Sanctum/Apotheosis Discussion
Jul 1, 2017 13:43:26 GMT -5
Post by Zen on Jul 1, 2017 13:43:26 GMT -5
What's your name?: Kirin Oshiro (http://i.imgur.com/SfuFxMn.jpg)
What do you do?: Cody Lazarus' partner and assistant. Also a highly ranking member of the Mage's Association by virtue of him being the patriarch of the house of Oshiro, one of the three most significant families across the world.
What's your age?: 20
What are you good at?: Elemental magic, knowledge of advanced magecraft, keeping calm and collected under pressure
What gives you trouble?: Chronic nightmares and a dry sense of humor
Where are you coming from?: Kirin was a powerful Mage serving the Spade Faction in the Final Divided War. In secret, he wasn't an actual master-that title went to his assistant, Riza Miles, master of the Archer of Spades. Upon catching wind of the true nature of the Sanctum Wars, a plot by the mage's association to retain control over the sanctum keys, he and his assistant defected to the Club side and aided their victory. However, in the waning moments of the war, Archer was possessed by his father Isa Oshiro, and Riza was killed. Isa was shortly brought to justice and the sanctum keys were destroyed, but there was no bringing her back.
Where are you going?: Kirin is now the fiancé of Hera, who was once the master of the Rider of Clubs. Though they will be wed in a few short months, he also acts as the assistant to Cody Lazarus, the former leader of the Club Faction, who now had a whole host of enemies. Kirin seems to live a stable life for the first time, but at night he still has visions of Riza in his dreams. She is suffering.
What's your name?: Logan Aldenheiz
What do you do?: Head scientist and researcher of the 'Collective Arcane and Alchemy Research Groups', CAARG.
What's your age?: 47
What are you good at?: Due to insufficient magic circuits, Logan has considerably high aptitude at 'fake magic', otherwise codeworded as 'Alchemy' by CAARG. He specializes in flat shields and ballistic blasts for combat spells. Logan is also capable of floating/hovering spells, as well as spell processes capable of cutting any physical bonding of atoms, although only at hand reach.
"Alchemy" is a highly calculated and manipulated version of normal magic, which requires little to no active magic circuit for the spell processes to be completed. Only recently discovered, it's discovery sparked the founding of CAARG, who's members are mostly non-magic users.
What gives you trouble?: Clinical depression, developed over the years, means Logan has little to no interest nor drive. This, combined with his natural pessimism, makings finding the 'good' in offers and deals difficult, as well as making critical planning in combat situations difficult, despite his high intellect. Clouding of the user's mental state, such as emotions and alcohol intoxication, renders Alchemy unusable, as it demands a very high cognitive thought and power.
Where are you coming from?: Originally a son of two successful mages, he had spent three years in magical training, his parents hoping the'd inherit the best of their magic genes. Halfway through the third year, Logan was found to have fault magic circuits, unable to use more than the most basic of spells, anything more powerful causing a painful backfire. Disappointed in their child, the parents sent him to live in a dorm, outside of the magus world, and continued on with the next two decades of his life, attempting to live like a normal non-magic citizen.
However, magic wasn't the only thing Logan found himself useless at. Most craft Logan attempted to practice, he found himself below average, failing at any skill or hobby, and never found a talent he was natural at. Years of this, along with the rejection from his family, left Logan in a horrible mental state, causing him to attempt to go back to his roots, and return to magical research. It wasn't long after this until a colleague in the community magic research Logan went to, noticed his desperation. It was this colleague that told Logan about 'Alchemy', immediately catching his interest. Together, the two spent the next two years researching the subject together, before their work was noticed, and the two confronted by two wealthy researchers, who both seemed to have an unnaturally keen interest in Alchemy. Logan and his colleague were invited to join a then small research team, funded by a shrewd and unknown source.
The research group, with the four men leading, grow and grew, forming the 'Collective Arcane and Alchemy Research Groups', as many teams were assigned to experiment and improve each separate process of achieving 'Alchemy'. Despite being forced to remain low profile, and unable to publish it's achievements, to keep their funding source covered and hidden from the mage's association, CAARG continued to remain successful, and Logan being one of the leading users of Alchemy application.
Where are you going?: Continue with CAARG research, only mildly interested in the Sanctum War he was seemingly chosen to partake in. Countermeasures for an attack by another contender aren't entirely neglected, however.
What's your name?:
Max. Just Max.
