Your hands tremble a bit as you slowly, painstakingly, make the last of the markings. A bead of sweat slides down your forehead, but you can't spare the minute movements it'd take to wipe it away; a single mistake could spell out lethal consequences further down the line. This Circle has to be perfect. Anything less and you might as well go ahead and surrender now.
Finally, with nothing but the utmost care guiding your fingers, you complete the Circle. Panting slightly, and finally managing to wipe that sweat out of your eyes, you stand back and admire the finished product, a bit of pride flaring in your chest. You've had to make quite a few Circles over your career as a Magus, but there's no doubt that this one is your best yet. Nearly ten feet across and full of extraordinarily intricate curves, lines, and shapes, the Circle stands as a testament to your superior skills and capabilities.
After all, there's a reason you were chosen to participate in the Sixth Holy Grail War.
But that's enough ego-stroking for now. You may have drawn the Circle, but that's far from the most important thing you'll be doing tonight. No, it is this next part of the ritual that's most important.
You peruse the ancient texts one last time, making sure that you've got the incantation memorized. You're going to recite it perfectly, with not a single line out of place or a single syllable slurred. You spent all that time finding the perfect Relic and preparing everything else, after all. There's no way you're going to slip up here, not at the final step.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill! Repeat five times. But destroy each when filled."
The first line leaves your lips without error as your skin begins to crawl. You can feel the latent magical energy in the air responding to you, becoming charged with a power unlike any you've ever felt before.
"A base of silver and steel. A foundation of stone and the Archduke of Contracts. And my ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg. A wall to block the falling wind. The gates of all four directions close. From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom."
The second verse, likewise, is uttered perfectly. The power that fills the air becomes more and more palpable, its strength slowly growing as you recite the words. Though the power seems to surround your entire body, you can feel it beginning to concentrate around your right hand, around the trio of Command Seals that mark you as a Master.
The Circle begins to glow with an otherworldly light as you continue.
"I hereby propose: My will shall create thy body, and thy sword shall create my fate. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!"
Grasping your wrist in your other hand, you extend your right palm to the brilliantly shining Circle, having to squint lest the light blind you.
"I hereby swear, I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world."
One more verse.
"Thou, clad with the great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint. Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"
The light grows brighter and brighter, until it climaxes in a brilliant flash! Gasping reflexively, you stagger back a couple steps, rubbing at your eyes as stars dance before them.
"I ask you."
You stop mid-stride as a new voice reaches your ears. Strong, and carrying the weight of countless years, it takes hold of you and rivets your feet to the floor. Blinking away the last of the dots that cloud your vision, you stare into the mist that has sprung forth from the Circle, locking eyes with the figure who stands in its center.
A Heroic Spirit called forth, by you, from the annals of history and legend. A mighty warrior whose praises have been sung and spoken of for untold ages. A relic of the past, neither alive nor dead, summoned into this modern era to fight by your side.
Your Servant.
"Are you my Master?"
[hr]
Hey there everyone, Pappytech here! Fan of anime and fantasy, citizen of the RP forum, and all around crazy guy, I'm here today to try and interest you all in this new, original, and fairly bizarre RP idea of mine!
Now, I'd imagine that a few of you can guess what the source material I'm using based on the title. However, for those of you who don't peruse visual novels or anime as much as I do, I'd like to say that this RP is based on the Fate series, one of game company Type-Moon's most popular line of visual novels. If you're familiar with the lore and setting of the games, then great! If not, then please feel free to read through the summaries I've set up below; while I can't promise 100% depth or accuracy, it'll be more than enough to introduce you to the basics of the Fate universe.
The Holy Grail War is a tradition dating back 200 years. As its name implies, it is a great battle fought to earn the Holy Grail, a powerful and mysterious artifact. It is said that the Grail is capable of granting any wish that its bearers possess, and is sought after by many notable Magi and Heroes.
Usually occurring once every 60 years, the War is fought between seven pairs of Masters (Magi) and Servants (Heroic Spirits). It is only after at least five of the Servants are vanquished, either through combat or other means, that the Grail will manifest and choose the winning team.
As magic must be kept secret from those not aware of its existence, the Grail Wars have a few rules designed to preserve the Masquerade. Battles should only be fought at night, or in isolated areas. The Church is neutral ground; no one may fight there. Finally, if any outsiders should observe the Grail War, they are to be killed immediately.
The War typically lasts no more than a week, and ends when the Grail manifests to grant the victors' wishes.
Masters are all Magi, or descendants of Magi, that have been chosen by the Holy Grail before the Grail War begins. Regardless of talent or tutelage, they have been determined to be worthy of fighting for the Grail, and most will stop at nothing to claim their prize.
A typical Master has had at least a decade of training to learn the ways of magic. More often than not they are more than capable of simple tasks (healing, controlling a familiar, detecting magical barriers, etc.) and will have extensively studied a particular branch of magic (time alteration, controlling an element, object duplication/projection, etc.)
