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BACKGROUNDOne of seven Servants summoned to fight in the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fuyuki in 2004. As is custom, she conceals her true name and is referred to by her Servant class instead: Saber, one who specializes in close-quarters combat with a sword. As a Servant, she fights with her Master to eliminate the six other Master-Servant pairs. The last pair standing gains access to the Holy Grail, said to be an artifact of tremendous magical power that can grant any wish. Servants are typically Heroic Spirits: spirits of heroes who achieved extraordinary deeds in life and so remain as landmarks in humanity's consciousness. Saber's legend is particularly famous. Her true name is Artoria Pendragon, later known as King Arthur. She hid her gender from her people in order to effectively rule Britain, as queens of her time were not seen as absolute rulers. She drew the Sword from the Stone, claimed kingship, and suffocated her emotions in order to protect the smiles of others. After many years of hard battles and sacrifices, Britain was united under her command. She was a noble, impartial, and ideal king. A perfect king -- whose people would come to grow suspicious and disconnected from their seemingly inhuman ruler. "The king does not understand the hearts of men," one famous knight of the Round Table would say before leaving Camelot, and his voice reflected the murmurings of others. Even so, even if it cut her deeply, the king accepted their criticism as a matter of course. However, just as peace seemed in sight, a treacherous knight turned the kingdom inside-out and instigated a bitter, fatal battle between countrymen. The king was victorious, but at devastating cost. With a mountain of corpses of the people she swore to protect heaped at her feet, the dying king, the girl, bent her back in despair and made an earnest, desperate, broken wish to the World. PERSONALITYSaber may first come off as stiff, stern, and no-nonsense. She's a king first and foremost, and conducts herself with all the dignity and calm authority of one even if she doesn't plan to reveal her true name. Serious and goal-minded, she rarely stops to laze about in the present. More often she's thinking long-term, preparing for some future difficulty. As king, she's prepared to give everything she has for her people. Her time, her emotions, her life -- she devotes everything to Britain, finding the happiness of everyday people to be inherently good. She's a knight next, the very picture of chivalry. She finds value in loyalty, honesty, and goodwill; pure strength is of secondary importance to her. An honorable opponent brings honor back unto her, and she would rather suffer than willfully participate in a shameful act. Her knightly vows guide her in every aspect of individual action. She follows her oaths fiercely and decisively. But Saber isn't all grim duty! She has a very real passion for (good) food and a love for everyday people going through their simple, everyday lives. She responds to kindness and sincerity with much of her own, and enjoys caring for animals for much this reason. Once all the layers of her duty and resolve peel away, a gentle soul emerges that yearns for peace and stability. Other things: she's stupidly competitive, stubborn, and lacking in self-value. She's awkward in new social situations and doesn't like to stand out as a civilian. When teased or shown close affection, her composure collapses and she's easily flustered. When angered or disrespected, she can become dangerously bent on "correcting" the offender's mistake. She blames herself for her failures harshly, seeing herself as failing to meet the level of her station. ABILITIESServant Status - Summoned as a Heroic Spirit, granting her inhuman speed, power, and abilities, as well as an overall boost proportional to the fame of King Arthur's legend. The weakest Servant is stronger than the strongest human, and among Servants, Artoria is considered top-tier. Her Servant class is Saber, a well-rounded class suited to close combat with a sword. As an incomplete Heroic Spirit, she lacks the knowledge transcending time and space granted by the Throne of Heroes; however, the Holy Grail (which summoned her) grants her knowledge of the era she was summoned into (2004) and the basic instincts required to navigate it. She cannot dematerialize into spirit form like other Servants can, but her abilities are otherwise unimpeded. As a summoned familiar, her existence itself uses up magical energy, and she requires a sufficient source as well as a physical anchor to the present world in order to stay summoned. A Servant's Master normally provides both of these things. Servants cannot be killed by humans and do not die from blood loss; they must be killed decisively by other magical beings. Servants are bound by the three Command Spells their Masters possess, and through their use can either be forced to follow an order or strengthened in ability. For instance, the use of a Command Spell allows Saber to bound 4 km in one leap in two seconds. Element of the Red Dragon - With Merlin's meddling, Saber's mother was fertilized with the concept of the Red Dragon, guardian of Britain. Thus Saber was born with the Element of the Red Dragon, granting her the heart, blood, and magical energy of a dragon: a phantasmal being that generates tremendous magical energy by simply breathing. Her dragon blood gives her extremely high magic resistance which dispels all magic possible by modern day magi; it is "sufficient