1. Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. If you wish to change your username, please ask via conversation to tehelgee instead of asking via my profile. I'd like to not clutter it up with such requests.
    Dismiss Notice
  5. Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
    Dismiss Notice
  6. A note about the current Ukraine situation: Discussion of it is still prohibited as per Rule 8
    Dismiss Notice
  7. The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
    Dismiss Notice
  8. The testbed for the QQ XF2 transition is now publicly available. Please see more information here.
    Dismiss Notice

Chronicles of the Ascension of the God-King

Discussion in 'Quest Archive' started by EnderofWorlds, Mar 23, 2013.

  1. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    Character Sheet:
    [img width=487 height=600]http://i.imgur.com/ogcWm1s.jpg[/img]

    Draoi Fraga McRemitz

    Age: 24

    Circuts: 50 (Prana total: 1,250 units)

    Thaumaturgical Crest: 374 (Max output: 10,600 units)

    Origin:Bullshit Hax Inquiry and Improvement

    Skills:
    Magecraft (B+): You are skilled in the use of orthodox thaumaturgy, capable of casting a multitude of spells and hold a vast knowledge of rituals. You aren’t truly specialized in a specific area, though you have a greater understanding of runes due to your family.

    Runic Magic (A+): You know and are skilled in the use of the 18 runes. You can invoke them to trigger their effect as a spell or imbue them into something to add their effect. At this level, you can create up to four lines of up to ten runes for enchanting and casting purposes.

    Ether Affinity (A): You have a high affinity for and can use this element easily. You have crafted several spells to use this element’s strengths, which are composition, dissolution, modification, separation, unification, spiritual bodies, and conceptual weapons.

    Imaginary Numbers Affinity (A): You have a high affinity for and can use this element easily. You have crafted several spells to use this element’s strengths, which is the manipulation of the spiritual and non-coporeal.

    Unified Language (D+): You have begun to learn and have a basic grasp on the Unified Language. Two syllable words for basic actions and orders can be used (cut, bow, sleep, etc.). High power words with two syllable such as 'defile' and 'obey' can't be used to their full potential and can be resisted. Additional bonus to the words 'improve' and 'learn' due to intense focus on those two words.

    Familiar Creation (A+): You are a master of creating familiars, mainly due to your affinities. You can summon elemental spirits or wraiths and bind them to a body of ether for up to a month, due to the research you have done. They are about as power as a servant with D rank Parameters.

    Homunculi Creation (A+): By studying the sample from the Einzberns as well as their knowledge in Alchemy, you have skyrocketed in homunculi knowledge and creation. Homunculi at the level of creations of the Einzberns and greater is possible.

    Alchemy (B): By studying the archives of the Einzberns; you have excelled in learning and utilizing Alchemy. In terms of using Alchemy to manipulate matter, you have reached mastery. However, the mental aspects; such as Mental Partitioning and the conversion of phenomena which Atlas specializes in still eludes you.

    Servant summoning (C+): By combining your affinities and knowledge of hommunculi, you can summon servants into premade bodies to serve you. At this rank, ghost liners and elements spirits are feasible. You have the knowledge to summon Heroic Spirits, but lack the prana to summon them well without support from the Grail.

    Weapons:
    Fragarach - the Answerer: A
    The sword of Lugh. When used against an opponent revealing their “trump card”, it warps causality to strike the opponent in the heart with a needle thin concentrated blast right before they unleash their ultimate attack. A perfect last resort for any situation. It also grants its weilder power over the winds, granting a massive control and power boost to any Wind Thaumaturgy you use, as well as control over an opponent’s Wind Thaumaturgy. It also forces those at its sword point to tell the truth, though this effect can be resisted with sufficient magic resistance.

    Gate of Bablyon - King's Treasure: E~A++
    The treasury of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, this vault is only accessible with the key made for it. Within the vault lies countless treasures, including the prototypes of most of the known Noble Phantasms in the world. It also holds many other unique treasures.
    • NP you know of and can use:
      • Ea - Sword of Rupture: EX
        The sword of rupture, this sword works by revealing the "Truth" of the world before the sky and the earth were seperated. One of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Noble Phantasm in existence.
      • Enkidu - Chains of Heaven: EX
        The chains of heaven, these chains are made for binding the Divine. The strength of the chains grow the more divine their target is
      • Tarnhelm
      • Durendal
      • Gram
      • Merodach
      • Thuan Thien
      • Caladbolg
      • Totsuka-no-Tsurugi
      • Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar
      • Crocea Mors
      • Tizona
      • Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
      • Gae Bolg
      • Gae Buhide
      • Gae Dearg
      • Houtengeki
      • Harpe
      • Kazikli Bey
      • Ryui Jingu Bang
      • Yata no Kagami
      • Vimana wreckage
      • A golden suit of armor, complete with red shroud

    Misc.:
    The Original Avesta
    An Ofuda made by Abe no Seimei
    Primer on the Original Language
    Bouncy Ball of Madness
    Carcass of Gilgamesh (Preserved)
    Einzbern crest (Preserved)
    Einzbern books
    Einzbern samples

    Note: Any runes in the index thread for runes on Spacebattles can be used by Draoi. Thread is here.
     
  2. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    Servant Sheet:
    [img width=600 height=449]http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/hidoi_doesu/imgs/5/1/5176bae1.jpg[/img]
    Class: Caster
    True Name: Abe no Seimei
    Alignment: Neutral Good
    Gender: Unknown

    Parameters:
    Strength: D
    Agility: C
    Endurance: C
    Mana: A+
    Luck: A
    Noble Phantasm: A+

    Class Skills:
    Item Construction (A): The Servant is capable of crafting potent Conceptual Weapons and unique Mystic Codes that can perform a single function bordering on Sorcery, or multiple functions and abilities below Sorcery, but are still powerful.

    Territory Creation (A): At this rank, creation of a "temple" is possible. The temple can be massive in size, even reaching the size of a small town, sometimes even becoming larger then the space it takes. Within the temple the cost of all the servants spells are 1/3 their usual cost, and mana regeneration is doubled. The servant is able to track all intruders within their temple.

    Personal Skills:
    Animal Dialogue (A): All animals are perfectly understood and can be communicated with at length, if they wish it.

    Houjutsu (A++): Also known as Onmyodo; it is the predominant system of Magecraft in Japan and is ideologically incompatible with the Western schools of Thaumaturgy. A system that excels at divination, curses and the like. As the most powerful practitioner of Onmyodo to have ever lived, Caster can exceed the limits of modern Magecraft and perform feats of High Thaumaturgy with only simple actions.

    Divinity (C): As the child of Kuzohana; Abe no Seimei has the blood of a kitsune, a divine spirit within him/her. This allows Caster to utilize the abilities of the kitsune; illusions and shape-shifting, as well as a real kitsune would.

    Clairvoyance (A+): This ability grants perceptions beyond human sight, at this rank, the ability to see important events in the past and future, as well as beyond the world into into other plains of reality become possible. Within a radius of 4 kms this grants perception beyond physical bounds, not merely through physical interference (x-ray vision) but into the underlying nature of the world; this skill also acts as Discernment of the Poor (C) by seeing the underlying nature of people as well through what deceptions they hold.

    Noble Phantasms:
    Doman Seiman - Enclosing Five Elements
    Rank: B
    Type: Anti-Unit
    Range: 1-4
    Max Targets: 4-5

    Seimei's personal seal or mon, representing the five elements of the wu xing that arose from Chinese tradition but modified in translation. In Japan the pentagram became the most powerful symbol of Onmyodo, at the hands of its greatest practitioner it becomes a powerful tool of exorcism. Through this seal Abe no Seimei became renowned for his abilities to counter spirits.

    Doman Seiman manifests as a slowly rotating pentagram design about the target forming a circle a few meters across measure from the points of the pentagram. The activation of this seal enacts a high level Bounded Field upon the enclosed space that suppresses exorcises all spirits from the world beyond the Bounded Field, trapping them. If even a small fraction of a spirit is within that radius the target will be bound as if in a trap, potentially unable even to move.

    This Noble Phantasm has no effect upon ordinary humans or even magi. Heroic Spirits were human in life, but Servants manifest with spiritual bodies that do not suffer purely physical damage and thus are subject to the seal. A Servant, however, while unable to escape the Bounded Field is powerful enough to move about and defend themselves, though no normal attack or action can exit the field anymore then they can. As an additional penalty those Servant with traits like Divinity (or other supernatural ancestries) suffer a temporary rank down in all stats while bound as they are even farther from humans. Spirits even further removed from humanity than Servants may effected even more strongly, rendered entirely incapable of action.

    However, the Bounded Field is not foolproof; Servants with a high Mana stat require more prana from Caster to detain, while Magic Resistance reduces the effectiveness of the Bounded Field on the Servant. And, while quick to deploy, a supremely agile Servant might avoid the effect. Of course a Command Seal will also instantly free Servant.

    Senji Ryakketsu - Manual of the Master
    Rank: A
    Type: Support
    Range: N/A
    Max Targets: 1


    A large scrolled carried bearing the title The Summary to Judgements of Divinations; it is a thaumaturgical manual written by Seimei to encapsulate Omnyodo as an art. By reviewing it in practicing his arts the possessor can greatly increase the efficiency of his onmyodo spellcasting. The manual acting as a form of ritual preparation as complete in advance, thus reducing the requirements of the the particular instance. While the form of a large scroll might seem impractical to use, thanks to Seimei's high perception abilities he does not even need unroll it to benefit from the effect.

    Cuts the required prana to actualize a spell roughly in half. This does not allow their power, function, or duration to be increased, merely for more to be spells to be realized for a given “tank” of prana before being depleted. Does not apply to Noble Phantasms. However, when activated with his/her Territory, the Book grants him/her absolute knowledge and control within the space. Enemy movements are foreseen long before they are thought of and with the Spirits of everything within the Space under the Book’s thrall, they can be countered by the land itself. Furthermore, Servant Caster can call for a particular class of Spirit to be attracted to the Book’s area of effect, and depending on the Servant’s strength, takes some time for the Spirit to arrive. If one of the Juuni Shinshou truly sacrifices themselves during the Book’s activation when the Call to the Spirit is released, the Spirit will arrive on field a little faster than they would otherwise.

    When this is used in conjunction with Domon Seimon; Caster is capable of actually binding a Servant called to him/her as his/her Shikigami. However, if the Servant has a higher Mana stat than Caster, or a high enough Mana stat in conjunction with high Magic Resistance; the binding will fail. However, this can be mitigated with the bonuses Caster receives while in his/her Temple as well as sacrificing one of the Juuni Shinshou to empower the binding.

    Juuni Shinshou - Divine Beasts of the Zodiac
    Rank: A+
    Type: Anti-Army
    Range: n/a
    Max Targets: n/a

    The Twelve Divine Commanders, guardians deities of Buddhist lore and element divinities of the cycle of the world, each representing one of the animals found on the Japanese Zodiac. Of the countless shikigami Abe No Seimei commanded in life, they are the strongest.

    When activated this Noble Phanstasm summons one of the Juuni Shinshou. Each appears as an idealized form of the animal they represent, each an enormous and radiant specimen of its type. In truth this form is only a limited aspect of the true Juuni Shinshou who are divine spirits of considerable power owing to the strength of the fundamental cycle they represents. Thus for example if the users chooses to summon forth the Dragon, he can actually accomplish it because it is not a member of that race but rather a facsimile. As a result of this, while their form varies their basic power is essentially equal:

    Strength: B
    Agility: C
    Endurance: B
    Mana: C
    Luck: E

    While their underlying power is the same each has small variations in ability and style as appropriate for their form. The Rooster may fly for example, and the Horse has a high running speed, while the Boar is exceptionally tough. Caster can maintain multiple Shinshou, but it is heavily taxing to maintain more than 3 at a time; manifesting all 12 will drain Caster of all of his/her reserves in 2 hours. Caster can also sacrifice a Shinshou in order to enhance the ability of another one of his/her Noble Phantasms, to enhance a spell being cast, or as a catalyst for a powerful spell or ritual; greatly improving the result.
     
  3. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    You were always different from your peers, always the target of their envy for reasons you can never fully fathom. You are the pride of your family, the favored heir to be. You have been called the perfect magus, and in a sense, you are. Methodical, inquisitive, always experimenting, always searching for ways to improve your thaumaturgy and reach the goal that all magi reach for; Akasha, the Root. You don’t let things like morals or ethics get in your way when it comes to this goal, for one simple reason.

    You don’t understand these things.

    You know of them, of course, and know what they mean, but you just lack the simple ability to comprehend what they mean. You can’t bring yourself to care about right or wrong. You can’t bring yourself to follow or understand morals. And you don’t really care at this point.

    You are of course, the perfect magus.

    One of the first things you found out was your Origin, the meaning to your existence, what defines you. It’s unusual because it’s a dual origin, but you couldn’t have been more satisfied once you discovered it.

    Inquiry and Improvement.