What do they call you?: The 22nd Freeshooter.
What class are you?: Archer.
What's your age?: 28
What are your stats?:
Strength: C
Endurance: C
Agility: B
Mana: B
Luck: D+ (Improved from D, when he was under Zamiel's influence)
What's your Noble Phantasm?: A musket that, when he was a servant of the Spade Faction, was uncreatively named "Scharfschützengewehr". He's since then named it Agathe. It is an unremarkable, D-rank noble phantasm that fires bullets charged with mana. They have minor homing capabilities, but will not pursue their targets further if they miss their mark and pass them. It once was a host of seven other noble phantasms, the seven cursed bullets of Zamiel, but Max no longer has access to them.
Although his stats alone aren't anything special and his noble phantasm is little more than a magic musket, Max had proven himself fully capable of tearing his targets to shreds. He may not have many special magical qualities to him, but his weapon carries enough firepower to deal massive damage to a target he's put his sights on. Max is resistant, although not immune to magic attacks and is a skilled hunter and tracker. If things get tough, he can assume a shadowy form and quickly escape. If his master doesn't have a problem spending extra mana, he can use this mid-combat to get into a favorable position. Finally he possesses Independent Action, a skill that allows him to exist in the mortal world indefinitely so long as he isn't killed and doesn't use his noble phantasm excessively. He doesn't have the same issue of quickly finding a master that most of his fellow servants do, and if his master dies he can simply escape and continue to live as he did before making the contract.
Where are you coming from?: A very long time ago, Max was a German marksman who simply wanted to marry the woman he loved, a girl named Agathe. Her father wanted him to prove himself worthy, however. A test of marksmanship was to be held, and her hand would be his only if he performed flawlessly. He was't taking any chances. Max's luck was worsening by the day, and he and his beloved were too far in love to let the consequences scare them. He was approached by a man named Caspar, who introduced him to the demon Zamiel. With Zamiel, Max forged seven magic bullets and won Agathe's hand in marriage, but his soul forever belonged to the demon. He became the 22nd Freeshooter; the 22nd archer who had taken the demon's offer. The 99 Freeshooters were forever bound to the Sanctum Wars, and were some of the deadliest Archer-class servants that were ever summoned. Though other servants were loyal only to their masters, Max answered to no one before Zamiel, who owned his soul for eternity. Max always said, "Agathe was worth it." It's been centuries since they were forever separated, but he's never forgotten her.
Where are you going?: A crack was torn in Zamiel's curse when Sanctum was opened up, and the 99 Freeshooters escaped along with the rest of the servants. Simo Häyhä (A former Assassin of Clubs, the 94th Freeshooter) returned to Finland before watching over the turmoil in eastern Europe. Vasily Zaytsev, the 99th, emerged in Russia and has now become a fearsome rival. Max, meanwhile, wanders the dirty streets of London. The mage's association is based just north of where he is, but he couldn't care less. His loyalty now is only to tobacco and alcohol. Sex sometimes, too. He's quite the charmer, after all.
Name: Gunnar Hamundarson (http://prntscr.com/fnp9y6)
Epithet: Hero of the North
Class: Lancer (Alternate: Archer)
Age: 22
Strength: A
Endurance: B
Agility: A+
Mana: C
Luck: D
Skills:
Magic Resistance (C): As a member of the lancer class, and a man who was knowledgeable of curses and witches in life, Gunnar is capable of canceling most weaker spells, and diminishing the effects of more powerful ones.
Archery (A): Gunnar was known as an incredibly skilled archer, who held off an entire clan with his bow alone, and was only defeated once his bowstring snapped. He can fire arrows and throwing projectiles with pinpoint accuracy.
Charm (B): A skill related to charisma, but accentuated by Gunnar’s incredibly handsome natural appearance, as he was frequently described as the most beautiful man on Earth. This gives him an advantage when it comes to charming people and gaining their favor.
Concealed Attack (C): Throughout his time as a warrior, Gunnar successfully utilized many different types of hidden attacks, always striking from an unexpected angle – for example, he once stabbed an unsuspecting enemy through a crack in the wall after waiting for him to walk into the right position. This skill gives Gunnar an advantage when it comes to moving stealthily and setting up traps to aid in his offense.
