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thewitchoftheweed · 1 year

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Who Betrayed Who? A Cult of the Lamb analysis/theory.

The Bishops and TOWW give the Lamb conflicting accounts of the events leading up to the schism. So what actually happened? Who betrayed who? And why? I have a theory.

Let’s start with what they each say regarding the schism and the decision to imprison TOWW.

According to Shamura:

“Our brother, The One Who Waits. Back then he was known by the name Narinder. But as millennia wore on, he grew discontent with his role. He began to question. He was gluttonous in his ambition. And in my imprudence I loved him. For it, I lost my mind. For it, he lost his freedom. Can you fathom such betrayal, Lamb? Of your own turned against you? Would you like to find out?”

“The blame hangs heavy 'round my neck. I introduced him to ideas of change; for my domain is knowledge, and it is ever evolving. An organic state of being for myself, but for him... most unnatural. Death cannot flow backward. It was I who had him chained.”

According to Heket:

"It was not so long ago that we cast out the Red Crown. A mere thousand or so years. The heresy it preached could not be tolerated. Such noxious ideals... it could not be allowed. For this most damning of sins, the retribution must be slow and painful...And with greed and ambition unchecked, it drew Godly blood."

According to Kallamar:

“Please know, it was not my idea to cast out the Red Crown! The other Bishops, my siblings, the blame lies with them.”

And finally, according to The One Who Waits:

“You see me here in chains, reduced to nothing. But it has not always been thus. I was bound to this wretched place by the Bishops of the Old Faith. They betrayed me and left me to rot. Each of the four chains that bind me are guarded by one of the Bishops.”

All of them are vague about what exactly went down. The only other hint we have comes from the monument by the gates: “Here godly blood was spilled. Here Death no longer wished to wait.”

So: what actually happened?

Haro has some answers. He gives us some insight to TOWW prior to the split:

"He was unalike the rest of his kin. While others dealt with flux; chaos, famine, pestilence, war. Things in which their constancy must transpose. And yet he was the inevitable; the obstinate and irresistible. The one who waits. Truly peculiar, 'twould then seem, has appetency to invite the novel and the new, break ancient vow and primordial bond alike. Traditions stagnate and appetites augment, nonetheless. Doubt tears faith asunder."

Along with:

"Bonds of familial duty, turned instead to chains. Most voracious of appetites, curbed and contained. Most infectious of ideas cut off and cauterised before given chance to rot and spread. Cruel, verily. Alas, what other recourse was given? How does one kill Death? ... Alas. One cannot."

Haro is, as far as we know, an impartial observer to what happened. (I think based on his dialogue and seemingly intimate knowledge of the conflict, he witnessed it— but that’s a whole different post.) So his account is the closest thing we have to a neutral perspective.

From Haro we learn two key things, both of which are confirmed by Shamura and Heket’s dialogue:

1. Narinder was dissatisfied with his role amongst the Bishops. He was naturally curious and ambitious, while his domain was the only “static” one among them. In essence— he was bored, restless, and potentially feeling undervalued.

2. He was imprisoned to prevent a heresy from spreading. Which heresy? The monument and Shamura’s comments make it clear: “Here Death no longer wished to wait.” “Death cannot flow backward.” Resurrection was the unforgivable heresy.

Narinder realized that each of his siblings, whether they recognized it or not, had dual domains. Kallamar’s followers prayed for protection from pestilence, Heket’s prayed for protection from famine. They could presumably give health/fertile fields as well as inflict the opposite on heretics. Leshy's chaos could have become order, but as a "young" god, he hadn't yet reached that point. Shamura has two separate domains entirely, wisdom and war.

Narinder just had death. Static, never-changing, and irritating for someone who enjoyed the “novel and new.” I think the fact he’s a cat reinforces this. There’s even a colloquialism about it: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”

After serving his role, he became restless. Shamura then encouraged him to experiment with his domain, by their own admission. Perhaps they didn’t actually think Narinder would succeed, or perhaps they felt bad he was stuck in a static domain when it didn’t suit his personality. The result was catastrophic in the eyes of the Bishops: Narinder gained power over both life and death.

Why was this such a damnable heresy that it destroyed their family? A few reasons: the ✨Prophecy✨ Shamura (presumably) received, the implications of resurrection in the world of CotL, and what I think might be pre-existing divides within their family. This is where we start to delve into personal headcanons and theories, so hang in there for a second:

Narinder is the most powerful of his siblings. Full stop.

He is the hardest boss fight by far, even though he’s been chained for a millennia. You could argue that he’s empowered by the Lamb’s/cult’s devotion, but there’s a key flaw there: he imprisons the cult during the final battle, and blatantly turns against the Lamb. All devotion from the cult vanishes in that moment because the followers are very clearly pulling for the one fighting to save them: the Lamb.

So, Narinder was powerful. The most powerful. Perhaps he became the God of Death because he was instrumental in killing other gods prior to their ascension. He had a clear interest in necromancy and the world beyond, if we can assume the necromantic weapons are his. (Which they are strongly implied to be by their item descriptions.) So when they ascended, he had a fascination with death and was probably very, very good at killing— so Death initially made sense as his domain. However, Narinder was curious and creative and restless. He eventually got bored and likely began to resent his family. The most powerful of the Bishops, not capable of doing anything but waiting.

Then there was the family dynamic. Kallamar was afraid of Narinder. Heket seems antagonistic towards him. Leshy didn’t seem to have much of a relationship with him. So it’s entirely possible that resentment could have eventually led to a betrayal on Narinder’s part. But one thing held him back: Shamura.

I think Narinder was beginning to drift from his family, but turned to his eldest sibling because he still had great love for them. Shamura encouraged him to experiment, which was ultimately successful— one can presume he was intensely proud of discovering resurrection. He saw it as his crowning achievement and his way of finally leveling the scales between the five of them.

His siblings saw it differently. In the world of CotL, willing and unwilling sacrifices directly feed a god's power. Resurrection, perhaps in their minds, cheapened or weakened this power. Or, if we go with the theory that Narinder was the objective strongest, resurrection made him so powerful it scared them. If he can essentially grant eternal life to his followers, what’s to stop him from usurping our worship entirely? What's to stop a god of life and death from doing away with the others?

I think the prophecy was Shamura’s attempt to calm Heket, Kallamar, and Leshy’s fears regarding the discovery. Perhaps they had a way of divining the future— and received the aforementioned ✨Prophecy✨.

In turn, it convinced Shamura that the only way to preserve the majority of their family would be to get rid of Narinder. Haro’s dialogue strongly implies they discussed outright killing him, but realized given his domain it would be impossible. Imprisoning him was the only alternative, the only way to keep word of resurrection from spreading.

So. Who pulled the trigger first? Did Narinder actually plan to usurp his siblings, and the Bishops stopped him before he could? Or did Shamura completely blindside their brother?

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I believe a betrayal was inevitable. Had the Bishops forbid resurrection and then left Narinder to his own devices, his resentment and pride probably would have eventually won out. Most of the affection they had for each other as mortals was beginning to wane, in part because they already seemed to look at him as a threat. If you treat someone like a loaded weapon, eventually they’ll decide to become one.

But I think at the true moment of the betrayal, it was Shamura.

They admit to being the one who made the final call, and also the one who encouraged him to experiment resurrection to begin with. Narinder was the closest to them in personality, and they seem to be the closest out of the five. (Some have even pointed out that TOWW chose not to watch Shamura fall to the Lamb— his dialogue as a follower implies he doesn’t know what their last moments were like, though he happily watched the others fall through the Crown.)

The most damning piece of evidence in my mind of Shamura being the true betrayer is the nature of their injury: Narinder split his favorite sibling’s skull.

The only one who outright says they loved him deeply. Because Narinder loved them, too, and in the moment of betrayal the worst of his pain and rage was directed at them. The one sibling he never thought would be capable of doing that to him. The one sibling who encouraged him to take this path, then brutally punished him for it.

As Shamura says, the two of them paid the heaviest price. The blame hangs heavy around their neck, because Shamura — the eldest and wisest of their family — set them all on the path of complete destruction.

Narinder, to me, is an excellent Lucifer allegory. Some will look at his very clear pride and say he deserved it— others will point out his true crime was challenging the existing status quo and trusting the person he loved most to listen.

#cult of the lamb #cotl spoilers #cult of the lamb spoilers #cult of the lamb theory #cotl narinder #cotl shamura #cotl bishops #narinder #shamura #the one who waits #the bishops #tbf i am a narinder apologist bc I love a good Lucifer allegory and Byronic character #and I would argue he fits both #excited to see if we get any additional characterization or information in the update #my posts #i think about this game way too much

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schraubd · 11 days

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As They Do

The ongoing fallout of the Dobbs decision, and the way it's made manifest the GOP's extreme and retrogressive anti-abortion priorities, has caused no small amount of soul-searching amongst Republican politicians. We saw, for example, a slew of Arizona Republicans race to disavow their own hand-packed-picked supreme court's decision to resurrect a pre-statehood near-total ban on abortion. Donald Trump also came out and said he opposed a national abortion ban. What should voters make of this about-face? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Why not? Because Republicans are, to be blunt, lying. No matter what they say, no matter what press releases they write, no matter what interviews they give, when push comes to shove, they will absolutely either endorse or acquiesce to the most draconian possible limitations on female reproductive autonomy. That's the full truth. The list of supporting evidence on this is essentially endless, but I'll just give two examples: Exhibit A: Arizona, where the GOP-controlled legislature -- fresh off their oh-so-pained public squirming over the aforementioned state supreme court ruling -- has continued to block legislative efforts to actually, you know, repeal the offending law. Exhibit B: Florida, where Senator Rick Scott rapidly backtracked from his own heresies calling for greater moderation on abortion after that state's supreme court reversed decades-long precedent clear the way for abortion bans by clarifying that of course he'd support even a six-week ban if given the opportunity. These are two among many. I suspect that over the next few months, we will continue to see more Republican rhetoric that gestures at some sort of "moderate" or "compromise" position on abortion, occurring right alongside more extreme tangible implementations of the right's extremist anti-choice agenda (what's going to happen when the Supreme Court permanently allows states to murder pregnant women in defiance of federal law). Even as rhetoric, it's hollow -- the "exceptions" they promise are nugatory or impossible to implement, the "deals" on offer are to impose unwanted bans on blue states while letting red states be as extreme as they desire -- but more than that they're lies. No matter what they say, no matter what they earnestly promise, no matter what soul-searching they might promise, where Republicans are in charge what they will do is push for and defend the most draconian abortion bans they can possibly get away with. There's no lever that will get Republicans to behave differently; no weird trick that can change their minds. Where they have power and hold office, this is what they will do. Our only option is to deprive them of that power. No matter what they say, no matter what they believe, anyone who is taking any steps right now to assist Republicans taking or keeping office is tacitly endorsing extreme abortion bans. There's no way around it. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/CTdAlLR

#abortion #Arizona #Florida #GOP #reproductive rights #Republicans #Rick Scott

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the-wayward-arc · 10 months

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How did Jaune vanish?

(Accidently deleted the ask)

Weiss had passed away. She died at the age of 278 years old, using the rejuvenation treatments. She was afraid one of her descendents would have the Schnee family return to the way her father originally had it, so she did her best to ensure that never happened. She finally realized after all this time, it would never. So she finally let herself rest, saying goodbye to Jaune as she took her final breathe. Her funeral was massive considered the huge legacy she left behind due to her actions that resulted in Remnant becoming a major trading power house. She was the last of his friends to pass on...

Jaune would seclude himself in his sanctum, for a month nothing was heard until one day he walked out called upon his council, and left Remnant with a painfully selected crew. Arael and the council were chosen by Jaune to lead the chapter and protect Remnant in his stead. The Juniper was left to safeguard Remnant while Jaune took a strike cruiser and left the Remnant sector. The last sighting of the cruiser was it entering the eye of Terror. Jaune was never seen again.

Rumors persist as to why the Primarch left; one stating he went in Seach of a way to bring back his friends. Another stating he sought to find the lost 100, a company of Remnant Knights that vanished during warp travel at the height of the Horus Heresy. Many more Rumors persist but one ranks above all and one that even has the inquisition trying to question the council about; Jaune went to find Magnus the Red.