There are a few exceptions to this, however. If they are deemed worthy by the Grail, a Master with little to no training might be selected. Such Masters tend to have a good amount of latent potential, but they may not have enough time to awaken if before meeting their untimely end.
A typical Master has had at least a decade of training to learn the ways of magic. More often than not they are more than capable of simple tasks (healing, controlling a familiar, detecting magical barriers, etc.) and will have extensively studied a particular branch of magic (time alteration, controlling an element, object duplication/projection, etc.)
There are a few exceptions to this, however. If they are deemed worthy by the Grail, a Master with little to no training might be selected. Such Masters tend to have a good amount of latent potential, but they may not have enough time to awaken if before meeting their untimely end.
A Magus' Origin is somewhat akin to their destiny. It dictates the type of magic they will be best at and how they can best use their mana. Effectively, it is a Magus' specialization, the area of magic that they can perform better in than anyone else.
Most Origins can be summed up in a single word or phrase. Notable examples include Stillness, Refutation, Severing and Binding, Sword, Nostalgia, and Nothingness.
Mystic Codes are tools that are used by a Magus to aid them in their magic. They come in two distinct types, Amplifiers and Specialized.
Amplifiers, as their name implies, help to boost a Magus' abilities by either lowering a spell's mana consumption or storing mana for later use.
Specialized Mystic Codes, on the other hand, are used to cast a type of spell that would otherwise be impossible. They still require mana to use, but are typically much more powerful than an average spell. A good example would be bullets that can destroy a Magus' magic circuits.
Most Origins can be summed up in a single word or phrase. Notable examples include Stillness, Refutation, Severing and Binding, Sword, Nostalgia, and Nothingness.
Mystic Codes are tools that are used by a Magus to aid them in their magic. They come in two distinct types, Amplifiers and Specialized.
Amplifiers, as their name implies, help to boost a Magus' abilities by either lowering a spell's mana consumption or storing mana for later use.
Specialized Mystic Codes, on the other hand, are used to cast a type of spell that would otherwise be impossible. They still require mana to use, but are typically much more powerful than an average spell. A good example would be bullets that can destroy a Magus' magic circuits.
Command Spells are a trio of markings that each Master carries on the back of their right hand. Though they vary in size and shape, they are all the same red color and are all used for the same two purposes.
Their first use is quite simple: they identify a Magus as a Master. So long as they bear at least one of their Command Spells, a Magus is still regarded as a Master, even if their Servant dies or abandons them. In addition, other Masters or Servants can detect Command Spells when in close proximity, so the Spells are also used to find one's foes.
Command Spells are better known for the second use, however. At the cost of losing one of their Command Spells, a Master can command their Servant to do anything, no matter how hard the Servant tries to resist. Whether they are ordered to commit suicide or betray an ally, the Servant will be forced to obey, though they will likely begrudge their Master for forcing them to do such a thing.
It is crucial to note that if a Master expends all of their Command Spells in such a way, they will no longer be recognized as a Master. Their pact with their Servant will be broken and there will be nothing preventing the Servant from leaving or killing their ex-Master. As such, keeping at least one Command Spell in reserve is always a good idea.
Finally, so long as a Master still retains at least one Command Spell, they are still a Master. If their Servant dies or leaves them they are able to make a new pact with a different Servant, so long as the second Servant is willing to do so.
Command Spells disappear when a Master dies and cannot be used if the Master loses their right hand.
Servants are Heroic Spirits, legendary or historical figures that are still spoken of today. Examples would include King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and Medea. Like the Masters, they seek the Holy Grail so that a wish of theirs might be granted. Servants can all detect one another so long as they're in close proximity.
Though Servants are ultimately summoned by the power of the Holy Grail itself, a Master must acquire a relic to serve as an aid in the summoning. This can be anything from an item that belonged to the Heroic Spirit in life or an artifact that is closely related to their personal history or legend.
In order to prevent crippling culture shock, Servants are imparted with knowledge of the modern era. They are able to use today's technology without difficulty and possess everyday knowledge about the world (they all know that the Earth is round, for example).
When summoned, each Servant is assigned to one of seven classes. In order to hide their identity from their enemies (so that they may hide any weaknesses or flaws that plagued them in life) Servants are typically referred to by their Class instead of their name.
The Classes are as follows:
Saber: Servants placed within this class are agile and powerful melee warriors. It is commonly assumed to be the best class overall, with high ratings in all categories. It is one of the three Knight classes, together with Lancer and Archer and also possesses the Riding skill like the Rider class.
Lancer: Servants placed within this class are very agile and skilled with long-range melee weapons, such as spears, lances, etc. It is one of the three Knight classes, together with Archer and Saber.
