ScheherazadeWP (シェヘラザードWP, Sheherazādo?), also known as Caster of the Nightless City (不夜城のキャスター, Fuyajō no Kyasutā?), is a Caster-class Servant summoned by Ritsuka Fujimaru in the Grand Orders of Fate/Grand Order.
Profile
Identity
Scheherazade is the narrator of "One Thousand and One NightsWP" - a collection of stories structured with embedded narratives, translated into Arabic around the 8th Century – and the legendary queen of Persia’s Sasanian Empire. Whether the "Scheherazade" that is here is a character from the stories, or the actual person who served as the character's model―――no one can be sure. There is no one other than herself who knows all the truths of "her own tale".[1]
King ShahryarWP had repeated a cycle of killing maidens he married every night. In order to stop that evil act, the vizier'sWP daughter, Scheherazade, offered herself up for marriage. As Scheherazade spent her first night with the king, a plan was set where her invited sister, DunyazadeWP, would beg her to tell a story. The king would listen to Scheherazade's narrated stories which Dunyazade spoke of with fascination, and plead for her to continue but, by then, dawn had already arrived. Scheherazade announced "Please hold onto that excitement for tomorrow's story". For that purpose, the king continued to let Scheherazade live so that he could listen to her stories, and eventually―――[1]
In the present ending of the "One Thousand and One Nights", "Scheherazade bore three children, and the king learned of patience" was the manner in which the story ended. As aforementioned, this was a conclusion that didn't exist in the original tale, and there is a high chance that the "Scheherazade" here has not experienced this.[1]
But now, it is plausible that this is being narrated as―――The same as what was attained from that rainbow, that crushed the Phantasmal Metropolis/Illusory Citadel. Someone surely made a wish. Someone other than her―――a form given to the salvation of Scheherazade herself.[1]
The approximately thousand stories have been read until now, and its vast majority was added by preceding translators. One theory surmises that the original number of tales which formed the core were no more than two-hundred and ten stories, with no conclusion to them.[1]
Appearance
Personality
A gloomy, quiet and calm female storyteller. Scheherazade is clearheaded, composed, and is of the outstandingly cool-type of person, but that is not a harsh coldness. It is not an icy coldness, but a coldness like that of the moonlight. Because of her trait where she “observes, perceives and understands all of the kings she serves” (for the sake of her own survival), she has a high aptitude in being a prime minister. She primarily advises to the king, and reducing the physical and mental stress of the king is her greatest special skill, but if it is by all means necessary, she can also suggest military advice to her Master in a Holy Grail War.
Although there is a feeling where she wants to be her lord’s strength, Scheherazade’s fundamental strategy is “to protect her lord’s life while also protecting her own life”; in other words, she basically tries to choose and have herself conduct a stratagem that would produce the biggest military gains at a low degree of risk. Scheherazade states that rather than the battlefield, she is more suited for the Master's room.[1]
Her experiences have given her a fear of death and she hates the Servant system which would cause her to repeatedly experience it.[1][3][4] In life, Scheherazade was a brave woman who voluntarily took part in her father's plan to stop the madness of King Shahryar. However, as time passed where she tried to prolong her life, Scheherazade grew more fearful of death as she could easily be killed by the mad king on a whim. In the end, despite how King Shahryar eventually became sane and Scheherazade ended up surviving the ordeal, Scheherazade was deeply traumatized by the tribulation that caused her to fear death even as a Servant.
Because she always regards the avoidance of her death as number one, Scheherazade’s compatibility with a Master who treats her as someone disposable is bad. In that case, she would easily betray them and search for her own survival route.
Attitude towards Master
The wish Scheherazade wants to make on the Holy Grail is “her own survival”. She feels that she does not want to die at least.
Scheherazade sees her Master as a king who she serves. A Master who attempts to force her into an extremely dangerous situation from which she might not return alive from is a bad king to her, while a Master who cherishes her is a good king to her. If the circumstances of her being cherished will lead to her own survival, then she will give her lord advice, tell tales as well, and further offer her body to them as much as they like.
But since being summoned is the same as being brought up to the stage again where death exists, that means the moment Scheherazade is summoned, she is quite gloomy. She basically thinks that she does not want to participate in the likes of a Holy Grail War.
