Post by Mandark on Jul 1, 2019 23:02:00 GMT
The end of the Sixth Grail War sparked a tragedy far worse than any recorded in the long history of magecraft. As was often the case, the victorious master had seen through the guise of the Grail. It was not omnipotent. It was not holy. In a desperate bid to rid the world of one of its great evils this master did what many before him had done and ordered his servant to destroy the grail. Attempts in the past had led to the destruction of the lesser grails, but this time the Greater Grail itself was damaged.
Alas, the Greater Grail was damaged, not destroyed, even at the cost of the lives of that final master and servant. Rather than the world being rid of the Greater Grail for all time, the world as we knew it was brought to its end by the Greater Grail. The explosion that should have destroyed it instead merely broke it into innumerable pieces and scattered them to every corner of the world.
Though each shard was nowhere near the power of the full artifact, any large enough piece retained enough power to summon a Servant. Within days the world was in chaos. The rule of secrecy that governed modern magecraft was destroyed overnight by the summoning of hundreds of Servants across the globe following the event know as The Shattering. While some were summoned by competent Masters that could keep them grounded, others appeared with far more selfish ends in mind. Old kings and conquerors emerged and made claims on what was their territory. Long dead legends returned from the grave to declare war on the ancestors of their enemies.
In the time since the shattering of the Grail, those at the Mage's Association have stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight. In this world full of servants, they have taken up a role as protectors of the normal humans. Though a single Magus will rarely fare well against a powerful Spirit, they have taken up arms either in groups or with the aid of Servants on their side to do what must be done to keep humanity safe.
While in the annals of history the church was an "ally" of the Mage's Association, the same can no longer be said. In the wake of The Shattering, The Church did not let their true powers be known to the world. Instead their dogmatic propaganda spread among their believers at a rapid pace. Servants were demons and their masters, the Magi, were witches and warlocks. Heretics all. This war was their fault. The chaos was sewn by their hands.
Cathedrals were marked as sanctuaries. The soldiers of The Church defended these places as if they were fortresses. The Vatican rapidly became the safest place on Earth. It was hard to say that what they did was wrong if you weren't a Magus. They protected all who entered their doors. While The Church made a lot of allies in the general public, they are only held back from a formal war against the Mage's Association by virtue of free servants being a bigger threat.
And then over in their little corner (or more accurately, down in Antarctica) a secret organization run by the Animusphere family had been working on an answer to this problem once and for all. Chaldea considers themselves neutral to all other factions. They see their only task as ensuring the continued survival of humanity. To that end they have utilized the FATE system to allow the summoning of Servants without the aid of the Grail.
If the Mage's Association is the Justice League, then Chaldea is basically Batman. No one really knows what they are all about, but they are wicked smart and always show up when things are really bad. The public doesn't really know that Chaldea exists, and they are perfectly fine with that. If anything they are an urban legend. Who would believe that there's basically a superhero factory at the bottom of the world anyway?
Then are those with no allegiance. Though some of them mean well, among those with no affiliation there are also those that all the world agrees are a problem. Whether they simply seek to reclaim the land they believe to be theirs or are truly evil and just want to watch the world burn, it matters not. Due to the self-centered motivations of these individuals there has yet to be any organization formed by such Servants. Those who seek their own desires above all else are most often own their own... for now.
Perhaps even more dangerous than those with no master are those whose master is the Grail. Though some proper Servants and a small number of Magi have joined this side, the Grail Army consists mostly of the Shadow Servants summoned by the black mud of the Grail. The Grail calls to all under its influence and commands them towards a singular goal: unite all the shards and restore the Greater Grail. To fulfill this purpose the Grail Army spreads across the land in search of the Grail Shards. Anyone in their way is killed with no remorse. Though the other factions may not like each other much, all can agree that the Grail Army is an unprecedented threat.
The crisis that we now know as The Infinite Grail War is still in its early days. Will one faction rise to greater heights and save the world? Will Servants conquer all and claim dominion over the world? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: this is a time where new legends will be born!
Alas, the Greater Grail was damaged, not destroyed, even at the cost of the lives of that final master and servant. Rather than the world being rid of the Greater Grail for all time, the world as we knew it was brought to its end by the Greater Grail. The explosion that should have destroyed it instead merely broke it into innumerable pieces and scattered them to every corner of the world.
Though each shard was nowhere near the power of the full artifact, any large enough piece retained enough power to summon a Servant. Within days the world was in chaos. The rule of secrecy that governed modern magecraft was destroyed overnight by the summoning of hundreds of Servants across the globe following the event know as The Shattering. While some were summoned by competent Masters that could keep them grounded, others appeared with far more selfish ends in mind. Old kings and conquerors emerged and made claims on what was their territory. Long dead legends returned from the grave to declare war on the ancestors of their enemies.
In the time since the shattering of the Grail, those at the Mage's Association have stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight. In this world full of servants, they have taken up a role as protectors of the normal humans. Though a single Magus will rarely fare well against a powerful Spirit, they have taken up arms either in groups or with the aid of Servants on their side to do what must be done to keep humanity safe.
While in the annals of history the church was an "ally" of the Mage's Association, the same can no longer be said. In the wake of The Shattering, The Church did not let their true powers be known to the world. Instead their dogmatic propaganda spread among their believers at a rapid pace. Servants were demons and their masters, the Magi, were witches and warlocks. Heretics all. This war was their fault. The chaos was sewn by their hands.
Cathedrals were marked as sanctuaries. The soldiers of The Church defended these places as if they were fortresses. The Vatican rapidly became the safest place on Earth. It was hard to say that what they did was wrong if you weren't a Magus. They protected all who entered their doors. While The Church made a lot of allies in the general public, they are only held back from a formal war against the Mage's Association by virtue of free servants being a bigger threat.
And then over in their little corner (or more accurately, down in Antarctica) a secret organization run by the Animusphere family had been working on an answer to this problem once and for all. Chaldea considers themselves neutral to all other factions. They see their only task as ensuring the continued survival of humanity. To that end they have utilized the FATE system to allow the summoning of Servants without the aid of the Grail.
If the Mage's Association is the Justice League, then Chaldea is basically Batman. No one really knows what they are all about, but they are wicked smart and always show up when things are really bad. The public doesn't really know that Chaldea exists, and they are perfectly fine with that. If anything they are an urban legend. Who would believe that there's basically a superhero factory at the bottom of the world anyway?
Then are those with no allegiance. Though some of them mean well, among those with no affiliation there are also those that all the world agrees are a problem. Whether they simply seek to reclaim the land they believe to be theirs or are truly evil and just want to watch the world burn, it matters not. Due to the self-centered motivations of these individuals there has yet to be any organization formed by such Servants. Those who seek their own desires above all else are most often own their own... for now.
Perhaps even more dangerous than those with no master are those whose master is the Grail. Though some proper Servants and a small number of Magi have joined this side, the Grail Army consists mostly of the Shadow Servants summoned by the black mud of the Grail. The Grail calls to all under its influence and commands them towards a singular goal: unite all the shards and restore the Greater Grail. To fulfill this purpose the Grail Army spreads across the land in search of the Grail Shards. Anyone in their way is killed with no remorse. Though the other factions may not like each other much, all can agree that the Grail Army is an unprecedented threat.
The crisis that we now know as The Infinite Grail War is still in its early days. Will one faction rise to greater heights and save the world? Will Servants conquer all and claim dominion over the world? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: this is a time where new legends will be born!