Evidence point at this as remembrances from the time wrote how the Primarch only selected those with great Psyker powers. Those descended from the Civilians of Prospero that were saved by Jaune at the time of its destruction. Remnant Knights chosen were also those trained by the ancient Thousand sons. Not only that, but jaune had taken the relic of knowledge with him as well. The council has refused any and all interrogation attempts by the Inquisition. Resulting in the Remnant Knights being viewed with suspicion. Whatever the case is, the loss of the Primarch was devastating blow to the early chapters of the Remnant Knights.

#rwby #jaune arc #warhammer 40k #lost primarch au #jaune is a lost primarch au #warhammer 30k #snippet #loyal au #weiss schnee

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kallamars-spouse · 2 months

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In defense of my wife…

Disclaimer: I use she/her pronouns for Kallamar. Why? That’s a transfemme lesbian squid and she told me that while I killed her with a warhammer.

I am also viewing this following essay through the lenses of the Bishops and their family and how they treat each other. This isn’t a defense of how they treat mortals, and isn’t about anything beyond Gods at all.

I understand why Kallamar would tell the Lamb to kill Shamura instead of her. I also think there’s more nuance to it than “omg she would sell out Shammy!” when Shamura is absolutely not blameless. None of the Bishops are. I’m the Bishops’ BIGGEST fan, but I’m not going to act like their family isn’t dysfunctional as all Hell. Now, let’s start from the top.

The age order from eldest to youngest is Shamura, Kallamar, Narinder, Heket, and Leshy. We can tell in the game that Shamura’s favorite was Narinder simply due to the fact they still love him, refused to kill him when we know it’s possible, and kickstarted an entire extinction of a species to ensure he would never be free- but that he would be alive.

From Narinder’s dialogue, we can deduce that he hates Kallamar the most.

“Kallamar was always a coward. This land is a better place now her pathetic, sniveling carcass is nothing more than a mound of rotting flesh.“

This isn’t elaborated upon, but his words after her death are downright the most vicious. Narinder says that his older sister was ALWAYS a coward.

Shamura also says this about Kallamar, and as the eldest they would’ve known her longer than Narinder has.

“Kallamar was always frightened of the Red Crown. Yes, fear made a coward of her.”

This implies that not only was Kallamar not always what we see her as, but that Shamura believes her to be afraid of the Red Crown itself. Yet, this is what Kallamar says.

“It seems you cannot be stopped by disease or hunger. And he sends you back from death stronger each time. Please know, it was not my idea to cast out the Red Crown! The other Bishops, my siblings, the blame lies with them. Please, I beg you, spare me. Kill Shamura, but do not send me to my death. Do not send me to him!”

Kallamar acknowledges that neither she nor Heket could stop the Lamb, and that she doesn’t believe she could win against them. That’s why she begs for mercy.

She states that locking Narinder up wasn’t her idea.

At this point in the story if you kill them in the canon order, Leshy and Heket are already dead. Kallamar throwing them under the bus does not matter, as she knows they are dead.

Lastly, Kallamar expresses fear over Narinder. The Red Crown isn’t what scares her. Death isn’t what scares her. It is Narinder himself.

Shamura is the one who made the call to lock Narinder up, as they directly state themself.

“Though no longer wise, I am no fool. I know the end draws near. I can take some comfort in confession. The blame hangs heavy 'round my neck. I introduced him to ideas of change; for my domain is knowledge, and it is ever evolving. An organic state of being for myself, but for him… most unnatural. Death cannot flow backward. It was I who had him chained. Forced into subjugation by the four of us.”

It was not a group decision. It was Shamura’s word, and their siblings obeyed them without question. They blame themself, as they’re the one who was letting him “explore” his domain. Since it’s implied that reversing death (for example, resurrection) is heresy, only then did they step in. I assume after this, perhaps Shamura plotted to chain him, Narinder discovered, and that’s why he struck first. Or he directly attacked due to Shamura and the others “turning against him”, and that’s why he was imprisoned. We aren’t told exactly.

All we know is the Bishops have injuries, but Narinder does not. There’s no way in Hell that he could take them on all at the same time, nor that he could beat Shamura or Kallamar. Both of them are more powerful than he is. You could argue that Kallamar wouldn’t fight back, but that would ignore her violence towards the Lamb (who she was terrified of). Shamura is the Bishop of War, and they wouldn’t have willingly let Narinder attack them. Heket sure as Hell wouldn’t have let Narinder get away unscathed if he attacked her head on. Leshy is the only one who wouldn’t have stood a chance.

This makes it seem like he stalked and attacked them while they weren’t aware.

So, we know why Narinder did what he did. He said he was betrayed. But we also know that it was Shamura’s idea to imprison him, so why did he target his entire family?

This I believe was out of spite for Shamura themself, as they were obviously devoted to their siblings.

They’re willing to fight the Lamb, knowing they’d be slaughtered, simply in the honor of the other three Bishops.

They kept Narinder alive because they couldn’t bear to kill him. They even brought two innocent children to him so that he wouldn’t be “lonely”.

They already know what’s to come, but they still show up to Anchordeep to send enemies the Lamb’s way just to buy Kallamar more time to live.

They always appear by their siblings’ sides when they confront the Lamb, save for Kallamar. They still are there though, just in the background.

Back to Kallamar. This squid could’ve hopped into the ocean and left. She chose not to, even though she was terrified. She doesn’t attempt to fortify the door to her temple. She flat out tells the Lamb where she’ll be. She has her weapons already on her by the time they arrive.

I just feel like if you don’t give a fuck, you wouldn’t do all that. Why is it just assumed that she is selfish and didn’t love her siblings? Because she was terrified and saying anything to avoid being sent to Narinder?

Would you want to be sent to your abusive relative who despises you?

Would you not feel a bit angry that your eldest sibling would choose to keep this absolute lunatic alive, even against common sense and the safety of yourself and your younger siblings.

Would you feel a sense of blind loyalty to someone who values your ABUSER over you?

Kallamar was afraid of Narinder before he ripped her ears off. Why is that? You aren’t just terrified of somebody for no reason.

The Lamb kills her younger siblings.

Kallamar knows she will be sent straight to him, condemned to eternal suffering.

Like what are we expecting from her? “Ah yeah, this is fine. I’m fine. I’m not upset at all that my enabler of a sibling chose an abuser over me, refused to put him down after he revealed himself to be unhinged, and forced me and the others into a wild goose chase concerning sheep. I’m not at all bothered that my baby siblings have been slaughtered and that I’m next. Me personally? I’m chilling!”

🙄 Y’all always on this “Narinder redemption”, WHAT ABOUT KALLAMAR? Why isn’t she allowed grace? The Bishops aren’t good creatures, but neither is their brother. We should acknowledge that and acknowledge the nuance.

This post was brought to you by my homoerotic devotion for Kallamar and my long history of living in an abusive, dysfunctional household.

#cult of the lamb #cotl shamura #cotl kallamar #cotl narinder #cotl heket #cotl leshy #adding the whole family even though it’s Kallamar and Shamura centric

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hrodvitnon · 1 month

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Well, the Isa fic got sad, I got 100% achievements on Xbox, the Steam and Switch versions are tempting me like crazy... time for some Copium. Who wants a new fic preview!? This one's set after First and Only, so it's going to get spicy~

---

They're testing boundaries together, and no matter how addled their brains get with such honeymoon behavior they still summon the cognizance to ask each other, "Is this okay?" or enforce rules like, "Tell me to stop if you're uncomfortable."

And Ariane is never uncomfortable with Elster, but every now and then she needs to tap out because it veers dangerously close to overwhelming when she's pinned to a wall, their lips locked and tongues tentatively learning to dance, Elster's powerful body pressing into hers...

And that's before teeth get involved. Ariane fucking loves it when her neck is marked by Elster's lips and tongue and teeth. Every bite elicits an exhale that carries hints of a moan, and Ariane eggs her on in any way she can – clawing her fingers up and down Elster's strong back, grabbing her hair, even sliding her leg up an outer thigh.

Elster's shell is hot under her fingers, and if Ariane were in her right mind she would find that unusual because the Replika's body temperature varies between cool and warm depending on how much work's been done, but she's never felt hot to the touch until now. Ariane's clothes stick to her body and a thin sheen of sweat forms on her exposed skin; Elster's making noises, little huffs and grunts, flexing her body as if trying to shrug something off, and that just makes her abdomen rub against Ariane in a way that makes her mewl.

"Elster..."

"Ariane... wait a minute," she husks with a roughness that nearly causes the Gestalt's knees to buckle.

Ariane's about to ask if she's alright when Elster pulls away enough for them to properly see one another, and the words die in her mouth with a whimper. The hallway's dim lighting makes those eyes do that thing where the red pupils shine like the eyes of a dangerous creature, and not helping matters at all is the puffs of actual steam emanating from her mouth with each labored breath. The musculature under that armor plating is tensed, bulging with effort.

It's the hottest thing Ariane has ever seen.

Elster pushes herself away and blows steam off to the side as if she'd taken a drag from a cigarette. The unexpected arousal slips to the side of Ariane's mind and concern takes over.

"That's never happened before," she points out.

"No."

"Are you okay? Did I touch something I'm not supposed to? We can set up like a 'no touch zone' if you want!"

"No, no, I just... I need to cool down. Overheating."

"I didn't know Replikas could overheat."

"We can, same as Gestalts. We need an internal temperature to function. Think of it like, warming up an engine on a cold day so it doesn't stall. I might need a cycle in the calibration pod just to be safe."

Ariane nods along. "That makes sense. But what caused it? As far as I know, ship maintenance isn't exactly strenuous..."

Elster looks like she has an idea but doesn't feel her hypothesis is appropriate to say out loud, which is only giving Ariane ideas. Instead she opts for rolling and flexing her body like before, maybe trying to discern some unknown itch, but it's terribly distracting for Ariane, whose legs turn to jelly and ends up sliding down the wall at the sight of those abdominal muscles at work.

Elster chuffs. "Wow. Are you okay?"

"You," Ariane points at her accusingly, "are too hot for your own good."

"I am steaming right now."

"Shut the fuck—!" Ariane laughs, long and loopy. "Elster Five-One-Two, you absolute dork – I swear to multiple religions censored by the State, and I don't care if it's treason or heresy or whatever, but holy risen mother of god does the mere sight of you do things to me."

Elster ducks her head with a crooked smile. "I hope those things are good."

#signalis #elster 512 #ariane yeong #preview

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pessimisticshapewithablog · 2 years

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Cult of the Lamb theory #1

The Bishops of the old faith were injured subduing Narinder/The One Who Waits. As in physically restraining him so they could either bind/seal him away. I also think that whatever ritual they did required them to execute Narinder to trap him in the underworld.

Shamura: "Five points to a pentagram, five portents of doom, five siblings stood abreast, five gods and one tomb..."

Whatever happened, the other Bishops lured Narinder to an unspecified location under the guise of ritual and killed him to stop his percieved heresy from spreading. They used themselves as a form of catalyst to chain Narinder to the underworld, the chains keeping him bound disintegrate upon their deaths.

Haro: "Bonds of familial duty, turned instead to chains. Most voracious of appetites, curbed and contained. Most infectious of ideas cut of and cauterised before given chance to rot and spread. Cruel, verily. Alas, what other recourse was given? How does one kill Death? ... Alas. One cannot."

Inspiration

While comparing Narinder to the other Bishops I noticed how different his current form and robes looked compared to their's. We don't know what Narinder was dressed like before but all the Bishops appear to wear similar robes.

Something seemed off about the lamb's fight with Narinder aswell. We know the other Bishops are capable of transforming into larger more elderich forms when supplied with enough fervor and sacrifices. Narinder was able too also but only his head.

At first I believed it could be because he transformed without sacrifices and fervor but depending on what the player does, he would recieved sacrifices before the battle. Or maybe Baal and Aym's death only supplied him with enough to transform only his head. But then I noticed Narinder's arms, they don't look organic to him, they sorta look like twigs fashioned to look arms.