In some sense, it is strange that someone such as Scheherazade was summoned under a system that is fundamentally established by an agreement between both parties… That is to say, she still believes from the depths of her soul. Even if it is a one in ten thousand chance, even if it is a one in a hundred million chance. Beyond the battles————the possibility that there is “something valuable in exposing one’s life to danger, which can only be obtained during then” is awaiting her.
Relationships
- Fergus
She really does not understand the reason why, but whenever Scheherazade catches sight of Fergus, she slides away and unintentionally takes up a distance from him. Though it seems that it does not mean Fergus is hated by Scheherazade.
- Nitocris
This and that happened, and Scheherazade became good friends with her. She believes that Nitocris is a good sovereign.
- Child Servants
Given that she genuinely gets to tell a story with pleasure, Scheherazade is happy. Especially in regard to Nursery Rhyme, Scheherazade has a particular thought about her state of being in that Nursery Rhyme is called “a tale that is also a hero”, so Scheherazade often shifts her attention to Nursery Rhyme with affection.
- Arash
A great hero of Persia, someone who is famous to the extent that Scheherazade heard of Arash in the bedtime stories told to her. It is a fresh feeling to actually witness a (real) character of a tale that was not taken out and narrated by her, so her heart is throbbing a little.
- Tyrant Servants
“Please forgive me… I will die…”
- Queen of Sheba
A sovereign who comes to get acquainted with Scheherazade in an attempt to make a profit with her art of storytelling.
- “I heard a rumour that this person staffs her stores with only one person each… I will die…”
Role
Fate/Grand Order
Subspecies Singularity II: Agartha
Scheherazade is summoned by Phenex, and he sympathized with her fear of death. Not wanting to experience repeated summons, as she considers each conclusion to be akin to death, Scheherazade conspired with him to reduce the world's Mystery to render the Servant Summoning System and other related existences obsolete.[5] Phenex empowered her Alf Layla wa-Layla to make the stories to she made real.[6] Under his orders, Scheherazade used her newly enhanced Noble Phantasm to create the Agartha Singularity by blending several stories together (YsWP, The Peach Blossom SpringWP, Nightless City, El DoradoWP, and the Dragon PalaceWP) in a underground space. She was then ordered to summon Heroic Spirits into the Singularity, either summoning them herself, or taking them from Chaldea. In order to increase fictional nature of the Singularity, she placed the Servants she summoned as the rulers of cities they had no connection to in life. Penthesilea was made to rule El Dorado while Wu Zetian was made to rule the Nightless City. The exception to this rule was Dahut, whose existence is akin to a Phantom prevented Scheherazade from summoning her as Servant, so she altered Francis Drake's Saint Graph to play the role.[6] Scheherazade also unconsciously made the entire population female due to her androphobia.[5]
Afterwards, she was ordered to incite conflict, so she summmoned Christopher Columbus wiith amnesia as a base.[5] To create more chaos, Scheherazade altered Heracles's Saint Graph to make him into the more monstrous and ever-rampaging Megalos. She also intended to summon Fergus mac Róich as a teenager, believing his increased lust at that age would cause more chaos, but he ended up as a young boy whose anxious around women.[6] The impending conflict between the Servants would eventually form a vortex of magical energy, and the enclosed nature of Agartha would trap the souls of the vanquished Servants. Agartha would then exploit the energy generated by the souls as they try to return to the Throne. Eventually the energy would be used to make the fictional nature of the Singularity into reality. Once this is achieved it would be used to destroy a real city to damage human understanding to destroy the concept of Mystery, thereby rendering all existences related to it obsolete.[5]
Keeping her role as the mastermind secret, Scheherazade came to be Dahut's confidant. However, she came to fear for her life and left to serve as Wu Zetian's tactian. She told her where Dahut kept her key to the floodgates, which once opened would case the lake to flood Ys.[7]
She meets Ritsuka's party when they come to Wu Zetian's throne room. At Wu Zetian's behest, she introduces herself, and explains how she came to leave Dahut's service. She is ordered to assist Wu Zetian in punishing the group when they anger her. After Wu Zetian is crushed by Megalos suddenly crashing through the ceiling, Scheherazade convinces the group not to fight him. She then surrenders to them, insisting she only wants to live. They all then escape the castle.[7]
