...our technical advisor, Leonardo da Vinci,[wt 0.5][charaFace K 3][charaFadein K 0.4 -350,0] and[sr]Tristan, a Servant who was summoned out of nowhere...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...all set foot on Britain together.
[k]
[messageOff]
[wipeout leftToRight 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[scene 122500]
[charaFadeout I 0.1]
[charaFadeout L 0.1]
[charaFadeout K 0.1]
[wt 0.4]
[charaFace D 15]
[wipein rightToLeft 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
＠Goredolf
However, upon entering the fae domain[sr]known as the Nameless Woods...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...they forgot their own names and[sr]memories, and ended up separated.
[k]
[messageOff]
[wipeout leftToRight 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[scene 117200]
[wt 0.4]
[charaFace D 1]
[wipein rightToLeft 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
＠Goredolf
[%1] awoke in the village of Cornwall...
[k]
[charaDepth J 2]
[charaDepth K 1]
[charaFace J 6]
[charaFadein J 0.4 150,0]
＠Goredolf
...where [&he:she] made contact with a local faerie, Altria[sr]Caster, who would come to aid Chaldea in our mission.
[k]
[charaFace K 0]
[charaFadein K 0.4 -350,0]
＠Goredolf
Thanks to her and Tristan,[sr][%1] escaped from the Nameless Woods...
[k]
[messageOff]
[wipeout leftToRight 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[scene 117400]
[charaFadeout J 0.1]
[charaFadeout K 0.1]
[wt 0.4]
[charaFace D 10]
[wipein rightToLeft 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[charaFace M 1]
[charaFadein M 0.4 0,0]
＠Goredolf
...where [&he:she] then met another collaborator[sr]by the name of Oberon the Faerie King...
This Lostbelt's king is Morgan, a faerie who has been ruling for the past two thousand years.
[k]
[charaFadeout P 0.4]
＠Goredolf
The faeries who populate it are divided into six clans, and they also control the human population.
[k]
[charaFace D 5]
[charaFace Q 0]
[charaFadein Q 0.4 -100,0]
＠Goredolf
There are creatures known as mors who are the faeries' natural predators. There are also Tam Lin, faerie knights who posses the names of Heroic Spirits from Proper Human History.
[k]
[charaFadeout Q 0.4]
＠Goredolf
There are calamities that occur every hundred years, and great calamities that occur every thousand.
[k]
[charaFace D 1]
＠Goredolf
And...there is a figure called the Child of Prophecy who is said to be the one who will defeat Morgan.
[k]
＠Goredolf
After undertaking a pilgrimage to ring six bells kept by each heads of the six clans...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...she will then go on to defeat Morgan, and become the true king of Britain.
[k]
[charaFace D 11]
＠Goredolf
Naturally, as you can imagine, [%1] would[sr]never let her do something like that on her own...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...so [&he:she] proposed a partnership with Altria[sr]Caster without even waiting for my orders.
[k]
＠Goredolf
So now, we are obliged to lend the Child of Prophecy our full support in order to defeat our common enemy, Morgan.
In the time since our last report, [%1]'s team met with Aurora, the head of the Wind clan...[wt 1.2][charaFace J 0][charaFadein J 0.4 -300,0] Had a run-in with Tam Lin Gawain at a ranch for keeping humans...
...fought Tam Lin Tristan at an auction house,[wt 1.2][charaFace J 0][charaFadein J 0.4 200,0][sr]where they also rescued Senji Muramasa, a Servant Disciple of the Foreign God...
[k]
[charaFadeout I 0.4]
[charaFadeout J 0.4]
[charaFace K 1]
[charaFadein K 0.4 200,0]
＠Goredolf
...met with Murian, the head of the Wing clan...[wt 1.2][charaFace L 0][charaFadein L 0.4 -200,0]encountered Koyanskaya in yet another new outfit...
