. On it was a handwritten proclamation by a particularly eccentric fellow from the 1800s. It... was something of a phone in vector through which to summon a Servant, the only thing he could readily afford with what money his family had. He actually found it on one of the 'website' things, one where people bid as if they were at an auction house, only thousands of miles away from one another. There were no other bidders, despite the pieces claims of authenticity and import to a character who called himself an Emperor.

Stirner knew all too well that such claims were dubious and a tad ridiculous, and he may have been better off simply letting the System decide on a Servant for him, but that would not do. That made the matter a random variable, one he had no control over. However, like this he could do something. He could alter a line, and in full knowledge know that his Servant will be altered.

Maybe the Servant in question was mad in life, and he counted on it. Hopefully he would lend himself to the class which would be good for the both of them. He would not be summoning a great legend like King Arthur, Herakles or Houyi, but a man of folklore. In a way it was appropriate for his status, as he was no great family head, not a great name at the Clocktower. He was just a boy.

And so the boy spoke. He spoke the incantation which was tradition among the participants of the War, and he spoke the altering words - the words of the Berserker. Light filled the small, two bed room, the blue-tint of the summoning magics overriding the lighting of the bulbs and momentarily blinding the one-legged magus, his crutch falling to the ground as he covered his eyes, teeth grit in uncertainty. While he doubted himself and his purpose in being in Japan, he knew one thing;

The next two weeks would be dangerous.

He could only hope to be as dangerous as the war required him to be.

---

Lancer Nimrod

The King once again allowed silence to rest between them, an intentional move, a subtle test of character. Indeed, Ernest had done himself a service by first reffering to him as the King of Babylonia, and showing acceptable levels of respect. Enough to forgive him his summoning, and enough to allow him something to ease his spirits. Although in his haste to summon an entity worth its salt, he had foolishly failed to specify a class, he none the less was happy with the form he was given.

"Pleasantries can be disposed between a King and their friend when in private, Ernest. These puppets hardly seem to count as actual life," He inclined his head to the kneeling thralls. "You have a disposition not dissimilar from my closest advisor and friend in ages past. Terah called me Nimr. You may call me the same. Not Nee-murh, that is a failure of the tongue. Nimr, roll of the tongue, purr like a cat - as it only appropriate for the word 'Panther'." He took on a calm, relaxed tone as he spoke, rolling his shoulders with an experimental intent, looking down at his bare body. He was stark naked, nothing covered on his sculpted body. It was not too surprising for him to be summoned in such a way. He snorted in amusement at his own lack of clothing, finding some sort of humor in it.

"You have summoned me as the Lancer. At your command, I can be garbed in that which grants me authority over beasts. At your command, I can call upon my greatest weapon. Naturally, I need not listen, but consider this an offering of good faith, 'Master'! Tell me our first course of action, and I shall listen. How often I listen shall be based on the merit of your ideas - and I will be kind enough to offer my own advice to you. For example, I appear to be in need of clothes." He gesutred down to his body, smirking all the while. He was proud of his form, and he made no effort to hide it from the sickly man. "May I recommend what is considered the 'finest' in this era? Nothing gaudy, mind you."

He was one of those Servants. The truly unwieldy ones with an immense amount of self-determination. Such was not ideal to some, but to others it could be a great benefit - even if they do not realize it. A Servant capable of putting up a fight against the will of their Master forced different perspectives to be considered, but as to if those perspectives were helpful would be a different matter.

Hopefully Nimrod would be the helpful sort.

---

@DrowsyPangolin @Berserk Gene

Fate/Empty Providence

Lancer Nimrod

(Eastern Fuyuki, Near the Foreigner's Cemetery)

---

A magus. How droll.

The first thoughts of the Babylonian king in this iteration of his self were not impressed ones. The tall man stretched a hand out as the aftermath of the ritual began to fade, clenching a powerful fist experimentally, his limb shuddering from the amount of pressure he was putting into it. He was youthful, summoned at a time prior to his greater ambitions, when he was the Hunter before anything else. He drew his hand back, bringing his gaze down to the summoner. It was a picture of contrast; where the summoner was a poor postured lanky, sickly pale thing with inky hair, the Servant he had summoned was a giant among men, his body filled out with muscle. He was by no means a hulk of a man, more akin to a perfectly sculpted statue of Ares or Zeus, his skin a dark coloration. His hair, a short and spiky mess, was silver in coloration, and his eyes a cold blue not too dissimilar from the summoners.