They find the city being besiged by Amazons. Columbus and the Resistance then arrive to help them escape the city through the front gate. Waiting there though is Penthesilea while Megalos is exiting the castle. However to the group's confusion, she rushes past them and goes into the castle while in a rage. Using this opportunity, the group escape the city while Penthesilea and Megalos fight.[7]
At the Resistance's hideout, Scheherazade offers her services, explaining her betrayal and abandonment of Dahut and Wu Zetian were for her survival. After the group accept her, Scheherazade alerts them of Lamia attacking the peach trees by mere scent. She then helps them to slay the monsters. Afterwards, the group begin to ponder the possibility of Megalos of being the Demon God host. They're convinced however by Columbus that Penthesilea is a better candidate since she is the remaining ruler in Agartha and completely adherent to its oppressive matriarchy. He then asks Scheherazade the best way to fight El Dorado.[8]
Following her advice, the group travel through the jungle to infiltrate El Dorado since the Amazons will be split between there and the Nightless City. After killing a Amazon scouting party, the group find themselves surrounded by more. Scheherazade asks Penthesilea how she knew about her strategy. Penthesilea answered she used her military knowledge to predict and counter Scheherazade's strategy. The group fight the Amazons, but they're forced to retreat when the Amazons empower themselves with their synchorized war cry.[9]
Returning to the hideout, everyone sees they lost half their forces. See how terrified the men are, Columbus has everyone rest. During this time, Scheherazade regals everyone with her stories. The next day however, everyone finds the hideout on fire, seemingly set by the Amazons. The group sent out to save as many men and supplies as possible. After the fire dies, Columbus encourages his men to keep fighting. Schecherazade advises they should launch another sneak attack, but this time using a ship taken from Ys. She explains Dahut's ships were enchanted to let them sail foward regardless of wind direction. Given their small numbers, she states they only need one ship to sail through a river that leads to the heart of the jungle to launch an attack on El Dorado.[10]
The group sail through the jungle when they come across a bridge acting as a barrier. Columbus orders Astolfo to sail on through while the others deal with the Amazons. Breaking through two barriers, the group spot the central temple of El Dorado. They prepare to set anchor the shore nearest the temple when the ship begins to shake. Megalos emerges from the river and boards the ship. The group try to fight him, but they're unable to even scratch him. But having regained his memories, Columbus activates his Noble Phantasm, Santa Maria - Drop Anchor to summon another ship to hold Megalos. With him now chained up, the group fight Megalos again. They prepare to finish him off when Penthesilea and her Amazons board the ship. She attacks Megalos while calling him Achilles. She decides to kill the group, believing they're keeping her from killing Megalos. At the same time, Megalos breaks free of Columbus's chains, so the group are forced to fight both Berserkers. The ship is destroyed in the aftermath, sending everyone overboard.[10]
The group arrive in the Dragon Palace, having been pulled there by the river's strangely strong current. Megalos is also there albeit in a deactivated state. Ritsuka is convinced to explore since communication with Chaldea was cut when they arrived at the Dragon Palace. A still living Dahut appears however. Astolfo assumes she drifted to the Dragon Palace, but she reveals it is her last bastion in case of Ys' destruction. She then proceeds to attack the group to take them for herself. As she disappears with her defeat, Dahut's memories and mannerisms revert to that of Drake's. She gives the group a treasure box she found earlier and used in the battle. She tells them to explore the Dragon Palace to find more before finally disappearing. Scheherazade surmises the treasure box to be the Tamatebako from the tale of Urashima Tarou, which can grant single wishes more akin to a Command Spell. Columbus asks her to use the Tamatebako to make Megalos follow simple commands and discern friend from foe. He decides he'll be contractor instead of Ritsuka so as to not risk their death. Afterwards, Astolfo finds a lifeboat in a bubble. The group decide to find and collect more Tamatebako before returning to the surface.[11]
Upon returning to the surface, communications with Chaldea are restored. The group then enter Penthesilea's palace. In her madness, Penthesilea sees everyone as Achilles, and uses the synchronized war cry. Chevalier d'Eon and Astolfo leave to hold back the Amazons. With none of her soldiers rallying, Penthesilea boosts her stats in her rage, but she dies in the ensuing fight. With none of her soldiers rallying, Penthesilea boosts her stats in her rage. She is killed in the ensuing fight, but disappears without a Demonic God manifesting. Fergus then blocks gunfire from Columbus when he tried to kill Ritsuka. Da Vinci told everyone to expect his betray after telling them of his history as a conquistador.[12]
