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Fate/Broken Thorns [Grail War]

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Namer said:
"You might not even know what I want to know about." You say. The conversation's slipping away from you."
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The quotation mark at the end is unnecessary.

Namer said:
"Your apprentice is a hostage of Caster. Who herself is a Faerie."

"That is not possible!" "How do you know this?" You and Rider start at the same time. He's materialized, face in as much shock as yours. "How do you know this?" You repeat, standing up.
[...]
"We haven't even started, Thorn. But in the interests of keeping this house intact. Caster sent a message to the one she deemed the best, impartial point of contact. It was quite a shock for our doddering overseer to be told to send her 'sons and daughters of Britain of worthy blood', in order to raise a barrier against 'that nettled leech'."
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I can't help but notice that it doesn't answer our question.

What does Caster's letter have to do with them being a Faerie, or taking our apprentice hostage?

Did Alice get detained by the overseer and handed over to Caster? I'm not clear on what exactly happened to her.
 
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[X] Investigate Caster on your own.
Nevill said:
I can't help but notice that it doesn't answer our question.

What does Caster's letter have to do with them being a Faerie, or taking our apprentice hostage?

Did Alice get detained by the overseer and handed over to Caster? I'm not clear on what exactly happened to her.
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If I'm reading between the lines right, Thorn is about the closest to a 'son of Britain of worthy blood' around. So Caster probably took our apprentice hostage specifically to lure us out, or because her ability to use magecraft is close enough to being worthy to get her captured. Though if either of that's actually in the letter and how much of it Kirei didn't bother to tell us isn't entirely clear.

So depending on which of the two is the case, dealing with Caster is either highest priority or needlesly suicidal. So what's worse, going on adventure with Kirei or heading towards the stupid thing Kirei is possibly trying to lure you into?
 
Ah. That seems like a very roundabout way of telling us, too roundabout for us to be the primary target. Why go through the overseer? It's not like people don't know who we are and where we live.

For that matter, why haven't we heard word from the overseer?

[x] Investigate Caster on your own.
 
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The Fourth Day - Preparation
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    • Alexander Thorn, Second Owner of York, summons Lancer in order to participate in a Holy Grail War that takes place 10 years after the Trifas Great Grail War. Someone hijacks his summoning and he ends up with no heroic spirit, just the shell of a servant. He puts his preparation to good use, meets and forges a tentative cooperation with a certain priest we all know far too well, and has fought Archer and Assassin. He's also made a contract with Rider, whose previous Master he's sheltering at his house. From Kirei, he learns that his apprentice has been taken by Caster, and he's decided to mount a rescue.

    Rider shrugs, "There's something profoundly off about him, but he's not one to sit around. I can admire that. So, your decision, Master?"

    "It doesn't matter if he's telling the truth about Caster being a Faerie or not," You tell him, "I gave Alice a pledge when she became my apprentice, and I intend to keep it. You understand the importance of Oaths."

    He nodded gravely, "Then, as your servant and as a Knight, I will do my utmost to ensure you keep that pledge."

    "Good," I say, "We will need everything we can get if we're to strike at Caster. I need to get back home and prepare. There's no point to trying to rescue her if it gets us trapped and killed instead."

    "Are you certain about delaying? We have no idea what Caster may be doing to her now."

    Sons and Daughters of worthy blood, I remember. "Magi." I say, "Caster is collecting Magi for a purpose, some kind of ritual would be my best answer. And she needs multiple magi, or else she wouldn't have sent that message. She won't have enough for her plans yet. And when she starts it, I'll know." The brambleheart implanted in my hand was connected to the Blackthorn, and the Blackthorn was connected to the Leylines, and any ritual would disrupt those leylines.

    It doesn't take you long to reach home, ahorse on Rider once again.

    Reaching the house is a breath of relief. No matter the odds layered against you, you are confident you could weather any storm, with the aid of centuries of magical defences cultivated in layers and layers. Tomorrow would be the greatest test you have ever faced.

    A quick check-up on Tommy, and then you and Rider head down to your Workshop. At any other time, you might've balked on letting a Magi you'd known for only a couple days into your private sanctum. Alice hadn't even seen the inside of the Workshop until half a year in.

    "Master," Rider gets your attention, "I've been observing your symbiote for a while. It's one of the most complex and exquisite beings I have ever seen, but I think I could still make some improvements to it."