Archer: Servants placed within this class are usually proficient with projectiles and can survive longer without a Master nearby, thanks to their special ability Independent Action; the strongest Archers can be difficult to control at times, in fact, due to their near-total independence from their "Masters". It is one of the three Knight classes, together with Lancer and Saber.
Berserker: Servants placed within this class are always heroes who have gone berserk in their lifetime. This trait allows them to use the special ability Mad Enhancement, which trades their consciousness (i.e. sanity) for a large power boost. Most Masters are incapable of controlling their Servant once Mad Enhancement has been activated, which eventually results in their death.
Rider: Servants placed within this class place emphasis upon speed and powerful Noble Phantasms, which often include their mounts. Their special skill is Riding, which allows them to fully utilize abilities of their mounts (which can range from simple horses to mechanical vehicles to divine or supernatural creatures.).
Caster: Servants placed within this class are adept in magecraft and have a special ability called Territory Creation which alters or creates space around them to enhance their sorcery.
Assassin: Servants placed within this class have the ability Presence Concealment, which allows them to remain undetected. Offset by their stealth is their weak combat skills. Due to this, Assassins often target Masters instead of Servants.
Seven Servants, each of a different class, are summoned for each Holy Grail War.
Although a Servant is obviously summoned by a particular Master, they can break their bond with that Master and side with another if they choose to, so long as the second Master does not currently have a Servant and still has at least one Command Spell.
Finally, as a rule of thumb, Servants are more powerful based on how old or how well-known they are. A Servant from a thousand years ago is stronger than one from the last century, and someone like Alexander the Great will be mightier than Grace O'Malley.
A Noble Phantasm is a Servant's ultimate technique, their greatest, and most powerful, tool. It is the embodiment of their legacy and their power, a symbol or artifact that perfectly defines them. Incredibly powerful and unique to each and every Heroic Spirit, a Noble Phantasm is one of the most powerful magecrafts known to man; they are all capable of fantastic feats and have all stood the test of time.
While many notable Noble Phantasms take the form of weapons or vehicles, there are just as many that materialize as other powers or abilities. The Twelve Labors of Heracles granted the hero twelve different lives, each of which had to be taken before he could be defeated. Hassan-i Sabbah's Zabaniya allowed him to manifest as 80 separate personalities, each with their own body and weapons. King Arthur's holy sheath, Avalon, provided the King with unmatched healing powers.
Typically, each Servant will have at least two Noble Phantasms, one for offense and one for other purposes. If they are of the Rider class, then their steed/vehicle is almost always a Noble Phantasm.
An important thing to note about Noble Phantasms: though they are incredibly powerful, they are all but guaranteed to reveal their user's identity. If an enemy Master or Servant observes your Noble Phantasm, odds are they will be able to divine your identity, and your weaknesses, without too much difficulty.
Like Servants, Noble Phantasms are split into different classes based on their strengths and abilities.
Anti-Unit: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms are those specialized against defeating other people in single combat. The advantage over stronger weapons is that they can be compared to guns with unlimited ammo while Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are one-time missiles. Missiles are more powerful, but an Anti-Unit can be used continuously. They are also very cost effective.
Anti-Army: Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are those with a wide enough range to be specialized against armies. They are more powerful weapons than Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms, capable of easily blowing them away, but they must be used more wisely because of their larger cost. Using an A rank Noble Phantasm takes a great deal of mana, so they must wait before they can use it again.
Anti-Fortress: This rank has powerful Noble Phantasms that can even blow away solid fortified structures. While the difference between Anti-Unit and Anti-Army is the variation in area of effect, Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasms are distinguished from other categories by the great difference in power.
While there exist even higher ranks of Noble Phantasms, such as Anti-Country or Anti-World, they will not be playing a role in this RP so there's no reason to really explain them.
In order to activate a non-passive Noble Phantasm, a Servant must fully reveal it and call out its name.
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Now, to those of you who managed to read through all that without dying of boredom, well done! Hopefully I've managed to give you a good grasp on the basics of the Fate universe, and if I didn't I hope you'll make sure to tell me what I missed in the comments below.
As you've likely guessed, this RP will follow the events of the Sixth Holy Grail War, taking place in Fuyuki City in the year 2012 (yes I know I'm breaking lore, but I don't want to set it fifty years in the future) Now, as mentioned above, said War will be fought between seven teams of Masters and Servants. The keyword there being "teams".
As far as I can see, there are two ways this RP can go. First, each of the players will control a Master and Servant team, writing up both of the sheets and playing both the characters at the same time. But, while this option would probably be fairly easy to implement, I'd rather try and go with the second choice: each player controls a single Master or Servant and is paired with another player, forcing them to work together and coordinate their movements. Personally I find this option to be much more interesting than the former.