This ties back into my theory that the Bishops executed Narinder to seal him where the lamb first meets him. From only his head transforming in battle, his arms and possible 'body' seemingly being made of twigs, and his robes beings blood stained down the front, I conclude that Narinder was beheaded and his original body was discarded due to only the red crown would need to be sealed, along with his head. His body is a facsimile made of wood and twigs, his robes are stained with every-flowing blood from his neck wound.

Shamura's unbandaged head is what led me to to believe that Narinder's head with crown was what sealed. We don't know if the purple crown does this normally or only due to their injury but, if this phenomenon happens to all crowns bearers, then it makes sense that only Narinder's head with crown would need to dealt with. His body was not a threat.

From the COTL wiki it states that each of the Bishops injuries are references to the phrase:

"Do no evil"

Leshy = see no evil

Heket = speak no evil

Kallamar = hear no evil

Shamura = think no evil

If Narinders arms are not his original appendages, then I believe he would represent the "DO no evil", one can't really do evil without a body.

Edit: Narinder may have always dressed the way he does in-game.

#cult of the lamb #cotl the one who waits #cotl spoilers #cotl #cult of the lamb spoilers #my post #cult of the lamb theory #cult of the lamb narinder #narinder #bishops of the old faith #long post #cotl worldbuilding #cult of the lamb worldbuilding

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prettybbychim · 2 months

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oh im so excited to get confirmation on arlecchino's constellation/symbol

i've seen it as common census that she is the third symbol on the right side, but i could argue that it could be pantalone instead

from the left side counter clockwise, these are my thoughts including further explanation

plague doctor mask - dottore

heresy symbol - pulcinella/capitano/pantalone (tentative)

jester mask - pierro

shaman's/healer's hand - capitano (tentative)

marionette - sandrone

narwhal - childe

crystalfly - signora

doll - scaramouche

hand holding an object - pantalone/arlecchino (tentative)

weeping dove - columbina

crucifixion nails - arlecchino/capitano (tentative)

color code: green - pretty damn confident, blue - confirmed, red - confusion

to begin, heresy is roughly defined as a belief or opinion that is contrary/unacceptable by religious doctrine, or public / official opinion.

about pulcinella from commedia dell'arte, its said "he almost always appears in contradiction." however, following that line of thought, capitano always fits the bill. "when the turks seem to be winning, he will join them. when they are driven off, he will change sides again and boast about his loyalty and bravery."

about putting capitano as the shaman's hand and/or the crucifixion nails, it's more of a vibe than anything lol putting him on heresy was only because of his counterpart's description in the play, nothing else. i have no evidence of anything. i am not ashamed. natlan pls come soon i need this man

about arlecchino as the crucifixion nails, my initial thought process also had to do with the play. arlecchino is also known as harlequin. the name harlequin came from another story about a "demon" or "devil." as i'm typing this now, i realize this does not make a lot of sense because the nails have to do with the crucifixion of jesus christ and big JC is not a demon. but he's the antithesis of them so i mean, idk

onto the ninth symbol - it appears to be a hand gripping an object. on first glance, i thought it was a vial, such as the ones used for the essential oils in game.

however, it could also be an artistic rendition of a heart. this would be a direct reference to the pale flame set, in particular the sands piece, where it talks about pantalone's backstory. "the center of the world is a heart made of gold. [...] when the moment comes, that heart shall cease beating by our will alone."

considering that constellations are tied to one's fate, as a human man without a vision, his constellation could replicate that.

however, pantalone also tracks with the heresy symbol. as its speculated he's from liyue, his goals for teyvat's flow of money and currency as a whole, it would be considered heresy against his homeland's archon - rex lapis. (side note: i will do anything to see an interaction between the two of them)

primarily, i have seen this symbol speculated to be arlecchino's due to the appearance of the hand and the state of her own hands. what i have not seen is any further explanation on the decision. now, say it is an alchemy bottle: flaming essential oil = house of the hearth ? the house is in the palm of her hand etc etc i'm just not entirely convinced on that one either.

i'm not entirely convinced on any of these four. we have next to no information on capitano, and some bits on pulcinella, and a little bit more than that on pantalone...all this to say, i am nowhere closer to an answer than i was before.

there are a variety of ways i can see this being arranged but there's always one thing that does not align.

option 1: heresy (pantalone), healer's hand (pulcinella), hand gripping (arlecchino), nails (capitano) // how does pulcinella fit with that symbol?

option 2: heresy (pulcinella), healer's hand (capitano), hand gripping (pantalone), nails (arlecchino), // how does capitano fit?

or alternatively, option 3, same as before but: nails (capitano) and healer's hand (arlecchino) // how do either of them fit? besides vibes

and finally, option 4: heresy (capitano), healer's hand (arlecchino/pulcinella), hand gripping (pantalone) // how do they fit with those? and who goes with which one?

in conclusion, i do not know. huzzah !! i might have confused myself even more than i was before starting this post, but that's okay because maybe it'll help you understand why i so desperately want arlecchino's constellation confirmed

slurping up the harbinger crumbs

#fatui #fatui harbingers #arlecchino #pantalone #pulcinella #capitano #genshin speculation #me actively losing braincells #i really want to write a pantalone character study #with the itty bitty crumbs we have #in the form of a fic that is #long post #im so sorry lmao

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muzzleroars · 9 months

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I've got a couple so here we go,

-What would happen if any of the other archangel's fell for what ever reason?

-do you think any robots have made any little robot towns in hell? Like robots settle down in one spot with like little stores?

-if V1 likes to stay clean does he jump into water like a bird bath? Does Gabriel do the same?

Sorry if it's a lot in one ask! And love your art!!

aaa no problem i love little sets of questions!! :]

if any of the other archangels fell, they would end up in a similar state to gabriel as they are all powerful enough to survive the death and rebirth process, while their particular sins would determine their appearance/punishment (though some things are universal, such as the loss of flight). i have considered what sin would cause their fall based on their characteristics, with michael in violence, uriel in heresy, and raphael in fraud. michael, had his fall succeeded, would have been left with a need to feed on blood ironically enough, to the point where he would almost be forced to live in the phlegethon as there are barely any sinners left to bleed (unlike v1, a fallen angel of violence is perfectly capable of consuming rancid blood). i also do like following through with the idea that he turns white, both because hakita was right about the red on white aesthetics, but also so he appears anemic and bloodless. uriel would be sort of like gabriel's opposite, suffering from a constant burning fever and would spontaneously combust at times, fires that would leave his skin forever scorched even after putting them out. worst part is that he has no fireproof books to read :( raphael is terribly weighed down and constantly suffering from fatigue, every step so heavy that traveling long distances becomes impossible and he is essentially rendered incapable of helping anyone. his clothes become heavily gilded, and what's interesting is that i actually. sort of came up with raphael's design during my reread of the divine comedy, with the inspiration coming a lot from the hypocrites of fraud SO his punishment is quite similar, with a bit of falsifiers mixed in just for the irony as a healer.

other two answers under here!!

god i would genuinely love little machine settlements, but i think of them as not being organized enough/having advanced enough ai to do so. additionally, there is too much desperation in their situation for building up a village of some kind BUT i do think machines can form bonds with one another and do so even with models other than their own. like i really love the idea of a mindflayer that has several streetcleaners following it around, sort of protecting each other and understanding each other's priorities. also very into a sentry and drone pair, where the drone has worked on being incredibly fast and incredibly annoying so it can distract an enemy until the sentry picks them off lol and and i feel like i DEFINITELY got this idea from someone else (maybe on here? twitter? idk!!!) but like maybe there are just. machines on the surface. machines that don't solely rely on blood and got some of the grid back online and just kind of vibe up there. like they do not look at hell, that's wild shit down there. and they definitely have little towns :]

v1 likes to be power washed lol like it wants to be BLASTED with a fire hose, but it will take any kind of pool/bath it can find! it really just likes the process of "having a wash" - it doesn't mind being covered in blood and guts and every other kind of gore (fun!!!) but splashing around and getting hosed off just never gets old for it. gabriel is definitely a lot less playful and sees bathing as a relaxation thing, but he does genuinely find v1's enjoyment of it incredibly amusing. it's just so happy!!! every time!!! when gabriel's actually taking a bath to get clean however, he is much more like a bird in many ways - he likes having a heavy mist/shower available as well as a pool, and v1 ALWAYS makes sure to be close by when he shakes off his wings. this becomes a bit more difficult when he's a fallen angel, his wings hurting too much to make proper care possible, but v1 joins in to help him clean up through taking the time to mist every feather and then help spread them to air dry. the bath itself is a welcome reprieve from his freezing cold body though, and gabe really enjoys soaking in scalding hot water as often as he can after falling (any temp is fine to v1, so it loves all the bath time they get!!!)

#waaa thank you!!#i'm kind of considering giving mike a white gradient in his new design as a nod to his aborted fall #like where he would have white hands/feet #also tho thinking of the machine towns....#imagine gabe and v1 popping up to the surface like wait what #and the machines there like ???? what's going on down there!!!#cake answers #v1 #gabriel #michael #uriel #raphael #fallen gabriel

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weatherman667 · 4 months

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alright not sure if you're a fan of alt history speculation but lets try it. ireland unifies before even the dane law we'll say sometime around 860. some for high king manages to get the other chiefs to agree to a stable succession of the kingship probably by pointing out they'll get their cattle raided less if they all work together. with a unified Ireland the insular Christian sects of Ireland start to develop a more independent identity from the see of rome. (something that happened in our timeline) this is then further exasperated when the vikings begin raiding europe and communication with the outside world breaks down. and with their doctrine of lay clergy and allowing nobles to own churches rather than the priests and bishops of the roman catholic church the decision is made to have the church of Ireland be lead by the king himself meaning Ireland is a theocratic monarchy. with the churches acting as both sights of worship and military build up. not only that but insular Christianity had the tenets of both medicant preachers and communion, add in the tenate of it reinforcing communal identity and you've got a religion that reinforces itself while rapidly spreading especially as it becomes increasingly fundamentalist. the Irish church comes to spread the Irish culture and language much in the same way. and because of communion allowing for the sale of indulgences and making excommunication a crime this gives the king of Ireland even more power and wealth than any other state excluding perhaps Byzantium and Rome. all in a people who remain very much tribal. they would remain well off the continental stage though since both orthodoxy and catholicism would have declared them a heresy. but having all of Britain being slowly converted to being Irish either through holy wars against the Vikings or through peaceful conversion would be a great consolation prize. it's known that Ireland had discovered the Americas and Iceland before the Vikings I speculate that this version of Ireland having all of Britain being brought under its control would take Iceland back from the Vikings along with the northern islands and start up the colonization of the Americas long before what happened in our timeline. but I'm not sure what would happen after that. keep in mind all of this is happening for hundreds of years. not all at once. thoughts on this alt history and any speculation you might want to add onto it? feel free to go wacky with it

What happened with Ireland is that Rome had the bones of Peter, and the one with the more holy bones wins. It had no trouble flourishing without Rome.

Instead of the High King becoming a Rex Hibernium, it would remain a rotating position. Instead the Kings become Bishops, and the High King the Archbishop.

England also had an insular Christianity. Their mistake was inviting Rome in to help coordinate it.

If Ireland got a stable Christian country ahead of them, it would make it incredibly easy to get the English to join in.

As for Iceland/Greenland/Vinland, it's only a matter of willpower. When the Danes settled Iceland and Greenland, they basically had to run a propaganda campaign to get people to settle there.

Vinland ended because Freydis Eriksdotter wanted a bath... and the natives thought that the cheese given to them was poison, because they were lactose intolerant. It would be extremely easy for that to have been handled a bit more diplomatically. Basically if handled by anyone other than the family of Erik the Red, who was exiled because "of a few murders".

The Danish invasion of England happened contemporaneously with the settlement of Iceland, so, if the Irish helped Aelfred Magnum, Rex Anglorum, push out the Danes, then they would have had a solid bullwark to keep the Danes contained in Jutland and Zeeland. And with a unified will, settling Iceland would be a piece of cake.

While Greenland is a terrible place for settlement, it does have vast mineral resources, and a more organized force could exploit it.

If they wanted to move onto Vinland/Newfoundland, they could have a long established kingdom in Newfoundland and Labrador by the time the English and French arrive to colonize the Acadia and the St. Laurence.