Bulwark of the Land (A): Gunnar has an incredible amount of loyalty to the places he frequents. While he initially planned to leave his native Iceland to save his life, he became so moved by its beauty and scale that he decided to stay behind, and defended it heroically. Later, Gunnar made his last stand protecting his house single-handedly against an invading clan. At any point where he is charged with defending a place he has a strong emotional connection to, he becomes exponentially more powerful.
Noble Phantasms:
Atgeir (Anti-Unit, C): Gunnar’s long-bladed halberd, known for the “singing” it made when drawn in anticipation of bloodshed. Atgeir can be pointed directly at an enemy, which will cause the ringing to multiply in volume and effect, stunning the target or rendering them off-balance and interfering with their senses.
Light Hero (Anti-Self, D): Gunnar is considered the prototypical example of an Icelandic “light” hero, one whose loyalty, virtue, and manhood are all exaggerated to the point of cliché, and he has no flaws of character whatsoever. This distinction of being the original “hero cliché” helps mask Gunnar’s true identity from other servants, by presenting him as an embodiment of heroism rather than as an individual.
Background: Gunnar was the greatest of the Icelandic chieftain-warriors, demonstrating incredible athleticism and prodigious skill with both his Atgeir and his bow. His downfall came about after he killed two men from the clan of Gissur the White, despite it having been prophesized that he would die when he killed two men from the same family. Gunnar thought he could escape Iceland altogether and avoid this fate, but as he was about to set sail, he was suddenly overcome with the majestic beauty of his homeland. He changed his mind and returned to his house, knowing that men would already be swarming toward him to seek revenge. Once inside, he stabbed Atgeir through a gap in the wall to kill an enemy scout. The remaining attackers, realizing he was home, charged the building, but Gunnar held them at bay for several hours at a distance with his bow. Finally, after his bowstring broke in a scuffle, Gunnar asked his wife for one of her hairs to replace it. She refused him out of spite, because he had disciplined her previously for stealing food during a famine; Gunnar, unfazed, leapt into hand-to-hand combat with the attackers, where he finally met his end.
Unfortunately, because of the way his property was destroyed upon his death, there were no fitting catalysts left to summon him with; thus, although Gunnar would have liked to participate in a sanctum war as a heroic spirit, it had never come to pass.
Current Goals: Gunnar seeks out a master with a pure and unselfish heart that could assist him in carrying out noble deeds. He is no stranger to chaos, turbulence, and violence; in fact, he relishes this opportunity to face down other great warriors in combat, since he himself was peerless in his time.
What’s your name?: Hera Gregg
What do you do?: She makes sure no one in Cody and Kirin’s group of allies gets killed. Pretty much just keeps an eye on known and suspected enemies. Just in case.
What’s your age?: 20
What are you good at?: Water and Earth Elementals as well as mid to high level shields, also familiar with some ice elementals
What gives you trouble?: cloaking/stealth, mommy issues, haunted by the deaths of last war
Where are coming from?: Hera Gregg was just a rebellious teen with anger issues who loved fast cars. That was until she discovered her father’s secret library filled with tomes and ancient books on different aspects of spell casting. It was here she discovered her talent for magic. About three years later she discovered she had been chosen to participate in the Sanctum War on the Clubs team as the master of Rider. After many battles and seemingly pointless deaths the clubs all destroyed their keys, and the Sanctum War was ended forever.
Where are you going?: Hera is now working with Cody, the leader of the Club faction in the last war, and Kirin, her fiance, to bring knowledge of the magical community to the muggles non-mag normal people of the world. The death she witnessed in the war still lurks in the back of her mind casting a long dark shadow on life, but her upcoming marriage and success as a mage are pushing her forward along with a promise she made to a certain fallen master long ago...
SERVANT:
Your Name: None
Your Title: Grendel's Mother
Frequent Impersonated Titles: Lady of the Lake / She-Wolf / Gefjon
Class: Assassin (frequently impersonates Berserker / Caster)
Apparent age: Variable
"Grendles modor
Ides, aglæcwif."
Assassin is an antagonist in the poem Beowulf, who fought Beowulf after he killed her son Grendel. She had the upperhand until Beowulf killed her with an antique sword. Her appearance and motivations are the subject of scholarly debate, as the text is ambiguous in describing her: subhuman or parahuman, villainous or heroic. This ambiguity, along with her lack of a true name, renders her a powerful Assassin, capable of shifting between phases with different appearances and skills. However, the lack of concrete objects associated with her and the melding of identities makes her difficult to summon, meaning that this is one of her few opportunities to venture into the world. Assassin uses her unique abilities to gain multiple identities as separate Servants of different classes. In direct battle, she is of above-average strength for an Assassin, wielding either a dagger or sharp, monstrous claws.
