Connla

Aided Óenfhir Aífe

Before leaving Dún Scáith, Cú Chulainn gave Aífe a red-gold ring, a gift for Connla when he became old enough for it to fit on his finger. And in addition to this ring, he requested that Connla live his life in accordance to some very specific principles:    He cannot turn back once he starts his journey.  He cannot refuse a challenge.  He cannot give anyone his name.    Aífe would carve these prescripts into Connla's soul as a trio of Geas, immortal contracts that cannot be broken without risking grave consequences. But against all odds, Connla really did obey them all...thus, even as a Servant, he's marked by the Geas. So long as he continues to uphold them, Connla is granted great boons of strength. All parameters aside from Luck and NP are raised by one rank (as is his Magic Resistance), while attacks against him have their damage significantly reduced if they are not of sufficient strength. But if he breaks any of them, Connla is burdened by terrible curses. Breaking one removes all gifts conferred upon him, by the Geas and otherwise, and renders him incapable of receiving others. Breaking two seals the use of his Skills. Breaking the last causes him to forget all of his combat training and techniques, turning Connla into nothing more than a child wielding a sword. Worse than that though, breaking all three Geas completely removes Connla from the very basis of his legend—that is, "a young warrior who lived and died by his oaths." Without them, Connla's spirit core becomes irreparably unstable and will eventually break down, causing his death. Needless to say then, it's in his best interests to follow these Geas to the letter...but it's not like he has any intention of breaking them to begin with.    To be clear, the ring Connla wears does not keep his Geas in effect. It's just a treasure of his. The Geas are irrevocable save for the most powerful and unorthodox of methods, and so the ring's removal or destruction doesn't affect them at all. What the ring does do is hide all of Connla's status information, even to his own Master, and applies a low level of Information Erasure to all who view him without knowing his True Name.    ...What? It doesn't keep his Geas in effect. It still has a few tricks of its own!

Saolálainn Óenfhir Aífe

A Noble Phantasm that Connla always possesses, but manifests differently depending on his class, spawned as a direct result of his Geas.    While Aided Óenfhir Aífe represents the circumstaces of Connla's inevitable death, Saolálainn Óenfhir Aífe is the unique perspective of a boy who sees his time in the world as brief but glorious. By calling its True Name, Connla's blade is filled to bursting with that ideal, transforming it into a manifestation of his own hopes and dreams, constituting the ephemeral existence of this boy warrior. Connla flashes forward and slashes into the enemy with the very concept undergirding his existence, "a warrior who kept his vows and defeated all who challenged him." It's an "inevitable" attack that, supported by his life, is unlikely to miss its mark simply as a matter of course. The most powerful attack in Connla's arsenal—everything he is, put into a single strike.    Its power fluctuates based on how many of Connla's Geas remain intact, and can only be used while at least one of them is unbroken. It's a formidable Noble Phantasm with all three of his Geas active, but it doesn't deal nearly as much damage otherwise.    Incidentally, the blazing light emitted by Connla's sword brings to mind a certain weapon used by his father and grandfather. That similarity is purely coincidental though, and there's no relation at all between this Noble Phantasm and that one.

A kind-hearted boy with genuine care for everyone around him, yet who still relishes the thrill of battle. Connla's a warrior through and through, trained in combat from birth and taught that it would prove his worth, to others and to himself. Of course, Connla doesn't treat it with quite the same severity that his mother might...but even so, his pride as a warrior remains important to him. It's important to respect that. Treating him like a child doesn't exactly irritate him, but if it leads to him being underestimated or belittled, he doesn't hesitate to lash out with more than just words. For Connla, who lived and died fighting, ignoring his strength is a grave insult he's not quick to forgive even from those who don't mean anything by it.    Aside from all that, he's probably one of the most loyal people you'd ever meet. He puts everything he has into everything he does without question, going at it with all of his being or not at all. Age and inexperience leave him pretty naïve, but don't think he's a pushover just because he's always willing to help out. If he doesn't like something, he'll say it outright, and if he refuses to do something, he's not doing it. Connla will never compromise his own basic morals or way of life—an admirable stubbornness that nonetheless can be a little difficult to deal with. So, just don't ask him to do anything he'd totally hate, and you'll find yourself a truly trustworthy and capable ally.    ...Maybe a little too capable. Fact is that Connla's pretty strong, but this gives him an attitude that seems a lot like overconfidence. Really though, he doesn't recognize just how strong he is, so when he says things like "Huh? That's all you've got?" it's because he's assuming his foe was actually weak, and not that he himself was more powerful.