    Your ancestors had worked on it for centuries, and Rider wanted to improve it after just looking at it for a few hours? You nearly want to say that out loud, but you keep in mind he's a Druid who lived during the waning of the Age of the Gods and the waxing of the Age of Faeries.

    "What do you want to do?" You ask him, sitting down beside him and holding out your left arm for him to examine. Rider took it in rough hands, gently running them over the scarred skin and over the pieces of the Brambleheart that stuck out.

    "It," He begins, "Well, it doesn't really understand you. It's no more intelligent than a domesticated animal. You feed it prana, and it gets excited. You can communicate with it to some extent, but it's more intention rather than proper language. So, I was thinking I could improve that. It would increase the efficiency and let you use it more for less prana, and it wouldn't trash as wildly when excited with Prana."

    You nod, "Alright, go ahead. But don't take any risks, I need to be at peak condition tomorrow."

    "Have no worries about that, Master."

    As he pores over your arm, you feel the Brambleheart shifting and moving beneath your skin. Vines twine with veins and brambles grow into your flesh. It's no longer painful, only a cold, prickling sensation beneath the skin. Rider works in silence with all the focus and dedication of a surgeon, as the minutes turn into an hour, and the clock ticks on.

    "Tell me about Alice." Rider suddenly says, not looking up from his work.

    It's not like you have anything else to do. "Her great grandparents were attendants to mine, back when my family owned parts of this land. My ancestor taught hers some magecraft, though they never took her family on as apprentices. Their potential was simply too low for that. He simply wrote a letter indicating to his descendants to train her family members if their potential ever grew. Her grandfather left our service eventually, and I had no knowledge of her until she came right up to me."

    "Oh?" Rider asked, "She sought you out, then?"

    "Yeah," You answer, "Her mother sent her to me, along with a letter from my great grandfather. I… may have been less than enthused about taking her as an apprentice at first, but she changed my mind pretty quickly."

    "Really?" He raised an eyebrow, "What did she do?"

    I sighed, "I had rashes everywhere for a week and half. Everywhere."

    Giving Rider a glare as he chucked mirthfully, I continue, "So, eventually I took her on. She's honestly a good apprentice, and an even better person. A little clumsy, and wilful, but also intelligent and kind."

    "Honestly," I look at Rider, "She's a better person than I am. I don't want her to come to harm just because of my actions. I should've taken better care and taken her out of town myself, or kept here here for the duration of the war."

    "What's done is done, as am I." He says, releasing your hand. You take it back and hold it, trying to sense the Brambleheart. It seems more… content? You pulse prana into it, and it shifts. There was none of the discomfort or prickling. You pass even more Prana into it, and watch it grow even more than normal, yet with less pain.

    It was a huge improvement. "Thank you, Rider."

    "I do have one question, though." He asks, leaning back.

    You look up. "Go on."

    "If it came to it," Rider's face was solemn and he was looking at Lancer, standing silently in a corner of the workshop, "To save your dear apprentice, would you sacrifice us? Would you sacrifice your hopes of victory in this war?"


    You and Rider do very little other than preparation for the rest of the night and well into the next afternoon.

    Rider breaks off a long, slender branch from the Blackwood, with your blessing, and carves a staff from it, layering myriad enchantments upon it. It doesn't look pretty at all, but it's more powerful than anything you could've constructed. He creates poison in glass vials, based off the same compound that was lathered to the tip of his lance. He stocks up on rations, and spends hours in the garden outside the house conferring with scores of birds and small animals.

    You spend most of the time in the garden as well, coaxing half a dozen bramble-grenades to proper shape. You twine braids of Wisteria into a lash as thick as your arm and carry it draped over your body. You pour growth into a fistful of various seeds. They would grow explosively the moment they touched fertile soil. This takes a good chunk of Prana, so you spend the remainder of the noon knelt by the side of the Blackthorn, not even noticing as its roots grow with unnatural speed to caress your shoulder, communing with the plantlife throughout York to keep an eye on the movements of other servants and masters, waiting for your magical energy to replenish before you head out in the evening.

    To your disappointment, most of them are staying clear of forested areas, and you have no idea what happened to Kirei's hunt for Archer. Father Michael is unhelpful in this matter, and you have no time or energy to investigate further yourself. Caster takes priority over everything else.

    Finally, night falls.

