The night drew long as Rin sat in her bed reading over the scroll presented to her father for the Mage War. It was a strange ordeal indeed. The scroll told of the rules for the war, how long until the war would officially begin, and how the fighting of the servants and mages would happen. Needless to say, there were plenty of holes in the rules and proceedings. She read aloud to wrap her mind around it, just to be sure she had obtained all the information she could from the scroll.
"The Mage War is to be conducted in the month of September. The Summoning Month shall be August, and at any time during the month, the servant may be summoned. The month of summoning will be a training period for the Master and Servant to become more acquainted and prepared for the battles they will eventually fight. August will also be the month that the Journey to the designated City of battle will be made. The city, Melephast, has been designated as the city of battle. The citizens have the ability to assist or impair any battle at their leisure. If they do not wish to witness the acts inside the city, they have the option to leave during the time of August. All damages to houses and property will be funded by the Crown and be reimbursed to the owners of the property. A survey will be done of the city beforehand to insure that no fraud of damage is done. After this, the mages will have an established place of rest. These places of rest must not be disturbed, and cannot be entered by another servant or master unless permitted by the owners. These will be furnished for the period of a month with food, water, and amenities. This will be where the Servants and Masters rest. The rest period is decided by the Servant and Master, and must not exceed 14 hours of a day. The Servant summoned by the master can be any individual in history or of legend, but must be able to be summoned with the required materials designated to your House. Summoning with any other materials will cause the summoning spell to be disrupted and could cause the summoning of a creature most foul or no servant at all. The Servants will be designated into classes. The classes will be chosen at random upon the summoning of the servant. It is not possible to have multiple servants with the same class. The Classes are as follows:
Saber: A knight class. Able to use magic of their own, but mostly focuses on physical attributes and attacking with a weapon such as a sword.
Lancer: A soldier class. Able to use limited magic if need be, but relies heavily on reach and speed of attacks. As the name implies, uses as lance in combat.
Archer: A soldier class. Has little to no magic of their own, but can make use of ranged weapons, as well as close range weapons. Uses swords and long ranged weapons such as bows in combat.
Cleric: A knight/mage class. Able to cast magic and fight with somewhat heavier weaponry than the other physical classes. Magic power is much more than a Saber class servant. Wields a talisman for channeling spells and a mace or hammer for combat.
Caster: A mage class. Able to cast a variety of spells, both offensive, defensive, and supportive. Wields a channeling type of weapon in combat, such as a staff, wand, or the like.
Assassin: A special class. Able to sneak around and cause pain in darkness. This class is quite weak in large area combat, but can outperform almost every class in close quarters combat.
Rider: A special class. Able to summon companions to ride during battle. Different companions give different effects it seems. Wields certain weapons depending on what is summoned or what is ridden."
Rin gave a large sigh. It was quite the large scroll of information to sift through. How could my father volunteer the city for the battle area, and not ask any parameters on the summoning? I'm glad he got this before he left. She thought to herself again. Tokiomi was so wrapped up in possibilities of conquest over the other houses; he simply left the meeting once throwing Melephast into the idea for the place of battle. Rin continued to read through the scroll, the rest of the information was about who could participate.
"The participants can be anyone from the Houses that the Head of the House finds adequate to represent the house. As long as they have been inducted into the House in some way, they are qualified for the Mage War. They must complete the Summoning in the required time, and have some way to fight on their own. Aside from this, there are no requirements on the Masters of the servants. The purpose of this War it to see which house is the most deserving of the honor of being the strongest. The strongest shall have anything they desire and be granted by the King."