He tilted his head back with a slight cant off to the side, eyes still peering down at the magus. A silver brow raised, curious, a self-assured and cocky grin on his youthful features. There was a process to these things, something which was meant to be said in response to the summoning. He refused. He would conduct negotiations as he desired, and no tradition of finger-licking book savants could stop him from doing that. He allowed a silence to rule between them, uncomfortable and uncertain, before breaking it with his own version of a Servant's greeting.

"You moved very intentionally, trickster. Your choice of words were offensive, to say the very least. Were I not intrigued by your intent, your fate would have been less than pleasant," The King's hand moved to his waist, taking up a very relaxed pose despite the threat - or rather promise - behind his words. His tone too reflected it, a sort of lackadaisical disinterest, as if he was obliged to say such things to the magus. He appeared somewhat amused, even. "None the less. I respect the audacity to think you were deserving enough to summon I. As such, I conditionally accept the terms of this contract.

"I ask of you, are you my 'Master'?"

Nimrod, King of Babylonia, the Hunter Against God, had been summoned. He had very little interest in the perceived farce about to take place, but what did intrigue him was the very different world he now found himself in. A world where his vision was realized. Surely, being able to experience it for two weeks was nothing short of a wondrous occasion.

---

@DrowsyPangolin

Fate/Empty Providence

I'm awaiting for a Caster and Berserker to be posted before I make my choice, feels a bit odd to not have full class representation when considering.

Fate/Empty Providence

And there's a Master and a Lancer.

Fate/Empty Providence

Master: Stirner Cartisius

Name/Title: Lord Stirner Cartisius

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Personality:
Stirner is not a boy cut out for leading a family, not yet at least. His resolve towards his goal and research cannot be questioned, but his uncertain mannerisms make for an easy target for more assertive and power-of-personality magi. Indeed, his lack of a forceful personality and politeness make him come across as a weak individual, which he could definitely be viewed as on some levels, but his confidence in his ability to research and develop his magecraft is certain. While not matching up on that level, he has the makings of a practically sound magus, one who could possibly rise to the upper echelons of the world of magi in the years to come.

Biography:
A scion of the Cartisius family, Stirner's early childhood was spent indulging in the academic literature of the world of magecraft, expected to have a very wide pool of knowledge to draw upon by the time he came of age. At age twelve, he became his mother's research assistant, beginning his foray into the study of the creation of Mystic Limbs and the mysteries of unique Mystic Eyes. Hubris on the part of his mother lead to the young Stirner losing his lower left leg, the result of her attempt to practically apply her research into something which would 'emulate a miracle on the level of Magic'. It ultimately lead to his mother vanishing, along with his lower-leg and the section of the estate they were located in, with him being all that was left in the perfectly formed crater which followed. Oddly enough, the rest of his leg still 'exists', although where it exists is currently unknown.

Crippled but not restless, and now the acting head of his family, Stirner threw himself into his studies at the Clocktower and at home. The foolish death of his mother left a mark on the once stainless Cartisius family name, and with the dawning of this Holy Grail War, he seeks to find answers to what happened on the night she vanished, and maybe even complete he research as to clear both her name and that of his family.

Family History:
Mystic Limb specialists with a specialization-dash-fixation on the eyes. Although an old and somewhat reputable family within the association, they tend towards being more academic scholars within the Association rather than practical magi. It is not unheard of for more reputable families to employ members of the Cartisius family as research assistants, keeping them at an arm’s length from the results of their research but employing their breadth of knowledge in many fields to contribute towards it.

The first to start this tradition - and the first notable member of the Cartisus family - was Meinong Cartisius, who acted as a research assistant to the Wizard Marshall in the seventeenth century. What exactly he did under the Kaleidoscope is unknown, even to his family line. A Mystic Code known as ‘Meinong’s Machete’ is passed down from heir to heir.