Columbus reveals his true intentions are to rule Agartha and sell its female population endlessy. He recounts how he still had his dream as a slave trade despite amnesia. He also recalls presumably killing Helena Blavatsky in order to gain his order. He then commands Megalos to kill the group, and they struggle to hold the pair off. Fortunately D'Eon and Astolfo return in time to block Megalos' decisive strike. Columbus confesses he set the fire in order to spur the men into fighting again, seeing them as pawns in his conquest of Agartha. Now joined by D'Eon and Astolfo, the group fight Columbus and Megalos again. After being defeated, Columbus tries to use a Tamatebako to heal Megalos, but a Resistance member shoots it out his hand. Fergus then deals a fatal blow to him, expecting a Demon God to emerge. However, both he and Megalos disappear without a Demon God emerging. Sherlock Holmes asks the group who was the one surviving Servant they met in Agartha that has absolutely no connection to Chaldea. Everyone then realizes that it is Scheherazade.[13]
Scheherazade explains the circumstances by which she created Agartha. She also reveals her summoner and patron is the very Demon God Chaldea were searching for. After she declares the story of Agartha will become its true form, Agartha raises in the sky. As Agartha flies upwards into sky, Scheherazade reveals it is now its final form, the floating city of LaputaWP. She announces to Laputa to continue raising and then plummet towards the earth. She also declares it to be the last of the mythical cities and the destroyer of the world's natural laws.[6] She then proceeds to detail Laputa's purpose. The group disagree with her plan to bring an end to Mystery just to end her own existence as a Heroic Spirit. Scheherazade recounts how the Demon God told her that Solomon disappeared from the Throne of his own accord. She is jealous of such a feat, believing things would be easier if she could do that. The group then fight her to stop her plan. Only D'Eon is effective though since Scheherazade's Counter King skill renders Astolfo and Fergus's efforts worthless. Scheherazade reveals the details of her orders to transform fiction into reality. She then releases Phenex from her body. Mash realizes she couldn't detect a Demon God from her was because Phenex was already dead, an ability unique to him as the Demon God of death and rebirth. The group fight and kill him, though at the cost of Fergus being severely injured.[5]
However even with his death, and Scheherazade near death, Laputa continues to exist. Eventually Phenex resurrects himself through the corpse of a Resistance member. He declares Laputa will continue its descent even if he's killed, and that he'll accomplish the will of the Demon Gods to destroy humanity. He reveals his true ambition is to damage human understanding in the hopes of it would eventually result in humanity's destruction. The group fight him again, but they're unable to kill him. Wu Zetian suddenly appears, revealing her survival and that she was biding her time until Phenex seperated from Scheherazade. She then proceeds to torture him with her Noble Phantasm, Manual of Accusation, but he severely wounds her in retaliation. She pleads with the group to kill Phenex while he's in a state of life and death. However to the others' surprise, Fergus walks into her Noble Phantasm to use its concept of mixing life and death together to essentially resummon himself through the use of Columbus's Tamatebako. He soon achieves his goal when his short sword turns into Caladbolg, and proceeds to unleash Caledfwlch Caladbolg on both Phenex and Laputa. With Phenex being constantly damaged by both Noble Phantasms, the group fight him once more. During this, Scheherazade is told that her fear of death can subsided by living a fulfilling life. Phenex extends tiny tentacles from himself, and implores Scheherazade to give him her magical energy. She however refuses to die by him, and Fergus finishes him off. Afterwards, Scheherazade disappears with her fear of death having been subsided somewhat. She later manifests in Chadlea, doing everything she can to avoid Fergus.[5]
Dead Heat Summer Race! ~Ishtar Cup of Hopes and Dreams~
Death Jail Summer Escape ~Medb's Great Bastille of Guilt and Despair~
Tokugawa Restoration Labyrinth: Ooku
Scheherazade is among the Chaldean Servants reverse-summoned by Kama to the Ooku, although she is not turned into materials for the labyrinth. Instead, she and Mata Hari are brainwashed to be assistants on the third floor, meant to tempt any wanderer to partake in alcohol. They succeed with Goredolf Musik, but fail later with Ritsuka Fujimaru and their entourage, who manage to knock them out before undo the brainwashing. Once back to their senses, Mata Hari and Scheherazade resolve to assist their Master in rescuing everyone trapped in the labyrinth. In particular, Scheherazade affirms that she is more afraid of losing the people she has come to love at Chaldea than she is of death.