Her first phase (Aglæcwif) is monstrous, taking the form of a giant troll or she-wolf. In this form, she fights with massive claws and teeth, and can credibly pass for a Berserker-class Servant if necessary. Her second phase (Ides) draws inspiration from valkyries, fertility goddesses such as Gefjon, and warriors, giving her the appearance of a shining woman and access to low-ranked Divinity. This phase fights with a dagger, weak flight or gliding, and water magic. Despite these phases being associated with the concepts of ‘evil’ and ‘good’ respectively, Assassin is truly neither of those things, and simply plays the role of an evil or good Servant in each of her respective forms.
Assassin's goals in this Sanctum War are as nebulous as she is, especially since this is the first time she can remember leaving Sanctum. She has no qualms about preying on civilians or mages for their mana, and will naturally present different faces to different people as a form of information gathering. She can be oddly protective of people she chooses to trust and ally with, and is looking for a purpose for her existence.
Strength: A- (Aglæcwif) / D (Ides)
Endurance: B (Aglæcwif) / C- (Ides)
Agility: D (Aglæcwif) / A- (Ides)
Mana: C- (Aglæcwif) / B (Ides)
Luck: D
Skills:
Presence Concealment (A+): Assassin is able to conceal her presence as a Servant, making her excellent at spying. Preparations to attack weaken the efficiency of this skill but do not entirely eliminate it, making surprise attacks possible.
Ides/Aglæcwif (A): As a result of her ambiguous descriptions in Beowulf: the word Aglæcwif, which has been described as meaning either “monster” or “warrior” and also describes Beowulf himself, and the word Ides, which means a woman, often of high class or even divine status, Assassin is able to shift her appearance, stats, skills, and even apparent identity as a Servant.
Information Erasure (E): Assassin possesses a weak form of the Information Erasure skill that affects the memories that others have of her after the battle. This skill is focused on making it difficult for others to connect Assassin’s two identities, rewriting memories to exaggerate their differences or even have both phases in the same place at one time. This allows Assassin to pretend to be two separate Servants more effectively.
Skills (Aglæcwif Only):
Mad Enhancement (D): In her Aglæcwif phase, Assassin gains a rank-up to Strength and Endurance to allow for more close-quarters combat, at the cost of some of her language skill and ability to carry on complex thoughts for extended periods of time -- fitting for a monster.
Foul Aura (C): In her Aglæcwif phase, Assassin radiates a feeling of evil, causing all others to view her morality in this light. Extended exposure to this aura causes similar ‘evil,’ feral behavior in others.
Skills (Ides Only):
Divinity (C): In her Ides phase, Assassin becomes associated with the fertility goddess Gefjon and valkyries, granting her divine attributes and giving her the appearance of a woman worthy of worship.
Saint of the Waterside (B+): In her Ides phase, due to being known to live in a lake, Assassin gains a stronger association with the element of water. Her strength increases near water, and she possesses hydrokinesis, allowing her to channel mana in the form of water for use in attacks.
Noble Phantasms:
Curse of the Antique Sword (Anti-Unit (Self), C):
Assassin can only use this Noble Phantasm in her Aglæcwif phase. When Beowulf fought Assassin, she was immune to most conventional forms of attack, until Beowulf found a magical antique sword in her lair and was able to kill her with it. This Noble Phantasm manifests as a protective aura that renders Assassin immune to all forms of attack that have already been used against her in this battle, forcing her enemies to adjust and adapt their strategies. However, she gains an increased weakness to new forms of attack, particularly physical attacks with a strong magical basis, like physical Noble Phantasms. This Noble Phantasm is most effective due to its subtlety -- it can be activated quickly and without warning, at which point attacks that previously had an effect will simply glance off Assassin. This Noble Phantasm does not have an extremely high mana cost, but the nature of this incident means that it should only be used when the other option is certain death.
Plough of Zealand (Anti-Army/Anti-World, B):
Some scholars argue that Assassin is none other than the fertility goddess Gefjon, who is famous for creating the island of Zealand by ploughing land out to sea. This Noble Phantasm manifests four golden oxen and a plough. The oxen move forward, creating a massive fissure in the ground, enough to destroy structures and defensive forces. The oxen will continue moving until they reach a source of water such as a lake or ocean, at which point the fissure will fill with water and the displaced land will form an island in the lake. This Noble Phantasm has a high mana cost.
