Technical terms
all the information is taken from Wikipedia.
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Heroic Spirits:
Spirits of heroes who achieved great deeds in life, having become objects of worship after their deaths.
They are freed from the constraints of time itself and removed from the ring of reincarnation, moved to the Throne of Heroes, a place existing outside of both the World and the time axis.The Throne of Heroes is also occasionally referred to as the Ring of Deterrence, referring to how it is mainly used by the Counter Force.
Nature:
Heroic Spirits can be classified into five primary categories, referred to as Hidden Attributes(Nature), when summoned as Servants.
Heaven:
- Heroes who are related to the gods, whether they are Divine Spirits ranked down to becoming Heroic Spirits, children of gods, or incarnations of legends about gods.
Earth:
- Heroes who are known as the heroes of the land, known through mythologies and legends of a particular region. Fairies and Magical Beasts are included in this category.
Human:
- Heroes belonging to this category are those recognized through common knowledge as great people who contributed to humanity and were regarded as heroes for their actions since the start of the Common Era. They are generally heroes who were deified by the masses after death, but there are those who were truly superhuman in life.
Star:
- Heroes of this category, belonging to none of the previous three, are the "hope of mankind" and a "symbol of overcoming hardships." Although close in nature to the Pioneer of the Stars Skill that is given to heroes who became "turning points" in human history, it is an attribute fundamentally given to those that have left behind a great hope in the history of humanity. Simply achieving such exploits is not enough as they also have to be a "shining bright star" among the figures of mankind. It is an omnipotent attribute that possesses no minus towards any other categories. Parody Heroic Spirits from space all get this designation.
Beast:
- Rivaling the seemingly all-powerful Star, they are the Evils of Man that represent the Seven Sins of Humanity, beings that encompass all of humanity.
Noble Phantasms:
"crystallized mysteries", powerful armaments made using the imagination of humans as their core, and weapons or abilities owned by Heroic spirits. They are the embodiment of the ultimate mysteries of a hero that symbolises one's existence through historical facts and anecdotes. They can be physical weapons, such as swords, lances, and bows, or support items, such as rings and crowns. They can also be abstract concepts, like unique abilities, unique means of attacks, curses, and changes to the environment and its physical properties. When summoned as Servants in the Holy Grail War, they are the trump cards of the heroes that allow them to overcome others in battle.
Holy Grail War:
A competition that decides the ownership of the Holy Grail through intense battle royale. While there have been many conflicts over supposed Holy Grails in the past, this term refers to those specifically based around Masters, usually proficient Magi, summoning Servants, Heroic Spirits brought forth as familiars, and meeting in battle until only one pair is left to claim the Holy Grail.
The Counter Force:
also known as "Deterrent Force", is a safety device formed by a World to defend itself against extinction and is synonymous with the World it represents.
There are two types: Gaia and Alaya.Gaia is the will of the Earth, the planet's wish to survive and prosper. Alaya, on the other hand, is the collective unconscious will of mankind to avoid extinction. As humans are creatures of Earth, Alaya was a component of Gaia. However, as mankind began to develop independent from nature, it became independent. With this divergence, Alaya is no longer aligned with Gaia and potential conflict can result.
Despite being called "the will of the planet/mankind", the Counter Forces bear no emotions. They are described as passive spirals of energy that respond to threats of planet destruction or human extinction. The Counter Forces are always active, constantly steering mankind and the planet away from potential danger. Usually, the Counter Forces act indirectly.
Although Gaia and Alaya are intangible forces of will, each does enlist physical agents to deal with events too threatening to address with indirect intervention. The agents of Gaia consist of Spirits, Phantasmal Species, True Ancestors, and other species born from the planet. The agents of Alaya are human spirits who pledge their eternal service to Alaya in return for power during their lifetime. Agents employed in this way are referred to as Counter Guardians.
The Counter Forces have immense power at their disposal. However, only the appropriate amount is unleashed to address a particular event. If the threat possesses an amount of power equal to X, then the Counter Force will deploy an amount of power just enough to snuff out X and eliminate the threat. The amount of power can be as small as nudging individuals into place through "coincidences", but it can also be as great as sinking an entire continent.