    It is what drives you, what gives you purpose. You constantly push yourself to learn more thaumaturgy, more theory, and more knowledge. You don’t let yourself become limited in a single specialization, like some do, but rather, you work on specializing on everything. Whenever you learn a spell or learn a new theory you aren’t satisfied with just learning it, you have to improve it, find out how to make it better.

    Which leads you to your life’s goal: Becoming the greatest magi to ever like, a god-king among magi. You aren't satisfied with the standard goal of just reaching Akasha, you want more.

    When you look at how things work, how man only grows weaker over time, how thaumaturgy only weakens with each passing year, you think to yourself, 'This is wrong'. This isn't how things should be, things should improve over time, not worsen. How can the Root let this happen? Why can't it do better? This is your goal, your purpose.

    To become God-King of Magi does not mean merely mastering all aspects of magic and walking the path of a magus to its fullest extent, but to exceed far beyond those limitations. That is why you seek, not to reach the Root, but to create a new Akasha and improve it.

    Before we begin however, we have to settle on a few things, so I know what setting to use (F/SN, Tuskihime, etc.)

    Gender:
    [X] Male
    [X] Female

    Family:
    [X] Aozaki
    [X] Edelfelt
    [X] Barthomeloi
    [X] Archibald
    [X] Einzbern
    [X] Eltnam
    [X] Fraga

    Element: (Choose 2):
    [X] Fire
    [X] Water
    [X] Earth
    [X] Wind
    [X] Ether
    [X] Imaginary Numbers
    [X] Other (write-in)
     
  4. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Male
    [X] Fraga
    [X] Ether
    [X] Imaginary Numbers

    You are Draoi Fraga McRemitz, favored son and heir to the Fraga clan. Your natural drive for learning and improvement is what earned you this position, along with your staggering progress in all aspects of life as a magus. Despite your family’s lack of influence in the Magus Association, you are a highly respected associate; not an actual member, but you commonly act as a third party advisor in many situations.

    Your elements are ether and imaginary numbers, a very potent combination. Ether is the backbone of thaumaturgy; it is what combines with the other elements to actualize them in magecraft. Imaginary numbers, on the other hand, deals with the spiritual, it allows one to interact with spiritual beings and beings made of ether. These two elements give you a vast array of abilities, for example, you can actually take a spiritual being and craft it a body using ether, a process similar to the creation of a servant for the Heaven’s Feel ritual, only on a far lesser scale. The being is then bound to you in a similar fashion, needing your prana in order to maintain their new body, much like a familiar.

    You also have master the use of runes, thanks to your family’s vast library on the subject. You use runes often, in the creation of a new spell, for physical enhancement, for research. Runes could be considered your “speciality” if you were to use the term, which you don’t, you always hated that term, so…limiting. Regardless, runes are what you tend to fall back on when you find yourself in a corner.

    That and your Noble Phantasm. Yes; Fragarach, the Answerer, the Gouging Sword of the War God. It is your family’s inheritance from their Sorcery Trait, Tradition Carrier. A blessing from the Gods as reward for their service, it allows knowledge to be passed on through one bloodline. This is how you have retained the knowledge on how to make this blade, this weapon of an age long gone.

    The sword functions as the perfect counterattack. When used against an opponent revealing their “trump card”, it warps causality to strike the opponent in the heart with a needle thin concentrated blast right before they unleash their ultimate attack. A perfect last resort for any situation.

    You made this Noble Phantasm with another, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, your cousin. She shared your vast knowledge and skill in runes, but decided to go another path, as an Enforcer of the Magus Association. A pity, you always got along with her better than others and would’ve loved to have her as an assistant in your endeavors.

    And how do you plan to reach your goal? Well if runes have taught you anything, it’s that improvement of the self is what gets the best results. After all, runes work best as something to modify or enhance an object by bestowing upon it additional properties. And that’s what you plan on doing. You plan to enhance and improve yourself to a point where your existence is equal to that of Akasha. Then, you’ll use those same methods of self-improvement on the Root, making it better. Well, that's the current plan; you may change it if you decide on another path.

    But enough pondering, you decide to…

    [X] Research, study more to take another step closer to your goal
    [X] Experiment, best to see what your studies can accomplish so far
    [X] See how Bazett’s doing, maybe catch up
    [X] Call up some of your contacts and see if there’s anything of note happening
    [X] Write-in
     
  5. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] See how Bazett’s doing, maybe catch up, compare research and experiment notes with her

    You decide to visit Bazett and see how she’s doing, since she just recently got back from a mission. It’s been awhile since you last saw her, and you had a few ideas you wanted to show her involving runes. You quickly make your way to Bazett’s home and let yourself in. Once inside, you find the home empty. You feel the presence of prana in the basement, so you decide to go donw there.

    Once there, you find Bazett, pouring her blood on several iron spheres, the method she uses to create her own Fragarach. Your version was a more permanent version, an actual sword rather than a one use weapon; however it took a year to finish, whereas this process takes only a month. Seeing that as an enforcer, Bazett doesn’t have much free time, this method is more useful to her. You decide to let her finish before presenting yourself.

    “Hello, Bazett, how’s the enforcer life treating you?”

    Hearing that, she turns around, surprised that you’re there.

    “Oh, hello Draoi, didn’t hear you come in. How the hell do you always get in without me noticing?!”

    “Come now, dear cousin, a magus never reveals his secrets,” you say in a mocking tone, “But seriously, Bazett, how have you been? Come up with any new rune combinations?”

    “Unfortunately, my job has been keeping me too busy to even consider doing any long term research. How about you?”

    “Oh, I actually just came up with a new one recently. Here, I have it written down with me, take a look.” You hand the notes on your new rune to her so she can see for yourself.

    “Let’s see…Sowilo first to…then followed by Kenaz and Uruz in order to…and with Tiwaz and Algiz makes it…” She finally connects the dots and figures out what the configuration does, looking at you in shock, “Draoi, did you just create a rune of resurrection?!

    “Yes, but it’s very conditional. It will only trigger if you die before accomplishing a set task, and the broader and more generalized the task, the weaker the rune is. So, for example, if you used it for a long term goal such as finding Akasha, it would barely work, if at all…but if you use it for hunting down an individual or for a fight…”

    “The rune guarantees your survival. That’s genius! But why did you come up with something like this? You tend to focus more on long term, general goals rather than immediate short term problems.”

    “Well…” you avert your gaze slightly, somewhat unsure on how to continue, “it was more for you actually, a failsafe to make sure you get back from your job alive. You're family Bazett, and one of the few friends I have.” Hearing your heartfelt confession, Bazett looks at you warmly and says,

    “Draoi, that…that means a lot to me, thank you. It’s always nice to know you have my back.”

    That’s definitely true, when her parents and the rest of the family voiced their displeasure about her career choice; you used your position as heir to cut down any potential flak and foul play that might’ve been employed against her. You also used what influence you had in the Clocktower in order to make sure no one had any ideas about manipulating her against her will. Bazett was one of your closest friends, and you’ll be damned if you didn’t try to make sure she was ok.

    Anyways, enough of this emotional pondering, that wasn’t what you came here to do. You were here to catch up, see how Bazett was doing. You both talk for a bit, Bazett pulling out some beer for the two of you, about how things were for the both of you. Bazett was regaling you with her recent escapades as an enforcer, and you talking about what progress you’ve made in your research. Finally, after a few hours of talking, you finally ask about the work she was doing in the basement.

    “So, back home and you’re already preparing for your next job?” Her response, however, surprises you.

    “Actually, I’m on leave right now, I have the next couple of months off.”

    “Wait, really? Then why are making preparations like you have another job then?”

    Bazett looks nervous, like she’s uncertain on whether or not she should tell you what she’s planning. Finally, she gives in and says,

    “I’m preparing for the Holy Grail War, it’s beginning this year and I want in.”

    Well, that was suprising. What do you plan on doing now that you’ve heart this?
    [X] Join in and team up, make sure that Bazett comes out of this alive
    [X] Join in, but don’t let her know. Discretely change the tide of the war to your advantage
    [X] Try to talk her out of it, you’ve done your research, and this war never goes well
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  6. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X]Join in and team up, make sure that Bazett comes out alive

    You sigh, holding you head in your hand, as you try to understand just what Bazett told you. Finally, you look up and address Bazett.

    “You do know that all the previous grail wars haven’t ended with a definite winner, right? You could die doing this Bazett, and all you’d get is a wish unfulfilled. What do you even want from the damn thing anyway?”

    She looks at you guilty, as if she’s embarrassed by what the wish is, and finally says,

    “Well, remember when we were kids and all the Irish myths that were told to us by our parents, especially the one about…” Oh God, you know where this is going.

    It wasn’t a secret to you, ever since she heard the damn story about Cú Chulainn as a kid, she’s harbored a crush on the man, wanting to save him from is unfortunate demise. You found the whole thing to be quite funny and something to tease her over as amusement. Until now that is. You massage the bridge of your nose, eyes furrowed in exasperation.

    “There’s no way I can convince you to not go, is there.” Hearing this, Bazett looks you right in the eye and with a face set in stone, replies,

    “No way in hell, I’m going, and that’s final.” Right then, looks like there’s only one thing to do. You sigh again and look at her, full of determination.

    “Alright then, what’s the game plan? How are we gonna win this god-forsaken clusterfuck?”

    “We? What do you mean ‘we’?” Bazett asks you, shocked by your response.

    “Come on now cousin, remember what you said earlier? I got your back, no matter what. If you’re going into this war, then I’m gonna join it too. Just to make sure you come out alive.” Besides, Bazett would probably be asking for your help later on even if you didn’t already offer it.

    “I…that’s…thanks Draoi. I’m glad you’re helping me out here instead of just laughing me off and calling me an idiot. As for the plan, well, I’m sure you can guess what Servant I’m summoning.”

    “A blind idiot can see who you plan on summoning. Right, that means Lancer’s out, you have the catalyst already?”

    “Yes, been saving up for it for years, just got it yesterday.”

    “Good, good, best to make sure that that’s taken care of. Now then, that’ll mean that I should probably summon a more support oriented Servant, like Caster or Assassin.”

    “Or a servant that can also fight along Lancer, like Saber or Rider. Not Berserker, though, he’d probably get in Lancer’s way in a fight.”

    “Right, of course. Well then…” You take a look at your watch, and notice how late it is, “I’d better head back; we can meet up and talk more strategy tomorrow, alright?”

    “Alright, that sounds good, and Draoi,” Bazett gives you a look filled with gratitude, “Thank you, for all our help.”

    “Of course, that’s what family’s for.” And with that, you leave, heading back to home, pondering on what you need for the upcoming war.

    [X] Think about what servant you want to summon
    [X] Call your contacts; see if you can get some info on the upcoming war
    [X] Experiment; see if you can find out all the secrets to Fragarach before the war comes
    [X] Write-in
     
  7. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Think about what servant you want to summon

    You begin to think about what Servant you plan on summoning, taking into consideration the multiple factors that will play in this decision.

    First off, what class did you want to summon? While it is obvious that Bazett will summon Cú Chulainn as a Lancer considering his myth and his renown with the spear, this still leaves you with six options to choose from. Archer, Caster, and Assassin would serve as excellent support options; Archer and Assassin would serve as backup and would mainly focus on targeting the opposing masters, while Caster would assist in creating a formidable base of operations to work form, giving you ample resources and a safe haven to work on plans for the opposition. On the other hand, Rider could also serve as quick transportation for Lancer, serving as a distraction for Lancer to launch the killing blow. Berserker, however, is still an unfavorable choice, the madness inherent in the class serving only as a hindrance in a team battle.

    The next thing to consider is what nationality of Heroic Spirit did you want to summon? While an Irish hero, such as one of the Knights of Fianna, would be able to get along greatly with Lancer, an Asian hero, such as Lu Bu would receive a greater bonus in power due to the location of the Grail War in Japan. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and should be considered carefully before you finally decide.

    The final factor is you, the summoner. Due to your unique affinities, you may be able to cheat the system, though not to a severe degree. One of the main limitations of summoning a Heroic Spirit into a servant class is the fact that only Noble Phantasams that fall under that class’s jurisdiction will be granted to the servant. If you study how the process works and what you can do to modify it, you may be able to summon a servant with better paramaters or more Noble Phantasams, making them closer to the level they are as a Heroic Spirit. You may also be able to better anchor them to the physical world, making the burden of maintaining them easier on you.

    Regardless, you have made your way back home, and are ready to sleep. You go to bed, thoughts filled what your plans are for the Holy Grail War.