Origin: Vector

Elemental Affinity: Water

Number of Magic Circuits: C

Quality of Magic Circuits: A

Od: B

Magecraft:
Sorcery Trait - Mystic Eyes of Enchantment:
Artificial Mystic Eyes passed down through the Cartisius family. At a base level, Mystic Eyes of Enchantment are not too powerful, as well as being relatively common within the world of magecraft. However, Stirner’s own eyes are significantly more powerful than the ones he was initially inherited due to modifications made on them over the years. A particular inspiration for his work was the Peerless Puppeteer and her ‘flawless’ Mystic Eyes of the same type.

With only his own knowledge to work off of, his attempt to recreate her own method was by no means as effective, the second set of Mystic Eyes within his primary set being ‘unsustainable’, and only usable in brief moments to create extremely powerful delusions, as opposed to indefinite powerful delusions. While his recreation could be considered a failure, he did managed to create something of an upgrade in his own rendition of the enhancement, making the second set of Mystic Eyes within the primary set a ‘rotating’ pair, the eyes refracting off into broader directions. As a result, Stirner does not necessarily need to be making direct eye contact with someone in order to put them under the effects of his brief powerful enchantments, but their eyes merely need to be facing within his field of vision. It is a relatively minor improvement, but it is one nonetheless.

Mystic Hand of Freezing:
Stirner's right hand has a freezing spell programmed into it. Upon activation and contact, Stirner reduces whatever he touches to freezing temperature from the point of contact. On top of this, it has a function of minor hydrokinesis in order to launch shards of ice like bullets.

Mystic Limb Creation:
The specialization of the Cartisius family, the ability to fuse magecraft with the physical body. Mystic Limbs are essentially auto-cast spells. If one were to have an auto-cast ability through their eyes, that would be considered Mystic Eyes, and so on. Stirner used his knowledge in this area to modify his Mystic Eyes of Enchantment to be more powerful, and to create his Mystic Hand of Freezing.

Equipment:
Mystic Code - Meinong’s Machete:
A one-handed blade which deals extreme amounts of additional damage to the Fairy elementals. It is dangerous to elementals in general, but to faeries it chops through them like a vine. Supposedly created during Meinong’s time under the the Kaleidoscope. One can only imagine why it was made.

Various sets of clothes:
Duh.

Wheelchair:
Due to lacking everything beneath his left knee, Stirner requires a wheelchair. It is a sturdy thing, made to take one hell of a beating. No speedwheels, however.

Crutches:
When he needs to be a little bit more mobile.

Funds:
Enough to see him through the Grail War period and then some.

Reagents:
A selection of knicks and knacks to see him through some formalcraft before needing to see what he can get from the local area.

Skills:
Speed Reading:
Stirner is capable of reading through a large amount of information while retaining said information at a quick pace.

Wheelchair Trickz:
He’s pretty good at getting around on that wheelchair of his.

Eidetic Memory:
Linked to his ability to speed read, Stirner is capable of recalling high-fidelity images from his memory despite very few or very little exposure to the information in question.

Servant: Lancer 1

Name: Nimrod

Class: Lancer

Gender: Male

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Personality: The hunter-tyrant of legend first comes across as a rather light hearted sort with a seemingly short fuse, growing agitated at relatively small things (being addressed improperly, poor pronunciation and perceived ‘dirty’ dialects of language being among these things), and a haughty imperious attitude to top it all off. That is just first appearances, however, and they are rarely all that accurate despite being influential.

Nimrod’s calm self-assuredness hides a quiet cunning and an attentive gaze behind relaxed eyes, constantly considering his next move as any good hunter should. Once his intelligence is displayed, it is easy to see how he was a king despite his less than ‘good’ nature, undoubtedly making a great leader of men so long as there was an external threat, to which there always was one in his eyes. His smug, self-centered and near enough uncaring attitude would make for a poor statesmen among his own people.

It’s a wonder how a man known as The Ultimate Rebel managed to become a king, an ultimate authority, and establish his rule over all of Babylonia and beyond - or better yet, why he would wish to become one, but his reasoning is relatively simple if twisted:

He sought to inspire rebellion in his people, to make them test the system they lived within, and ultimately surpass him. In the eyes of Nimrod, the spirit of man had the potential to surpass even that of Him, and it could only become great by destroying the systems which shackled them. The selfish man is the powerful man, and all the men of Shinar had to become selfish in order to cast their idolatry tyrant away.