All Connla wants from the Grail is for his parents to get along. It's an earnest, well-intentioned wish. But that's exactly why it's foolish and absurd, a wish better left forgotten than granted—not that Connla would ever hear that. Without understanding the full severity of the situation, he can't understand why what he wants is impossible.     Anyway, Connla's pretty simple when it comes to his Master. A good person gets good treatment, while a bad person gets a bad asskicking. Even if it loses him a chance at the Grail, Connla would kill a cruel Master himself. He doesn't really get chivalry, but he hates needless death and suffering, and won't stand for such things so long as he draws breath. But he'll risk life and limb to ensure the safety of someone he likes—and well, Connla tends to like a lot of people! He's quick to let others into his heart, and that care naturally extends double to his Master, who he'll make sure comes back home in no worse state than they left in. This is the devotion of a friend though, not the service of a servant. As Connla never served anything like a lord in life, or even really learned what one was, expecting any sense of decorum from him is totally meaningless.    The long and short of it though? Make sure to treat Connla well, and he'll treat you a thousand times better in return.

The result of a crime. A child born as his mother's shame and humiliation. Those were the terrible circumstances of Connla's birth.    His mother, Aífe, was a fierce warrior, with an even fiercer rivalry against her sister, Scáthach. And in a battle meant to be between those two...a mutt, against all odds, rampaged onto the scene. Cú Chulainn, Hound of Ulster, fought and defeated Aífe. If that was all, everything would've been fine. But then, he—    Before Connla's birth, Aífe was told to give him a unique red-gold ring, and three oaths to live by, both only when he was old enough to wear that ring without it slipping off his finger. Those were the wishes of his father. His mother responded by etching those vows into her son's soul as Geas. With that, she put into motion a plan that would cause her more pain than she'd ever thought possible, and doomed Connla from the moment he was born.    Cú Chulainn left Dún Scáith long before his son was born, so Connla was left in the care of his mother, who saw to his training personally at first. But as the years passed, he, too, was sent to train under his aunt. It was there that already intense training became absolutely grueling. Yet he persevered. And eventually, he got to leave.    Once Connla ventured out into the world in search of his wayward father, he tore a path across the land, soundly defeating every warrior who dared challenge him. Finally, he found the man he sought.     Even knowing who this man was, there were no words the two of them could share. Connla, outhbound to not speak of his identity, and Cú Chulainn, oathbound to fight on behalf of his king, knew this was unavoidable. It was a test of strength that brought both of them to their absolute limit—and yet, Connla's limit was just a bit higher than Cu Chulainn's.     The cursed Gáe Bolg was drawn.