    You wake up. It is morning, 6:00 AM. What do you do?
    [X] Call your contacts; see if you can get some info on the upcoming war
    [X] Experiment; see if you can find out all the secrets to Fragarach before the war comes
    [X] Begin preparations for participating in the war and summoning a servant
    [X] Write-in

    Also, for your servant:
    [X] Choose nationality (Irish, Chinese, etc.)
    [X] Choose class (any of the standard classes except Lancer and Berserker)
     
  8. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Call your contacts; see if you can get some info on the upcoming war
    [X] Begin preparations for participating in the war and summoning a servant

    You decide that summoning a Japanese Heroic Spirit, preferably a Caster would be for the best, the home field advantage is too good to simply pass up. Plus, a Caster class servant will be greatly underestimated because it is normally considered the weakest class. However, being in the country of its origin, such a weakness is nullified. With this in mind, you call your contact for information and merchandise, Bobby.

    Bobby is a first generation magus from America, who has connections to every part of the criminal underworld and black market. If you needed something rare and illegal, he’s your guy. You’re good friends with him, often helping him identify certain objects whenever he feels uncertain about their legitimacy. A side effect of your origin, your structural analysis is remarkably accurate and catches many details about the target being analyzed.

    You punch in the number on your phone, waiting for him to pick up. Finally you hear him pick up and say gruffly,

    “Yeah, this is Bobby, whaddya want?”

    “It’s me Bobby,” you reply, “I need info and goods.” Hearing that it’s you, his mood immediately changes,

    “Draoi, old buddy!” He says with glee, “How ya been? What can good ol’ Bobby do for you?”

    You decide to cut to the chase, “I need information on the next Holy Grail War, I’m participating and I need all the help I can get.”

    “Fuck man, I thought you knew better than to get involved in that titanic bloodfest.” Well, you now know what’s Bobby’s opinion on your course of action, “Why that hell are you even considering joining in?”

    “Bazett’s participating, and there’s no way I can talk her out of it.” Bobby’s tone changes immediately to a sympathetic one.

    “Alright, now that makes sense. And you can’t just let her go in alone right?” He sighs, and continues, “Ok, man. What do you need me to do?”

    “I need information and a catalyst. Information first.”

    “Ok, well first off, you still have five months before things really go off. That should be plenty of time for you to figure out how to win the damn war. However, I can tell you that the Einzbern’s have already summoned their servant.” That’s a surprise. You can’t see any reason to have summoned a servant this early.

    “I still can’t believe you have an inside man in the Einzbern family. What else can you tell me about them, any specifics?”

    “Wasn't too hard to get someone on the inside, a lot of the less influential members are starting to get tired of old Acht being in charge, but back to your question. I can tell you two things about their servant; the catalyst and the class.”

    “The catalyst is a chunk of rock from a Greek temple, and the class is Berserker. Does that help you at all?” Hearing this, you begin to run through your head any Greek heroes that have a temple that could qualify as Berserker. And only one comes to mind.

    “Bobby, what Greek hero has temples devoted to him that fell to madness at one point?”

    “Well I can only think of…” You hear him pause, imagining his face paling at the revelation, “No, you don’t mean they actually…”

    “By the sounds of it, they did. Hercules has been summoned as a Berserker.” This was some of the worst news you could’ve heard. The strongest Greek hero being boosted by Mad Enhancement?! The hell were the Einzberns thinking?!

    “Fuck! This changes everything! There’s no way Bazett’s servant can compete with that monster. Bobby, what info do you have on the master?”

    Bobby quickly responds to your frantic questioning. “Not much, only that they summoned Berserker half a year ago.”

    “Half a year ago?! And they’ve been supporting the servant with their prana alone?! God dammit, I can only hope they suck at combat, because otherwise, we’re screwed.” Hearing this Bobby only confirms your fears.

    “Yeah man, I mean that much raw power is kinda redundant, but gets the job done. Hey, what is Bazett’s servant gonna be anyway?”

    “I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count.” Hearing your scarasm, he replies back sheepishly,

    “Right, stupid question. So, what else did you need from me?”

    “I need a catalyst, preferably Japanese and for a Caster. An Irish catalyst or a catalyst for a Saber class will also work. Do you have anything like that?”

    “Not on me, I’ll need time to get them, a month or two at least. However, for an Irish catalyst, I can hook you up with someone fast.”

    "Oh? Who do you have in mind?” Your curious about who’s Bobby talking about.

    “The Archibald’s still have their catalyst from the last war. I can get you in contact with Lord El-Melloi II and you can arrange something with him.”

    “I’ll keep that in mind. Anything else you got?”

    “Well…I have two artifacts on me right now, but I have no idea if they’ll work or not.”

    Hm, risky, but you might be able to use this to your advantage, “Describe them to me.”

    “Ok, one looks like the bastard child of a key and a sword. The guy who sold it to me says that it’s the key to The Gates of El Dorado, but I can’t confirm that. As for the other…if it’s the real deal you’ll love it.”

    “Ok, explain. Now.” Hearing your tone, Bobby gets to the point.

    “Ok, little known fact, the Einzberns in the third war dicided to break the rules and summon a different servant; Angra Mainyu.

    “You’re telling me, that the Einzberns summoned All the Evil’s on Mankind, and they still lost?! How the hell do you lose with something like that?!”

    “I dunno man, hell my inside guy tells me that they were the first to be knocked out of the war. But back to present, some lady sold me what they claim to be the Avesta itself, handed down to Zoroaster himself.”

    “So what you’re telling me is that you may have a catalyst for Ahura Mazda, the opposite and superior of Angra Mainyu itself, and it’s for sale?”

    “Hey man, it’s not like I need it. So, what are ya gonna do?”

    That’s a good question…
    [X] Arrange a meeting with Lord El-Melloi II for his catalyst
    [X] Buy a catalyst from Bobby
    - The bastard child of a key and a sword
    - The supposed Avesta
    [X] Tell Bobby that you’ll wait for him to get another catalyst
    [X] Write-in

    Note: You may buy up to all three, but it will be more costly the more you get. Also, buying a catalyst now won't prevent Bobby from looking for another one for you as backup.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  9. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Buy both catalysts from Bobby and tell him to find another catalyst

    “I’ll take both the catalysts you have Bobby, how much for them?” Getting both will insure that you at least have a Servant when the war comes. Still, you should get the catalyst you were planning on getting.

    “It’ll be 30 million bucks man, 45 million if you want them by tomorrow.” That’s quite a bit, but worth it.

    “Deal, also, can you also search for a catalyst for a Caster class Japanese servant? That’d be the optimal servant for my plans, all things considered.”

    “Sure man, I’ll get right on it. Don’t expect any results until a month passes though.” Right, well you weren’t expecting him to pull off any miracles.

    “Thanks Bobby, I’ll wire you the cash right away, later.” With that, you hang up, pondering what you should do with your two newly acquired catalysts. While you may not intend to use them to summon your Servant, you can still use them for summoning. Thanks to your elemental affinities, you can create a bastardized servant vessel for a soul, you just need a way to get the soul and maintain it. Thankfully, the Grail War provides both for you.

    Normally, for the seven masters who summon their Servants, the grail reaches into the Throne of Heroes, takes a copy of the soul there and places it into one of seven preset class vessels.You, however can create additional vessels for Heroic Spirits, and with the right preparation, can summon more sprits into vessels of your making rather than the grail’s.

    Still, before you can do that, you’ll need to examine a Servant in detail before you can do such a thing. Regardless, this is something for the future. Now you need to continue your preparations.

    You decide to…
    [X] Go to your workshop and experiment on…
    - Fragarach
    - Runes
    - Familiars/ Elemental Magic (your affinities)
    [X] See Bazett and discuss strategy with her
    [X] Prepare several weapons and armor for the war
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  10. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Go to your workshop and experiment on…
    - Fragarach

    You finally make you way to your workshop, filled with rune arrays and outlines and drafts for future experiments. You even have an area designated for homunculus creation. But you set this aside for now, deciding to focus on your family’s pride and joy: Fragarach.

    When you created Fragarach, the family head was ready and willing to part with the family crest, but you refused, citing that you feel unsatisfied with your current progress with the sword, that you feel that there are more secrets to it to unravel. Knowing your drive for improvement and your track record for results, he postponed giving you the crest until you discovered all you needed to about the sword.

    Immediately, you get to work. You begin things by suing structural analysis on the blade to see if there was something you missed while creating it, a property you haven’t tapped into yet. No luck, you can’t seem to find anything within the blade that you haven’t already knew.
    Next, with the failure of your structural analysis, you pull out your analysis glasses. These glasses are enchanted with the runes Ansuz and Kenaz, the runes of insight and knowledge.

    Empowered by these runes, they allow you to perform a greater analysis on any object you see; a greater form of structural analysis. Armed with your new weapon for research, you get to work.

    Hours pass, and the results you get are inconclusive. You feel like you’re on the edge of a breakthrough, but you’re just missing one tiny detail, and you don’t know what it is. It’s so irritating! Still, you press on, determined to make a breakthrough today.

    Then a fly starts bussing around your face, in front of your eyes. With your glasses on, you instantaly analyze it, distracting it from your work.

    You try to wave it off, only for it to come back again. You try to crush the damn thing, and seem to have pulled it off. Now with that out of the way, you pick up Fragarach to continue where you left off.

    Only to have the fly buzzing in your face again.

    Alright, enough is enough. You prepare a low level wind spell to blow the damn thing away. You unknowingly point at the damn bug with Fragarach and fire the spell.

    Only to have a miniature hurricane go off in your face, blasting you across your workshop.

    You pull yourself up, wondering just what the hell happened. You know that the spell you used was a low level spell, so why did it function like a high end A rank one instead? What was different? What was the special factor in this?

    Suddenly it hits you.

    Fragarach, the Answerer. The sword of Lugh. A blade that in legends cut down his opponents before they could draw their swords. A blade that granted it’s user control of the winds, and forced those at its blade point to reveal the truth.

    How could you have forgotten such an important fact! You let yourself get blinded by your success that you forgot to consider all of its properties. Stupid! Still, at least you figured out what was eluding you about the sword. Now you can go and get the crest without regret.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  11. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Go to the family head for the crest

    With your newfound knowledge and goal of discovering all the secrets of Fragarach obtained, you decide to finally take what is yours by right, the family’s Thaumaturgical Crest. As heir, it is meant to be passed on to you, though you refused at first, driven to unravel your Noble Phantasam’s secrets before you could feel that you could claim your inheritance.

    Now, that time has come.

    You make your way to the head of the family’s room, making sure that he isn’t busy. You don’t run, mainly to keep your poise, but you walk as fast as possible with breaking out into a run. Finally once you make your way there, you enter, the head of the family greeting you warmly.

    “Ah, Draoi my boy! What brings you here now, of all times? Normally you’re working on whatever project has caught your fancy at this time. Do you need my assistance?”

    You decide to cut to the chase, “I finally did it, sir. I have discovered and mastered all of Fragarach’s secrets, and am now ready to accept my inheritance.”

    Hearing this, the family head, your uncle breaks into a grin. “Haha! I knew you could do it, my boy! And please, no need to be so formal, call me uncle. Now, as for the crest, We can begin the transfer right away, though there might be some complications due to your age…”

    “Actually,” you cut in, correcting your Uncle, “If my calculations are correct, I should be fine. The crest will take a month to integrate, during that time; it will be inaccessible until full integration. This is mainly in part due to half of my Origin, which will help speed up and stabilize the process.”

    “Ah, I had forgotten about that,” He says, now deep in thought, “Inquiry and Improvement, the perfect Origin for a magus many would say. The sheer utility of it allows for you to accomplish many things, the least of which is your prodigious skill in reinforcement. Since implanting the crest can be considered an ‘improvement’ your very soul will help facilitate the process.” He rises from his desk, gesturing for you to follow him.

    You follow his lead, and find yourself in a room that seems designed for rituals and formalcraft. Once there, your Uncle tells you to go to the center of the room, and you do so.

    “This is where our family began, Draoi.” Your uncle begins to address you, “This very room is built where the first Fraga was born, where he first practiced runic magic and formalcraft. This room holds much power in it, every head of the family contributing his part to strengthening it and making it more useful. It’s typically kept secret, not out of fear mind you, but out of respect for our legacy. Only in the direst of situations can anyone that isn’t the clan head use this room.”

    During this whole speech, the family head has been removing the crest from himself, and adding his contribution to it. He makes his way towards you; crest in hand, implements for the transfer at the ready.

    “And now it is yours to use as you see fit.” Saying this, he begins to implant the crest into you. It is a painful process, but not too debilitating. You’re still conscious and won’t be bedridden or anything like that once finished.

    “I know that you will be the cause of great things for us Draoi,” he says, finishing up the transfer, “You will be our greatest legacy, the one to finally bring our family to greatness that no other can claim.”

    Your Uncle helps you stand up from the procedure, your new crest on your back. “And now I can die happy, knowing you’ll do these things. Though, I don’t plan on kicking the bucket yet.”

    You both laugh at his joke, and make you way back to your respective rooms. You take a look at your watch and find that it’s close to midnight. The ritual took longer than you thought it would. Regardless, it was worth it.

    It is morning, 6 AM. What do you plan on doing?

