Fate Third Holy Grail War

Third Holy Grail War

History

The third Holy Grail War to take place in Fuyuki City, the Third Holy Grail War took place in the 1930s, before the outbreak of World War II. The war ultimately ended in failure with the destruction of the Lesser Grail before a victor could be determined.

System

The Third Holy Grail War uses the "Heaven's Feel" ritual developed by the Three Founding Families—Einzbern, Matou, and Tohsaka—over 200 years prior as a means to reach Akasha and retrieve the Third Magic. The Kotomine Church was chosen as the site for the evocation of the Holy Grail during this war. For the first time, an overseer has also been appointed by the Church to oversee the war and prevent it from becoming chaotic, as had happened in previous wars. The Church also intervenes during the war to keep it secret from the general public. This includes manipulating information or witness memories while covering up damage caused during battles. The Mages' Association, which manages the press, also assists in this regard.

Result

Participants in the Third Holy Grail War included mages from the Tohsaka and Edelfelt families. The Einzberns also became involved, attempting to subvert the system by invoking the Zoroastrian god, Angra Mainyu. During the war, battles over the Lesser Grail were fought between Nazi Germany and the Imperial Army. However, the Lesser Grail was destroyed before a victor could be determined, and the Greater Grail was corrupted by the absorption of Angra Mainyu.

It is revealed in Fate/Apocrypha that during this time, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia worked with the Nazis to capture the Greater Grail, which he then stole for himself and kept hidden in his castle in Romania for 60 years while he accumulated mana.

Participants

Masters
Master Einzbern
Avenger's Master in the Fate/Stay Night universe and Ruler's Master in the Fate/Apocrypha In-universe, the Einzbern Master was a homunculus modeled after Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern and created by the Einzberns after losing the Second Holy Grail War. In the Fate/Stay Night universe, she realizes that Avenger is a useless servant and is quickly killed, and Avenger continues to corrupt the Grail. In the Fate/Apocrypha universe, she summons Ruler but is killed in battle.

The Edelfelt Sisters
The Edelfelt sisters were the Saber Mistresses during the Third Holy Grail War. Although they were considered one Master, thanks to their Ore Scales ability, they were able to summon two sides of the Saber, meaning they each had a Saber Servant. The sisters separated during the war, as did their Servants. One of them survived until the end of the war, although her wish was not granted due to the destruction of the Lesser Grail. No one knows what happened to the other sister.

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia
Head of the Yggdmillennia family, Darnic was cold and calculating, stopping at nothing to get what he wanted. He was Lancer's master and worked with the Nazis during the Third Holy Grail War. He eventually managed to steal the Greater Grail for himself and hid it beneath his castle for 60 years until the events of the Great Holy Grail War.

Anonymous Puppet User
Assassin's Master, an unnamed puppeteer, was a relative of Faldeus and a skilled puppet user. He used Assassin with his many puppets to gain an advantage in combat.

Master Tohsaka
A mage chosen by the Tohsaka family to participate in the Third Holy Grail War. He was the master of an unknown servant.

Master Catou
A mage chosen by the Matou family to participate in the Third Holy Grail War. He was the master of an unknown servant.

The servants
Saber
The Edelfelt sisters' servant, Saber, was split into two separate entities due to their sorcery trait, the Ore Scales. Each entity represents a different side of Saber. Saber's true identity during the Third Holy Grail War is unknown. However, true to her class, one of the Sabers manages to reach the end of the war, but the Lesser Grail is destroyed before a victor can be determined.

Avenger
Master Einzbern's servant in Fate/Stay Night. In-universe, Avenger's true identity is Angra Mainyu, and his participation in the Third Holy Grail War replaced the Berserker class. A useless servant, he would be absorbed into the Grail and corrupt it with all the evil in the world.

Ruler
The servant of Master Einzbern in the Fate/Apocrypha universe, Ruler's true identity is Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.

Assassin
The true identity of the assassin, servant of the nameless puppet user, is Hassan-i-Sabbah. His activities during the Third Holy Grail War are largely unknown.

Lancer
The true identity of Lancer, Darnic's servant, is Fionn mac Cumhaill, from Irish history. He is an elegant and charming man, a noble knight who follows a righteous path. He possesses several skills, including magic resistance, divinity, magic, and clairvoyance. His Noble Phantasms include Mac an Luin, Uisce Beatha, and Fintan Finegas.

Unknown Servant
An unknown servant who was Master Tohsaka's servant.

Unknown Servant
An unknown servant who was Master Matou's servant.