    You set foot on the crater you had visited on the first night of the war. It's been taped off for public safety, but there are no municipal workers around, thankfully. The feel of Faerie magic is still in the air, but now that you're aware of it you can stop yourself from falling headfirst into it like the last time. To either side of you, your Servants stand, waiting for you to make the first move.

    [ ] Attack the bounded field. Neither you nor Rider can fully take it down, but you may be able to disable some of the layers, and get a better idea of Caster's capabilities. But this gives Caster time to notice you, and respond in full force.

    [ ] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.


    The upcoming few updates are something I've wanted to write for a very long time, but getting to that point was the problem. But now, quarantine does weird things to your priorities...
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [x] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.

    Hoping to enter Caster's bounded field unnoticed is being too optimistic, but the less time an epic magus has to work with, the better. Maybe the numbers will account for something.
     
    [x] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.

    This is Fate, doing the dumb risky thing is the correct decision 99% of the time
     
    [X] Enter the bounded field. The rescue takes priority, and Caster might just decide to use Alice as a hostage once they realize who exactly it is. You have the advantage of numbers - use it to mount a raid and rescue Alice as soon as possible.
     
    The Fourth Night - Wonderland
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    • "No more delays," You say, "We're going in. Rider, I'm trusting you to handle Caster. We have no idea about their powers and capabilities right now, but once they reveal themselves-"

    "Understood," He replied. He started, as if to add something else, then cut off.

    You look at him sharply, "Rider, is there anything else?"

    With a shake of his head, he answered, "No, it's nothing. It doesn't matter. Let's go."

    You couldn't afford to press Rider at this juncture. "I'll head in first," You say, "Once we're inside, Lancer will take point and handle any minions Caster might have. Conserve your energy for fighting Caster.'

    The edge of the bounded field lay right where the scorched earth ended and the trees began. With a deep breath, you hold out your hand in front of you, and plunge inside.

    You are falling.

    You are falling, falling, falling. A rainbow of countless colours blaze past you, swirling in a whirlpool. The air is so thick you can't breathe. Shimmering sparks and vivid petals flutter around you, at first only a few but growing by the moment until they're filling the entirety of your lungs.

    Unbidden, memories swam to the surface. The smell of old parchment and glittering roses. A road of gold and straw. Warm, strong, soft hands holding yours. Kings of Men and Queens of Fey, garbed in threads of silver and autumn alike. A glorious sunset ever after, and then restful sleep as the night fell and awaited the cool, crystal dawn.

    Collapsing on the moist grass, you let out loud, heaving breaths. The air was so thick. Every gulp of air you took in threatened to make your lungs explode. Your limbs trembled.

    Rider is kneeling at your side in an instant, holding your left arm and seemingly in deep concentration. As the seconds pass, the air seems less leaden and your breathing slowly becomes easier. It's still hard to breathe, but you can stand up now. Then you glance down at your arm, and see the Brambleheart so engorged its practically exploding out of your skin. Thick, thorny vines grow out of the end, growing an inch in the few seconds you stared at them, weighing you down.

    "Wh-what the hell? This air-"

    "We are no longer in England, Master." Rider answers quietly. "Not the England you know. There is far too much mana in the air. It nearly tore you apart but the Brambleheart saved you. Even now, it's absorbing as much of the ambient prana it can, just so you can keep breathing."

    You slowly cast your gaze around. It's a wide, sunny glade, one that could've been in any forest in any fairy tale. The trees and grass were an impossible shade of green. It was the kind of green one thought of when they heard the word, but one could never find in real life. And the colours - the colours! They're so vibrant you can't possibly imagine it in real life. There were no apples that were that shade of red, and no butterflies so brilliantly yellow and purple. Yet the reddest apple grew on the trees high above, and butterflies fluttered around.

    "W-where are we, Rider?" You ask, every effort made to maintain some semblance of steel in your voice.

    "The bounded field - it was an illusion. It wasn't a bounded field at all, but something more akin to a Marble Phantasm. This is the Reverse Side of the World.

    "We are in Avalon."


    "I- I don't believe it. It's impossible." You sputter out, frantically looking in all directions.

    "Caster's power goes beyond anything I'd have imagined," Rider says, somberly, "But there's good news."

    "How the hell is any of this good news? How do we leave, Rider?"

    "Think, Master. How does any story, any fairy tale, any quest end?"

    You take deep breaths, trying to calm yourself. Everything you'd ever dreamed of, only that dream was a nightmare. "When the goal is achieved."

