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[attr="class","field"]Nergül and Sarangerel were the last vestiges of two dying families. Nergül had no magic circuits at all, and Sarangerel had but two. They were both successful outside of magic as wealthy businessmen and money-lenders respected by both the magical and normal communities.

Both Nergül and Sarangerel were willing to turn away from magic altogether, but their families arranged a marriage and rigged their children to maximize all remaining magical potential. As a part of Yggdmillenia, the families were well aware that they possessed the Holy Grail. Their goal was to create an heir worthy of the Holy Grail War.

The union's first son was hope itself: Batu-Erdene, a prodigy blessed with talent from generations past. Both families' hopes and dreams fell on his shoulders. He slept little and ate less, committing all his energies to the study of magic. Nothing he could do was ever enough. He was miserable, but he was dedicated.

In contrast, when Altai-Erdene was born, he was coddled and spoiled. He was taught finance and accounting to inherit his parents' non-magical businesses. Talented with numbers, he rarely needed to work and instead spent most of his time playing. To his parents, he was a darling child that could do no wrong.

Batu died in the middle of his summoning ritual. His magic circuits failed him. Inexplicably, his command seals passed onto Altai.

Devastated, his family mourns the passing of Batu-Erdene and Altai-Erdene both. Altai isn't even dead yet, but he understands why his parents are already making funeral preparations.

[attr="class","field"]RUDE. Altai is 100% capable of being a decent human being, albeit a spoiled and bratty one. Ever since the start of the war, that boy's been replaced by a terror: a whiny, petulant child that respects no one and complains too much.

ANGRY. He's a fifteen-year-old boy, and he was prone to temper tantrums to begin with. The circumstances just exacerbates his natural need to vent. He loathes everything and blames everyone. It's not all pubertal rage though; this whole war really is a big bag of shit.

PESSIMISTIC. He's a smart kid; he knows he's as good as dead. Altai even finds twisted entertainment in the idea. Shall he die in an attempt to do good or for no reason at all? Would pain give more or less meaning to the experience? Would suicide be cleanest? Would betrayal be funnest? So much to ponder.

OVERCOMPENSATION. He's not fit for this war, and it hurts him to admit it--and how can he not admit it? To compensate, Altai's a complete and total asshole that goes out of his way to point out everyone else's flaws. He is 100% aware that this is an illogical way to compensate. He doesn't care.

MASTERMIND. Altai plans many steps ahead; he sees the big picture; he sees straight into the heart of what matters. He handles micro- and macro-management with ease. He would have a plan for the Holy Grail War, but he won't bother since he can't foresee a victory under any circumstances short of divine intervention.

NEEDY. He has no hope, yet Altai's desperate for approval, for some way to prove himself worthy of his command seals. He wants to amount to something, so that his brother's death will have meaning. Fundamentally, Altai's not okay with being a failure of a master, but how can he be anything else?

REGRET. Altai wants to undo the past: he wants his brother to succeed with his summoning ritual and to win the entire Grail War. In the end, it's seeing all Batu's hard work go to waste that enrages him the most. Life's not fair, but Altai wishes it were. He wishes for justice.

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• Nergül Crest: Invisibility - Altai can turn slightly transparent, think 90% opacity. There is pretty much no situation where this comes in handy. He won't be able to successfully turn invisible (or at least more camouflage-friendly) until he loses his need to prove himself a worthy master to the world. Invisibility is about hiding, after all.
• Sarangerel Crest: Phasing - Altai is better with this one. He can turn bits of himself intangible, no more than a hand or foot for about ten seconds. At close range, this is a weapon. Phasing a part of himself through someone's body will disrupt prana flow, literally cramping their magic circuits. This is far more damaging to heroic spirits (being spirits and all) than it is to people. As a defensive option, phasing will also make physical attacks irrelevant, but Altai needs either skill or power to pull that off, and he has neither. Altai can only master the Sarangerel crest when he fully (or even partially) understands himself. It requires a soul at peace to be most effective.
• Noob - Altai received his crests literally three days before the war began. He has no clue what he's doing. He's not really a fast learner either, so his only hope of being useful is by mastering his crests. He won't be using any magic otherwise.
• Danger - The price for failure with both his crests is high. Failing to properly use either results in either fading away forever (Nergül) or his own slow disintegration (Sarangerel). No one knows if magi that suffer such a fate are still "alive."
• Magic Circuits - Altai has twenty-two circuits. Considering that his parents had a combined total of two circuits, that's really impressive. It's not like he really knows how to use them though.
• Ticking Time Bomb - Like his brother, Altai's magic circuits were magically induced. This has its price. Sometimes, they just don't work; it's impossible to channel magic through them. It only lasts for a few seconds at most, but if it happens at an inopportune moment, like it did with his brother during the summoning ritual, it is almost certain death. Coupled with the unforgiving nature of his crests, Altai only uses magic when he needs to.
• Crippling Inferiority Complex - Batu-Erdene had forty-seven magic circuits and perfect mastery of the family crests. This makes Altai feel great about himself.