However, that's just my opinion. If people feel like it'd be too difficult to work together like that, then we can always fall back to the initial option where everyone controls both a Master and Servant.
Anyway, now that I've laid that out, time to get to the ground rules. In no particular order:
1. Post Length/Quality: Long story short, I don't really care for one-line posts. While I'm not going to hold everyone to an insanely harsh standard, I would like to see a couple paragraphs (at the very least) per post. In addition, posts that are absolutely riddled with grammar or spelling errors are frowned upon; while I can put up with it to a certain extent, if I'm running into a misspelled word every other sentence I start to get annoyed.
2. No God-Modding, Trenchcoating, Etc.: Really shouldn't have to explain anything here.
3. Combat: Considering that this is RP is focused around the Holy Grail War, it should come as no surprise that players will be fighting against each other. As this is a rules-free RP, it will be up to me, as the GM, to decide who wins or loses a fight. While my decision will be final, I can tell you that it will be influenced by a couple factors, namely the quality of the combatants' posts.
Simply put, if you want to win a fight, write long and write hard. If your post wows me more than your opponent's, odds are you'll win.
4. Death: Again, what with this being a War and all, players are going to die. Barring unforeseen circumstances, this will probably mean that dead players are effectively kicked from the RP. However, if you've impressed me enough, I'll try and do everything in my power to keep you around, with either GM reality-defying magic or giving you control of a NPC.
5. Don't be a Jerk: I know that it's the internet, but there's no reason we all can't be somewhat civil. Joking and teasing is fine, obviously, but if someone is being an asshole they will be politely asked to stop, or possibly leave.
6. Regularity: To be perfectly clear: real life is more important than internet life. If you've got a test coming up or need to work some overtime and won't be able to post as much, then of course I understand. Let me know and we'll try to work something out. If, however, you disappear for a couple weeks without warning or explanation... Well, I can only auto someone along for a limited time.
Um... Okay, yeah, I think that's about it. Next up is the character sheets, and I think that's about it!
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Name: Should go without saying.
Gender: Male, female, homunculus.
Age: No child-prodigies please; 16 should be the absolute youngest.
Appearance: Please be reasonably descriptive. A couple paragraphs explaining their clothes, hair, eyes, height, weight, etc.
Personality: Again, at least a couple paragraphs.
Origin: What defines your character, and how do they use it in their magic? Note: while I will not restrict the area of magic your character practices, I would prefer their powers to be somewhat balanced. If you want to go for Mind Control, for example, then fine, go right ahead. Just make sure that the costs match the benefits.
Mystic Code: If any.
History: A few paragraphs stating how they came to be a Master. If their family has been involved with magic for a while, mention how long and what type of magic they specialize in.
Gender: Male, female, homunculus.
Age: No child-prodigies please; 16 should be the absolute youngest.
Appearance: Please be reasonably descriptive. A couple paragraphs explaining their clothes, hair, eyes, height, weight, etc.
Personality: Again, at least a couple paragraphs.
Origin: What defines your character, and how do they use it in their magic? Note: while I will not restrict the area of magic your character practices, I would prefer their powers to be somewhat balanced. If you want to go for Mind Control, for example, then fine, go right ahead. Just make sure that the costs match the benefits.
Mystic Code: If any.
History: A few paragraphs stating how they came to be a Master. If their family has been involved with magic for a while, mention how long and what type of magic they specialize in.
Considering the secretive nature of Servants, they will have two separate sheets. A public one, which will be posted in this thread, and a private one which should be PMd to me.
Class: Saber, Lancer, etc.
Appearance: Please, be reasonably descriptive. A couple paragraphs explaining their clothes, hair, eyes, height, weight, etc. If they're carrying weapons, please note it here.
Strengths: What arts are they skilled in? Are they strong? Agile? Lucky?
Weaknesses: For every area a Servant is strong in, they must perform poorly in another. What do they do bad at?
Appearance: Please, be reasonably descriptive. A couple paragraphs explaining their clothes, hair, eyes, height, weight, etc. If they're carrying weapons, please note it here.
Strengths: What arts are they skilled in? Are they strong? Agile? Lucky?
Weaknesses: For every area a Servant is strong in, they must perform poorly in another. What do they do bad at?
Identity: The historical or legendary figure that they're based on.
Noble Phantasm(s): The classification and ability of the Servant's Noble Phantasm(s). Please make sure to include any flaws or weaknesses, even if its just a high mana cost.
Noble Phantasm(s): The classification and ability of the Servant's Noble Phantasm(s). Please make sure to include any flaws or weaknesses, even if its just a high mana cost.
I would prefer it if all interested players would write up both a Master and Servant sheet, at least for now. If you only submit one, it's likely that I will not consider accepting it unless it is of the highest caliber.
[hr]
Alright, I think that about wraps it up! Questions? Complaints? Make sure to leave a comment, and I'll do my best to address it.