If they controlled Hudson's Bay, it would prevent the Hudson's Bay Company from flourishing, and the HBC literally built Canada.

And I do mean literally built Canada.

Ireland also preserved a lot of books that were lost during the Dark Ages, and the discovery of them helped with the Renaissance. Meaning the Anglo-Hibernian Christian empire would never have had a Dark Ages.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS IDEA.

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spyridonya · 1 year

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An answer to a Discord PWotR challenge of, 'Why Does your Knight Commander love their chosen LI?"

Kadira, in game canon, chose Daeran over all others.

"Why do you love Daeran?"

Kadira's hand pauses as the Queen asks the question, pin that is supposed to hold up the pile of curls shining as the former knight commander freezes. It's not so much the question, not even the way Galfrey speaks it in a manner that is holds only a taste of curiosity and bewilderment, civility making the expression on her statuesque beauty so very mild.

It really is a matter of when the Queen decided to ask this, just an hour before the engagement party of her cousin to the Knight Commander, the formal announcement of what East Mendev - and the entire kingdom - knows.

The pin slides deftly in the black curls; she had thought the Queen would have come in robes of state to gravely inform her that the engagement would be pending due to some ancient tradition that the kingdom buried and forgot generations ago. Rather the queen is dressed in red and white, embroidery of golden thread mirroring patterns of a Mendev that had been more wild and free. There's civility, but there's grace.

"Well, not for his money." Kadira says, looking at the queen's reflection before she turns, mindful of the skirts and her tail. "I've seem to come across mounds of it on my own. Nor was it his reputation, even sheltered girl like me knew of him, couldn't say it repulsed me, such a term is unfair, I think."

"Repulsive, Commander, is a word that could be used for the man he became, by many."

"Not by me." Though she could accuse Galfrey as being one of many, but what did it matter? What points to be won in a question that is asked in pure bewilderment? She could throw into Galfrey's face that the late Sir Lant spoke harshly of Countess Sileana's fidelity and that he spoke in defense of a slaughter of of a village ten miles of Kenabras some 70 years ago before his helmet was turned into a chamber pot.

"You were not there the first time I saw him smile at a teenage girl scarred by zealotry he mocked. How his voice changed in an instant, how he was kind and gentle." The Lady of Drezen closed her eyes and took a breath, "Nor were you there when he made me laugh... Perhaps mocking Terendelev was wrong, perhaps laughing was wrong and a heresy in the eyes of many… but there was a knot between my shoulders that been lodged there for… I suppose since I fell into the ravine? But when I laughed for the first time in days," If not years, "And when I stopped laughing and joined in his humor, the knot was gone and my mind was clearer. I could go on and do what I must and so could he."

The celestial's hands settle on her lap as her eyes open to a blue gaze not so different from her own, while everything else about Galfrey - and the entire remains of the Royal family - looked so angelic. "I could blame you and your little prank upon your cousin for making this all worse."

The queen merely nodded at this, the quirk of the lips hiding everything - the libertine that gawked in horror a year and a half ago was different from the man that strode by Kadira's side from Threshold. Perhaps one day Kadira could tell her family such a prank by the Queen was petty, glib, a demonstration of revenge upon the back of a last chance of salvation. Perhaps. She would have to see how the world saw Galfrey.

"When we went to Heaven's Edge," The former commander continued after the queen remained silent, "I made the decision to be present and mindful from Daeran's party until Inquisitor Liotr found what he needed to save the count."

"Truthfully, I couldn't tell when it became real until it was too late and I could see past the edges he displayed like a peacock. I saw what he could be. I can't deny the cruelty he has done out of duty and of pleasure, but to deny the man who braids Ember's hair doesn't exist? The man who teases and defends a youth that could be his younger brother? The man who saved and comforted broken and lost girls whose light was nearly extinguished in the abyss? That man exists, too, and that man needed to be acknowledged."

"He loved me first, you know? Even before the words formed in my head. He loved me first." Kadira's fingers played against the soft material of her dress, cut Talden style, the sky blue muting the brightness of her almost too red skin. "What turned out to be a mission to protect the crusade and my companions became… giving Daeran the freedom to decide what he truly is. I would love the man of sharp cunning and cruelty who wanted nothing but pleasure, I would love the man who mourned a culture forgotten and loves you so much, he made you hate him for your protection. And I loved the man who saw my weakness in the abyss, who followed me into the darkness, and did everything he could to make me smile when he could have easily staked a knife into my heart by leaving me."

Kadira looks at Galfrey, her gaze stern and honest. "He loves me because I'm mortal, regardless of what I've become. I love him, because he's so very mortal, regardless what he will become."

#daeran arendae #commander x daeran #queen galfrey

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ficretus · 4 months

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Theory: Jaune's Joan of Arc story is two timelines fused into one. Also known as me trying to figure out what's going on over there

I've been reading about Joan of Arc these days, half of it out of curiousity, half trying to figure out future trajectory of Jaune's story. Thing that bothered me is that references and events seemed all over the place with no rhyme or reason. Eventually, I figured out potential explanation, my two timelines theory.

What does that mean? I think Jaune's story is 2 timelines of Joan of Arc events overlapped over each other. How does that look in practice?

First, how would normal timeline look like?

Starting point would be Joan's childhood and hearing Voices for the first time. End point would be her heresy trial and death.

My two timeline theory has one timeline start at Joan's arrival to Chinon castle and meeting with king Charles VII, while the other starts at her childhood and hearing Voices for the first time. Former ends with her heresy trial and death, while latter with her encounter with the king and triumph at Orleans. And both timelines overlap with events happening simultaneously.

Now question is, why? Why complicate the timeline, and why does Jaune's story justify such subversion.

Argument 1: Major events are skipped and glossed over. Events like meeting the king and saving Orleans should have already happened chronologically, yet seem completely absent in Jaune's timeline. These are not some random points of Joan story, this is her peak as historical figure. Them being absent feels wrong. That's like having Ruby as Little Red Riding Hood without having a wolf in the story. This timeline theory has stated events happen at the end of story as appropriate climax.

Argument 2: Events that I feel already happened are chronologically all of the place. I'll go into every single event in Joan's story that I feel has equivalent in Jaune's story later, but I'll list some of them here for the sake of argument. For example, Jaune's trip to Mistral matches both Loire campaign and Joan's trip to Vaucoleurs seeking out Robert Baudricourt. Yet those 2 events are separated by full year of events (that might sound like small difference, but when entire Joan's "career" lasted for about year and a half, that's a major difference). But if you overlap 2 timelines over each other, it suddenly makes sense. Both are early points of their respective timelines.

Argument 3: Indecisive King story. I've already made theory about this so I'll try to keep it brief (click the link if you want my full opinion https://www.tumblr.com/ficretus/736969850385301504/theory-interpreting-rwbys-indecisive-king-as?source=share)

Basically, Indecisive King story is RWBY take on Joan of Arc meeting the king story. That would place it near the beginning of conventional timeline. But, since it's story that centers around Relic of Choice, it has to be near the end since that relic will appear chronologically last in the story. 2 timelines theory places it as one of the climactic events near the end of the story.

Argument 4: Inconsistent character roles. If you read it as conventional timeline, you'd find characters in the show playing multiple roles in Joan's story. This is mostly ok, and other character stories also have similar things happen (for example, Salem being both Fairy Godmother and stepmother in Cinder's story), but it creates really bizarre scenarios that are circumvented by 2 timeline theory. Most glaring example is Cinder playing both roles of Burgundy and king Charles VII. Issue here is that duke of Burgundy and king were sworn enemies that ended up fighting all the time. So this creates schizo Cinder scenario where she is supposedly kicking her own ass most of the story. But when you separate the roles by timeline, it starts to make sense. She is Burgundy in timeline 1, being the sworn enemy of Ruby as the king, while she is Charles VII in timeline 2.

Argument 5: This one might be highly subjective, but I feel like Jaune's Joan of Arc story will have happy ending. This isn't some copium "I like Jaune, therefore he should stay alive", let me explain.

First, back to Indecisive King: Widow, character I explained in my theory is likely based on Joan gets the happy ending and marries the king. I feel this takes precedence over Joan story since it's the story written by writers of the show.

Second, Jaune's Joan story doesn't follow the same trajectory to the point where it would be weird for them to have the same ending. What I mean by that is Joan has lot of early success in her story, but gradually starts failing before getting captured and killed. No such major success exists in Jaune's story. He meanders between useless and mediocre most of the story. He also faces significantly more setbacks than Joan. So his story so far is Joan story with most success drained and injected with 100% more suffering. Having him also fail more and then get killed (and as I'll show later, that part of Joan story is coming soon in Vacuo portion of the story) would feel like borderline character bashing. There is a difference between his subversive retelling of the story and conventinal one someone like Pyrrha has. It makes sense for Pyrrha to have tragic death, since she does follow Achilles story trajectory (legendary invincible warrior, dies to opponent powered up by divine power exploiting their weakness). If Pyrrha's story had her as average Joe with low combat prowess, it would have also been really weird to have her die in battle.

Esentially, this would give payoff to Jaune's struggles and setbacks by moving pivotal events from the beginning to the end of the timeline (as timeline 2 does) instead of turning him into another name on Cinder's kill list.

Now that I explained my reasoning, time to assemble the timelines. I'll start with the first timeline, one from Joan's arrival to Chinon all the way to her heresy trial and burning at the stake. First of all, I need to establish the characters.

Jaune is Joan... duh

Pyrrha is Archangel Michael

Both are inspiring model warriors. Michael is patron saint of Joan's village, just like Pyrrha was most important member of Jaune's team.

Michael was the first of the Voices Joan heard, guiding her on her journey. Pyrrha plays that role in Jaune's story and is one of his main motivations to go on his journey.

Ruby is Charles VII, king of France. My reasoning here is:

she is de facto leader of team "good guys"

she is both one of the first and most important individuals Jaune meets at his journey.

I read silver eyes as sign of royalty (I consider maiden powers sign of royalty as well, 4 maidens 4 kingdoms, another power of divine origin). Joan tells her king multiple times that his power was granted to him by God. Ruby literally wields divine powers. She is also only remaining user of silver eyes we know of, which adds to the exclusivity of the power. Power being tied to her eyes is also nice parallel to royal powers in middle ages, considering blinding someone was common way of removing them as royal pretender.

she fits some characteristics of Archangel Michael, king's patron saint. Michael is angel of death which fits Ruby as reaper, Michael is protector of the faithful which fits Ruby as silver eyes user. Michael was connection between Joan and the king, just like Pyrrha was catalyst for awakening both Jaune's and Ruby's powers.

Both have to permanently leave their home when they were 15 years old, forced out by their enemies.

Cinder is Burgundy, both state in general as well as its various commanders

Burgundy is French duchy that sided with English during that phase of the war. Similar to how Cinder is human siding with Grimm against humanity for her own personal gains

Her early role in the story fits Burgundian duke John the Fearless. Both are the enemies of future king Charles VII, killing many individuals close to him. John killed Charles' uncle and was potentially behind the deaths of his older siblings. This symbolically translates to Cinder being behind the deaths of Ozpin (here taking the role of uncle) as well as Penny and Pyrrha (taking the role of siblings). He is killed by Charles' men, tricking him into coming to meeting with minimal protection. While all injuries are not described, first wound he sustains is slash across the face, while the final one (after he was killed) is getting his arm cut off. This matches Cinder, having her face scared and hand cut off after her fight with Ruby.

Later one she takes the role of John's son, duke Philipp the Good (bit of irony). Philipp naturally hated Charles and tried to undermine him at every opportunity. He spent most of his reign siding with English against him.

Burgundian ambition, especially during the Philipp's reign was breaking off from France and creating their own independent kingdom. This matches Cinder's goal of attaining freedom through power. Desire to take the Crown also matches Cinder's goal of seizing her Relic, Crown of Choice.

Weiss is Jean II, duke of Alencon

Holds royal status, matching what people perceive as Weiss' status (Ice Queen, Princess, etc). However, just like Weiss, he holds status through association. Alencon is Prince of the Blood by marrying into royal family, Weiss is sibling to maiden and partner to silver eyes user.