[k]
[messageOff]
[wipeout leftToRight 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[charaFadeout K 0.1]
[charaFadeout L 0.1]
[charaSet I 3039000 1 Gareth]
[charaSet J 4031000 1 "Redra Bit"]
[scene 118600]
[charaDepth I 2]
[charaDepth J 1]
[charaTalk D]
[wt 0.5]
[wipein rightToLeft 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[charaFace I 18]
[charaFadein I 0.4 200,0]
＠Goredolf
...and had another local faerie by the name of Gareth[wt 1.2][charaFace J 1][charaFadein J 0.4 -300,0][sr]and a mysterious fae horse called Redra Bit join their team.
[k]
[charaFadeout I 0.4]
[charaFadeout J 0.4]
＠Goredolf
After a series of adventures, including a battle against the Dracae in the River of Tears...
[k]
[messageOff]
[wipeout leftToRight 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
[charaSet I 1098231510 1 Mash]
[charaSet J 1098210900 1 Pepe]
[charaTalk D]
[scene 119702]
[wt 0.5]
[charaFace D 0]
[wipein rightToLeft 0.7 1]
[wait wipe]
＠Goredolf
...[%1]'s team finally arrived[sr]in the city of Norwich.
[k]
[charaFace I 7]
[charaFadein I 0.4 -100,0]
＠Goredolf
There, who should they encounter but Mash Kyrielight, whom the local faeries believed to be the Child of Prophecy!
[k]
[charaFace D 18]
＠Goredolf
Nnn, no matter how many times I reread this part,[sr]it still doesn't make sense to me!
[k]
＠Goredolf
How did Kyrielight come to be known[sr]as the Child of Prophecy?
[k]
＠Goredolf
And what in the world is a “Habbycat”? Grr, if only this report could respond to questions!
[k]
[charaFadeout I 0.4]
[charaFace D 10]
＠Goredolf
But, since it can't, we'll just have to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps.
[k]
＠Goredolf
I'm guessing Kyrielight had her own share of troubles after escaping the Nameless Woods.
[k]
＠Goredolf
At one point, she probably ended up saving some people[line 2]er, faeries?[line 2]up in the northern part of Britain...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...which probably led them to regard her as a hero.
After numerous mishaps,[sr]the calamity of Norwich finally appeared.
[k]
[messageOff]
[scene 119600 1.0]
[wt 1.0]
[charaFace D 1]
＠Goredolf
Fortunately, with Chaldea's help, the Child of Prophecy was able to defeat this calamity.
[k]
[charaFace D 4]
＠Goredolf
However...
[k]
[charaFace D 18]
＠Goredolf
Shortly after Mash Kyrielight had finally been reunited with [%1]...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...she was whisked away to parts unknown by a[sr]mysterious phenomenon, separating her from[sr][%1] once again...
[k]
[charaFace D 5]
＠Goredolf
But, there is no time to grieve this[sr]unfortunate turn of events.
[k]
＠Goredolf
I'm certain [%1] would agree.
[k]
＠Goredolf
For you see, in a surprising turn of events...
[k]
＠Goredolf
[&He:She] and Altria were invited to Camelot[line 2]home[sr]of King Arthur in Proper Human History, and location[sr]of the evil castle in Faerie Britain[line 2]by High[sr]Queen Morgan herself.
[k]
＠Goredolf
The very Morgan who possesses Rhongomyniad, a powerful spell that could be used to fight the Foreign God, and one of our main objectives in coming to this Lostbelt in the first place.
[k]
＠Goredolf
Now, [%1], Da Vinci, Altria, Gareth,[sr]Muramasa, and...(sigh) Habbycat...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...have accepted Morgan's invitation, and are setting out for Camelot first thing tomorrow!
[k]
[messageOff]
[bgmStop BGM_MAP_73 1.0]
[wipeout circleIn 1.0 1]
[wait wipe]
[charaScale D 1.0]
[scene 86202]
[charaTalk depthOn]
[charaPut N 2000,2000]
[charaEffectStop N bit_sepia01_depth_fs]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 0]
[charaPut D 1]
[wt 0.7]
[wipein circleIn 1.0 1]
[wait wipe]
＠Goredolf
And that's all she wrote. Now, do you all feel sufficiently caught up?