Abilities
Scheherazade has fairly low parameters aside from her Luck, Skills and Noble Phantasm, and she herself states that she is more suited for her Master's room rather than the battlefield.[1] Her armaments are her tales.[2]
Class Skills
- Territory Creation (Rank A++): One can create an advantageous position for themselves as a mage. Scheherazade happens to create a “sleeping quarter” for the sake of her own survival.[2]
Personal Skills
- Storyteller (Rank EX): A Skill that shows how skillful one is in verbally reciting tales and legends. Entirely different from the art of writing down tales in books, it is a story conveyance ability specialized in improvisation, allowing one to also take into account the mood and mentality of the audience to choose an appropriate way of reciting a story. It is likely that Rakugo storytelling Heroic Spirits possess this too.[2]
- Bedchamber of Survival (Rank A): A subclass of the “Pheromone” Skill, specialized for defense. By combining “her own charm”, “the charm of the place” and “the charm of her actions” in the most suitable way according to the situation presented, Scheherazade can form and make use of “an area where she has the lowest probability of death in the World.” Although it is a conceptual area, it is also another “sleeping quarter”, a safety base that is just like her Workshop as well.[2]
- Counter Hero (Rank A): A Skill that brings down the Parameters of any hero on the occasion of dealing with them. This Skill for Scheherazade is being limited to “anti-king”. For that reason, it acquires Rank A. In her case, it becomes something that especially demonstrates “the capability to survive against existences that have taken the title of King”, grasping the king’s mood, disposition, abilities, principles, state of health, etc., to make use of every art of coaxing she has so that by doing this, no matter how capricious a king can be, she can conduct herself in a way that will at least not get herself killed. ————In the moment when she has decided to confront a king as a storyteller with “a heroic tale that is about to be erased”, or in the moment when she has carried out a justifiable confrontation with a story of “a hero who secretly saved the world”, this is sublimated into a special Skill unique only to Scheherazade: Counter-Hero (Story).[2]
Noble Phantasm
Her Noble Phantasm is Alf Layla wa-Layla.[1]
While being supported by Phenex, Scheherazade was capable of using her Noble Phantasm to create the Agartha singularity, an encroachment of fiction onto reality, and modify the Saint Graphs of certain Servants within it.[3]
Development
Namaniku ATK is the character designer for Scheherazade.
Comment from Illustrator
Because “One Thousand and One Nights” was the concept, I drew her while constantly looking at the materials of that source. I was being conscious of a way to make her design not overlap with FGO’s existing characters, but also so that it does not drift too far away from FGO’s concept of its character designs. I got to choose the way her skin is coloured with my own tastes, making it a considerably dark brown colour. Although I think there are pros and cons to her design, including the shaping of her face too, usually I am getting to draw freely because of TYPE-MOON. I am grateful to them.
The final form of her weapon is my favourite, something like a 6-mounted launcher. Such an item is not limited to this work since it is common for me to habitually draw one-of-a-kind items, so it has structurally become quite complicated and bizarre. Even though I drew a 3-sided view of it, I was wracking my brains on if it was the way the design should be. Well, it must have been difficult for the people who created the data for the game’s use… I would like to tell them my thanks for letting me borrow their place. Although Ms. Schehera is rather excessively strong-willed, if she gets to serve you as an attendant for a long time, she will be happy when she is able to accept you showing your deep affections to her even like a squid. (Namaniku ATK)
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 Fate/Grand Order - Profile of Scheherazade, translated by roadromancer at Reddit.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Scheherazade's Servant Profile from FGO material V
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedAgarthaCh15 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedAgarthaCh16 - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 16: Women of Agartha
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 15: The Story Comes to Fruition
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 8: The Brilliant Fortress City
- ↑ Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 9: Temporary Retreat
- ↑ Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 10: Invading El Dorado
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 11: Flames of Progress
- ↑ Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 12: Unpaintable Beauty
- ↑ Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 13: Decisive Battle in El Dorado
- ↑ Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Agartha: The Mythical Subterranean Society, Section 14: King of Slaves