"I need to see him. Just once."    For as long as he could remember, Connla's always wanted that. Even being told his father was a vicious cur, that he's better off never knowing him, Connla couldn't just pretend that he didn't need to know who his father was. Aífe wanted them to meet, but for her own reasons, and wanted Connla under no illusions about his father's true nature. Even so, that didn't really matter to him. If his father was a terrible person, that was fine.     Life wasn't all bad though. Relentless taskmaster she might've been, he loved his mother, and she loved him, in her own way. Aífe wasn't often warm, but she was always caring.     She constantly pushed him to the brink, but with a full smile, made sure to praise him whenever he succeeded. She gave him no quarter when they sparred, but never forced him to fight again until he thought he was ready. Her scoldings were blunt, but light, coming from a place of instruction rather than frustration.     Aífe was far from the perfect mother, but to Connla, she couldn't have been anything but.    "I don't care what he'll think of me, or how he might be."    When he'd matured a little, Connla began training with Scáthach. He greeted her and her daughter Uathach with bright eyes and implacable conviction, ready for whatever could be thrown at him.    She didn't need clairvoyance to know what was in store for him.     So day after day, she tried to break his spirit.     But day after day, Connla showed up eager for his next lesson.    It didn't matter how many times his bones were broken, his body riddled with wounds, his mind utterly tormented. He had something to do, so he just couldn't give up yet.     Scáthach was his aunt, but it was because she was his aunt that she'd gone that far to try and keep him from leaving. But as time went by, and spars seemed to keep him down less and less, as contending with hordes of despairing wraiths ceased to terrify him, and as Connla seemed not to change one bit, his fate's inevitability was all too clear.    "I need to see him, but it's more than that. I just...I—"    Connla left Dún Scáith, received his father's only gift, and set out in search of him. Aífe had simply told Connla to find him, and that just asking after him would be enough to be pointed in the right direction. He checked place after place, asked person after person, but as a result of his Geas, the result was almost always a fight. Not that it really mattered. Connla would simply beat them and move on. And that's how it was, until it really did lead him to the Hound of Ulster.    Even if he hadn't been told who it was, Connla would've recognized him on sight. He could "feel" it as soon as their eyes met. And for just a moment, he wanted to tell him everything, to pour his heart out to this man he didn't even know. But he didn't. And when their battle started in earnest, he wouldn't.     Broken and bloodied beyond belief, barely capable of standing, and neither of them were even close to giving up. Yet it had to end. His father drew a crimson spear that set every one of Connla's nerves on edge. He knew he should've backed down right then and there. But he couldn't turn back, and wouldn't have nevertheless. Connla readied his own weapon.    If he'd only known about the Gáe Bolg's deadly barbs, he might've been able to prevent it's use. But Connla was faster, his spear just barely set to fly first, and ensure that at the very least, they were going to kill each other.     Except, at the last possible second.    "—I need him to see me."    Connla couldn't kill his own father.    His grip slackened. Connla's spear fell, while Gáe Bolg struck true.     Connla died in the arms of a father who'd never known him, while thinking of the mother he'd left behind, and the days he'd never see.

Aífe  His beloved mother, the most important person in the world. Connla holds no grudges against Aífe, loving her and understanding that, for all her faults, she loves him just as much. He’d never do anything to intentionally upset or displease her, and always seeks to make her proud...unaware that he doesn’t really need to do anything for that to be the case.     Cú Chulainn  Connla admires his father as a warrior, but their actual relationship is very very complicated. "I know he's my father...but I don't really know what that's supposed to mean, y'know?" Connla might laud his strength in battle and reputation as a hero, but that's really where their connection ends, as he has no idea what to think of him as a person—especially since he has a hard time reconciling the fact that he did something heinous to his mother. Connla really does want to love him.    Scáthach  His teacher, the most terrifying person in the world. He thinks of her as an instructor first and an aunt second, and shows her respect accordingly. Connla loves her a lot, despite how you'd think he'd feel about everything she put him through, and is grateful for everything she taught him in his formative years.    Uathach  His cousin, but Connla treats her more like a big sister. Because they only ever really had each other to talk to, they naturally grew very close, and it was with Uathach that Connla was free to really act as a child should, memories that he values greatly. She's the only one he ever confided in regarding why exactly he wanted to see his father so badly. If she were summoned as a Servant, he’d hound her every second of the day.    Fergus mac Róich  Though he seems to think highly of Connla, he has no idea who this guy is. He'd be much kinder with Fergus if he weren't always saying weird things.    Arturia Pendragon (Lily)  In a few ways, she reminds him of Uathach, so he really likes tagging along with her. The biggest difference is that she's just so much nicer than...well, anyone else he ever knew. It throws him for a loop sometimes.    Mordred  He feels a natural kinship with her as one who, like him, was used as a pawn. She doesn't understand why he's so quick to forgive his parents though, and likewise, he doesn't get why she claims to hate someone she so obviously loves. Still, they're friendly. Mordred's like a rebellious older friend that shoves him way out of his comfort zone.    Alexander  Just the absolute coolest. He loves sparring and getting lessons in tactics from "Alex," who he admires as another young warrior. He's also super psyched that Alex grows up to be bigger and even cooler.    Sitonai  Connla admires her a lot, seeing her as someone very similar to himself—a warrior whose youth belies immense skill and determination. He wants to be closer to her, but she feels just a bit too mature for him to really get on the same wavelength.