Restrictive childhood and teen years. Metaphorical in Weiss' case, quite literal in Alencon's case considering he was captured in battle. And similar to how Weiss "frees" herself by coming to Beacon, Alencon is released shortly before Joan's arrival and comes to see her at Chinon castle.

Both are targets of affection from their respective Joans. In case of Alencon and Joan, it's purely platonic. Joan was very close with him and would refer to him as "good duke" /"nice duke"/ "gentle duke" (I've seen translations vary). They'd fight as comrade at arms at several occasion.

After Volume 8, both are also rulers without their nation. Duchy of Alencon was seized by English and wouldn't be recovered until the very end of the war. Both Atlas and SDC went down in flames at the end of the volume 8 and their recovery is not happening any time soon.

Qrow and Yang as Arthur de Richemont

Both hold position close to king (in Qrow's case, this more refers to his status within Ozma's faction then relation with Ruby)

Qrow specific, both him and Richemont are outsiders. Qrow being part of Bramwen tribe, Richemont being a Breton. Despite that, they gain high status within their new faction. Both also have sibling that is leader of their old faction. Said sibling in both cases is disillusioned with "good guy" cause, sides with the enemy, albeit wants to remain neutral in conflict.

Yang specific, both had to intervene when said family member captured one of their comrades (Alencon/Weiss) and held them for ransom.

All 3 repeatedly try to persuade said family member to abandon neutrality and join French king's side of the war.

Qrow specific, both him and Richemont are disliked by their respective Joans.

Nora and Ren as La Hire and Jean Poton de Xaintrailles

This one is relatively surface level. Both pairs are comrades in arms that fought side by side before even meeting Joan.

Both pairs are some of the most loyal and closest Joan's comrades

La Hire and Nora have relatively similar personality

Oscar is either Bastard of Orleans or Jean de Brosse, leaning more towards former since latter goes into more territory of speculation of future events.

Oscar as Bastard makes sense if Ozpin is Charles' uncle, duke of Orleans. Bastard as name implies, is illegitimate son of duke of Orleans. Both are royals (Ozma is de facto world ruler and holds divine power) through unlikely circumstances. Both are associated with color green.

Oscar as Jean de Brosse is leaning towards Brosse's status as French marshal but his financial inability to perform that role. Oscar is teenage boy with minimal training holding through circumstance one of the greatest powers in the world. Both also revolt against their given duty, but perform it nonetheless. Speculative part comes in case of Jaune getting kidnapped. If Oscar ends up being the one to try to retrieve him, than he is likely Brosse.

This completes relevant characters in Jaune's story that I could connect to Joan of Arc story characters. Feel free to comment if you've found additional connections. Time to connect events between the stories now.

VOLUME 1-3

This represent Joan's stay at castle Chinon where she meets her various future comrades in arms.

Things like ecclesiastic court can be connected to various tests

Later portion of the story represents siege of Orleans. This is one of the first major subversions of the story. Instead of Jaune playing major role in victory, he plays largely no role in it and battle ends as defeat. I suspect this is because Jaune is fraud unlike Joan. While neither were qualified to be military commanders (or team leader in Jaune's case), Joan had her Voices to guide her. On the other hand, Jaune had fake credentials and laughable combat abilities.

While there are minimal connections between the Fall of Beacon and siege of Orleans, as you'll see later on, it fits the spot in the chronology. As stated before, this is one of the reasons why I believe in double timeline and moving Orleans to the end of it

VOLUME 4-5

Joan, king Charles, various commanders and survivors of siege of Orleans go on to retaliate against the enemy in Loire valley. This matches circumstances of the Volume. Joan butts heads with Richemont, similar to Jaune's dislike towards Qrow.

Final fight in volume 5 has elements of both battles of Jargeau and Patay

During the battle of Jargeau, Joan was knocked out after rallying her troops forward. This somewhat matches Jaune's battle against Cinder. Joan saves Alencon's life by warning to him to move away, shortly after, that spot gets hit by artillery fire (she allegedly foresaw it thanks to her Voices). Different circumstances, both Jaune does save Weiss life during that battle.

Battle borrows general circumstances for battle of Patay. At Patay, English tried to ambush French forces, but ambush failed and their army was destroyed. This matches Cinder's plan at Haven going awry, leading to them failing all their objectives (taking Ruby, Relic and maiden power).

VOLUME 6

King and his party march to Rheims. Their intention was to bring the king to Rheims so he can be officially coronated at traditional crowning location of French kings. English took all the relics before leaving the Rheims, crown included. Only relic remaining is Holy Ampulla, holding the sacred oil. King is blessed by Ampulla, granting him wisdom. This is similar to usage of Relic of Knowledge. While not the exact same thing, Ampulla and Lamp are both oil containers. It is also the only relic both parties had (among the relics English took were also sword, crown and scepter). Both parties were also granted wisdom by using it (team Remnant learning about the truth of the world thanks to it).

Joan meets with her father after her coronation. While not father, Jaune meets with his sister.

In some versions of the story, Joan thinks about returning back home after the coronation since her original goals were achieved. She is guided by voices to continue. This somewhat matches Jaune's crisis (and his original goal of revenge against Cinder was also seemingly achieved with her perceived death) that is resolved upon seeing Pyrrha...'s statue.

Charles new found legitimacy allows him to quickly take several cities on his way to Paris, people opening their door to the king. This somewhat matches Ruby using her newly mastered powers to defeat Leviathan on their way out of Argus.

Their next destination is location of the next relic, Paris/Atlas

During this period, king had ceasefire signed with duke of Burgundy, similar to how Cinder remains inactive during this volume.

VOLUME 7-8

King and his party move on to take Paris. They first try through peaceful means, king trying to negotiate through Alencon (since he was liked there), but their entrance is refused. This somewhat matches Team Remnant's rough time arriving to Atlas. Weiss/Alencon connection makes sense here since they are their party's connection to Atlas/Paris. Atlas as Paris makes sense since both are greatest cities of their respective regions (France/Remnant).

Parisians were extremely paranoid towards king's intentions, there was a rumor he wanted to raze Paris to the ground as an act of vengeance. This somewhat matches Ironwood's paranoia, although connection here is mostly ironic since their actions with the Relic literally end up razing Atlas to the ground.

King's army takes over Parisian suburbs, but are unable to take the fortified city. This reflects Jaune and other members remaining in Mantle during this portion of the story.

King attempts to use his infiltrated men in Paris to open the gates. This is reflected with other group remaining in Atlas proper.

Despite being close to taking the city, king orders the retreat across the bridge due to his funds running dry. Similarly, Ruby plans on retreating from Atlas via Relic created bridge portal.

Joan and Alencon were last to retreat, similar to how Jaune, Weiss and Winter were last ones remaining at the bridge.

Joan disagreed with king's plan to retreat, thinking battle was winnable. This somewhat matches Jaune snapping at Ruby in volume 9 blaming her for the failure.

Joan breaks her swords striking the prostitute following the camp. Alencon was there to witness the event (some versions have sword breaking at Rheims, others have it not break at all). This matches Jaune breaking his sword fighting Cinder (not prostitute, but matches as immoral woman).

Upcoming Vacuo portion of the story will likely deal with Joan's battles at Lagny and Compiegne (last 2 battles Joan participated in)

I'd say this completes my read of timeline 1. Feel free to comment things I missed or things you disagree with. Moving on to timeline 2.

Timeline 2 starts at Joan's childhood, all the way to her meeting the king at Chinon and siege of Orleans. This timeline is one of the primary reasons i wanted to write this theory in the first place. I'd feel like I've found equivalents events from Joan's early life in show's plot, only for them to chronologically clash with other events from her military career. However, events from her early life would appear chronologically with each other, leading me to conclusion it's separate timeline.

First of all, who's who again

Jaune is still Joan

Pyrrha remains Archangel Michael

Cinder is Robert de Baudricourt and king Charles VII.

Baudricourt is garrison commander of Vaucouleurs. Joan is instructed by Voices to meet him and ask him to lead her to the king. This somewhat matches circumstances of their first meeting, Jaune travels to Mistral motivated by Pyrrha.

He starts dismissive towards Joan, growing to respect her more through their interactions. This is incomplete, but I feel like this one can only go up from absolute disrespect Cinder shows towards Jaune in their first interaction.

He grows more and more desperate due to events happening out of his city. English and Burgundians were closing in on his city and almost took it at one occasion. While she isn't losing any city, growing desperation is something Cinder seems to experience as story goes on. She goes from the top of the world in volume 3 to barely clinging to her position after several failures in volume 8.

Rest of the reasons for why Cinder is Baudricourt are in canon speculation territory so I won't go on.

Cinder also also being king is something I alluded to at the beginning of the theory. Reason I don't feel like it contradicts my reasoning at the beginning is because Cinder playing these 2 roles in single timeline works. Baudricourt exits Joan's story just as king is about to enter it. Unlike example i gave at the beginning. Both are also men in positions of power that Joan is instructed to meet by her Voices. Both are also only 2 individuals Joan tells about her Voices. If I have to speculate, Cinder's identity as a king serves as a hidden vulnerable side she hides from everyone. So whenever she is confronted, she puts on Baudricourt persona. Her mask falling down is end game development that will likely be Indecisive King related (once again I shamelessly plug in my other theory)

For why Cinder is king Charles VII, I'd once again suggest reading my Indecisive King theory. Tl;dr All elements in Charles' backstory have equivalent in Cinder's.

Emerald and Mercury are Jean de Metz and Bertrand de Poulengy

Emerald and Mercury are in Cinder's service, Metz and Poulengy in Baudricourt's

Both duos have reputation as troublemakers

Metz and Poulengy end up sympathetic towards Joan's cause, which matches Emerald so far (although I suspect we'll see Mercury's redemption soon as well)

Jean de Metz was theorized to be spy Boudricourt sent to gauge Joan's intention. Both of them served as Cinder's spies in Beacon

Here is disappointing part. Pretty much all other major characters don't seem to have a role in this timeline (or at least not role I've found). They mostly match as Joan's family members. Only character I think will play somewhat different role is Weiss, but that is again in territory of speculative canon.

Now to assemble second timeline.

VOLUME 1-3

Joan's childhood. Beacon is relatively carefree era for Jaune as well.

Fall of Beacon matches with first time Joan's village was sacked. In the aftermath of this event, she sees Archangel Michael for the first time. She begs him to take her with him, but he instead gives her her mission. Jaune's equivalent is Pyrrha's death and hopelessness her feels in aftermath of it. Motivated by it, he departs for Mistral, similar to how Joan is given a mission.

VOLUME 4-5

Joan travels to Vaucouleurs to find Robert de Baudricourt with the man she refers to as Uncle (although no biological connection). This matches to Jaune's trip to Mistral with Qrow to find Cinder.

She confronts Baudricourt in public place, asking him to take her to the king. Baudricourt treats her like a joke, telling the Uncle to take her away and give her beating at home. This is about as humiliating as Jaune's first encounter with Cinder is.

VOLUME 6

Joan returns home to her family. This matches reunion between the main characters in volume 6. It also matches Jaune visiting his sister.

VOLUME 7-8

Joan's village is sacked again. This time, people were prepared and most of damage was averted. Villagers take refuge in city of Neufchateau. This is similar to fall of Atlas at the end of volume 8. While it did get sacked none the less, people were evacuated at the time, so most of the lives were saved.

Joan goes to meet Baudricourt again, he once again dismisses her. This is equivalent to Jaune and Cinder's second encounter.

Upcoming Vacuo portion of the story will likely deal with Joan's 3rd meeting with Baudricourt and departure for Chinon.

This about wraps up both timelines. When it comes to Volume 9, I don't know how exactly how does it fit into either timeline despite prominently featuring Jaune. I have a speculation this ties in Joan's Voices, but that's a theory for another day. I'll likely eventually make full canon speculation timeline based on Joan of Arc influences.

What are your thoughts about it? Feel free to comment things I potentially missed or you disagree with.

#rwby theory #rwby jaune arc #jaune arc #cinder fall #rwby cinder fall #rwby ruby rose #ruby rose

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douglysium · 6 months

Text

Alter Ego of Truth and Lies: Hugues de Payens (Full Profile)

*Note that all information in this profile is subject to change at any time.