That was it. The rest of the information was what each houses summoning materials would be. Each was something from their land that had run amok for some time, and could most likely be easily found. The last part of the scroll detailed the ritual of summoning of the servant and the pattern used for the summoning circle. Not much else was given. Rin rolled up the scroll and set it on her bedside table. "What the hell was father thinking?" She said to herself as she sat up and stretched, swinging her legs out of her bed to relieve herself in her bathroom before bed. Her mind was still filled with the idea of Tokiomi summoning the archer she had given to him. It was a perfect strategy. If the summoned servant could be any legendary being or historical being, many Houses will use something from their land or from their history, rather than something from the combined history of the Land. The only thing one must do is think of the legend or being while the summoning is taking place and the servant will be summoned. It seemed all too simple to Rin. Once finished in her bathroom, she sat up for a few more minutes, looking over her notes for the wood elf Archer. It was a mysterious legend, one that was talked about by many young and old, but one that was shrouded in a sense of wonder as well. Some tales talked of ruthless dark skinned human-like creatures that used the bones of animals as bows and their teeth as arrowheads for the arrows, and used their pelts as clothing, camouflage, and weaponry. Another tale said they were a peaceful group, killing the animals they needed to survive, living high atop the trees in glorious houses in the Wyrewood Forests not far from Melephast. These elves were light brown, white haired, and had a gentleness to them. Still another legend told of beautiful creatures that would hollow out the giant trees of the Darkvale and live inside them. They had pure white skin, blond hair, and gorgeous blue eyes. However, their main prey was humans who wandered too far into the vale, skinning them and eating them alive. Every tale was peculiar, and not a definite one could be used for a summoning. If one were used, the others could not be exploited. That is where Rin's idea came into plan.
The spreading of a legend or a fairy tale sounds quite mad and difficult to some, but in the town of Melephast, gossip, as well as ghost stories and legends spread fast. If there were a way to spread a story of a single wood elf, who, miraculously, survived and became a hero for all, and took the best traits of all the other tales, that would be the best choice for a hero for the Tohsaka House. The problem was spreading the tale fast enough. Rin also could not see how this could work out. This would be like summoning an imaginary creature in a sense. While that is what summoning a fairy tale would be, how could something that people just started hearing about come into being? I understand summoning of magical creatures and animals but… these were, or could have been, people… It's… It's just…
Rin's mind trailed off as she looked over the idea she had once more, shaking the doubt from her mind. "If this were to fail, we would be out of the Mage War, thus making us neutral and safe from being 'taken out' as father put it. I don't understand that. This makes it sound as if there will be killing involved. None of the mages I have come in contact with use any sort of killing spells of any sort. There is slow poisoning, slow petrification, and even the magic she and her House use, gem magic which can be used for a number of different offensive spells, but none to her knowledge had ever been used to kill anyone. If that were the case, Rin felt as if her father would not be able to survive this war, which made her drive to make him summon this being much more intense. She blew the candle of her nightstand out and snuggled down into bed, her mind racing with thoughts of the upcoming month of summoning, and ways to spread the Wood Elf Archer Legend.
Tokiomi looked over the notes that Rin had given him. The handwritten notes for the summoning of an imaginary creature she thought would be perfect for the Mage War he would be participating in. It made him sick. Each stroke of a letter looked just like his late wife's handwriting. Every letter, a memory of her soft silken hands writing notes to him, love letters, or just writing her stories she had thought up. He loved those stories, those letters, and those small notes. But this was atrocious to him, a mockery of her style and grace of writing. He crumpled the notes in his fist and stood up forcefully, thinking on the idea presented to him by the daughter who felt like a ghost of his wife to him. The experiments he put her through were half to protect the body he felt could become a passable replacement for his wife, and half to try and kill the spawn that which nearly killed her. The method of his wife's death was a strange one, and one that he blamed Rin for entirely. If it wasn't for her existence, then his wife would still be living. Before her death however, he had made a decision all on his own; something that even the King of the Land had outlawed so long ago when he had come to power.
Necromancy was a strange art. Things could be kept alive far longer with the spells in the necromancy school of magic. Body parts kept moving and working for ages on end, flesh looking refined and new regardless of age, and even soul transference to an item so the body could live on without its soul. But, consciousness was a whole different device to work with in necromancy. The soul of a being could move, but once put in another body, would assume the body's role, and become something entirely different. While the soul would live on, the mind of the person who inhabited the soul would not. Transference of consciousness was something entirely different. Consciousness could take over a body, a soul, and use it to its own ends, but, if the transfer was not complete or if it were interrupted, the inhabited body or soul could be useless or become something else entirely. Tokiomi looked into the necklace around his neck, a brilliant Onyx stone cased in a gold cage of sorts, with a small red insert in the middle of it. This housed his wife, the love of his life. He kept her close at all times, as to ensure her safety. He gripped her tightly in his hand, and began to think. The Mage War, The Summoning, everything was happening for a reason, and that reason, he thought, was to find a way to finally bring his wife back. The body of Rin, who could house her consciousness, could be used to bring her back, but that would destroy his wife if he were to push her mind into Rin while she was still alive. With this Mage War, if she were to take his place in the Master's spot, she could be killed, and then his wife would have a body to inhabit. It could not work out more perfectly if he had thought of it himself.