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[cueSe SE_21 21_ad1139]
[seVolume 21_ad1139 0 0.6]
[charaTalk off]
[charaFace A 1]
[charaFace F 3]
[charaFace G 1]
[charaFace H 3]
[charaFadein A 0.1 -150,0]
[charaFadein F 0.1 150,0]
[charaFadeinFSR G 0.1 400,0]
[charaFadeinFSL H 0.1 -400,0]
[wt 1.5]
＠Nemo Marine
Yeah, we got most of that! Thanks! Okay, we're gonna head back to our posts now!
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad456]
[se ade172]
[charaMove A -200,0 0.4]
[charaMove F 200,0 0.4]
[charaMoveFSR G 450,0 0.4]
[charaMoveFSL H -450,0 0.4]
[charaFadeout A 0.4]
[charaFadeout F 0.4]
[charaFadeout G 0.4]
[charaFadeout H 0.4]
[wt 0.4]
[seStop ade172 1.0]
[seStop ad456 1.0]
[wt 1.0]
[bgm BGM_EVENT_70 0.1]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 3]
[charaFadein E 0.1 1]
＠Meunière
Sounds like things are pretty crazy out there, again.[sr]I hope Mash is okay...
[k]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 0]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
Not to worry. Da Vinci's report was quite upbeat, so if nothing else, we can be certain that Mash is safe.
[k]
＠Holmes
The real problem is this “water mirror” spell of Morgan's.
[k]
[charaFace C 5]
＠Holmes
According to the data enclosed along with the report, it would seem that[line 2]
[k]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 5]
[charaFadein D 0.1 1]
＠Goredolf
So those dark clouds over the city of Norwich weren't a calamity pool, but one of Morgan's spells...
[k]
＠Goredolf
It's hard to believe she was able to remotely control such a powerful spell from over a hundred kilometers away...
[k]
[charaFace D 15]
＠Goredolf
Between this water mirror and Rhongomyniad, it's clear she's a powerful enemy on par with any of the other Lostbelt kings we've seen.
[k]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
I'm afraid I don't know much about Morgan's legend. Could I ask you to fill me in?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 0]
[charaFadein E 0.1 1]
＠Meunière
I only know her story from Proper Human History, but if you'll settle for that, then sure. All right, let's start with her general background.
[k]
＠Meunière
According to British myth, she is “the good fairy of the lake”...
[k]
＠Meunière
And in the legend of King Arthur, she's depicted as an evil witch bent on destroying him.
[k]
＠Meunière
Morgan was the child of the Duke[sr]of Tintagel and Lady Igraine...
[k]
＠Meunière
...and later became King Arthur's half sister after her mother married King Uther.
[k]
＠Meunière
But despite their family ties, she grew jealous of him, and began plotting all sorts of wickedness to make his life miserable.
[k]
＠Meunière
Some of her more notable misdeeds include stealing the sacred sword's scabbard and seducing Lancelot...
[k]
＠Meunière
But the worst thing she did was trick King Arthur into impregnating her with Mordred, who she later sent to join the Round Table.
[k]
＠Meunière
There were a lot of factors leading to the downfall of King Arthur's kingdom, but Morgan's definitely the one who tipped it over the edge.
[k]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 0]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
Paradoxically, there are also some who believe another side of Morgan was devoted protecting King Arthur.
[k]
＠Holmes
Those theories claim that Morgan and Viviane, the Lady of the Lake who gave King Arthur the sacred sword and protected him in death, are in fact the same person.
[k]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
Sounds like her lust for power led her to become a femme fatale who ruined an entire nation.
[k]
＠Nemo
So what's the magecraft world's consensus on her? There must be more to her story than what's commonly known.
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 10]
[charaFadein D 0.1 1]
＠Goredolf
Indeed, there is. I went through our database myself after receiving our technical advisor's first report...
[k]
＠Goredolf
There was one bombshell right out of the gate, and it relates to her birth.
[k]
＠Goredolf
It turns out Morgan was not actually the Duke of Tintagel's daughter. That was only a pretense.
[k]
＠Goredolf
She was actually the child of Lady Igraine and King Uther, the rightful king of Britain.