    He nods, "We need to find Alice. There's one bit of good news, though. That bounded field was not the real bounded field used by Caster to protect their workshop. They won't know we're coming, not just yet."

    "Let's… let's get moving, then. Which way do we go?"

    "The only way we can," Rider pointed directly forward, "Onwards."

    He grabs your good arm, "We're more prepared than anything else. We can do this, Master."

    Finally, you nod. "Understood." A moment later, you add, "Thank you, Rider."

    And the three of you set off.

    Over hill and under mountains you pass, through lush meadows and long tunnels alike. Nothing disturbs you. Past the trees, the clear blue sky is broken only by a single spike of white somewhere in the distance, which never draws closer no matter how far the three of you walk. The world is loud and yet empty. You hear the birds chirp and the leaves rustle, but you see nothing in the air and the wind is still. Off the beaten path the trees grow visibly darker with each step, until all you can see looking towards the forest is darkness checkered by strange lights that fade in and out. Every step you tread is with extreme wariness, for there was no telling when the road below you might drop away into a yawning abyss. This was a world that had discarded men long ago. You weren't welcome here.

    Every once in a while, Rider takes a moment to slice a vine off the ever growing Brambleheart before setting fire to the discarded segment.

    The two of you walk for what seems like miles and miles, yet whenever you look back, the glade you'd left is still visible at the end of a long corridor of trees. The passage of time is distorted too. Even after hours and hours of walking, you're still fresh and the sun is still in the same position in the sky.

    But eventually, the terrain has to give way. The road becomes narrower and narrower until it's virtually indistinguishable from the forest floor. The woods themselves then go darker and denser, with the trees drooping with dark leaves and poison-purple bark.

    Rider suddenly throws out an arm, stopping you. "I think I sense it. Caster's actual workshop. We're very close. There was so much ambient magic I couldn't make it out until now.

    "It doesn't change our plan," You say, "Lancer in the front, Us in the back,"

    Rider nods, "Alright. From what I sense, the bounded field covers a significant area. Enough time for us to maneuver when engaging Caster while you search for your apprentice.

    "Let's go. Hopefully, we can smash and grab before Caster can lay out the welcome mat."

    And you fall to your knees.

    "How churlish. A welcome mat is for visitors to step upon and be welcomed. To deny it is to deny the laws of hospitality. To invade.

    "Shall I show you what I do with invaders?"

    She is enchantingly, hauntingly beautiful. Her silken hair falls past her shoulders, silver and gold in equal measure, glowing even in the lack of sunlight. A crown of ebon, topped with arches of azure ice, sits atop it. She's tall, taller than even you. She has the face of any maiden, but her dress, ebony and ice, exposes the generous curves of her body and leaves her navel and sides so deliberately exposed it leaves no doubt she could enchant without casting a single spell.

    Next to you, Rider freezes. His eyes widen and his fist curls around his weapon so tightly you're afraid it would burst asunder. He tries to say something, but the words aren't there. He mutely pulls you to your feet.

    "Speechless? Come, now, Menw, vaunted Enchanter-Knight of Camelot. You were no doddering court fool with three books to his name. You should have suspected me from the moment you set foot in Avalon. Who were you expecting, Merlin?"

    A single thought flashes from Rider to you. Go look for Alice. Now!

    [ ] Let Rider to make his stand here while you and Lancer search.
    [ ] Order Lancer to try distract Caster while you and Rider search.
    [ ] Order Rider to make a fighting retreat and follow behind you.
    [ ] Write-In


    If you pick the write-in, feel free to make it as simple or detailed as you like. However, do be sure to @ me when you do so I can approve it.
     
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    • [X] Let Rider to make his stand here while you and Lancer search.

    It's the original plan and the other options are kind of worse. Here's hoping that Magic Resistance does its job.
     
    Darkcore41 said:
    Edit: Best to attempt diplomacy I think.
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    She wants "worthy blood". For a ritual of some kind. We are in her bounded field and in the fae land where she has an upper hand. I would not advocate for talks under these circumstances.

    I don't know a lot about fae, but if they work on stories, it might be best to not separate the rivals. Not sure if I want to see their fight to its conclusion, though, especially considering how crippled Rider is by his imperfect summoning.

    But the fighting retreat would bring Caster right after us, and right to Alice. Hmm...

    [x] Order Rider to make a fighting retreat and follow behind you.
     
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