    [X] Go to your workshop and experiment on…
    - Runes
    - Familiars/ Elemental Magic (your affinities)
    -write-in
    [X] See Bazett and discuss strategy with her
    [X] Prepare several weapons and armor for the war
    [X] The catalyst you got from Bobby should be in by now, you should check them out
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  12. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Examine your crest
    [X] The catalyst you got from Bobby should be in by now, you should check them out

    You decide to examine your crest in detail, and see what advantages it gives you. You look at your back, suing structural analysis and your glasses to see what you can.

    Well, first off, you got a whopping 374 circuits in addition to your natural 50, all with a pretty good quality. You probably don’t have to worry about a lack of prana once the crest is fully integrated. You can also feel your knowledge of runes solidifying, potential combinations coming faster to you and the process of stringing them together becoming easier. You also see something odd about your sorcery trait, as if there is more to discover within that has yet to be reached. Perhaps another gift from the Gods? Another Noble Phantasam to add to your arsenal? You’ll have to study this further to find out.

    Regardless, you believe that Bobby’s shipment should’ve come in by now, so you make your way to the front of the grounds to pick up your mail. Once there, you find Bobby’s signature box with all the protections on it to ensure that nothing is stolen or out of place. You take the box to your workshop and open it, looking at what’s inside.

    Bobby’s descriptions of the catalysts were spot on. One of them did look like the bastard child of a sword and a key, while the other was clearly a holy text of some sort, written in an Arabic language of some sort. You immediately begin examining them to check their validity.

    After a few hours of examination, you have reached a consensus. The Avesta checks out, nothing points to it being a fake or a different religious text, so you now know for sure that you have a catalyst for Ahura Mazda. The key-sword on the other hand…

    It definitely wasn’t the key to El Dorado. Hell, it had nothing to do with Central or South America at all! From what you can gather; its origins are from the ancient Middle East, Sumer to be precise. It even dates back to Uruk if what your structural analysis and glasses tell you are correct. But that wasn’t the important part.

    The important part was that this was a Noble Phantasm of some sort, or at least a part of one, and it looks to be operational.

    What do you do?
    [X] Use it; see what your newfound Noble Phantasm can do
    [X] Try to see if you can glean more information from it
    [X] Ignore it for now; you have more important things to do
    • Go to your workshop and experiment on…
      - Runes
      - Familiars/ Elemental Magic (your affinities)
      -write-in
    • See Bazett and discuss strategy with her
    • Prepare several weapons and armor for the war
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  13. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Try to see if you can glean more information from it

    You begin to study the key more in depth, as well as researching into Sumerian legends, hoping to discover just what in the hell you bought. From what you can tell right away, it seems to be an actual key to a vault or storage space of some sort, with the power of the vault increasing in proportion to the wealth of both the treasury and the user. As for what the Noble Phantasm actually is… you can only come up with one conclusion.

    The Gate of Babylon. The treasury of Gilgamesh of Uruk, King of Heroes, one of the oldest and most powerful Heroic Spirits that reside in the Throne of Heroes. The one that many consider to be the first hero which all others pale to in comparison. This is his treasury which contains within all the treasures of the world before they were distributed worldwide with the fall of the Sumerian empire.

    This only serves to confuse you further, since in this modern day and age, the treasury of ancient Babylon has already been ransacked and spread throughout the world, leaving the vaults empty. With that in mind, the key shouldn't be working at all, only serving as a fancy decorative piece unless used as a catalyst. Yet here this key is, still holding power and a connection to those vaults, as if they were still filled. As if all the treasures that were once within are once again in the reach of the one who holds the key to those ancient vaults.

    This conundrum only further entices your curiosity. How can it still function? Why is there still a working link between the key and the vault if the vault is supposed to be empty? How does the vault work? You can tell that what the key is connected to is in some sort of alternate space, and that using the key will create a doorway to the vault, but how does that work? And can you recreate it?

    But the most prominent and important question on your mind is, “What can I gain from this right now and how can it help me in the Holy Grail War?”

    There’s only so much you can do with it now, especially in the timeframe you have, so you decide to…
    [X] Venture into the vault and see what you can use
    [X] Shelve it for later, you have other things to do
    [X] Discuss this with Bazett and maybe Bobby, get their opinions
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  14. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Venture into the vault and see what you can use

    Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. You activate the key, and immediately a golden portal shimmers into existence behind you. You turn around, and step inside, ready to see what treasures await.

    And what treasures await you indeed.

    Immediately you see weapons as far as the eye can see, all of them buried in a sea of gold and jewels. You know that without a doubt, all the wealth in here is enough to buy the world several times over, and that’s not counting the worth of the weapons here, which are far more than mere weaponry. No, what they are is far greater.

    Noble Phantasms. All of them. All these weapons are Noble Phantasms, or rather, they are the weapons that would later become the Noble Phantasms of other heroes, and they reflect that by having the powers that they are renowned for. To even have access to one would be a godsend. And you now have access to thousands.

    It would take years to research and analyze each one, delving into their secrets and figuring out how they work and how you can use such knowledge to your advantage. Hell, it take years to even empty the damn vault, but you have a gut feeling that you shouldn't be here for too long. Still, to just leave empty handed just rubs you the wrong way. You should at least take something with you on the way out. Immediately you focus on the three things here that you find to be the most interesting.

    The first is a sword, in only in the barest sense. It looks like a drill that was repurposed into a sword, but despite the odd appearance, you know it’s powerful. Right off, your structural analysis and glasses tell you that it wasn’t made from anything on Earth, and that it is powerful.
    [​IMG]

    The second is a chain, with ornate weights on each end. You can tell that these chains are meant for binding, especially of the Divine and that none can break free from them one bound. Not even a God would be able to break free from these binds.
    [​IMG]

    The last is a tome, gold and gilded with jewels. You can tell that it’s valuable and clearly contains lost knowledge, but as to what that knowledge is, you can’t tell unless you actually took the time to examine it further. Still, the tome beckons to you to take it, to delve in and unravel it’s secrets, and perhaps improve on them as well.

    Still, which should you take?
    [X] The drill-sword
    [X] The chains
    [X] The tome
    [X] Why restrict yourself to only 1? Take them all.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  15. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Why restrict yourself to only 1? Take them all.

    The answer is obvious, why settle for only one, when all three are in your grasp? You quickly snatch up all three and make your way out of the vault. Once out, you use the key and seal the gate once more, confident in your ability to recall it again whenever you desire.

    You take a look at your spoils, and begin to examine them in detail, to see what pulled you to them. They had to have been extremely potent and interesting to grab your attention so. You begin to analyze them, trying to delve through the secrets that shroud them from your understanding.

    Hours pass; you haven’t stopped your research for anything, the need to understand consuming all your thoughts. You have finally unraveled some of the mysteries behind your spoils, and are beyond glee at what you have obtained.

    First, the one you found easies to discover and comprehend, are the chains. You have discovered that they are named after Gilgamesh’s closest companion; Enkidu. These chains were made to bind the gods themselves, and were used to hold down the Bull of Heaven. The chains are a formidable enough bind on their own, but they truly shine when used against the Divine. The greater the divinity of the target, the stronger and tighter the chains will hold them. This is the perfect tool to use against Berserker, something to hold that mad beast at bay. Though you do recall that Hercules tore through the Adamantine chains holding down the Titan Prometheus, a being who was equal to a god, so you should still show caution when using these chains against him.

    Next is the “sword”, which bears the name Ea, named after the god who made it. It is the primordial sword that is the actualization of the works of a god recorded before humanity came into being, and it is that which divided the formless into a distinct heaven and earth. It was forged by Ea himself, using materials that did not exist on the mortal plane, nor will they ever. It is a sword that when used to its greatest potential, will show the “Truth” of the World before genesis, when all was a primordial hell. Grinding at the laws of space with its power, it creates a rip in space that extends from not only the earth, but also to the sky and atmosphere. It creates a crack that distorts space to pierce the very nature of the World itself to show this "Truth." All that used the cut space as a foundation is swallowed and crushed by the void, and the dazzling light only continues to grow as it continues to complete the destruction. Its use in a fight is not something that can be called a battle, but rather the wrath of nature itself.

    The final treasure, and the one you value the most, is the tome. Which is nothing more than a simple language cipher, written by King Nimrod. Nimrod, the king known for attempting to create a pillar to the heavens, the Tower of Babel. However, before he could succeed in reaching Heaven, God struck down at his workers, and robbed them of unified speech, scattering them and forever placed the Unified Language out of humanities reach.

    However…Nimrod was known as the First Magus in some legends, and as any good magus knows, preservation of knowledge is the most vital thing of all. To have created a cipher, a Rosetta Stone of sorts for his future progeny so that this knowledge wouldn’t be lost to the echoes of time is reasonable, any magus worth their title would’ve done the same.

    And now it is yours. Sure, translating it will take time; especially since the other languages it’s in are ancient Hebrew and Arabic, two languages you aren’t very fluent in. Plus, being able to use it at the level of those who naturally spoke will take even longer, but still. With such an opportunity being outright handed to you, you would be a fool to just ignore it.
    Still, with the war coming…you should focus, plan things out on what you should study and experiment with. Think short term for now, focus on the Grail War first, then lose yourself to your studies to your heart’s content.

    Choose your schedule for the month (Pick 5 topics to focus on, choosing a topic multiple times will put a greater focus on that topic):
    [X] Runes
    [X] Unified Language
    [X] Gate of Babylon and its treasuses
    [X] Your elements
    -Ether
    -Imaginary Numbers
    -Both
    [X] Sorcery Trait
    [X] Familiars
    [X] Mystic Codes
    [X] Thaumaturgy (specify what to focus on, ex. Reinforcement, Structural Analysis, etc.)
    [X] Write-in

    Then, what will you do for the rest of the day?
    [X] See Bazett and discuss strategy with her
    [X] Prepare several weapons and armor for the war
    [X] Go to your workshop and experiment on…
    - Runes
    - Familiars/ Elemental Magic (your affinities)
    - Write-in
    [X] Write-in

    New Items Get!
    Gate of Bablyon: E~A++
    The treasury of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, this vault is only accessible with the key made for it. Within the vault lies countless treasures, including the prototypes of most of the known Noble Phantasms in the world. It also holds many other unique treasures.

    Your ownership of the Gate is currently CONTESTED, you only have 50% ownership of this Noble Phantasm. This means that if in use by the other owner, you cannot access the Gate and if used against another who can use this Noble Phantasm, a luck check is required in order to determine who can use it in said conflict. Ownership can be raised by reinforcing your key's connection to the vault, increasing the number of objects you own in the vault, and other methods. An increase in ownership will reduce the possibility of the Gate being used against you, and will also begin to restrict others use of it as well, depending on your level of ownership.

    Ea: EX
    The sword of rupture, this sword works by revealing the "Truth" of the world before the sky and the earth were seperated. One of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Noble Phantasm in existence.

    Enkidu: EX
    The chains of heaven, these chains are made for binding the Divine. The strength of the chains grow the more divine their target is

    Unified Language Cipher:
    This tome serves as a Rosetta Stone for the Unified Language, allowing one to actually learn the language of humanity before man spread throughout the world. However, learning this language will be an arduous task, but the reward will be worth the wait.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 30, 2014
    Xion930 likes this.
  16. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    Interlude: The King’s Fury

    As the masses leave the church, Kotomine Kirei watches them go, his empty grin plastered on his face as always. He then proceeds to go to the cellar to check up on the…children.

    Entering the damp cellar, he gazes at what was once the survivors of the Fuyuki fire now turned into prana generators for Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, surviving Servant of the previous Holy Grail War. As he looks at these poor, unfortunate souls, he feels extraordinary glee at their suffering, their torment serving only to fill his tainted heart with joy.

    However, his relaxation time is interrupted by Gilgamesh:
    KOTOMINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh. Oh shit. Kotomine has never Gilgamesh so enraged before. What in the world happened to piss the King of Heroes off this much?

    Immediately, Gilgamesh storms in, grabs him by the throat, and slams the false priest into the wall. The force of impact was strong enough to cause cracks in the wall, causing Kotomine to cough up blood. Choking the ever-loving life out of him, the Golden King accosts him,

    “Have I not been a magnanimous king, Kirei? I have allowed you many privileges in my presence, the least of which is not forcing you to grovel at my feet for every waking moment of your life, as a mongrel of your station is supposed to. And how do you repay me? BY ROBBING MY TREASURY?!?!?! You have 10 seconds to reveal where you have hidden my stolen treasures before I unleash an everlasting torment upon you, one that will make you wish your God had banished you to the Hell you preach to those ignorant sheep.”

    The King of Uruk was not enraged. No, enraged did not do his disposition justice. In fact, there was not a single word in any language, not even the Unified Language, which could describe the palpable FURY Gilgamesh was emanating at this very moment. Struggling to speak and save his life, Kotomine replies,

    “Your majesty, I assure you, I would never attempt to steal from you. Such an attempt is far outside my meager capabilities. Perhaps another found a way to rob your sacred treasury?” Going through Kirei’s head was ‘Please for the love of God don’t just shrug off what I said’.