[k]
＠Goredolf
More stunning still, Morgan was never human.
[k]
＠Goredolf
Instead, she was a fae child, an offspring of the Isle of Britain, just like Vortigern, the Cowardly King.
[k]
＠Goredolf
But apparently, Morgan kept that fact secret, and pretended to be merely a normal human child.
[k]
＠Goredolf
Still, with King Uther as her father, and in the absence of a rightful heir, she would have been next in line for the throne.
[k]
＠Goredolf
But then, a rightful heir did appear.
[k]
＠Goredolf
Once Altria[line 2]King Arthur was accepted by the sacred sword and unified the lords of Britain under her leadership...
[k]
＠Goredolf
Morgan stopped hiding her Mystics, that is, the power of her fae nature, and started poisoning Camelot every chance she could.
[k]
＠Goredolf
She told herself, “Altria is nothing more than a human king, made so by other humans.”
[k]
＠Goredolf
“I am Britain's true king. I alone deserve to inherit its Mystics.”
[k]
＠Goredolf
This conviction of hers grew to the point that she eventually came to despise her father, King Uther...
[k]
＠Goredolf
...her sister, Altria, and every human who refused to obey her. It was a major factor in her decision to try to destroy Britain.
[k]
[charaFace D 4]
＠Goredolf
Why did King Arthur's once noble older sister, Morgan, become Camelot's greatest enemy in her later years?
[k]
＠Goredolf
Apparently that's the answer.
[k]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 0]
[charaFadein E 0.1 1]
＠Meunière
Yup. Even after she had settled in as Queen of Orkney, she still plotted Camelot's downfall from afar.
[k]
＠Meunière
Four of the Knights of the Round Table[line 2]Gawain, Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravain[line 2]were Morgan's children.
[k]
[charaFace E 3]
＠Meunière
Mordred was... Well, I don't know if I should say this without them here...
[k]
＠Meunière
But some experts think they were actually a homunculus Morgan created, or maybe a clone of King Arthur.
[k]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 6]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
...Particulars like that aside, it sounds pretty clear that she was an enemy of King Arthur...
[k]
＠Nemo
...and a witch who tried to destroy all of Britain.
[k]
＠Nemo
So what about the supposed side of her that was focused on keeping King Arthur safe?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 7]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
An excellent question, Captain.
[k]
[charaFace C 0]
＠Holmes
There are numerous Arthurian legends, and each of them describes Morgan differently.
[k]
＠Holmes
One claims she was King Arthur's noble sister. Another claims she was the Lady of the Lake. Yet another claims she had been a goddess of Britain since ancient times.
[k]
＠Holmes
Needless to say, each claim would seem to rule the others out as a possibility.
[k]
＠Holmes
Common sense would dictate that one of these theories is correct, and the others refer to someone else entirely.
[k]
[charaFace C 6]
＠Holmes
But I believe that they are, in fact, all true, and that Morgan was possessed of three aspects.
[k]
[charaFace C 0]
＠Holmes
Given that she was born under supernatural circumstances, I surmise that her human side...
[k]
＠Holmes
...her fairy side, and the part of her that was Britain's own avatar all existed simultaneously.
[k]
＠Holmes
But as these parts of herself are essentially irreconcilable within a single entity...
[k]
＠Holmes
...I suspect each of these aspects became an independent being.
[k]
＠Holmes
One was her human side: Altria's kind older sister, Morgan.
[k]
＠Holmes
Another was her fairy side: Viviane, the Lady of the Lake.
[k]
＠Holmes
And the third was the avatar of Britain: Morgan le Fay.
[k]
＠Holmes
If we assume that to be the case, everything makes sense.
[k]
＠Holmes
The Knights of the Round Table, then, did not bring her to justice because she was both evil and good.
[k]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
Now I see. Okay, I'm convinced.
[k]
[charaFace B 4]
＠Nemo
...But, hang on. Isn't Viviane another name for Nimue? The fairy who imprisoned Merlin?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 0]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
Yes, it is. Morgan is both King Arthur's rival, and Merlin's greatest enemy.
