Caster (Fate/Zero)

Caster is a fictional character from the Japanese visual novel "Fate/Zero" by TYPE-MOON and fellow developer Nitroplus.

He is the Servant of Ryūnosuke Uryū during the 4th Holy Grail War. Caster derives pleasure from first providing his victims with a moment of relief and hope, before killing them in a variety of horrific manners.

ervant Status

Abilities

* Territory Creation:Rank: B :Creation of a magical territory that amplifies one's abilities as a magus. At this level, creation of a "magic workshop" becomes possible.

* Item Construction:Rank: - :Caster loses this skill, which is inherent to members of the Caster class, because of gaining the summoning powers of his Noble Phantasm.

* Mental Pollution:Rank: A:Thanks to his twisted mind, Caster is protected against most types of mental interference magics. However, communication with individuals without the same rank of Mental Pollution becomes impossible.

* Eye for Art:Rank: E-:Obsession towards works of art. If a Noble Phantasm possess an art-related past, there is a slight chance of Caster being able to identify it.

Noble Phantasms

*Prelati's Spellbook: "The Text of the Spiralled Sunken Citadel":Rank: A+ :Type: Anti-Army:Also known as the R'lyeh Text, a spellbook with a cover made of human hide and originally belonged to Prelati, a comrade of Caster's. Using blood and flesh as catalysts, Prelati's Spellbook summons monstrous creatures that are neither spiritual bodies nor Noble Phantasm Beasts, but beings which exist in a dimension with entirely different natural laws. The summoning spells used by Prelati's Spellbook are also self-perpetuating, in that the flesh and blood of fallen monsters may be automatically used as catalysts themselves, allowing for the continuous materialisation of an endless stream of creatures.

:The summoned beasts may also merge into a single massive, gestalt entity, with Caster and the Spellbook encased within its centre. The merged beast itself is larger than most high-rise buildings, towering over the Fuyuki Bridge even with part of its height submerged in a river. Aside from the vast strength conferred by its bulk, the beast possesses regenerative abilities that heal over non-lethal wounds almost instantaneously.

:The spellbook itself is a summoning grimoire; the book itself is alive and responsible for the incantations that summon and revive demonic monsters. Caster does not actually read the spells recorded on the pages of Prelati's Spellbook.

True Identity

His true identity is Gille de Rais, a French nobleman who was once a comrade-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He first introduces himself to his Master as Bluebeard, which is the name of a fictional character based on Gille himself.

Role

Caster was summoned shortly before the Fourth Holy Grail War began. His Master was Ryūnosuke Uryū, a serial killer who unwittingly performed a successful summoning ritual using the blood of a murdered family. Like his Master, he is almost devoid of any morality, and has no interest in obtaining the Holy Grail. He enjoys offering his victims brief moments of respite, or even the hope of release or escape, before inflicting death through gruesome and horrific means. According to Caster, allowing his victims hope will amplify the despair and terror upon their moment of death, a fact that he revels in. He also uses his magic to warp and twist humans into contraptions for his Master's entertainment, such as turning a girl into a pipe organ.

Caster initially expresses an interest in Saber, appearing to be familiar with how she came to ruin at the end of her life. In truth, it is because he has mistaken her for Jeanne D'Arc, whom he had been infatuated with when alive. Even after Saber reveals her true identity, Caster continues to delude himself, believing that her memories were warped by the trauma of her death. He even makes plans to capture Saber and force her to remember her 'true' past.

It soon comes to the attention of Risei Kotomine, the Holy Grail War's regulator, that Caster is kidnapping children throughout Fuyuki (for use in his spells and for his Master's amusement), and that he and Uryū lack the discretion practiced by the other Master-Servant pairs. Fearing their actions might compromise Tokiomi Tōsaka's chances of winning the War, Risei suspends all fighting and offers a reward of extra Command Spells to the Master who dispatches Caster and Uryū.

Using the captured children as hostages, Caster draws Saber out and traps her in battle with his seemingly infinite army of summoned monsters. He is defeated when Lancer intervenes, breaking through the monster horde with Saber's aid, and using Gáe Dearg to disable Prelati's Spellbook and dispel the summoned creatures. An enraged Caster then retreats.

In his second bid to capture Saber, Caster merges a horde of his monsters into an immense, Lovecraftian beast, with himself at its centre. Despite its vast strength and regenerative powers, it is ultimately defeated by Saber, who incinerates the beast with her anti-fortress Noble Phantasm, Excalibur. The light from Excalibur's blast causes Caster to recall a memories from his past, before he began his forays into murder and the occult, back when he still served alongside Jeanne D'Arc. This evokes tears and a tinge of regret in Caster, moments before he is destroyed along with his monster.