What do you do?: Cody Lazarus' partner and assistant. Also a highly ranking member of the Mage's Association by virtue of him being the patriarch of the house of Oshiro, one of the three most significant families across the world.
What's your age?: 20
What are you good at?: Elemental magic, knowledge of advanced magecraft, keeping calm and collected under pressure
What gives you trouble?: Chronic nightmares and a dry sense of humor
Where are you coming from?: Kirin was a powerful Mage serving the Spade Faction in the Final Divided War. In secret, he wasn't an actual master-that title went to his assistant, Riza Miles, master of the Archer of Spades. Upon catching wind of the true nature of the Sanctum Wars, a plot by the mage's association to retain control over the sanctum keys, he and his assistant defected to the Club side and aided their victory. However, in the waning moments of the war, Archer was possessed by his father Isa Oshiro, and Riza was killed. Isa was shortly brought to justice and the sanctum keys were destroyed, but there was no bringing her back.
Where are you going?: Kirin is now the fiancé of Hera, who was once the master of the Rider of Clubs. Though they will be wed in a few short months, he also acts as the assistant to Cody Lazarus, the former leader of the Club Faction, who now had a whole host of enemies. Kirin seems to live a stable life for the first time, but at night he still has visions of Riza in his dreams. She is suffering.
What's your name?: Logan Aldenheiz
What do you do?: Head scientist and researcher of the 'Collective Arcane and Alchemy Research Groups', CAARG.
What's your age?: 47
What are you good at?: Due to insufficient magic circuits, Logan has considerably high aptitude at 'fake magic', otherwise codeworded as 'Alchemy' by CAARG. He specializes in flat shields and ballistic blasts for combat spells. Logan is also capable of floating/hovering spells, as well as spell processes capable of cutting any physical bonding of atoms, although only at hand reach.
"Alchemy" is a highly calculated and manipulated version of normal magic, which requires little to no active magic circuit for the spell processes to be completed. Only recently discovered, it's discovery sparked the founding of CAARG, who's members are mostly non-magic users.
What gives you trouble?: Clinical depression, developed over the years, means Logan has little to no interest nor drive. This, combined with his natural pessimism, makings finding the 'good' in offers and deals difficult, as well as making critical planning in combat situations difficult, despite his high intellect. Clouding of the user's mental state, such as emotions and alcohol intoxication, renders Alchemy unusable, as it demands a very high cognitive thought and power.
Where are you coming from?: Originally a son of two successful mages, he had spent three years in magical training, his parents hoping the'd inherit the best of their magic genes. Halfway through the third year, Logan was found to have fault magic circuits, unable to use more than the most basic of spells, anything more powerful causing a painful backfire. Disappointed in their child, the parents sent him to live in a dorm, outside of the magus world, and continued on with the next two decades of his life, attempting to live like a normal non-magic citizen.
However, magic wasn't the only thing Logan found himself useless at. Most craft Logan attempted to practice, he found himself below average, failing at any skill or hobby, and never found a talent he was natural at. Years of this, along with the rejection from his family, left Logan in a horrible mental state, causing him to attempt to go back to his roots, and return to magical research. It wasn't long after this until a colleague in the community magic research Logan went to, noticed his desperation. It was this colleague that told Logan about 'Alchemy', immediately catching his interest. Together, the two spent the next two years researching the subject together, before their work was noticed, and the two confronted by two wealthy researchers, who both seemed to have an unnaturally keen interest in Alchemy. Logan and his colleague were invited to join a then small research team, funded by a shrewd and unknown source.
The research group, with the four men leading, grow and grew, forming the 'Collective Arcane and Alchemy Research Groups', as many teams were assigned to experiment and improve each separate process of achieving 'Alchemy'. Despite being forced to remain low profile, and unable to publish it's achievements, to keep their funding source covered and hidden from the mage's association, CAARG continued to remain successful, and Logan being one of the leading users of Alchemy application.
Where are you going?: Continue with CAARG research, only mildly interested in the Sanctum War he was seemingly chosen to partake in. Countermeasures for an attack by another contender aren't entirely neglected, however.
What's your name?:
Max. Just Max.
What do they call you?: The 22nd Freeshooter.
What class are you?: Archer.