Class: Alter Ego

True Name: Hugues de Payens

Nickname: Alter Ego, Alter Ego of Truth and Lies, AERT, Hugues de Payens Prototype, Hughes de Payens, Grandmaster Hugues, The First Templar, The Most Righteous of Templars, “Big Sister/Brother,” “Mistaken Fool,” Hugues de Payns, Hugo de Paganis, Hues de Paiens delez Troies("Hugh of Payens near Troyes"), Ugo de' Pagani, Master of the Knights of the Temple

Characteristics

Species: Servant, Human

Gender: Male, Nonbinary, Female

Height: 1.72 Meters

Weight: 90kg with Armor

70kg without Armor

Blood Type: Unknown

Place of Origin: Payens, France

Birthday: 1070

Age: Unknown

Personal Information

Addresses self as: Watashi(わたし), Jibun(じぶん)

Likes: Truth, God, honesty, Knights Templar, the countryside, rustic villages, Saint Mary(the mother of Christ)

Dislikes: Lies, demons, dishonesty, rumors, hearsay, heresy, Knights Templar, secrets, undead

Talents: accounting, managing money and finances, rallying people to a cause

Natural Enemy: Hassan-i-Sabbah, Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyubn, Knights Hospitaller, and the Teutonic Knights

Image Color: Blood Red, White and Silver

Affiliations:

Knights Templar

Family Members

Thibaud(Son)

Many possible descendants

Servant Stats

Type: Heroic Spirit

Source: Legends of the Knights Templars, Historical fact, Rumors about the Knights Templars

Region: Payens, France

Alignment: Lawful Good

Hidden Attribute: Man

Armaments: Sword, mace, and shield

Known Summoning Catalysts: a sword once used by Hugues de Payens, a mace once used by Hugues de Payens, a coin from some of the money that Hugues de Payens managed, a piece of Hugues de Payen’s shield, and a fragment of Temple Midlothian.

Qualified Servant Classes

Within the prime Fate timelines AERT is an entity that split off from the original/true Hugues de Payens(Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile). They are born from a mixture of both truth and some of the rumors surrounding the Knights Templar during/after Jacques de Molay and the Templars he led were accused of and charged with practicing witchcraft and heresy. So great were these rumors that they spread like wildfire and came to affect not only Jacques de Molay but the very image of the Templars themselves. Some of these rumors are what led to the birth of this Hugues. Due to the fact that they are split off from the actual Hugues de Payens they are eligible for all the classes she is eligible for and some extra ones due to their altered mental state and some of the skills they have gained from myths and rumors. Interestingly, within the prototype timelines, this Alter Ego Hugues is the default/real one and is thus not eligible for the Alter Ego class in said timelines.

Alter Ego

This class is a natural fit for a being born from rumors that split off from the original Hugues de Payens. Their existence is a delicate one as they are constantly being pulled mentally in two separate directions. First, there is the side of Hugues and the Templars that was seen as noble, and heroic. Alongside that, there were even some myths that saw Hugues and their knights as holy or on the search for holy objects and relics. Some even believe that they found some of these objects. On the other hand, you have the corruption created by those who saw the very Templars and their entire order as corrupt and rotten with heresy and witchcraft. AERT is constantly being pulled towards either side. While they try to uphold and perform the values of their holy order the whispers of countless rumors and accusations constantly try to pull them towards being part of the corrupt order everyone “knows” they are. As if countless people want their suspicions and lies confirmed to be true. This has caused AERT to become more paranoid and to go even further to prove their devotion to God and his faith.

Saber

Many crusaders were well known for their zeal for God as well as the bravery and violence they would display in his name. As a Saber, this part is emphasized and Hugues is noticeably more aggressive and offensive in their close combat fighting style. This is reflected in how Hugues has the Valor skill in this form. This form of Hugues is affected by the more exaggerated and fantastical tales of the Templars than the Saber form of the other Shielder Hugues. In this form, AERT is also unaffected by the rumors that burden the Knights Templar. They also have a Noble Phantasm based on the flag of the Templars. There was a rule that stated no warriors of the Templars should ever surrender unless the Templar flag had fallen, and even then they were to try to regroup with another one of the Christian orders first, such as the Hospitallers. It was only after all the flags had fallen that they were allowed to leave the battlefield. As a Noble Phantasm, this flag makes Hugues and any Knights Templar within its range unable to die until the flag is either destroyed or falls, or until Hugues runs out of mana.

Rider

The crusades were massive war campaigns in the name of God and the holy land. This fact is epitomized when Hugues is summoned in this form. They specialize less in one on one combat and more on directing and summoning large armies.

Berserker

It is well known that the crusades were quite violent. Despite how many crusaders felt like they were fighting for a holy cause, it is unsurprising that during battle many of them would have been overtaken by anger or embraced rage. With some believing their anger to be the wrath of God or striving to be the embodiment of God's wrath on the battlefield. In this form Hugues has access to a version of the Noble Phantasm Deus Vult: The Rallying Dream of the Crusaders. But it acts slightly differently, as the Noble Phantasm will not end until all of their opponents have been killed and/or defeated or Hugues and their army dies.

Shielder

This Hugues’ shielder form is somewhat different from the female one. In this form AERT specializes in defensive formations meant to protect the holy land and its faithful pilgrims. Due to this AERT takes the form of a noble protector with abilities that allow them to protect holy sites, saints and people of the same faith. However, these same abilities damage and bring drawbacks upon those of different religions, demonic entities, or those who wield black/demonic magic.

Foreigner

In this form Hugues has succumbed to the corruption of rumors and has taken on a heretical form based on the lies told about the Knights Templar. Hugues has had their form twisted by this on top of becoming possessed by an outer god. In this form they wield powerful black magic and demonic magic. It is possible that Jacques de Molay(Foreigner) has something to do with this form’s existence. Meaning that there is a chance this form can only be summoned under specific circumstances or when Foreigner Jacques is present.

Ruler

In this form Hugues’ side that follows the way of god has won out, standing above all the rumors spread about their order. The legends of the Templar finding holy artifacts has also further amplified this form’s resistance to the corruption of rumors. They are saint-like and have no wish for the grail themselves(qualifying them for this class), only wishing to observe and protect the grail and fight in the name of God.

Avenger

In this form Hugues has succumbed to the corruption of rumors and has taken on a heretical form based on the lies told about the Knights Templar. Unlike their Foreigner form, however, they are not possessed by any outer god. So they seek vengeance on all those who falsely accused and besmirched the good name of the order of the Templars through any means necessary.

Other Versions- Shielder Hugues de Payens(Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile)

Parameters

Strength: A

Endurance: B+

Agility: D

Mana: B

Luck: C+-

NP: A+

Hugues’ luck stat is odd since it has both a + and a -. What this means is that AERT’s luck is unstable and has a chance of jumping up to an effectiveness greater than that of B rank or dropping in effectiveness to a point where it is less effective than a luck stat of D. They also appear to be slower than that of the real Hugues. Their Endurance has also slightly dropped due to not being in a more defensive shielder form.

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: B++

At B rank, it is a skill that cancels spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by greater magecraft and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for the user to be affected.

In the case of AERT the skill increases in effectiveness when resisting holy and/or demonic magic and magecraft.

Riding: C

At C rank, it is a skill that allows one to flawlessly manage beasts and vehicles if they have received the proper training and adjustments. Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above average skill. However, the user cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts.

In life Hugues could ride horses quite well which has translated to having this skill.

Madness Enhancement: E-

At E rank the user does not receive the benefits of Mad Enhancement nor do they lose any of their reasoning abilities, and overall they just become a little rougher.

This would be a much higher rank if AERT was summoned as a Berserker. At this rank it does also make Hugues slightly more focused on proving faith through combat and numbs their ability to feel pain to a degree.

Personal Skills

Defense of the Faithful: C

A skill that acts as a variation of the Self-Field Defense Class Skill of the Shielder Class. Like Self-Field Defense, it protects allies and allied territory, with the skill’s range increasing the higher the rank, but unlike Self-Field Defense it only works on those who the owner deems to be faithful or shares the same religious beliefs as them.

Given that Hugues de Payens was the first Grandmaster, their desire to protect their Order´s true purpose and those who devote their life for said Order manifested as a Defensive Barrier made to protect soldiers and pilgrims alike who are faithful and wish to journey to the Holy Land.

Charisma of the First Grandmaster: B+

A skill born out of the fact that Hugues de Payens was the first Grandmaster of the Templar Order, not only were they Cofounder of the Order alongside their friend Bernard of Clairvaux, but they were considered the most capable person of leading it, being capable of proving their prowess both as a spiritual and military Leader during the 20 years they served as the Order´s Leader. They are capable of inspiring almost anyone who has joined their order to follow them. It appears that in the case of AERT the skill’s effectiveness has dropped one rank. This is due to the influence of rumors making people less trusting of the Knights Templar order in general.

Vow to Renounce Temptation: C+-

A Skill born out the vow Hugues and the other original Templars took once the Order was first created, it's a decree that states that they will renounce the world and all of its temptation, material wealth, etc. in order to attain purity in the name of God, it's a skill that shows their devotion for their cause as a Templar, being ready to renounce anything in the name of the Lord almighty. For AERT it has been lowered a rank due to their Innocent Monster skill. Making it less effective as well as less stable and more prone to fluctuations in its effectiveness.

Latin Rule: A++

A special Skill that in truth is one of the Noble Phantasms Hugues de Payens has in possession, it's described as a code of honor that all Templars had to uphold which was written by both Bernard de Clairvaux and Hugues de Payens. It describes how the Knights should behave at all times both in and out of battle, stipulating the needed punishments to be taken if it wasn't fulfilled. Innocent Monster has caused this skill to drop one tank.

Golden Rule: C

A Skill that refers to the measurement of one's fortune to acquire wealth. With this skill money will seem to find its way towards a servant.

The Templars are notable for being prominent in the field of finance and Hugues helped establish the order as a financial institution. Like their institute, Hughes is proficient at handling money which has manifested as this skill. While this skill does not guarantee they will be rich it does prevent them from accidentally becoming broke or falling into debt.

Innocent Monster: C+-

An attribute possessed by Servants whose true history and existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations and gossips they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter, without concern for the actual person's will or appearance. As a consequence, the Servant's abilities and appearance have been rendered to conform to the specifications of their legend. Incidentally, this Personal Skill cannot be removed. Hugues is constantly fighting off the mental effects of this skill with faith so it often drops in effectiveness. This skill has a chance of rising in potency if AERT is hit with a demonic or black magic attack and will decrease in potency if hit with a holy or divine attack.

This skill can potentially affect many of the Servants in the Knights Templar due to the rumors of heresy, demonic magic, and black magic surrounding Jacques de Molay and the Templars. Hugues considers it their burden and believes that it will be dispelled once they dispel all the rumors and lies told of their order. To them it is a reminder of the shortcomings of the order and proof that either their faith wasn’t strong enough or that they didn’t perform God's will enough. It appears that the effectiveness of this skill is also tied to Hugues’ master. If said master is one of faith or believes Hugues to be one then the skill is less effective. But if they practice heretical teachings or believe the rumors about the Templars then the effectiveness of the skill will be raised.

Noble Phantasms

Liber de Laude: Praise to the Righteous Templar- Rank A(Anti-Unit (Self)), Maximum Number of targets 1~20,000

Liber de Laude, also known Liber ad milites templi de laude novae militiae which roughly translates to “Book to the Knights of the Temple, in praise of the new knighthood” is a book attested to Hugues de Payens, written by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux which served to boost the morale of all of the Templar Knights due to its tone and timing. The book was something Hugues de Payens desired to write in order to maintain the hope, faith, and morale of their Templars, but due to unknown circumstances was unable to write it themselves, thus they asked for help from their friend Bernand to write it for them, even going as far as to have asked him 3 times to write such texts for their knights. Bernard mentions in the text that it was all the idea of Hugues themself, as the text both talked about how much knighthood had fallen since the Age of Knights and how the Templars, unlike other contemporary knights, remained just and righteous, with them being the last defenders of the God almighty´s teachings, equating their crusade as a righteous journey that they must go through to achieve salvation. Despite the worries the Templars of said time had on whether their cause remained just or not, Hugues and Bernand ensured to write something to keep their morale up in order to reach their ideal of salvation.