[k]
＠Holmes
Though Merlin was the one who taught Viviane magecraft, her infatuation with him eventually led to her despising him, and ultimately, sealing him away.
[k]
＠Holmes
To do so, she employed a great Bounded Field in the form of a sarcophagus spell inscribed with the words “Only those free of sin may pass.” As an incubus, not even Merlin could escape it.
[k]
＠Holmes
It was a spell from the Age of Gods known as Garden, which could only be used by the avatar of a Mystic.
[k]
[charaFace C 5]
＠Holmes
While it's still unclear how much this Lostbelt's Morgan has in common with Morgan from Proper Human History...
[k]
＠Holmes
It would seem prudent to assume that she has more weapons at her disposal than Rhongomyniad alone.
[k]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 3]
[charaFadein E 0.1 1]
＠Meunière
...(Sigh). First it's the Lion King in Jerusalem, now it's Morgan in Faerie Britain, huh?
[k]
＠Meunière
I swear, why are we always getting mixed up with Arthurian legends? I mean, I can understand it in this case since we're in Britain now and all, but still!
[k]
[charaFace E 2]
＠Meunière
I mean, what're we gonna do if Albion shows up next!? I don't think even the Storm Border would have a chance!
[k]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 2]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
Albion?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 5]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
That is what this isle was known as in ancient times, before it came to be called Britain.
[k]
＠Holmes
Though of course, that name also refers to something else in the magecraft world.
[k]
＠Holmes
There, it refers to the last pure-blooded dragon: Albion.
[k]
＠Holmes
An extinct Phantasmal who remained on the Isle of Britain even as the Age of Gods came to an end.
[k]
＠Holmes
The creatures we call “dragons” today are simply animals who happened to acquire some of the dragon genes left behind by the dragonkin who went over to the Reverse Side of the World...
[k]
＠Holmes
...and ended up adopting the dragons' way of life while preserving their own.
[k]
＠Holmes
With the exception of Albion's corpse, not a single pure-blooded dragon is left on this entire planet.
[k]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 2]
[charaFadein D 0.1 1]
＠Goredolf
Yes, that is what they say in the Clock Tower, isn't it!? Quite a romantic notion, that!
[k]
[charaFace D 11]
＠Goredolf
But that is all it is, and Albion is but one in a long list of fairy tales.
[k]
[charaFace D 5]
＠Goredolf
More importantly, it's now been twenty-eight days since we began this mission.
[k]
＠Goredolf
Thanks to the concentrated fruit essences our technical advisor has been sending along with her reports, we now have magical energy to spare, which would let us remain here past our initial fifty day estimate.
[k]
＠Goredolf
Perhaps we should advise them to stop by the Border?
[k]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
...True, maybe we should. Ideally, I was hoping to complete this mission within thirty days, but that's clearly not going to happen.
[k]
＠Nemo
That said, we still don't know exactly when the collapse is going to begin, so we shouldn't be too quick to change our time limit.
[k]
＠Nemo
If we stick to our initial plan, we still have seventeen days left to complete the mission. Do you think [%1]'s team can pull it off in that[sr]time frame, Holmes?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 0]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
...Well, according to Da Vinci's report, it would seem the circumstances are nearly all in place.
[k]
＠Holmes
If their meeting with High Queen Morgan ends peacefully, and she proves willing to share information about Rhongomyniad with them...
[k]
＠Holmes
...they can then devote the rest of their time to investigating the collapse.
[k]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 5]
[charaFadein B 0.1 1]
＠Nemo
...And if it doesn't end peacefully?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk C]
[charaFace C 5]
[charaFadein C 0.1 1]
＠Holmes
Now that Chaldea has thrown their lot in with the Child of Prophecy, war is all but inevitable.
[k]
＠Holmes
We already know the extent of Faerie Britain's military power.
[k]
＠Holmes
If Altria is able to complete her pilgrimage and muster a significant anti-queen force, the battle for Camelot will be decided in a single day.
[k]
＠Holmes
...I suspect that battle will take place in sixteen days at the earliest, just barely within our deadline.
