Lancer of Black

Lancer of "Black" ("黒"のランサー) is the Lancer-class Servant of Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia of the Black Faction in the Great Holy Grail War of Fate/Apocrypha.

Identity
Lancer's True Name is Vurado Sansei, the Lord Impaler (串刺し公) (1431-1476), the greatest hero of Transylvania, whose feats in war caused him to be known fearsomely as the "Impaling Prince" to the Turks. Due to the legends associated with him, another name has been spread across the world, The Little Dragon, better known as the vampire Count Dracula. While the nation was small, he was a hero who ascended to the throne and managed to turn back the numerous invasions of the Ottoman Empire that had trampled over every other country. Though the model for Dracula, he was not a vampire, but a man of devotion and great hero.

Vlad's homeland, the Principality of Wallachia, was a small country stuck between the large nations of Turkey and Hungary. He led a tragic life, during which he murdered his father, buried his older brother alive, and went to war against his younger brother. He was motivated by a love of his nation and a duty to maintain its sovereignty and power, so he purged all who would oppose its interests. Though he had a very clear sense of justice, he was brutal in his methods, having executed about one fifth of the population of his country through his life.

His war against Turkey was a desperate battle including guerrilla warfare and scorched earth tactics, and several times, he left mountains of Turkish enemy soldiers he impaled. He was captured by King Matthias of Hungary in 1462 on grounds that he was a collaborator to the Turks, and was confined for twelve years in prison. His feats accomplised in defense of his country during the time were defiled, and all that was left was a legend passed down of a humiliating, blood-starved fiend. He turned his back on the on the Orthodox Church in 1476 and converted his country to Catholicism; the same year, he died in a battle against the Turkish army and his younger brother Radu. He was 45.

Appearance
Lancer is dressed in a royal fashion, appearing as black as a shadow in the night, contrasted with his pale face and long, silk-like white hair. He gives off an overwhelming presence, causing ceaseless trembling wherever he happens to look. This does not stem from fear due to a violent nature, but rather that those exposed to his icy gaze recognize themselves as hopelessly weak and powerless existences before him.

Personality
Though there is an aura of danger about him, he in fact possesses a modest and considerate personality. His opinions and unrestrained manner of expression lend easily to the impression that he is a sociopath who has disengaged himself from the standard mores of society. His somewhat obstinate nature worries Darnic, but he believes they will work fine together due to having the same goal. He is the only one of the Servants who truly possesses a fervent desire to obtain his wish. He is angered by the legend of "Count Dracula" that has stained his name, so he wishes to restore his name's honor. Although he will not deny the path he walked in life, even those to which he has resigned himself like the war against the Turks and his imprisonment, he cannot forgive his name being smeared with blood, telling of a humiliating legend of a blood-starved fiend, in matters that did not involve him in any way. He tries to ignore the reputation of the vampire modeled after him in a mature manner, but somehow, representations of him that he comes across will end up being destroyed.

Despite being a Servant, he is the effective leader of the Black Faction. He sits atop a throne as Lord of the castle, with Darnic serving at his side. He does note that although Darnic refers to him as Lord, that he will call him Master in turn and state that he is only a Servant. He chides Darnic for excessive flattery, stating that he lacked much as a leader. He did not have the people behind him, great captains to properly lead his soldiers, meaning he could accomplish little else on the battlefield besides what he gave his all to accomplish. He does not state it as an admission of incompetence, but that he did not have enough people and time. He is greatly pleased at having finally obtained his captains, the six irreplaceable Heroic Spirits following under him, especially noting Siegfried as the most magnificent warrior and Caster of Black's golems as an incomparable force of war. He wishes they had been by his side during life, allowing for the circumstance of his imprisonment to be avoided.

Fate/Apocrypha
Lancer is summoned by Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia two months before the Great Holy Grail War, allowing him to properly establish his territory. After having announced that Yggdmillennia possesses the Greater Grail, they get resistance from the Mage's Association in the form of fifty hunters dispatched to subdue them. Displaying the overwhelming power of a Heroic Spirit, Lancer easily annihilates all but one of them in thirty seconds. The one remaining manages to activate the reserve system, allowing for the Red Faction to be formed.

He presides over the multiple summoning of Saber of Black, Rider of Black, Berserker of Black, and Archer of Black along with Darnic. Commanding for the Heroic Spirits who will serve under him to be brought forth, Darnic calls for the summoning to commence. Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia becomes angry upon the others expecting him to reveal Saber's true name when it could prove as a critical weakness, so Lancer, knowing his identity as Siegfried, grants him permission to keep it secret. After he and Darnic are left alone, Lancer speaks of the state of affairs, but chides Darnic when acting too flattering.

Greatly pleased with having capable captains under him in the form of Servants unlike during his life, he feels Saber particularly is the most magnificent warrior possible. Praising the rest in turn, he feels that he would not have been imprisoned had they been by his side. With his wish of clearing his now bloodstained name, Darnic promises him that the Grail will grant his wish. They discuss the still absent Assassin of Black, believing that she will soon be with them, not knowing the unforeseen circumstances of her summoning. He later presides over the viewing of the scried images of Kairi Sisigou and Saber of Red fighting Caster of Black's golems, asking Saber and Archer of the opinions of the opponent. Pleased that the believe the Saber to be no outstanding threat, he murmurs that the true start of the battles is approaching.

Abilities
Lancer is the trump card of the Black Faction, described as an "absurdly overpowered Lancer" when having his statistics viewed by others. Though Romania may be a small country, his deeds have made him a great hero, and within his home country, especially within Transylvania, being the stage of the Holy Grail War, he possibly has the greatest fame of all and highest possible for a Servant within its borders. Even without direct knowledge of him being summoned, it can be said he is practically guaranteed to be on one side or the other, as he can be considered a match for Heracles in Greece or King Arthur in Britain. Known for both being a great hero who fought against the invasion of the Ottoman Turks tooth and nail using guerrilla tactics and being the model for Count Dracula, his heroic aspects are more emphasized in Romania. While the boost in power due to fame is not usually that great, his own is on the level of devoted piety within his country, bringing his current form extremely close to his prime in life. He is able to evenly fight with Karna, Lancer of Red, and feels that he holds a degree of advantage even over Achilles, Rider of Red, whose fame and power are top-class.

When considering viable classes under which he can be summoned, Saber and Archer are discounted due to him having no known legends of using swords or bows, Assassin and Berserker are considered out of the question, and the possibility of Caster is considered almost zero. Rider and Lancer both seem viable due to his feats. He has the Noble Phantasms Kazıklı Bei and Legend of Dracula, but the Legend of Dracula can only be used under a Command Spell from his Master because Lancer would rather die than utilize it. Through his Demonic Defender of the State skill, he is able to mark a region as his personal dominion by securing the surrounding leylines prior to an engagement. He is able to transform Trifas and the surrounding areas into the land he rules over as Lord over a period of two months, and as long as he is within his territory, he receives boosts in the ranks of all his parameters. It is also necessary for the usage of Kazıklı Bei for him to be within the area.

Should he leave Romainia, his abilities will sharply drop, such as in the conceptual effect of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Reducing his fame to zero, he likens the drop in power from going to ten at his peak down to six. Due to mostly being known for the legends of Dracula outside of Romania, Lancer, with the aspects of a hero, does not receive a boost from fame outside of his country, but it instead inhibits his original statistics. While able to fight with Karna evenly previously, he is vastly inferior to him in that state.

Development
He was designed by Gen Urobuchi and illustrated by Hirotaka Maeda for the original cancelled online game project.