What's your age?: 28
What are your stats?:
Strength: C
Endurance: C
Agility: B
Mana: B
Luck: D+ (Improved from D, when he was under Zamiel's influence)
What's your Noble Phantasm?: A musket that, when he was a servant of the Spade Faction, was uncreatively named "Scharfschützengewehr". He's since then named it Agathe. It is an unremarkable, D-rank noble phantasm that fires bullets charged with mana. They have minor homing capabilities, but will not pursue their targets further if they miss their mark and pass them. It once was a host of seven other noble phantasms, the seven cursed bullets of Zamiel, but Max no longer has access to them.
Although his stats alone aren't anything special and his noble phantasm is little more than a magic musket, Max had proven himself fully capable of tearing his targets to shreds. He may not have many special magical qualities to him, but his weapon carries enough firepower to deal massive damage to a target he's put his sights on. Max is resistant, although not immune to magic attacks and is a skilled hunter and tracker. If things get tough, he can assume a shadowy form and quickly escape. If his master doesn't have a problem spending extra mana, he can use this mid-combat to get into a favorable position. Finally he possesses Independent Action, a skill that allows him to exist in the mortal world indefinitely so long as he isn't killed and doesn't use his noble phantasm excessively. He doesn't have the same issue of quickly finding a master that most of his fellow servants do, and if his master dies he can simply escape and continue to live as he did before making the contract.
Where are you coming from?: A very long time ago, Max was a German marksman who simply wanted to marry the woman he loved, a girl named Agathe. Her father wanted him to prove himself worthy, however. A test of marksmanship was to be held, and her hand would be his only if he performed flawlessly. He was't taking any chances. Max's luck was worsening by the day, and he and his beloved were too far in love to let the consequences scare them. He was approached by a man named Caspar, who introduced him to the demon Zamiel. With Zamiel, Max forged seven magic bullets and won Agathe's hand in marriage, but his soul forever belonged to the demon. He became the 22nd Freeshooter; the 22nd archer who had taken the demon's offer. The 99 Freeshooters were forever bound to the Sanctum Wars, and were some of the deadliest Archer-class servants that were ever summoned. Though other servants were loyal only to their masters, Max answered to no one before Zamiel, who owned his soul for eternity. Max always said, "Agathe was worth it." It's been centuries since they were forever separated, but he's never forgotten her.
Where are you going?: A crack was torn in Zamiel's curse when Sanctum was opened up, and the 99 Freeshooters escaped along with the rest of the servants. Simo Häyhä (A former Assassin of Clubs, the 94th Freeshooter) returned to Finland before watching over the turmoil in eastern Europe. Vasily Zaytsev, the 99th, emerged in Russia and has now become a fearsome rival. Max, meanwhile, wanders the dirty streets of London. The mage's association is based just north of where he is, but he couldn't care less. His loyalty now is only to tobacco and alcohol. Sex sometimes, too. He's quite the charmer, after all.
Name: Gunnar Hamundarson (http://prntscr.com/fnp9y6)
Epithet: Hero of the North
Class: Lancer (Alternate: Archer)
Age: 22
Strength: A
Endurance: B
Agility: A+
Mana: C
Luck: D
Skills:
Magic Resistance (C): As a member of the lancer class, and a man who was knowledgeable of curses and witches in life, Gunnar is capable of canceling most weaker spells, and diminishing the effects of more powerful ones.
Archery (A): Gunnar was known as an incredibly skilled archer, who held off an entire clan with his bow alone, and was only defeated once his bowstring snapped. He can fire arrows and throwing projectiles with pinpoint accuracy.
Charm (B): A skill related to charisma, but accentuated by Gunnar’s incredibly handsome natural appearance, as he was frequently described as the most beautiful man on Earth. This gives him an advantage when it comes to charming people and gaining their favor.
Concealed Attack (C): Throughout his time as a warrior, Gunnar successfully utilized many different types of hidden attacks, always striking from an unexpected angle – for example, he once stabbed an unsuspecting enemy through a crack in the wall after waiting for him to walk into the right position. This skill gives Gunnar an advantage when it comes to moving stealthily and setting up traps to aid in his offense.
Bulwark of the Land (A): Gunnar has an incredible amount of loyalty to the places he frequents. While he initially planned to leave his native Iceland to save his life, he became so moved by its beauty and scale that he decided to stay behind, and defended it heroically. Later, Gunnar made his last stand protecting his house single-handedly against an invading clan. At any point where he is charged with defending a place he has a strong emotional connection to, he becomes exponentially more powerful.