    The King of Heroes ponders on the fake priest’s words, and finally releases him. “Very well, I find no falsehood in your statement. However, mark my words. If I EVER find the pathetic wretch that thought to steal from me, and I will find them Kirei, I will introduce them to such torment that is beyond the comprehension of even the Gods.”

    "This I swear..."

    Notes: Perhaps...taking all three may have been a little...too much? But hey, at least you can use Enkidu and Ea on his arrogant ass...
     
  17. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Call for the family meeting. Only close family members, those you can trust (Bazett, the head of the family, some others if you can trust them). Ask for the Geis of non-disclosure. Show them the book, the vault, the sword - inform them of the greatest discovery in the history of the family. Your discovery. Have one of the family members (under the heavy geis of non-disclosure) start copying the book - everyone in the family must know the language.
    [X]Have others go into the vault to catalog and take out the treasures (under heavy geis of not taking anything before you allow them and not using anything they find against you). The things that they should look for are: blueprints of Fragarach (most useful for the clan) and ambrosia (because ascension to divinity).

    Plan for the Month:
    [X]Unified language (X3)
    [X] Gate of Babylon and its treasures
    [X] Runes

    You immediately call for an emergency family meeting, all members that you can trust. What you have just discovered will be the greatest achievement for the Fraga clan in their entire history. You wait in the conference room, awaiting their arrival. Eventually, Bazett, your Uncle, and a handful of others. Numbering seven in total, you call this meeting to order.

    “Hello, everyone. I have called you all here today for a matter of utmost urgency and secrecy. What I will be discussing now will determine the future of the Fraga.”

    “My boy, what’s the meaning of this? It hasn’t even been a day since you’ve had the crest. What the hell happened?!” You decide that a demonestration is needed first, before you get to the meat of things.

    “Before I fully explain I want you all to take a look at this,” you pull out Nimrod’s cipher and hand it to Bazett on your right, “Go through it, use structural analysis, use whatever means possible to examine it, and make sure everyone sees.” You wait for everyone to analyze and examine the cipher, all of them positive that it is important, but confused as to what it is, until your uncle gets it. When he examines it, his face becomes as pale as a ghost. He looks at you and asks,

    “Is this genuine Draoi? Is this what I believe it is?”

    “If it’s a fake, then it’s good enough to fool even me.” That settles it; everyone in the clan knows that when it comes to analyzing anything, there are none better than you. Confused as to what’s going on, Bazett asks,

    “What’s so important about the book anyway? I could tell that it’s a cipher of some sort, but not what language it was for? Can you tell the rest of us, Old Man?”

    “This…this is a cipher that dates back to the beginning of the Age of Gods, a tome with the knowledge of Nimrod, the first king. It is a cipher meant to translate the Unified Language for those who have lost it.”

    Hearing this, the entire room goes into shock. The Unified Language? That which was spoken directly to the soul, before such distinctions such as language were made? And now the clan has it?! Immediately, your Uncle asks,

    “How in God’s name did you get this Draoi?” You decide to get to the point of this meeting.

    “The same place I got these;” you reveal Ea and Enkidu, shocking everybody. They can tell that these were Noble Phantasms, and powerful ones at that, “I had bought a catalyst for the Fifth Grail War that was approaching; Bazett and I had decided to work together to obtain the Grail, myself for the potential research and Bazett for reasons of her own.” Hearing this, Bazett blushed slightly in embarrassment, but quickly brushed it off.

    “In order to compete, I needed a catalyst. So I called up a contact of mine, and he provided me with what he believed to be the Key to El Dorado…”

    “To think that the Aztecs had such a treasure in their hands…” Your uncle draws what appears to be the most logical conclusion. It was wrong however.

    “Incorrect,” Your uncle looks up in shock, “the key wasn’t for El Dorado. It was a key to a vault dating back to ancient Sumer. It was the key to the Gate of Babylon.” Your uncle nearly has a heart attack at hearing that.

    “But…but that’s impossible! Those vaults were ransacked before the Age of Gods had even passed their halfway point! How could this have still been there?!?!”

    “You forget Uncle; the Fifth Grail War is approaching. There are those that have already prepared and have summoned their Servants. And with their Servants comes…”

    “Their Noble Phantasms. My God, someone has summoned Gilgamesh for this war and because of that you…”

    “I now have access to that Gate of Babylon, full of all the treasures it had at its zenith. And that’s where you come in...” You address everyone in the room.

    “Before we can proceed, I require you all to sign this Geis to ensure that this doesn’t get out to those that would use this against us.” You pass around a Geis binding them not to reveal what they discover in the vault or use against any member of the family, to keep the Unified Language within the family and to never disclose it or the means to obtaining it to any others. Everyone signs the Geis, binding them to it. With that, you begin to reveal your plan.

    “I want everyone here to go into the Gate and take everything they can, the more powerful and useful the better. I plan to have everything in that vault ours by the time the Holy Grail War comes. Let’s see the King of Heroes try to fight as a pauper.” With that, you prepare to open the Gate, but find that you can’t. Immediately, everyone can tell that’s something’s wrong. You examine the key to find out what happened. You quickly see the problem.

    “My ownership of the Gate is contested. While Gilgamesh has his key to the vault, I have the real onw with me, creating a conflict of ownership. We both currently share ownership, though that can change, and only one of us can use the gate at a time.” Hearing this, your Uncle asks,

    “How will you solve this, Draoi?”

    “Easy, just stick to the plan. The more things we take, the more we own and the less the King of Uruk owns, shifting ownership to me.” You feel something in the key shift, and you know that the Gate is yours once more. Opening it for all to see, you tell them, “Go, and gather all you can. The dawn of a new era for the Fraga has begun. With this, nothing will stand in our way.”

    Immediately, everyone goes in to take all that they can, you included. Countless Noble Phantasms were removed from the vaults along with other valuable treasures. Finally an issue occurs, as Bazett tries to take a spear out of the Gate.

    “It won’t let me leave. What the hell is wrong with it?” You had a feeling this would happen…

    “Everyone, drop what you have and leave. It’s clear that this is all we can take for now.” Sullen at all that is still outside their grasp, everyone leaves the vault. You tail behind to make sure nobody is left behind and leave, closing the Gate behind you.

    Still, with all you have, victory in the Grail War, hell beyond that; the sheer advances in thaumaturgy you’ll make will be worth more than all the achievements of the past generations combined! You uncle walks up to you and says,

    “I knew you’d lead the clan to great thing…but I didn’t think you’d start right away! Haha! Damn, boy, the Root must love ya to simply hand you this.”

    True, it was truly fortunate you simply received this for a measly 25 million dollars, but you aren’t complaining.

    What will you do now?
    [X] See Bazett and discuss strategy with her
    [X] See your progress on the Unified Language over the month
    [X] See your progress on Runes over the month
    [X] See your progress on the Gate of Babylon and its treasures
    [X] Skip to the end of the month
    [X] Write-in

    Notes: Choosing to see your progress lets you guide in greater detail what your focus will be on the topic, while picking the time-skip will leave it to me. Don't worry, those that know me from my other quest know that I'm a kind GM and won't mess with you like others would.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  18. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] See Bazett and discuss strategy with her.
    [X] See your progress on the Unified Language over the month

    You decide to make you way to Bazett and talk strategy with her. Best to make sure your both on the same page when it comes to the War and how you plan to win it. You find her looking over what appears to be the blueprints to something, but you can’t tell what it is clearly.

    Bazett looks up and see you, “Hey Draoi, what do you need? Discover something else to elevate everyone to even greater heights?”

    “Not yet, working on it though,” you reply to her joking, “But seriously, I wanted to discuss strategy with you about the Grail War. I already have a basic idea on how we should proceed.”

    “I thought that with what we just got, the damn thing would be ours. Hell, look at all the Noble Phantasms we took from the vault!” True, there were quite a number of them…

    “Still, we can’t afford to become too arrogant; that will lead to our downfall.” Chastised, Bazett responds,

    “You’re right. Okay, what’s the game plan?”

    “For now, I plan on summoning a Caster and running interference for Lancer. Given how Caster’s are best suited for holing up and working behind the scenes, I thought that it would be the best suited role in this. I also plan on summoning a Heroic Spirit from Japan for the extra boost in strength, nulling the fact that Caster class Servants are the weakest. That’s all I have for now, I’ll try to come up with something more detailed once I can get more information on the rest of the Masters and their Servants. Any suggestions or questions?”

    “No, I got all of that. Do you have any info on any of the masters yet?”

    “Yes, the Einzbern have already summoned their Servant months ago. Hercules as a berserker.”

    “Dammit, the Hell kind of reasoning is that! That much brute strength is redundant, not to mention that summoning him that early serves no purpose! You have a way to deal with him?”

    “Yes, the chains I showed you. They are meant to restrain the Divine, and are very good at it. I’m not certain they’ll hold forever, but they should hold long enough to…”

    “To kill the master. Right, great planning, as always. You have better contacts than I do, so I’ll leave the information gathering to you. I’ll still try to get ahold of my contacts and try to squeeze them for info too, but I doubt they’ll be more helpful.”

    “Thanks, also, let me know when you plan on summoning Lancer. I want to take a look at the summoning process and use it for my research.”

    “Of course, no problem cousin. See ya!” With that, Bazett takes the blueprints she was looking over and left to work on her own devices. Meanwhile…you had work to do.



    It has been a week since you began to work on the fields you choose for this month, and what arduous work it has been.

    Your main focus has been the Unified Language, mainly due to the sheer utility of the language and how it has both immediate and long term gain. However, progress has been slow. This is mainly due to the cipher languages being in cuneiform and ancient Hebrew, languages you don’t really know. Therefore, you not only had to translate both of those languages, but use those languages to further translate the Unified Language. As you take a moment to think, you come to a consensus.

    There are two options available to you. One is to proceed as you have been and translating everything, the progress is slow, but this allows you to comprehend the Unified Language as a whole, even if you can’t use it yet.

    The other option is to focus on a set word or two. While this doesn’t provide the same level of understanding of the language as a whole, this will allow you to use a word or two to its fullest extent.

    What do you plan on doing?
    [X] Plan 1 (general understanding)
    [X] Plan 2 (sinlge word or two)
    - Write-in word(s) Note: word will be judged by the GM to ensures fairness.
     
  19. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Single Word or Two. The word you want is something that encompasses the concepts of learning, understanding, knowledge, analysis, translation. Basically we use the tome's own power to help us learn it. Even better, the concept of the word we pick up SHOULD fit in with our dual origins of Inquiry and Improvement. We want to use the magic to learn after all.

    You decide to focus on mastering a single word or two, but with a twist. Instead of picking something simple like ‘cut’ or ‘sleep’, you pick two simple words: ‘learn’ and ‘improve’. Your reasoning for this is twofold; first, it will allow you to study and learn the Unified Language at a faster pace. Perhaps even having a basic grasp of it by the time the war comes. The second is your Origin; these two words were incredibly close to your Origin. As such, they should be easy to learn and their effect should be amplified by your use of them.

    The first word, ‘learning’ was an obvious one. When used on someone it would make them ‘learn’ whatever they were focusing on. The process wasn’t instantaneous, but gradual, something you blame on your inexperience with the Unified Language.

    The second word, ‘improve’ was also a clear one. It forced the target to ‘improve’ in all aspects, strength, speed, intelligence, everything. It was, however, a temporary boost and not a permanent one. Something you once again blame on your inexperience. Still, both of these words have helped you gain a basic understanding of the language, even if you can’t use it fully yet.

    As for the rest of your research, categorizing the rest of the contents of the Gate was simple enough. However, two objects immediately jump into mind that you have identified.
    The first is Tarnhelm, the helm of Seigfried. It grants its wearer the gift of transformation, the ability to fully change one’s appearance to that of another. However it doesn’t grant one their skills. This of course makes it the perfect tool for espionage.

    The second…was five pitchers of ambrosia. The nectar of the gods. Drinking this will grant one immortality, everlasting life with no drawbacks. It won’t make one invincible however; just make it so that they won’t die of old age. It’s still a useful resourse to have on tap.

    As for your progress on runes…it has been a slow going. At this point, you can only improve in your ability to chain runes together for linger and more powerful combinations. However, you still had an experiment to run with runic magic. The goal was simple, to etch runes onto a soul for maximum effect and enhancement of one’s own being. However, you still haven’t figured out how to accomplish this, burning though the lives you bought for experimentation fast. You’ll have to call up your contacts in the slave rings for more live bodies for testing.

    Still as the month ends, your mind, thoughts, and dreams consumed by experimentation and improvement, you barely take note of the seals on your hand, signifying you as a master of the Grail War. No matter, it wasn’t like you were going to back out at this point.