Although a grumpy sort at times, he lightens up at the prospect of engaging in conversation with others of kingly disposition - or fighting them. What’s a fight but a conversation with pain?

It is no surprise that he attempted to spit into the heavens with the Tower of Babel. He's kind of a douche.

History: Build that tower. Feel the power. The Nimrod Workout.

Weapon: Golden hunting spear, hands

Parameters:

STR: B

CON: B

AGI: B

MGI: C

LCK: D

Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: E
The ability of one to protect themselves from spells. Nimrod had nothing which naturally improved his defenses against spells, nor any feats to add to the rank, but due to the era he comes from he takes somewhat reduced damage from magical effects.

Personal Skills:
Independent Action: A
The ability for a servant to remain independent of their master’s magical energy. At A rank, Nimrod can remain manifested for up to a week without a master, although he would require assistance to make use of Babylonia.

A result of his claiming a throne which likely should not of been his, and defiance in the face of His glory, Nimrod is a truly independent being who inspires this same independence in those around him.

Idol of Rebellion: B
The manifestation of Nimrod as a ‘false-god of disobedience’. It is a skill that allows the owners to defy even the most certain of fates.

A lifetime of defying the absolute has made Nimrod something of an anomaly. Sure-hit or sure-kill effects do not quite function as they should on Nimrod, with luck checks being undoubtedly skewed in his favor. If no luck check is required on a sure-hit or sure-kill ability, he forces one. Only those with A rank divinity can circumvent this self-made blessing with their abilities.

Blood of Utnapishtim: C
A skill granted to the relatives of the truly immortal man who resides in the home of the gods. Their beings are infused with restorative properties, reducing the amount of time it takes for them to heal from wounds greatly, and at higher ranks increasing their CON.

His rank in this skill is somewhat low due to being the great-grandson of Utnapishtim, resulting in thinner blood relation. At C rank, Nimrod’s Material Body and Spiritual Core can recover from damage at an accelerated rate when out of combat.

Hider

Noble Phantasms
אוֹר כֻּתֹּ֫נֶת
Name: Owr Kathoneth

Title: Sinful Garments of First Man

Rank: C

NP Type: Barrier

Range: -

Maximum Number of Targets: 1

Description: The clothes which God gave to Adam to cover up his body, passed down through the line of Noah. Armor noble phantasm which increases his magic resist rank by two. An initially purely defensive noble phantasm in the hands of its original wearers which could protect from even the most absolute forms of harm, the version which Nimrod wears is aged and sullied by his sin, lowering its rank and defensive values. It none the less serves as a clear indicator of his lineage, and causes anything with the nature of a “Beast” to kneel to him, for he is the Hunter Against God.

]בָּבֶל
Name: Babylonia
לנפץ תרבות, שעבוד המגדירה האנושות
Title: Shatter Civilization, the Servitude Which Defines Man

Rank: A

NP Type: Anti-Unit

Range: 2-40

Maximum Number of Targets: 1

Description: Nimrod was considered the most powerful man on the planet at one time, and it was not because of his ability to hunt animals. No, it was how he hunted humans which earned him the right to be called such. Babylonia, the kingdom which spanned Mesopotamia, was his tool for hunting humanity, a manmade societal structure dedicated to ensuring that all were subservient to him, or else. However, he was also ultimately responsible for the shattering of this empire through his ambitions, building the tower of Babel and ultimately dividing humanity with language barriers, and in turn destroying the human civilization he had crafted. It is the form of a golden spear in which these ideas are sublimated, the perfect tool for the Hunter Against God.

When Babylonia comes into contact with objects which originate from human knowledge meaning based on human understanding, the understanding of that erodes at a frighteningly quick pace. The put it into more philosophical terms, the ‘referent’ of a word with human understanding, such as ‘sword’ or ‘foundation’ will be burned away because there is a ‘meaning’ attached to the ‘referent’ within the human understanding.

Servants are not immune to being affected by this weapon. When used on the body of a Servant, Babylonia attacks the existence of that Servant. Each blow from Babylonia makes it more difficult for a Servant to remain, as if the World itself were trying to reject their being there.

Fate/Empty Providence

yes.........