Noble Phantasms:
Atgeir (Anti-Unit, C): Gunnar’s long-bladed halberd, known for the “singing” it made when drawn in anticipation of bloodshed. Atgeir can be pointed directly at an enemy, which will cause the ringing to multiply in volume and effect, stunning the target or rendering them off-balance and interfering with their senses.
Light Hero (Anti-Self, D): Gunnar is considered the prototypical example of an Icelandic “light” hero, one whose loyalty, virtue, and manhood are all exaggerated to the point of cliché, and he has no flaws of character whatsoever. This distinction of being the original “hero cliché” helps mask Gunnar’s true identity from other servants, by presenting him as an embodiment of heroism rather than as an individual.
Background: Gunnar was the greatest of the Icelandic chieftain-warriors, demonstrating incredible athleticism and prodigious skill with both his Atgeir and his bow. His downfall came about after he killed two men from the clan of Gissur the White, despite it having been prophesized that he would die when he killed two men from the same family. Gunnar thought he could escape Iceland altogether and avoid this fate, but as he was about to set sail, he was suddenly overcome with the majestic beauty of his homeland. He changed his mind and returned to his house, knowing that men would already be swarming toward him to seek revenge. Once inside, he stabbed Atgeir through a gap in the wall to kill an enemy scout. The remaining attackers, realizing he was home, charged the building, but Gunnar held them at bay for several hours at a distance with his bow. Finally, after his bowstring broke in a scuffle, Gunnar asked his wife for one of her hairs to replace it. She refused him out of spite, because he had disciplined her previously for stealing food during a famine; Gunnar, unfazed, leapt into hand-to-hand combat with the attackers, where he finally met his end.
Unfortunately, because of the way his property was destroyed upon his death, there were no fitting catalysts left to summon him with; thus, although Gunnar would have liked to participate in a sanctum war as a heroic spirit, it had never come to pass.
Current Goals: Gunnar seeks out a master with a pure and unselfish heart that could assist him in carrying out noble deeds. He is no stranger to chaos, turbulence, and violence; in fact, he relishes this opportunity to face down other great warriors in combat, since he himself was peerless in his time.
What’s your name?: Hera Gregg
What do you do?: She makes sure no one in Cody and Kirin’s group of allies gets killed. Pretty much just keeps an eye on known and suspected enemies. Just in case.
What’s your age?: 20
What are you good at?: Water and Earth Elementals as well as mid to high level shields, also familiar with some ice elementals
What gives you trouble?: cloaking/stealth, mommy issues, haunted by the deaths of last war
Where are coming from?: Hera Gregg was just a rebellious teen with anger issues who loved fast cars. That was until she discovered her father’s secret library filled with tomes and ancient books on different aspects of spell casting. It was here she discovered her talent for magic. About three years later she discovered she had been chosen to participate in the Sanctum War on the Clubs team as the master of Rider. After many battles and seemingly pointless deaths the clubs all destroyed their keys, and the Sanctum War was ended forever.
Where are you going?: Hera is now working with Cody, the leader of the Club faction in the last war, and Kirin, her fiance, to bring knowledge of the magical community to the muggles non-mag normal people of the world. The death she witnessed in the war still lurks in the back of her mind casting a long dark shadow on life, but her upcoming marriage and success as a mage are pushing her forward along with a promise she made to a certain fallen master long ago...
SERVANT:
Your Name: None
Your Title: Grendel's Mother
Frequent Impersonated Titles: Lady of the Lake / She-Wolf / Gefjon
Class: Assassin (frequently impersonates Berserker / Caster)
Apparent age: Variable
"Grendles modor
Ides, aglæcwif."
Assassin is an antagonist in the poem Beowulf, who fought Beowulf after he killed her son Grendel. She had the upperhand until Beowulf killed her with an antique sword. Her appearance and motivations are the subject of scholarly debate, as the text is ambiguous in describing her: subhuman or parahuman, villainous or heroic. This ambiguity, along with her lack of a true name, renders her a powerful Assassin, capable of shifting between phases with different appearances and skills. However, the lack of concrete objects associated with her and the melding of identities makes her difficult to summon, meaning that this is one of her few opportunities to venture into the world. Assassin uses her unique abilities to gain multiple identities as separate Servants of different classes. In direct battle, she is of above-average strength for an Assassin, wielding either a dagger or sharp, monstrous claws.