    So, what will you do now?
    [X] Get ahold of Bazett, she should be summoning her servant now
    [X] Call Bobby; see if he has your catalyst yet
    [X] Experiment with the ambrosia, maybe drink it
    [X] Think further on your experiment on Runes
    [X] Write-in

    Also, what are your plans for this month? (Same as before, pick 5)
    [X] Runes
    [X] Unified Language
    [X] Gate of Babylon and its treasuses
    [X] Your elements
    -Ether
    -Imaginary Numbers
    -Both
    [X] Sorcery Trait
    [X] Familiars
    [X] Mystic Codes
    [X] Write-in

    New Skill Unlocked!
    Unified Language: E+
    You have begun to learn and have a basic grasp on the Unified Language. One syllable words for basic actions and orders can be used (cut, bow, sleep, etc.). High power words with one syllable such as 'die' and 'obey' can't be used to their full potential and can be resisted. Additional bonus to the words 'improve' and 'learn' due to intense focus on those two words.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 30, 2014
    Xion930 likes this.
  20. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    X] Get ahold of Bazett, she should be summoning her servant now
    [X] Call Bobby; see if he has your catalyst yet

    Month’s focus:
    [X] Unified Language(x2)
    [X] Familiars(x2)
    [X] Sorcery Trait

    You decide to continue on with your studies in the Unified Language, but shift the rest of your focus on Familiars and your Sorcery Trait. You also decide to see Bazett, she gave you a call earlier that she was going to summon her servant today, and you wanted to see the process for research. As you make your way there, you think on your method of creating familiars and how they relate to servants.

    For you, making a familiar is a relatively simple process. First, you craft a body out of ether. Then you use imaginary numbers to catch a spirit and bind it to the body. Finally, after using runes to ensure its servitude, you have a Ghost Liner as a familiar; a spirit bound to a body made of ether. Unfortunately, unless you devote a fairly significant portion of prana to maintaining the body, the familiar fades away after a week or two. This is mainly due to you elemental affinities; any other person would have them fade away in a day without a constant bond with them. Still, they are still useful as scouts and as free labor; you especially like using wind elementals as scouts and spies, they are the best suited for the job.

    Once you arrive, Bazett greets you and leads you to the basement, where she has the summoning circle set up. She turns to you and asks,

    “Do see any mistakes in the circle; I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

    “No, it all looks good to me. I’ll begin to take notes once you begin,” you gesture to the circle, “Anytime you’re ready.”

    She goes to the circle and places the catalyst inside. After that she begins the chant for the summoning. You take notes on the entire process; where the prana flows, what rate does it flow at, how did the rate of prana match the chant, and how the Servant came into the world.

    As the process, finishes and Bazett succeeds at summoning Lancer, you examine him and notice something. The vessel for a Servant, it’s eerily similar to…to…

    To a homunculus.

    It all makes sense now, how could you have missed this?! STUPID! The Einzbern were world renown for their homunculi, no one could match their quality. To simply modify the process in order to create a vessel for a spirit is genius!

    Homunculi. Artifical beings made though alchemy, using human genetic material and several other ingredients in the process. One of the important steps in making the body is the use of ether. The same material that Servants are made of.

    Instead of going through the delicate and lengthy process of making a proper long term vessel and going to all the trouble of getting the soul to go into these vessels, they instead use the Grail to brute force the process, resulting in something similar to what you use for familiars, but with the better parameters due to the class vessels being based on a homunculus template. It’s rather ingenious, especially considering that the standard modus operandi for the Einzbern is ‘throw more prana at the problem till it goes away’.

    Still, you can use this. With your ether affinity, you can drastically speed up the process of creating a homunculus to a matter of months. Combined with you other affinity for binding and capturing spirits and you can eventually have an army of Heroic Spirits at your beck and call. Even without Heroic Spirits, with a proper soul in a homunculus body, you solve the problem of a homunculus having weaker od than a regular person, by having a regular soul in the body.

    Still, to make a homunculus requires base materials, among other things. To gather these resources to make a high quality one will too much time before the war begins. Looks like you have to settle for a average quality template for now.

    You introduce yourself to Lancer and explain the plan, pouring out some wine for everyone to make sure things go smoothly. You get along ok, you’re not friends but you can work together with no problems and he’s fine with your current plan of having a Caster as backup. You look at the time and say your goodbyes; you still have to meet up with Bobby today.

    As you make your way to the spot Bobby told you to meet him at, you remember something. Bobby has people in the Einzbern family; maybe he can get you the template for one of their homunculus models? Perhaps the Justicia one, that’ll work out the best.

    You enter the restaurant Bobby picked out and find his table. He greets you.

    “Hey buddy! Howya been? Thanks for the bonus by the way, though I don’t understand why you doubled your payment. Regardless, what can I do for you?”

    [X] Ask about the catalyst
    [X] Ask about getting an Einzbern homunculus sample
    [X] Ask about getting a lesser catalyst for a ghost liner
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  21. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Ask about the catalyst
    [X] Ask about getting an Einzbern homunculus sample
    [X] Ask about getting a lesser catalyst for a ghost liner
    After meeting with Bobby is over,
    [X] Consult with Lancer on the matters of stabilizing homunculi through Runes, and about the possibility of making a runic prana generator.
    [X] Think about creating an actual material body that Lancer could inhabit in some way, to lower prana consumption and give him independent action.

    Right, down to business, “Bobby, you have that catalyst I asked for?”

    “Of course!” Bobby pulls out a container with a clear top, dozens of protection enchantments on it to protect what’s inside, “Here, an ofuda used by Abe no Seimei. The Merlin of Japan, master of Omyodo. And world renown for his mastery over shikigami and…”

    “…other spirits. With a master capable of providing a sizeable amount of prana, a workshop over a leyline, and in his country of origin, you think…”

    “That he can jack other’s Servants; that’s the plan buddy. I thought it fit with your style of dealing with threats perfectly. Now with that out of the way, I got some info on another Master.”

    “Oh?” This is good, more information is always good, “Give me details, Bobby. What do I have to work with?”

    “Heh, normally I have a strict ‘customer confidentiality’ policy, but for you old friend, I’ll break the rules. He’s your typical hotshot magus in the Clocktower who thinks he’s the best thing to happen to Magecraft since the discovery of prana. He called me up and asked me to hook him up with some writings of Colchis as a catalyst. He’s going to summon at the end of the month.”

    Colchis…that means, “Wait, he plans on summoning Medea, the Witch of Betrayal as his Servant? Has all of his common sense left him?! Why the hell would you summon someone whose legend revolves betraying those they were loyal to? My God, people are stupid.”

    “Amen to that. Anyways, that’s it on the War front. Ya need anything else?” He looks at you inquiringly.

    “Actually, I do. You said you have some inside people in the Einzbern clan right?”

    “Yes…what about it? I’m starting to think that I’m not gonna like what you’re about to ask…”

    “I need you to hook me up with the template for one of their homunculi, preferably the Justicia model.”

    “Jesus Christ Draoi! Do you know what you’re asking?!”

    “Yes, I’ll pay 200 million for it. Right here, right now. I need that template, Bobby.”

    Bobby looks at you doubtfully for several mintues. Finally, he gives in,

    “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. No promises though. Anything else you need me to do? Rediscover the Fourth? Find the lost city of Atlantis?” You both laugh at his sarcastic quips.

    “Nothing that hard, just a catalyst for a ghost liner. Maybe something of the Magus Killer?”

    “Ok, that I can do. I’ll call you up in a few weeks ok?” With that, Bobby gets up to leave.

    “Sure, no problem. And Bobby,” He turns around, “Thanks.”

    “Anytime man, I got your back.”



    You decide to head over to Bazett’s place to talk with Lancer about Runes; hopefully he’ll have some insight for some of your ideas. Mainly, a runic array for gathering prana into a servant to lessen the strain on your cousin. Once you finally arrive, you open the door…

    And barely dodge and catch the object that was about to hit your head. Taking a good look at it, you find that it’s one of those incredibly super-bouncy balls that you can buy at a toy shop. Immediately looking at this makes you have flashbacks to your childhood. Oh God, you thought you repressed those memories.

    When you were kids, Bazett was the more…rambunctious of the two of you. In that she was the one who did the really stupid childish things that got her in trouble. One of these incidents involves a ball like the one now in your hand and reinforcement magic. That day you were hit in places you didn’t know existed on the human body.

    Anyways, you pocket the damn thing and say, “Really, Bazett? Have you learned nothing from our childhood?” She ducks her head in embarrassment.

    You spend the rest of the day talking shop with Lancer and Bazett. Lancer, while knowledgeable, mainly focuses on the combat application of runes. Still, you have some ideas to work on for later about reducing prana drain for Bazett. You briefly consider making Lancer a homunculus body, but decide to wait on that. Just in case things go south and Lancer isn’t as amicable as he is now.

    Once night falls, you head back home, saying your goodbyes to your cousin and her Servant. Once back, you remember to pull out the damn ball from earlier. Out of some feeling of spite, you apply both the Uruz and Wunjo runes in merkstave, making a Word of Madness. Now, once charged with prana, anyone hit with the ball will go into a berserk rage. You feel some odd satisfaction from this, regardless of how silly it is in hindsight.

    Now then, you decide to…
    [X] See your progress on the Unified Language over the month
    [X] See your progress on Familiars over the month
    [X] See your progress on your Sorcery Trait over the month
    [X] Bobby’s contacted you, see what he’s got (2 weeks later)
    [X] Write-in

    Note: The see your progress is like it was in the last post, you choose only 1. Choosing to see your progress lets you guide in greater detail what your focus will be on the topic, while I work on the rest.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  22. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Bobby’s contacted you, see what he’s got
    [X] See your progress on the Unified Language over the month
    [X] See your progress on Familiars over the month
    [X] See your progress on your Sorcery Trait over the month

    Two weeks in, and you get a call from Bobby. Huh, you weren’t really expecting to hear from him so soon. You pick up the phone and greet him.

    “Hey Bobby, what’s up?”

    “Listen, can you meet me at the usual spot? Like, right now?” Wow, he sounds frantic. Better see what’s up.

    “Sure, no problem.” You hang up and head to the usual spot, just like you did two weeks ago. You find Bobby, loaded with stuff. He’s all shifty eyed and nervous. This doesn’t seem good. You take a seat and order your usual.

    “Hey man, what’s up? Did something happen? You need my help?” Bobby was your friend, and you weren’t going to leave him to the wolves.

    “No, no I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.” Still, he seems on edge, “Just worried that things didn’t go as smoothly as they seem to have.”

    “Anyways, I have what you asked for,” he hands you a vial, “This is a sample for what is supposed to be the new Justicia model they’re working on, or something. Guy didn’t give me much details, but I checked it, and it’s real.”

    You pick up the vial, analyzing it, and find it to be genuine. Great work, better that the estimates you made for the Justicia model and those were 98% accurate according to your outside sources. Unfortunately it still has some flaws; mainly it won’t last too long. You think you can fix that.

    “Thanks man, anything else?”

    “Yeah, apparently the Magus Killer was crashin’ at the Einzbern’s for a while, and some of his stuff was still there. I had a guy snatch a coat. Here,” He hands you a black longcoat. It looks nice and utilitarian.

    "Oh, and here,” He hands you a box with seals on it, “I need you to do me a ‘favor’, heh.” Favor means he’s helping you out in exchange for having you ‘deal with’ another customer of his, “These are the writings of Colchis, I need you to deliver them to this address,” he hands you a piece of paper with the address written on it.

    “No problem Bobby, you can count on me.” You know the real reason for this; Bobby’s giving you the chance to kill a master now and get some more command seals.

    “Heh, of course. Anyways, I gotta go. Later, man!”

    “Same to you, pal.” With that, Bobby leaves. You finish up the meal you ordered, take your stuff and head back to your workshop.

    Once there, you plan on doing one of three things: Making a Ghost Liner, making a homunculus, and finding that pathetic Magus that fancies himself the winner of the Grail War already.

    But what should you do first?
    [X] Ghost Liner
    [X] Homunculus
    [X] The Cocky Prick

    Notes: Sorry, kinda short. Will go over progress in next update
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  23. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] The Cocky Prick
    You decide that it’s best to deal with the competition now, before it can become an issue. Or rather what they assume will be an issue to you. Considering what you heard from Bobby about this guy, you’ll have no problems in dealing with him. Now then…how should you do this?

    At first, you consider using some Noble Phantasms on him, but decide against it. After all, you don’t know who is watching. And the last thing you need is the Clocktower on your ass. Still, that doesn’t really makes things harder for you, just less painful for him. You gear up in your usual outfit, runes on every inch of it, armed with Fragarach, and make preparations to reach him.

    It takes 3 days to reach the location Bobby gives you. Looking at it, it looks to be a home for someone well off. Immediately, you feel that there are three different bounded fields on the premises. You scoff at their simplicity; they don’t even mesh well together. Breaking them apart subtly is child’s play to you.