This Noble Phantasm works by essentially rallying up the forces under Hugues’ command, essentially boosting their morale to continue fighting no matter how dire or difficult the situation may be, convincing them that their fight is a righteous one worth fighting for. Once the Noble Phantasm is activated, it would be as if Hugues read the actual book in its entirety, pointing at the flaws their current enemies possess while highlighting and glorifying all the virtues their allies possess in order to boost them for battle, giving them the belief needed to surpass any enemy as they continue their righteous crusade. Liber de Laude is capable of boosting thousands of Allies at a time, being capable of letting them face enemies that are stronger than them, and even in theory being able to make simple soldiers into fighters strong enough to contend with E Rank Servants, showing the great power and motivation the text truly possesses. But it's far from an all powerful boost as despite being capable of giving a great boost to its allies, they need to truly believe that they are capable of that for the effects of Liber de Laude to take effect, meaning that an ally with great enough Mental Pollution or an enemy with great Resistance to Mental Attacks may not be affected as easily, and also… Just like their Order, it's not a permanent boost and eventually it will fade away.

“Knights are impure savages, driven only by lust and greed

Their path of Knighthood has been tainted, lost by the Evil of Men

But thy path is still Bright oh Brethren in arms, your righteousness can still be shown

Your fearless sacrifice in the name of the Lord won't be in vain, your Holy belief shall carry you onward. So raise up your arms for Battle! Dictate your wish to fight for what is right! Fight for proof of what you truly are! FACE ALL WHO TAINT YOUR HOLY CRUSADE, REACH UNTO THE GATES OF HEAVEN! LIBER DE LAUDE!”

“HEAR THY VOICE FELLOW TEMPLARS AND PREPARE FOR BATTLE!

IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO PROVE YOUR WORTH AS A KNIGHT!

SHOW YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS AGAINST THOSE WHO TAINT KNIGHTHOOD!

KEEP YOUR HEAD UPTIGHT AS YOUR CHARGE TOWARDS THE GATES OF HEAVEN

YOU ARE THE GUARDIANS OF THE LORD'S TEACHINGS, FIGHT TO PROVE OUR CAUSE!

LIBER DE LAUDE!”

“BURN ALL THOSE WHO DARE CALL US HERETIC!!! LET THEM HEAR OUT TENETS OF FAITH AND KNIGHTHOOD!!! LIBER DE LAUDE!!!”

Deus Vult: The Rallying Dream of the Crusaders- Rank A+(Anti-Army), Maximum Number of targets 1~1,000

This is the legendary chant used to signify the beginning of the crusade, once chanted by Pope Urban in order to trick those poor souls that would die for his ambitions now became a chant of honor and unity between all knights that made up the Templar, a single phrase “God

wills it” which became a symbol for this Holy Crusade… It’s the chant that

united so many people under one single goal. The Holy Crusades weren’t a single event that happened just once, it was a massive moment in Christian history as it saw the rise of various warriors of faith who gave their life to reclaim the Holy Land of Jerusalem as that was the promised land told by the Lord, in fact it wasn’t merely a single Crusade but various which were fought across years by different religious leaders with different amounts of success, an event that shook the Christian world by its sheer magnitude.

All of those who have led a crusade have access to this Noble Phantasm in one form or another. Despite theoretically having the same potential under all of its users, its effectiveness varies depending on how beloved they were as leaders or what crusade they led. So in truth, no two crusader kings would have the same usage of this Noble Phantasm.

Despite not being the leader of any particular crusade, Hugues de Payens is capable of calling forth for the aid of any Templar known throughout history, being able to summon any and all Templars known throughout history to aid them in battle… Summoning any future grandmaster of their order and every nameless soul who truly believed in the ideal that the Templars upheld… and in theory… they could even summon their old friend Bernard through this Noble Phantasm.

Once activated, Hugues will be able to manifest the world where their crusade took place, being able to summon all the different crusaders that fought at her side as Phantoms of humans who lost their name in history, while they lack any sort of skill and class the sheer

numbers that they possess makes them capable of overwhelming even the strongest of servants for a limited amount of time.

Of course, the crusaders summoned are just as strong as humans, so they aren’t hard to get rid of, but their conviction makes them continue fighting even at the brink of death, in some special cases it’s possible for a few to manifest as actual historical figures that have fought in the crusades, but they lack access to their skills and Noble Phantasms. But as expected, such a Noble Phantasm requires a great amount of mana to be used, and in most cases can only be used once per battle before Hugues is forced to squeeze their master out of all the magical energy they possess… Also, this Noble Phantasm, while strong against individual servants, is far from perfect as techniques which have massive areas of destruction, such as many anti-fortress and some anti-army Noble Phantasms, would be capable of wiping out the entire Crusade in mere seconds.

AERT’s version of this Noble Phantasm varies slightly from that of the actual Hugues as they are capable of summoning even fictional Templars as long as enough people believed them to have existed at some point. Furthermore, it gains an increase in effectiveness when it is used to attack someone/something with demonic magic/objects and those wielding holy objects. While the crusade stomps out anything it sees as heretical it is also enhanced by the legends of the Templars searching for and obtaining holy artifacts. If the Noble Phantasm is targeting someone with a demonic object the onslaught of the army will refuse to stop until every soldier has died or the demonic object has been destroyed. If Deus Vult is used to kill someone with a holy object or relic the Noble Phantasm will basically “steal” it. Allowing Hugues to use it as a Noble Phantasm of their own. If this holy object happens to be the Noble Phantasm of another servant it will transfer to AERT with no degradation in rank, effectiveness, or quality.

“IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO RAISE UP YOUR ARMS ONCE MORE!

WE FIGHT FOR GOD'S GLORY, WE FIGHT FOR SALVATION AND THE LIGHT OF TOMORROW! WE SHALL GRACE THE HEAVEN AND REACH OUR RIGHTEOUS PLACE

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, TO HONOR KING SOLOMON, HEAR THY CALL OH HOLY TEMPLARS DEUS VULT!”

“Our crusade JUST, our faith PURE, or wrath HOLY. Now show all those non-believers just what I am referring to! DEUS VULT!!!”

“IF GOD WILLS IT THEN WHO AM I TO DENY IT!? DEUS VULT!!!”

“This will be a crusade to cleanse the land… DEUS VULT!!!”

Ignea Veritas et Fides: Burn Away the Heretic, the Liar, and the Non-Believer- Rank C(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of targets 1~10

A manifestation of the more fanatical side of the crusades and the Templars to punish the non-believers and the heretics,

It takes the form of a cleansing flame that coats anything Hugues is holding that they recognize as a weapon. These flames will burn all those who do not believe in the Christian faith or those who practice heretical teachings, such as witchcraft or demonic magic. It is harmless to the likes of true saints or the faithful though. If the fire burns someone who is not on the level of a servant they will be burnt to ash in mere moments. Entities such as servants who are burnt by the flame will feel it and continue to do so until they become a believer of the Christian faith and renounce their heretical ways or until Hugues dies. This also applies to non-servants if they manage to survive through some outside aid or miracle.

This Noble Phantasm also works the same way against existences that are considered “unholy” such as zombies, vampires, and Dead Apostles.

Unfortunately, the partially corrupted state Hugues de Payens takes in their Alter Ego form means that they feel a burning sensation in the parts of their body that have been too corrupted as long as they are using this Noble Phantasm. AERT sees this pain as a test of faith though.

The Noble Phantasm also burns those who are actively lying. This also means Hugues themselves cannot tell a lie while using this ability lest they burst into flames. This Noble Phantasm burns a hotter blue if used within a church or anywhere sufficiently holy.

“As God wills, I will make sure you burn for your deeds! IGNEA VERITA ET FIDES!!!”

“Sinners like you must be punished. IGNEA VERITA ET FIDES!!!”

Secans Mendacium: The Blade of Burning Falsehood- Rank B-(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of targets 1~10

All the rumors and assumptions people had towards the Knights Templar have coalesced into the physical form of a large strange living cursed sword composed of Phantoms, Wraiths, and rumors. Whenever Hugues wields this sword their Innocent Monster increases by one rank and their Vow to Renounce Temptation decreases by one rank. When used it also pushes them closer to a Templar that all the rumors and lies said the order was. The sword also seems to physically corrupt Hugues every time they unleash its True Name.

The sword constantly whispers to Hugues, beckoning them to worship demons and unleash its True Name. The sword also whispers to those near Hugues and attempts to corrupt those that touch it. So Hugues must remain vigilant and faithful. When the true name is unleashed the sword is bathed in a demonic hellflame that whispers lies and rumors as it burns. This flame is then unleashed in the form of a fiery slash at its target. Those who are hit by the flame will be inflicted with visions and whispers of all those who hate them and all the negative things that the world believes about them. If a servant doesn’t have a strong enough protection to mental attacks they can end up turning into an alter form of themselves if they fail a luck check.

Every time Hugues unleashes this sword’s true name the grip of rumors upon their form becomes stronger and stronger. If AERT uses this Noble Phantasm’s true name more than 6 times then they will be transformed into an alter and lose the “grace of god.” Becoming the heretical knight of witchcraft and demonic magics that many believed the Templars were.

Hugues’ left arm appears to be physically corrupted and weirdly thin and purple. When Hugues wields their Secans Mendacium Noble Phantasm that arm becomes unnaturally muscular. The corruption can be seen trying to spread throughout their body in a vein or root-like fashion. It appears to grow in strength and size whenever Hugues uses Secans Mendacium.

“Please God, have mercy on my soul. SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

“I am sorry God. I can only ask for your forgiveness. SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

“If that is what you think the Templars are then FINE. SO BE IT!!! SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

“I’m sorry my lord God, but I need to win this fight. SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

Miscellaneous Skills, Abilities, and Equipment

They are trained in the ways of the Church and are extremely proficient with using things like black keys and scriptures in combat. This gives them an edge when fighting the undead and/or unholy as well as other spirits.

They wield a sword that is smaller than their Noble Phantasm. They often use this as their main weapon instead of their Noble Phantasm due to said Noble Phantasm’s corruptive influence. They also wield a special flail for longer ranged combat. It can also physically hit and bind spirits.

The flail is a relic that has been blessed and is extremely effective against demonic and undead entities, such as Dead Apostles and vampires.

They also wield a large shield. There’s nothing particularly special about it except for the fact that it is blessed with special wards and tougher than any normal shield.

They always seem to smell of burning incense.

They seem to have some sort of odd connection with the proper Hugues and can sometimes recall events she experienced of people she has met.

Background

AERT’s true identity is that of Hugues de Payens, the co-founder and first Grand Master of the Order of the Templar Knights, the most famous order of Knights during the Holy Crusades. However, while this form of Hugues is real in the prototype universe in the normal timeline they are not the real Hugues(Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile). Instead they are an entity that split off from her in the form of an Alter Ego born from a mix of fact and the rumors/hearsay regarding the Knights of Templar. While some were good, many of the rumors that Hugues was born from regard how the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, apparently practiced witchcraft, black magic, and heresy. While this would normally only affect Jacques the rumors involved the very Templars themselves, causing its corruption to seep into many different forms of members of the Knights Templars.

AERT shares almost all of the same background as the figure they sprung from. Not much is known about Hugues de Payens' life as there isn't any account that serves as a Bibliography of their life. Most of their early years were surrounded in mystery, with historians barely getting somewhat of a time period where they were born given that in the year 1085–1090 Hugues was a witness to a donation by Count Hugh of Champagne in a document, at that point they must have been at least 16 years of age which at that time meant they was a legal adult in order to be a witness of such a document, meaning that they would have been born no later than the Year 1070. While there weren't many documents directly mentioning Hugues, the most famous attestment to their name came from the fact that they were the co-founder and subsequent first Grand Master of the Templar Order of Knights. It was said that Hugues de Payens went on a pilgrimage to the Land of Jerusalem alongside Hugh, Count of Champagne around the year 1104-1107 but while the count had then returned to France Hugues had stayed in the Holy Land as there were future documents that refer to them with the title of "Master of the Knights of the Temple", but the Templars themselves are said to have originated much earlier than that. The chronicler Simon de St. Bertin wrote that Hugues de Payens approached King Baldwin II of Jerusalem (whose reign began in 1118) alongside Bernard of Clairvaux and eight other knights, two of whom were brothers and all of whom were his relatives by either blood or marriage, in order to form the Order of the Knights Templar. The other knights were Godfrey de Saint-Omer, Payen de Montdidier, Archambaud de St. Amand, André de Montbard, Geoffrey Bison, and two men recorded only by the names of Rossal and Gondamer. Baldwin approved the foundation of the Order and entrusted the Temple of Jerusalem to its care. Count Hugh of Champagne himself joined the Knights Templar on his third visit to the Holy Land in 1125. As Grand Master, Hugues de Payens led the Order for almost twenty years until their death, helping to establish the Order's foundations as an important and influential military and financial institution. On his visit to England and Scotland in 1128, he raised men and money for the Order, and also founded their first House in London and another near Edinburgh at Balantrodoch, now known as Temple Midlothian. He also helped develop the famed Latin Rule which served as the first set of rules of conduct for the Order.