Her first phase (Aglæcwif) is monstrous, taking the form of a giant troll or she-wolf. In this form, she fights with massive claws and teeth, and can credibly pass for a Berserker-class Servant if necessary. Her second phase (Ides) draws inspiration from valkyries, fertility goddesses such as Gefjon, and warriors, giving her the appearance of a shining woman and access to low-ranked Divinity. This phase fights with a dagger, weak flight or gliding, and water magic. Despite these phases being associated with the concepts of ‘evil’ and ‘good’ respectively, Assassin is truly neither of those things, and simply plays the role of an evil or good Servant in each of her respective forms.
Assassin's goals in this Sanctum War are as nebulous as she is, especially since this is the first time she can remember leaving Sanctum. She has no qualms about preying on civilians or mages for their mana, and will naturally present different faces to different people as a form of information gathering. She can be oddly protective of people she chooses to trust and ally with, and is looking for a purpose for her existence.
Strength: A- (Aglæcwif) / D (Ides)
Endurance: B (Aglæcwif) / C- (Ides)
Agility: D (Aglæcwif) / A- (Ides)
Mana: C- (Aglæcwif) / B (Ides)
Luck: D
Skills:
Presence Concealment (A+): Assassin is able to conceal her presence as a Servant, making her excellent at spying. Preparations to attack weaken the efficiency of this skill but do not entirely eliminate it, making surprise attacks possible.
Ides/Aglæcwif (A): As a result of her ambiguous descriptions in Beowulf: the word Aglæcwif, which has been described as meaning either “monster” or “warrior” and also describes Beowulf himself, and the word Ides, which means a woman, often of high class or even divine status, Assassin is able to shift her appearance, stats, skills, and even apparent identity as a Servant.
Information Erasure (E): Assassin possesses a weak form of the Information Erasure skill that affects the memories that others have of her after the battle. This skill is focused on making it difficult for others to connect Assassin’s two identities, rewriting memories to exaggerate their differences or even have both phases in the same place at one time. This allows Assassin to pretend to be two separate Servants more effectively.
Skills (Aglæcwif Only):
Mad Enhancement (D): In her Aglæcwif phase, Assassin gains a rank-up to Strength and Endurance to allow for more close-quarters combat, at the cost of some of her language skill and ability to carry on complex thoughts for extended periods of time -- fitting for a monster.
Foul Aura (C): In her Aglæcwif phase, Assassin radiates a feeling of evil, causing all others to view her morality in this light. Extended exposure to this aura causes similar ‘evil,’ feral behavior in others.
Skills (Ides Only):
Divinity (C): In her Ides phase, Assassin becomes associated with the fertility goddess Gefjon and valkyries, granting her divine attributes and giving her the appearance of a woman worthy of worship.
Saint of the Waterside (B+): In her Ides phase, due to being known to live in a lake, Assassin gains a stronger association with the element of water. Her strength increases near water, and she possesses hydrokinesis, allowing her to channel mana in the form of water for use in attacks.
Noble Phantasms:
Curse of the Antique Sword (Anti-Unit (Self), C):
Assassin can only use this Noble Phantasm in her Aglæcwif phase. When Beowulf fought Assassin, she was immune to most conventional forms of attack, until Beowulf found a magical antique sword in her lair and was able to kill her with it. This Noble Phantasm manifests as a protective aura that renders Assassin immune to all forms of attack that have already been used against her in this battle, forcing her enemies to adjust and adapt their strategies. However, she gains an increased weakness to new forms of attack, particularly physical attacks with a strong magical basis, like physical Noble Phantasms. This Noble Phantasm is most effective due to its subtlety -- it can be activated quickly and without warning, at which point attacks that previously had an effect will simply glance off Assassin. This Noble Phantasm does not have an extremely high mana cost, but the nature of this incident means that it should only be used when the other option is certain death.
Plough of Zealand (Anti-Army/Anti-World, B):
Some scholars argue that Assassin is none other than the fertility goddess Gefjon, who is famous for creating the island of Zealand by ploughing land out to sea. This Noble Phantasm manifests four golden oxen and a plough. The oxen move forward, creating a massive fissure in the ground, enough to destroy structures and defensive forces. The oxen will continue moving until they reach a source of water such as a lake or ocean, at which point the fissure will fill with water and the displaced land will form an island in the lake. This Noble Phantasm has a high mana cost.