    As you look around, you see nothing of note at the premisis. Nothing to show that this fool is above the rest of the magi in the Association. Nothing to prove that he deserves to be in the War at all. Hell, he was just probably lucky and was feeling more ambitious and cocky than usual when he got the seals.

    You walk to where the directions Bobby gave you say to drop off the box, and wait. After several hours you finally see someone appear. It’s the magus, and he doesn’t look all that impressive. You were expecting…well you don’t know, but something better than this. Really, it’s like he only just left the damn association classes to work on his own. He looks at you with an arrogant sneer and asks,

    “Is that the package I ordered? Well, answer me, delivery boy!”

    Dear God you want to break this arrogant asswipe, acting like he’s the best magus in the whole damn world. And you will, but how to do it…

    [X] Sneak attack, no playing around
    [X] Frontal assault, make a familiar on the fly as a distraction if need be
    [X] Taunt and belittle him, show him how pathetic he truly is compared to you
    [X] Write in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  24. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Sneak attack, no playing around
    “Excuse me sir, but is there a way for me to confirm your identity? I need to make sure you’re who you say you are,” There, that’ll get him to go on a rant or something along those lines. It’ll give you time to look for an opening to strike fast and true.

    “You don’t know who I am?! How foolish are you?! My research is so great, not even the Magus Association can comprehend it! Those fools, they simply cannot comprehend my genius. When I win this war, they shall see. They will all see! I, who…” Dear God can he talk about himself. Talk about an overblown ego. He prattles on and on about his greatness, that you can’t wait to kill him.

    “…And when other children were learning to spell their names, I was mastering magecraft far beyond their skill level. Why once, I…” Good Lord, he’s still talking. Thankfully, he turns his back for a dramatic gesture. The moment he does, you use Fragarach and impale his heart with a spear of wind, killing him in an instant. You look over the body, and make a small quip. “I’ve fought children that did better than you.”

    That was a true statement; the children of the clan would’ve never made such a mistake. This was truly pathetic, if this was the caliber of masters for the war, then it should be in the bag. You look though his workshop for anything of value, but find nothing. Your work done, you take his command seals, destroy the workshop and leave, the workshop burning behind you.



    The rest of the month passes without incident, your studies focusing on Unified Language, familiars, and your Sorcery Trait. Your progress in U.L. is steady yet still somewhat slow. As for familiars, it has become both easier to summon and maintain them, due to learning more about the Servant system. The sample from the Einzberns is very well crafted, yet still has noticeable flaws in exchange for a greater prana capacity and output. You scoffed at such modifications, for they seem to have been tacked on last minute. You have already solved these errors and have several homunculi being made; by the time the War comes, you should have ten of them. As for your Sorcery Trait, you have inferred that it is most likely another weapon of the Gods that you can now create, though you aren’t quite certain what, exactly.

    There is another issue, as the month has passed, you have created a method of tracking Archer though your key to the Gate, especially since you haven't slowed down in raiding the vaults. As time has passed, you have noticed that he is slowly getting closer and closer to you, though is still far off; his current location is in Germany. You're also kinda worried about how Bobby was acting when you last saw him. Plus, you haven't heard from him, nor have you been able to contact him. This has you on edge, and watching out for any potential threats...

    But for now, you have something else to do. You look at the ‘body’ in front of you. It has no face or other features, reminiscent of a mannequin. It was made the same way a homunculus was, but without a soul. It has the Yoke of Oppression permanently etched onto its neck, as well as the word for servant in the Unified Language. You will summon the Ghost Liner into this vessel, in essence creating a living Servant. Your studies have informed you that the face and other features will appear once the soul is in the vessel. Now then…

    Who will you summon?
    [X] The Magus Killer, a ghost liner
    [X] A ‘False’ Servant, a wraith forced into the role of a “Hero” from mass media (Write-in choice)
    [X] Your Servant
    [X] Other (Write-in alternative plan)

    New Stats Aquired!
    Unified Language (D+):You have begun to learn and have a basic grasp on the Unified Language. Two syllable words for basic actions and orders can be used (cut, bow, sleep, etc.). High power words with two syllable such as 'defile' and 'obey' can't be used to their full potential and can be resisted. Additional bonus to the words 'improve' and 'learn' due to intense focus on those two words.

    Familiar Creation (A+):You are a master of creating familiars, mainly due to your affinities. You can summon elemental spirits or wraiths and bind them to a body of ether for up to a month, due to the research you have done. They are about as power as a servant with D rank Parameters.

    Homunculi Creation (A): By studying the sample from the Einzberns, you have skyrocketed in homunculi knowledge and creation. Homunculi at the level of creations of the Einzberns are feasible.

    Servant summoning (D):By combining your affinities and knowledge of hommunculi, you can summon servants into premade bodies to serve you. At this rank, ghost liners and elements spirits are feasible. You have the knowledge to summon Heroic Spirits, but lack the prana to maintain them well without support from the Grail.

    Gate of Bablyon: E~A++
    The treasury of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, this vault is only accessible with the key made for it. Within the vault lies countless treasures, including the prototypes of most of the known Noble Phantasms in the world. It also holds many other unique treasures.
    Your ownership of the Gate is currently CONTESTED, you only have 65% ownership of this Noble Phantasm. This means that if in use by the other owner, you can possibly override access the Gate and if used against another who can use this Noble Phantasm, a luck check is required in order to determine who can use it in said conflict, though the opponent has a 15% penalty to both his luck and his check. Ownership can be raised by reinforcing your key's connection to the vault, increasing the number of objects you own in the vault, and other methods. An increase in ownership will reduce the possibility of the Gate being used against you, and will also begin to restrict others use of it as well, depending on your level of ownership.

    Notes: For the Gate, in the event you want to override control, you have to roll a 1d100, and beat the roll I'll do for Gilgamesh. Same for the use against him, though with his luck, he'll roll more than once.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  25. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] The Magus Killer, a ghost liner
    You decide to summon the Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya. With the most notorious magus killer summoned as your familiar with servant capabilities, another factor to guarantee your victory in the Grail War. In addition, as a participant and victor of the last war; you’ll be even more prepared for the strategies typically employed. Your mind set, you make the preparations for the summoning. Though you cloth the body, for decency’s sake.

    You draw the ritual circle and begin chanting, summoning the spirit into the vessel you have chosen using the catalyst given to you by Bobby. The amorphous body begins to take form as the soul of Kiritsugu Emiya is forced into it. Once the summoning is finalized; he turns to you, his face full of shock before immediately becoming stern and harsh. In an instant, he demands answers,

    “How did you summon me; what’s the meaning of this?!”

    “You are now an ether liner, a servant to my whims,” you decide to cut to the chase here, “Oh, and don’t think about trying to betray or disobey me; I have so many fail-safes in place that it’s literally impossible for you to even consider, much less attempt to reject my will.”

    The Magus Killer pulls out a Thompson Contender, most likely to try to kill you; but he can’t even lift it to aim at you, the runes to powerful to fight off. Realizing that he is now a slave, he looks at you with broken eyes; silent. You decide to begin with the first thing on your mind.

    “Now then, I want all the information you have on the Grail War; it’s been ten years since the 4th and the 5th is coming in a few months. Actually…hold that thought, first I’ll meet up with Bazett, no need to repeat things now.” You motion to the Magus Killer, “Come, go into astral form; we’re going to meet with my allies in the war.”

    You and your new pseudo-servant make your way to Bazett’s residence; along the way you notice that you’re being followed. There’s three of them, one having never done anything relating to this if his pathetic attempts of stealth are any clue; and the other two, while better, seem to defer to his path. Hmm…what to do…

    [X] Confront
    [X] Ignore
    [X] Other
    [X] Write-in
    Note: It would be best for you to elaborate on your choice; these are all pretty much write-ins with a specific focus.
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  26. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    This is certainly not innocuous. Perhaps somebody had the same idea you had, or perhaps Bobby's inside man got caught, and now you are being shadowed by the fucking Einzberns themselves, or a combination of both.

    Come to think of it, such ineptitude at field readiness is certainly indicative of Einzbern magi - they sure can craft impressive stuff in their laboratories, but they are alchemists first and foremost, and helpless outside of their castle. So, one Einzbern magus, two combat homunculi?

    Things could go sour very quickly. There was a possibility that they had merely trailed the stolen Justizia template to you, and were merely expecting to face a normal magus in order to restore the secrecy of their magnum opus.

    But there was the possibility that Bobby had been caught and spilled the beans about the whole reason behind your theft - outside of the usual magi business - and they were about to start the Holy Grail War prematurely. Perhaps Berserker and his Master weren't far.

    ‘You worked with the Einzbern for nearly a decade, Magus Killer, you send your bound slave. I think they may be tailing us. What honest advice can you give me regarding their intentions and capabilities?’

    ‘The magi themselves are fairly incompetent in combat due to specializing in alchemy; the homunculi however can be on par with servants if their high quality. These ones aren’t that high quality, but are still fairly well made combat homunculi’

    At any rate, should they come closer or make any hostile move you should engage in an overwhelming attack with Fragarach, rune spells, your Ghost Liner, and on-the-fly familiars. Use rune magic to restrain the lead magus in the initial stages of the conflict, for use as a hostage and interrogation, if at all possible - order the lead magus to sleep with the Unified Language in absolute last resort. If the two more capable presences were that of combat homunculi, you were in deep trouble if you underestimated them. Planning escape routes and rune-enhanced retreat was also a wise move in that case.

    On the other hand, if they were stupid (or under-informed) enough to let you reach Bazett, then they would have the very unpleasant surprise of facing the Magus Association's top Enforcer and her Servant, in addition to yours truly. But reality was hardly ever nice to wishful thinkers.

    The path you’re on now is isolated; out of your own preference of not dealing with the masses, which makes it perfect for staging a counterattack. You bind several earth spirits who begin to inscribe runes around the surrounding area to bind and hamper the attackers. Kiritsugu gets into position to snipe the two homunculi; while you prepare to deal with the magus. As the spirits finalize their work and the Magus Killer gets into position; your stalker appears to have chosen to reveal himself.

    “I will be merciful, if only to avoid having to avoid making a mess I’d have to clean up here. Return that which you stole from us; or I will use force.”

    Right then, time to handle this; immediately you channel prana into the runes, binding the Einzbern magus into place. Right as this happens, one of the homunculi is sniped by your Ghost Liner while the other moves to strike you down. You draw Fragarach and use it to unleash a blast of Wind thaumaturgy that would make Lorelei Bartheomelloi envious of its power. The homunculus it torn asunder; nothing but chunks of flesh now. It was a simple, well executed counter trap, it worked mostly due to the Einzbern's lack of combat experience and the surprise of you being so well prepared to counter him and his entourage. Had things gone the slightest bit awry, the situation would be far worse off. You turn to the magus; fear evident in his eyes. You need to figure out what to do with him now…

    [X] Kill him, you have enough to go on here to know what’s going on
    [X] Question him here on the spot; you want to know more about this attack
    [X] Take him with you to Bazett, see what she thinks about this
    [X] Write-in
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  27. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] The Plan

    You knock out the magus, and summon Kiritsugu to carry him. You also examine the homunculus body that wasn’t turned into mincemeat. You find little to help further your studies though you decide to take the body for good measure. You clean up the mess and make your way to Bazett’s place. Once there, you immediately go in, enter the basement and find your cousin and her servant, drop the sniveling wreck over your familiar’s shoulder, and tell them,

    “We have a situation.” And you explain how you were being tailed and your lack of contact with Bobby, as well as what you took from the Einzberns. You also explain your new familiar and your plan on pumping him for information for further preparation on the Grail War. Bazett takes this all in and you begin to plan on what to do with your captive.

    You finally decide to use the same runic array on him that you have on Kiritsugu as well as having Fragarach at his throat to ensure that the truth is told; overkill, sure, but best to be safe. With these preparations taken care of, you begin your interrogation. You ask the magus,

    “How did you find me, why are you hunting me down, and who else is after me?”

    “We found a traitor amidst us; he revealed that he had sold one of our templates. Such a travesty could not be allowed to pass; we forced him to tell us who he was working for and we managed to find some of his…customers. After that it was a matter of using process of elimination. Now, the entirety of the Einzbern family’s wrath is upon you; and we will not stop until we have what is rightfully ours and all that you have achieved from your theft is eliminated.” That wasn’t comforting, especially since they found out about Bobby.

    “What about the one your traitor was working for? What happened to him?”

    “We found where his place of operations was but he had abandoned it; however it appeared that he had left in a rush, and that we had barely lost him. Because of that we were able to find a list of his favored customers and eventually found you. We haven’t found him since…” Good, looks like Bobby is still alive. Now then, time to see what else he can offer you.

    “The Einzbern master; tell me everything you know about them, strengths, weaknesses, personality, everything you know.”