At some point Hugues encountered and fought one, and possibly more, of the Hassan-i-Sabbah during one of the crusades they took part in. They have only ever managed to get the Hassan to retreat and wounded one by cutting off one of their limbs. However, they have yet to kill a Hassan.

Some legends surrounding the Templars perpetuate the idea of the order having a mysterious nature. Claiming that the Knights Templar excavated a sacred treasure from the ruins of Solomon’s Temple. Which according to the rumors prompted them to go to Rome in 1127. However, there is little evidence backing up these claims.

Eventually, on an unknown date Hugues had died… the details regarding their death are scarce and no source seems to agree on the reason why they ended up perishing, and it seemed that with their death, the Templar Order began deteriorating more and more as it slowly began devolving from an Order created to uphold the ideal of holiness and righteousness set by God, to an organization built upon money and power… a true bastardization of what the Templars were created upon.

Appearance

Torn between traits of fact and fiction as well as holiness and corruption, AERT has the traits of both a man and a woman. They have both a beard and breasts. This occurrence can be likened to how Jacques de Molay is a man in his saber form and woman in her foreigner form. However, Hugues appears to be caught somewhere in between, most likely due to their existence sitting somewhere in between fact and fiction. While they share some traits with proper Hugues in physical appearance, such as height, they diverge in many ways that one might find unusual for an Alter-Ego. They have tan skin and black wavy hair and some of their hair seems to look orange like fire. Their nose appears to be permanently broken or bent out of shape from an injury they most likely sustained in life during one of their many battles.

They wear an outfit that one would expect of a Knights Templar crusader. Which is knight armor with a white surcoat with a red cross along with a white mantle that also had a red cross. The red cross was a very important symbol for the Templars and it also appeared on the robes of knights. Hugues will refuse to eat or drink unless they are wearing it. The red cross was also a symbol of martyrdom and to die in combat was considered a great honor and something that guarantees one will go to heaven. There was a rule that warriors of the Order should never surrender unless the Templar flag had fallen, and even then they should try to regroup with another one of the Christian orders, such as the Hospitallers, first if possible. Only after all ally flags had fallen were they allowed to leave the battlefield. Something that, along with their training, courage, and heavy armaments, made them one of the most feared combat forces in medieval times. AERT’s surcoat is also stained with blood and their sword, not the noble phantasm, has red rust on its blade. When this rust is wiped off or when the rust becomes wet the blade smells like blood.

Hugues’ armor is white with red highlights on it to represent blood and combat and, interestingly, parts of their white surcoat and mantle appear to be singed and a small flame forms upon its singed areas when Hugues becomes excited or begins to use one of their Noble Phantasms. Hugues’ eyes glow orange like small flames while they are wearing the helmet. The feet and gauntlets of their armor glow orange hot when they are angry. Their helmet’s left side is rusted and AERT wears a strange shoulder pauldron that is aflame when they are in combat or about to enter a battle. Apparently, this fire comes from Hugues burning incense while in combat.

Personality

While AERT does share many of the traits of proper Hugues, they’re much colder, paranoid, controlling, and untrusting than proper Hugues. They are still smart but not a genius, reliable but not all-knowing, and have given up any unnecessary material positions. They wish to uphold the legacy of their order. Some describe them as being like Shielder Hugues but without any of the warmth of an older sister figure.

This behavior stems from the downfall of the Knights Templar and the rumors spread about the order. AERT fears people spreading lies or misinformation and will punish anyone who does so. They wish to redeem the Templars and clear their name. They have very little tolerance for heresy and the practice of any sort of forbidden magic and are often quick to stomp it out. They tend to act cold and quiet towards those who are not Christians but are more open to those who are. Despite this they have taken a vow to never lie and can be brutally honest in their opinions and feelings towards others. They do this to remain transparent and help clear the name of the Templars. They can be quite an unruly and hard to control servant if one is not a believer in the faith they share. Still, they can be described as a bit of an idealist since they believe anyone can be saved if they have faith and, like proper Hugues, pushes themselves and others close to them to their limits to prove the might and worthiness of the Templar Knights, wanting to convince themselves that there is still hope for their fallen order. It also appears that they believe the Templars are not just a thing of the past and if it wasn’t for misinformation they may still persist to this day. Those who join the order are expected to give everything for it.

They have a disdain towards the undead, such as Dead Apostles and vampires, and will usually attempt to kill them on sight.

Hugues does not shy away from combat and actually hopes that if they die they will do so in combat because doing so would apparently guarantee them a place in heaven. They believe that their status as a servant is proof that while they did not go to hell God still demands more of them and that they have been returned to the land of the living to enact his will.

They are very stubborn due to their faith. They also do not care what pronouns they are referred to so long as they can perform the will of god.

Wish for the Grail

“My wish is to clear the name of my order. Not in the eyes of God for he knows their faith to be true. I wish to dismiss the lies of the fallible mortals who declared my order to be heretics and accused them of the very blasphemy we fought against. If I cannot obtain that wish then I will settle for burning all those who sullied our name. If I cannot find justice still then I will wish to reconquer the Holy Land of Jerusalem in the name of God so that all may see the faith and resolve of the Templars.”

Interactions

Hugues de Payens(Shielder)- “The real Hugues huh? Well, your faith is as expected, strong as steel. But sometimes it looks like you are getting soft. How can you expect to save the Order without stomping out lies wherever they begin to grow?”

Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile

Shielder Hugues is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux- “My righteous friend. With your faith and holiness, together we can save the Templars and clear the Order’s name for good.”

Saint Bernard is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

[LB] Pope Urban II- “People like you are the real heretics. One day I will make sure you burn.”

Caster [LB] Pope Urban II Profile

Pope Urban II is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

The Crusader- “Strange… I remember that I don’t remember you. But I also remember that your faith is true friend.”

The Crusader is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Richard the Lionheart- “Your faith and strength are like a beacon of hope, and you wield the divine Excalibur with such skill. It is an honor to stand in the presence of a man like you.”

Jacques de Molay(Saber)- “You may have been too soft Jacques but you didn’t deserve your fate. I shall make sure every single person who condemned you to death and sullied the names of the Order shall feel the same burning pain you did.”

Jacques de Molay(Foreigner)- “…Disgusting. My cursed sword and arm writhe in response to your presence. Mark my words, the first chance I get I will burn you and every lie that led to your creation to cinders. I will remove taint like you from this earth and not even ash will remain.”

Ultra Adhemar Le Puy[If Deus Vult, Land of Hope and Deceit is completed]- “I know what you did in Jerusalem King Adhemar. If you really wish to repent and become that beacon of salvation then join me in holy battle in the name of God.”

Ruler of Surreal Awakening/Ultra Adhemar Profile

Ultra Adhemar is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Claude des Armoises- “Lying to take the name of a holy saint? I’m not sure that can be overlooked in the eyes of God. If you cannot become a saint in your own right then you are but a liar at best and a heretic at worst”

Jeanne d’Arc(Ruler)- “Seldom have I seen the faith and holiness of such a saint. With your help and God’s grace, we cannot lose.”

Jeanne d’Arc(Alter)- “You spit on what the holy maiden stood for. Leave before I bring the righteous fury of God down upon thee.”

Pope Joannes [If Deus Vult, Land of Hope and Deceit is completed]- “I remember that you are a believer. That’s all I need to know. Simply say the word and I shall destroy God’s enemies for you and retake the holy land.”

Roland- “…Knights like you are why Bernard and I made the Liber de Laude in the first place. I will give you a copy, READ IT!!!”

Mash- “The knight who possesses you is righteous and faithful. If you're anything like him then your shield will not waver and we cannot fail.”

Queen of Sheba- “I humbly ask if you may shed some of the wisdom of Solomon upon me. Even a crumb of the king’s wisdom would be worth an entire army.”

King Hassan- “No, it is you who should bare thy neck! I would rather lose my own head before I even think about renouncing my faith.”

Hassan-i-Sabbah- “Your tactics are most dishonorable, and for what? A false god? There is only one true God and I serve him.”

Godfrey of Bouillon(Saber) [If Deus Vult, Land of Hope and Deceit is completed]- “Let us fight for our one true eternal and everlasting king, the Messiah, God himself. It is with his blessing that we will retake the Holy Land someday.” “You should never feel shame for fighting in the name of God almighty.”

Saber Godfrey of Bouillon Profile

Saber Godfrey of Bouillon is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Peter Bartholomew(Faker)- “Ah… The spear, it’s just a fake. I see now…” “You spear may be fake but your faith is true. COME let us march to battle in the name of God.”

Faker Peter Bartholomew Profile

Faker Peter Bartholomew is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Dialogue Examples

“HERESY!!! This will not stand!”

“No, no, NO. LIES, BLASPHEMOUS LIES. They aren’t true about the Templars now and they weren’t never true then.”

“Greetings master… Tell me, are you one of faith or one of heresy?”

“The path of righteousness is an arduous one, but one we shall take nevertheless!”

“Let's not waste a second to slack! Idle hands are the devil's workshop!”

“FOR THE GLORY OF OUR LORD! BROTHERS AND SISTERS, RAISE UP YOUR ARMS AND CHARGE TO VICTORY!”

“Our holy battle is for salvation and righteousness! We will never lose!”

“Oh Divine Lord who watches over us… I beg of thee, Grant us the path to victory!”

“Heavens bless our battle!”

“For the glory of our Order!”

“It is the will of God!”

“HEAR MY WORDS AND CHARGE INTO OUR GLORIOUS VICTORY!”

“As long as our flags stand God smiles upon us and hope is not lost!”

“May God have mercy on your souls.”

“Believers I can forgive for they are devoted and righteous, some non-believers I can tolerate for they are merely ignorant of the truth, but heretics and liars are something that I can never EVER allow to pass. They spit upon the good name of the Lord God. They must repent and if they cannot do so then they must die.”

Death Line(s)

“May God have mercy on me...”

“I am sorry God, I have failed you...”

“Has God found me unworthy…?”

“Has God turned his back on us…?”

Fun Facts

If they were in FGO they would be a 5-star.

If they were a Pokemon they would be a steel and fire type.

Their Magic the Gathering alignment would be Red-White and sometimes Red-White-Black when their corruption grows too strong.

If they were in the Epithet Erased universe their Epithet would be Crusade.

If they were in the Hunter X Hunter universe their Nen type would be Enhancement.

Their overall servant rank is around B+.

Their alter is similar to Jacques de Molay(Foreigner) in existence and function.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugues_de_Payens

https://web.archive.org/web/20170529095728/http://www.templiers.org/huguespayns-eng.php

https://www.geni.com/people/Sir-Hugh-de-Payns/6000000019302872420

http://www.timeref.com/library/medieval_knights_templar_timeline.htm

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Templars#ref883524

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar

https://archive.org/details/crusadesstoryla01kinggoog/page/262/mode/2up?view=theater

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AkZKJOm-meehGOu7rP_6WINd1oojr06ZDhkGPpTUmGg/edit

https://www.outfit4events.com/eur/articles/interesting-facts-of-the-past/templars/#:~:text=They%20were%20equipped%20with%20a,black%20and%20white%20Templar%20Shield.

Gallery

#fate #fanservant #oc #fgo #typemoon

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