"This servant," He said to his still clenched fist over the notes, "This shall do fine for her." He smiles and gives a small chuckle. He threw the notes away, blew out his candle, and nestled into bed, dreaming dreams of being reunited with his wife once more.
All the pieces were coming into place. The War would begin the Summoning Month in only a few days, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. The King looked to his new Right Hand, a man draped in robes and hidden by his clothing. "Are you not pleased? The War is so very close to commencing, I can almost taste it." The king grumbled, licking his lips as pieces of the chicken he was consuming fell from his hand back to his plate.
"I am joyed oh King. I am just preparing for what is to come. Do you know who will be the Masters of this War?" The figure replied in a light male voice.
"I assume the House Heads, but they will not be stupid enough to risk their own lives for the sake of being crowned the strongest in the land; if so, they are more moronic than I had previously thought!" A hearty laugh followed his deep bass tone.
"How many of them have children? Usually, children are much more accustomed to magic and the summoning than adults are."
"Many of them if not all have children. Would children be better for this War?" The king was intrigued. Since the arrival of this mysterious person, he was entranced by his stories. A man from far off, from the Far East is where he proclaimed. He spoke of a tournament of sorts to revival a long lost relic that would grant the wish of the victor. The king, bored of his peaceful kingdom, was immediately intrigued, asking question upon question for how to bring this tournament about. Eventually, details were given, and the King began his preparations for the first Mage War. This was the first Mage War indeed, but not the first Holy Grail War.
"Children are much better at accumulating and giving mana to their servants. It would be best to require them to be a part of it." Said the man with a smile of untold evil.
"I won't require it, but I will suggest it. I will send a message to the houses. It will be done. I cannot wait to see what these mages do to one another! Could you tell me more about the War in your land Sir?"
"Of course Oh King, I will tell you all of the children who slaughtered each other to win the wish they so dearly wanted. I will tell you of the bloodbath that ensued when a servant went mad, and I will tell you of the lives of the masters that were killed during that very War."
The king's smile livened, and the food was set down and finished quickly. He eagerly awaited the story, eyes wide and attentive like a perfect student.
The walls of the tree sagged and stretched with the breeze, its leaves heard fluttering in it as well. A body in a strange carved out bed sat up and looked around. The room was tall and circular. The 'pod' he was in had many like it around the room. A side table of sorts with a small leafy light and some drawers were to his right, and to his left was a sliding drawer full of clothing of sorts. They were all fashioned with vines, and made of leaves, pelts, hide, and even moss of all things. He gave a stretch and looked around to the other pods. Every one of them were closed, and seemingly empty; all but one. He got up quickly and raced over to the bed, remembering where he was and why he was here. The tan, white haired man looked to the person in the pod, looking at a fair skinned and dark haired maiden draped in a silk gown with leaves protecting her most sensitive areas. She was a beauty to behold, and he could think of nothing he wanted more than to wake her up and just, be, with her. No amount of talking, crying, or shaking the pod would awaken her however. She was locked in the pod, awaiting her 'time' to wake. The Wood Elf named Archer looked to her with sadness in his eyes. The Wood Elves were named for their greatest skills. This one was a master of the bow and the hunt, thus being named Archer. The woman in the pod, the only other pod in the entire trunk of the tree, belonged to a very special elf to Archer. She was named Light. She could do quite a lot, but her greatest skill, was brightening up others, and making them happy. The Light in the Night, as some onlookers would call her, was shortened to simply Light once she came of age to accept her name. She had accepted Archer for what he was, and who he was, and had not ridiculed him like his so called friends had. She was his light, and he did not want to lose that.
A sickness had attacked the Wood Elves. Something akin to a skin rash turned into something far worse. At first it was contained, but suddenly, it spread like wildfire. None were safe except for a select few who were somehow immune to the disease. Archer had been blessed with this resistance, while Light, sadly, was not. He knelt down at the base of her pod, and offered a prayer to their home tree, Garland, to watch over her while he went to hunt. He gathered his things, and set off once he was ready. He and only another man left that day, a man named Trapper, but only one would return.