    “The master is the latest vessel for the Lesser Grail, Ilyasviel von Einzbern. She’s the daughter of the previous vessel and the damn Magus Killer. She’s been heavily altered to enhance prana quality, quantity, and efficiency for the war, though study shows that it’s drastically reduced her lifespan. It’s of no consequence; she’d be rendered useless once victory was achieved anyways.” Well, it appears that constant losses in the war have addled their brains; if winning without being able to even use the grail was now their priority. He continues his explanation.

    “We’ve also groomed her hatred of her father as motivation, constantly telling her about how he abandoned her and leaving out all of his attempts of rescue. And with her servant already summoned and maintained, the war will be ours. Granted, the strain on the circuits would be suicide for a normal magus, but that’s what the modifications are for. As for her combat capabilities, they are the same as the rest of us, but rendered a moot point due to her servant.” Well, good to know that the typical idiotic arrogance of certain magus families still rings true to this day. And this also explains some of the details of the sample you received earlier in the month; being natural born has likely rendered the initial subject a body without any of the physical defects while still having the benefits of a homunculus. And the modifications they made that you streamlined and perfected to remove the cost of a reduced shelf life were like made by them out of desperation and in a rush to have their winning tool for the war. Plus, they weren't worried about what happened after; being the vessel renders that a moot point. Still, time to press for whatever information is left.

    “Tell me everything you know about the Holy Grail War, history of previous wars, the mechanics behind it, everything you know.” Unfortunately, your captive wasn't very helpful in that department; his lack of position and influence not granting him access to the information you wanted. You did learn that the third war went horribly wrong for them due to their servant’s lack of strength; though that could either be attributed to a botched summoning due to their chosen target or other factors. Your captive doesn’t know for sure.

    Once you finish with him, you discuss with the others about what to do with him; deciding to just kill him now. He can’t serve any other purpose now and isn’t valuable or powerful enough to use against the Einzberns. After killing him, you tell Kiritsugu,

    “Tell me everything about the Einzberns we can use against them; also, tell me everything about the Fourth War and about your magecraft.” You listen as Kiritsugu goes over the last war in detail as well as his magecraft. You think you can use this for creating some new rune combination dealing with time manipulation, but that’s for later. As for the story on the fourth war; it helps as a frame of reference for what to expect, as well as inform you about the tainted prize. A shame really; such a potent reward going to waste, but perhaps you can fix it. You recall that you have the Avesta and are summoning the greatest Japanese magus specialized in spirits and summoning on his homeland. Still, you need to deal with the current issue.

    “The Einzbern aren’t combat capable, they rely on their homunculi for protection. As for dealing with them, an assault on their home isn’t advised. While I can break through their bounded fields, there’s still a literal army of homunculi at their beck and call. However, with the advantages of the Gate of Babylon and Lancer, it is actually a feasible plan if executed properly. A message to leave them alone, possibly an assassination of Jubstacheit could settle things; especially if you can arrange one of the members your associate has bought out to become successor.” True, however there is another threat to consider.

    Archer, as you assumed Gilgamesh to have been summoned as; when you robbed the Gate it appears that he has either browbeaten his master or has gone rouge to deal with you. Since he’s in Germany, heading there my spur him on to rush over and deal with you personally. This makes ambushing the Einzberns less favorable until Archer is out of the country or has been dealt with. Conversely, having the Einzberns heckle you while having to worry about the King of Heroes will only make thing harder once you have to deal with him. To fully deal with one, the other has to be eliminated as a threat.

    But perhaps…you recall Tarnhelm and what it’s capable of; you can eliminate two birds with one stone. Both you and Kiritsugu have gotten a good look at old man Acht, and once Archer sees who has his treasures…

    What plan should you take?
    [X] Deal with the Einzberns, either by;
    • Storming the castle and using superior firepower
    • Quick and dirty assassination of the head
    • Negoiations; perhaps an equivalent trade will put them at ease
    • Write-in
    [X] Archer needs to be taken care of now before his presence makes things worse (write-in how)
    [X] You have the resources, set them against one another and reap the spoils (write-in additional details)
    [X] There have to be alternatives available to you, but what are they? (write-in)
     
    Xion930 likes this.
  28. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Talk with everyone else, get their opinions on things. Unless otherwise advised, turn your two enemies against each other.

    “Before I make a final decision, I’d like to get everyone’s opinions on what do to, given the information I’m about to disclose. It seems our looting of the Gate of Babylon has been noticed, and Archer is on his way here. Now, given what we’ve discovered about the Einzberns , it now appears we have to threats to worry about; Gilgamesh and the Einzbern clan. However, given that one of the Noble Phantasms in my possession outside the Gate is Tarnhelm, why not pit these two enemies against each other? I masquerade as Acht and flaunt the Gate in front of Gilgamesh, making him assume that the Einzbern’s have his treasures. I then lead him to their castle and the two fight. Thoughts?”

    Bazett takes in the new information and responds, “Hmm…It’s risky, but if Gilgamesh falls for it we won’t have to deal with either of them. Plus, if I know you, you intend to rob the Einzberns blind during the crossfire, am I right?”

    “You caught me red-handed, such an opportunity is too good to pass up. Kiritsugu, your thoughts?”

    “Gilgamesh is highly arrogant, combined with his anger over your theft and you’ll have him highly off balance and falling for whatever plan you use. However, even with this distraction the castle will be defended. I can breach the bounded fields, but the inside guard still has to be taken care of. Taking that into account, the plan is still sound. “

    “Right, but with you, me, Bazett, and Lancer we can pull this off. Lancer, anything to add?” Lancer chimes in.

    “Shame I won’t get to fight the bastards, but from what you’re telling me Berserker will outright crush me in an instant. I guess I’ll have to settle with fighting inside then. Yeah, I’ll help you out if master says.”

    “And I do,” Bazett says, “You’re not doing this alone Draoi, I’m helping. Now then, let’s kill two birds with one stone.”

    Kiritsugu replies, “Hmm…with the backup of a servant and enforcer the plan shouldn’t meet any complications that can’t be handled. It’ll work and both sides will be none the wiser.”

    “Right, let’s head to my workshop and gather supplies. After that we’ll start the plan.” With that you all head over to your workshop and gather supplies for this attack. Once prepared, you don Tarnhelm and transform into Jubstacheit von Einzbern. Just for kicks, you also put on the Golden Armor, just to further enrage him and rub it in. Using the spell you’ve been using to track Archer, you teleport several feet away, ready to begin the plan.

    You find yourself in the edge of a forest, and several feet outside is Gilgamesh. Now, time to begin your plan…

    [X] Write-in how you want to fuck with the bastard.
    [X] Leave it to the GM on how to insult and belittle the fucker.
     
  29. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Make the bitch cry

    You head out of the forest, opening the Gates behind you, and confront the King of Heroes. Immediately he spots you and shouts, “YOU! You mongrel, you dare to-“

    “Yes I dare, for I am your better, you useless sack of lard. Look at you, your treasures robbed and laid before your eyes, yet forever out of your reach; for they are in the hands of your betters. Yes, I say your betters; for what have you done, O Mighty King of Uruk?”

    “You wretch, you dare to mock your better, you superior-” Again you cut him off. Oh you didn’t think an eye could twitch like that, interesting.

    “Yes I dare, for you are not my better; you embarrassment to the First Magi and King, Nimrod. How long have you been on this mortal plane; months? And look at where you are now; poor as a pauper, with nothing to show your worth. Truly the linage of Nimrod had fallen far when you were sired. Where are your armies, you loyal subjects, your empire made anew? While you squandered your time on this earth I have been making progress. The great empire of man will be made anew, but it will be the Einzbers who will be its founders and rulers. Truly your grandfather is spinning in his grave at your incompetence, you worthless scum, you.”

    “When I am finished with you, filth, not even your mother will-”

    “I am not finished; mongrel! Yes, you bastard child of man and gods; looking at you now I bet even Enkidu would be ashamed to know of you. Yes, I bet your man-lover would rather become a rotting carcass again then come back to life only to be associated with you. Yes, your nearest and truest friend; what a true waste of the god’s time, making a playmate for a spoiled child such as yourself. I bet he regretted every moment of his existence, knowing he had to be bound to you of all people for his entire life.”

    “You…you…” Oh dear, you think he might actually blow his arteries, you’ve never seen such a shade of red before, nor have you ever seen veins bulge that much. The twitching’s gotten even worse somehow and you think you can see his head twitching as well. Oh, the other eye’s doing it now.

    “Actually, I had an epiphany.” Time to hammer the last nail in the coffin, "One might be tempted to apply conventional insults to you, you are an Idiot, a shameless attention whore, an ugly motherfucker, a whiny bitch, sleaze-ball, and so forth. But the fact of the matter is that those insults and the various colorful variations and combinations of which never the less give you too much credit"

    "Even idiots can be put to good use, even if just as projects to cheer people up or sweeping the floor. An attention whore might be amusing in some way even if just by accident. Plenty of ugly people are decent and respectable and better despite their aesthetic deficiencies. Whiners can contribute too, even if they make a fuss over nothing and are annoying as fuck. A sleaze-ball might have some good ideas despite his loathsome mannerism and attitudes. Not that these terms could not be applied to you. No, because the people that those words described can be put to use in some small way to make this world a better place, or at least have some vaguely redeeming qualities. You, however do not."

    "Never before has in the history of the universe have the forces of the nature come together to create such an abysmally substandard human being such as yourself. What are you? You are a Waste. I don't pity you, I pity the tapeworms that are forced to endure dwelling in your horrid intestinal track. I pity the water atoms which have passed through the bladders of Great People, be they enlightened rulers, scientists who push forward humanity, heroes who have saved the lives of thousands or simply pleasant, kind hearted and generous folk, now must endure being stuck inside the cell tissues of your horrid being."

    "The only possible way you could endeavor to make this world a better place is if you went into a chemical waste dump with a sharp rock, not a knife because objects that were shaped by the hands and minds of mankind and the fruits of their efforts deserve some respect, which befouling it with your bodily juices is anything but, and stab yourself in the chest, letting your body degrade amongst corrosive industrial run-off so it may be elevated to its level and that the materials that the universe would have eighty more kilograms of free material to be turned into anything other than you. Truly there is no better way to describe you.”

    “Gurk-erg-ack,” Oh dear, he’s actually foaming at the mouth now, and; are those tears?

    “Oh my, are you actually crying? Did the mean, nasty magus make you cry? Bah, I have no time for infants; I, Jubstacheit von Einzbern, will be busy transcending the Age of Gods.”
    You receive a telepathic from Bazett, saying they’re in position at the Castle. Good, now to wrap things up.

    “Here,” You cast a broad locater spell on yourself, to allow Gilgamesh to find the castle once you leave; “Now you can find where I reside for when you want to die by the hands of you betters. I have to be going now, goodbye.”

    With that you close the Gate and teleport away to where Bazett and Lancer are. Once you arrive Kiritsugu materializes out of astral form and asks,

    “So, did it work? Did you manage to break the King of Hero’s ego?”

    “Well I-“ Immediately the earth shakes and you hear something strike against the walls of the castle, shredding the bounded fields on it.
    “MONGREL WHORES!!! I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
    [size=36pt]▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▃▃▄▄▅▅▃▃▄▄▅▅[size=48pt]▅
    [/size]
    [/size]

    “…Yes, I’d say I did.” With that you all break into the castle. Looking back at this, you'll realize that if you were just the slightest bit off you've been decimated. There wouldn't even be a body to bury.

    Now, what will be your first target?
    [X] Their archives, so that all their knowledge will be yours
    [X] Acht, best to kill him first
    [X] The homunculi labs, to see if any new samples were made
     
  30. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    7,685
    [X] Their archives, so that all their knowledge will be yours.

    You make your way through the castle, guided by Kiritsugu and his knowledge on where the Archives are. You all move as a single group; to separate now would be folly, in such a hostile and hot battleground. Best to go about things one at a time; not to mention give Gilgamesh enough time to weaken the Einzbern forces and tire himself out. You can still hear the salvo of blades tearing though bodies; when suddenly the entire castle shakes and you hear a loud roar; "▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅"

    And that was Berserker joining the fray; all of you continue to rush to the archives, the faster you get there the less likely they'll be destroyed in the crossfire. Given the sheer amount of potential knowledge held within you had to take it all.

    Unfortunately, you find your way blocked; by an Einzbern magus and about 300 combat homunculi. The magus speaks up, "So, the thief comes to take more of what is ours; like a jackal picking at the carcass of a lion. But this lion still has fight in it, wretch. 300 of our finest combat homunculi against your motley crew; I think you can determine the odds yourself."

    And you can, while you can defeat them; it will take the right plan to do so. The longer you're bogged down here, the less time you have to loot the archives, or worse; the less time they still remain standing.

    Your options are fairly limited, what do you do?
    [X] Fragarach, a powerful enough wind blast will do
    [X] Stall for enough time to make an array to take them all down
    [X] Have Lancer and Kiritsugu take them down with you and Bazett serving as support
    [X] Check what you have on you, there might be a Mystic Code or some such that can assist you here
    [X] Write-in