What, Exactly, Are Masters?

Despite the fact that this is no ordinary grail war, the world has once again been overcome with the addition of new men and women from history who need some sort of tether to the world, and someone to deliver them mana. Though there are many Ferals out there in the wild, the most common way of getting said mana is by working with a master. 

Masters are individuals selected by the Grail as official participants of the Holy Grail War, and are afforded Servants to aid them in the war. These individuals are usually magi, and are given Command Spells as a visible proof of their contract to a servant. Selected Masters are usually given by the Grail enough energy to maintain and manifest their Servants for the entire duration of the war.

Masters are usually spellcasters bearing Magic Circuits-- there are rare exceptions, such when a Master becomes a Master solely to function as a Servant’s anchor to the world, or when another Master voluntarily surrenders control to another.

Once a person becomes a master, they keep the designation whether they have a Servant or not, as long as he continues to bear the Command Spell given by the Grail. A Master can make a pact with an unclaimed Servant, whether or not the Master currently has an existing Servant. On the other hand, a Master can also obtain a claimed Servant, by stealing the Command Spell directly from its Master. Having multiple Servants is allowed, although such a practice is considered detrimental to the Master’s health due to Prana consumption.

A Master normally expends Prana to upkeep a Servant’s physical form, although the burden of the consumption is eased by the Prana provided by the Grail. They can also actively provide Prana to a Servant, however, doing so ‘leaks’ energy in the atmosphere that allows other spellcasters to discern that the individual is a Master with an established contract with a Servant. 

Alternatively, exchange of bodily fluids may also serve as a means to transfer Prana between individuals, although the connection between the two (Master to Master, Master to Servant, Servant to Servant) is irrelevant. A contract is also not a prerequisite to transferring Prana to another individual.

Together, a Master and a Servant cooperates to obtain the Holy Grail. There are no restrictions in regards to the terms of their contract, but a Servant inevitably has goals of its own.

A Command Spell not only serves as a visible proof of their contract, but also a representation of a Master’s claim to a Servant’s absolute obedience.

Each initial Master chosen by the Grail gets three command spells to use on their Servant, and usually diminishes with each absolute order imposed. Once they lose all three, they lose absolute control over their Servant, although it is still possible to function as a Master by supplying Prana to the Servant. It is possible to steal more command spells from other Masters, but sadly the overseer of Fuyuki has been utterly destroyed in the shattering of the grail, so it is impossible to receive additional command seals.

Depending on the circumstance, the command spell may be the only thing that binds a Master to a Servant. While some Servants allow themselves to be commanded outside the use of a command spell, those with independent action may require the usage of a command spell in order to force to submission. This is only exacerbated when personalities clash - Remember, just because someone is your servant doesn't mean that they actually have to like you.

The command spell does not assume close proximity as an activation requirement. Even at far distances, a Master may command the Servant by focusing on the command seal, even unconsciously if the command is direct enough. Commands have to be verbally spoken, and thus, anything that hinders a Master from completely uttering the command effectively stops it from taking effect. Cutting off the limb which bears the command seal also gives the same effect. 

The actual effect of the execution of each absolute command depends on the Servant’s will and the strength of the command. If a command is against the Servant’s will, they will not be able to defy it completely, however, the execution of the command will be less powerful. If it aligns with the Servant’s will, the Servant tends to execute it more efficiently. By the same token, weaker or vague commands can be more easily defied in comparison to those spoken with solidified intentions and specific effects.

Command spells keep a Servant bound to its Master, and/or as a materialized familiar even after the Holy Grail war. However, due to the loss of Prana support from the Grail, it will be inevitably more taxing to maintain the Servant’s materialization.

And as command spells are to control, magical paths are to sustenance. 

Magical Paths connect a Master to its Servant using a channel that allows Masters to transfer energy to their Servants. Masters have free control over how much energy they wish to supply their Servant, sometimes to limit them from becoming stronger than the Master, sometimes to avoid excessive Prana drain from highly consumptive abilities.

These paths aren’t limited between a Master and their Servant. These paths can always be redirected to other magi in order to ease the Master’s burden. These are limited not only for the reason of keeping the Servants at a specific power level, but also to prevent a Master’s death by prana loss.

Alternatively, if the paths cannot be established between the Master and the Servant, a Servant can utilize other methods of obtaining Prana, such as exchanging bodily fluids with other individuals, draining from the leylines or by consuming human souls.

Cutting off the magical path can force the Servant to assume their spiritual form should they have no other means of obtaining Prana. However, it is important to consider that Servants have their own stock of energy to utilize and deplete, even without these magical paths.