to shake the very foundation of the Servant System". She's also granted unique Magic Circuits (a pseudo-nervous system that conducts magic within the body) which are so vast that they can be called a Magic Core. Where normal magi are like machines generating magical energy, Saber is like an entire factory. However, Saber is not a magic caster. Instead, her magical energy is a part of her being, and she uses it to strengthen and reinforce her body well beyond its mortal capabilities in a manner as naturally as breathing. The Element of the Red Dragon also makes her susceptible to dragon-slaying entities such as Siegfried of The Nibelungenlied. Combat Ability - As a Saber-class Servant, Saber possesses relatively balanced parameters centered around close combat. She is highly skilled with a sword, but also skilled with lance and bow. She can easily disarm an "unmatched kendo expert" without taking a stance. Her strong endurance, power, and speed leave her with no obvious weak points. Using her Mana Burst ability, she can reinforce her actions with explosive power -- enough to easily flip a truck over and push it with her shoulder for use as a shield. She can also heal her wounds using her magical energy; a grievous injury will be completely healed in an hour. Her armor is also a product of her magical energy and can heal as if it were an extension of her body. She believes that no Servant can surpass her in close combat. Invisible Air - A sheath of wind that covers Excalibur. It's composed of many layers of high pressure air via massive amounts of magical energy, which distorts the refraction of light around the sword and renders it invisible. Saber can manipulate Invisible Air for a variety of other purposes as well. If she releases the condensed air, she can shoot it like a hammer to mow down enemies (enough to fling away several tons of weight), form a defensive wall, create a small whirlwind around herself, propel herself forward like a jet, and so on. It can only be counteracted by a force of greater magical energy. Once Invisible Air is completely released, it reveals...... Excalibur - A famed holy sword that glows a bright gold. Released from Invisible Air, its sharpness increases from 80 to 1000. Saber's magical energy is converted into light, which is then released from the tip of the blade as a massive, powerfully destructive laser beam with the potential to incinerate an army of 1000 down to the last atom. As its range is huge and the damage it causes is definitive ("leaving a great disorder in the land that will never fade"), Saber generally points it to the sky. When she does, the brilliant, blinding beam of light cuts apart the clouds and can be seen from miles around. While it is not explicitly stated in Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Grand Order alludes to a number of oaths placed on Excalibur such as "anyone who fights by my side must be courageous," "I must not strike a fairy," and "I must not strike one pure of heart". With each oath broken, the power of the blade is reduced. However, it is a given that at least one oath is violated at all times, as Saber says that a strike with every oath fulfilled may only happen once in her lifetime. A beam from Excalibur requires so much magical energy that Saber cannot use it in succession; overusing Excalibur without sufficient rest or a transfusion of magical energy will exhaust Saber and cause her to fade away. Instinct - An advanced form of intuition; the ability to identify "the best personal course of action" instantly. Saber is ranked A in Instinct, which is on the level of precognition. Surprise attacks and projectiles including firearms are nearly pointless against her, as she senses danger and how to escape it in a split second. This sense will also urge her not to enter dangerous spaces or take a certain course of action that will lead to ruin, whether or not she understands why. It can even help her defy fate, such as when she just manages to avoid a fatal blow from Cu Chulainn's Gae Bolg, a spear that reverses causality to strike the heart no matter how the spear's trajectory begins. Riding - A Servant ability that allows Saber to ride traditional mounts as well as modern mounts like cars and motorcycles with above average ability. Even if she doesn't understand the technology behind the vehicle, if she can ride it, then her body will know how to operate and maneuver it with skill. This does not extend to Magical Beasts like dragons or pegasi. Charisma - Natural leadership ability sufficient to unify a country. Considered a rare talent that increases the power and morale of her army on the battlefield. Promotes synchronization with the people who fight alongside her. Other Noteworthy Traits: - A seasoned military commander. Familiar with battlefield tactics, as well as provisioning strategies and other aspects of army management. - Athletic. Adapts quickly to new sports and other physical novelties. - Weirdly good at gambling. "In a gambling game of a hundred rounds, it takes merely ten for Saber to establish herself as master." Probably linked to her high Instinct and Luck. - Can walk on water due to the blessing of the Lady of the Lake. Doesn't know how to swim because of it. - Can run up walls, though she can't stop once she's started or else she'll freefall to the ground. Has run from ground level to the roof of a skyscraper. - Can read the stars, as taught by Merlin, and find guidance in them. INVENTORY | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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