Nergal

is the God of the Sun, War, Diseases, and Plagues in Mesopotamian mythology. 
==Profile==
===Background===
Nergal was recorded as being Ereshkigal's husband in Sumerian myth, however in Fate they weren't in any relationship with each other. He was sought after by Ereshkigal, who desired his Authority over the sun in order improve the Underworld; however, Nergal tricked her even in defeat by giving her the half of his Authorities that governed diseases and plagues instead. 
===Appearance===
Nergal does not directly appear within the story. His remnants are depicted as generic ghost sprites, and Darius III's Shadow Servant sprite is used to portray him in battle.
His living form would likely be blond, as the gods of Mesopotamia all have blond hair.fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia - Section 7: The Tablet of Destinies
===Personality===
The real Nergal mocked Ereshkigal in the backstory, and got beaten up by her after he took her up on her challenge and went down to the Underworld. According to Gilgamesh and Dumuzid, Nergal was one of the few Sumerian gods who could swallow his pride and admit his fault. It was why he ultimately acquiesced to Ereshkigal after his defeat (not that it stopped him from taking a bit of minor revenge by denying her what she truly wanted from him).
==Role==
===Fate/Grand Order===
====Christmas Event: Merry from the Underworld====
Plotting to usurp Ereshkigal as ruler of Kur, Nergal's lingering malice took advantage of her confusion at being unable to reincarnate completely despite discarding her memories of the Babylonia Singularity. He told her of Chaldea and convinced her that their memories of her are why she can't reincarnate. Seeing the chaotic state Kur is in, Ereshkigal considered Chaldea a threat and sent Sumerian Fever to destroy the organization. Then, to take responsibility for breaking her oath, she agreed with Nergal to dissolve herself in the waters of the Abyss and hand over her Authority to him. Nergal afterward closed all of Kur's gates to keep out intruders.
He later comes to the third gate to retrieve Ereshkigal, who left the Abyss to deal with Ritsuka and Altera. He implores her to return to the Abyss, reminding her that Kur will disappear if she isn't present when the ritual is conducted. Ereshkigal concedes and returns to the Abyss with him.
Infuriated that Ritsuka and Altera made it so far into Kur, Nergal tries to set a trap for them at the sixth gate. That plan is thwarted, however, thanks to Merlin's interference. He attacks Ritsuka and Altera in a fit of rage but they defeat him.
Nergal confronts the pair again at the Abyss as they find themselves unable to reach its bottom. He tells them the living can't do so without a guide, as their soul would be devoured. He then moves to kill Ritsuka to ensure Ereshkigal will disappear and Kur will become his. Though Altera defeats him repeatedly, Nergal keeps coming back. He declares it is useless as his malice has rooted itself in Kur and calls himself the collection of voices calling for a new Kur. As such, only the ruler of Kur can keep him in check. Altera finds she cannot truly destroy Nergal without Ereshkigal's help, but neither she nor Ritsuka knows how to reach the Abyss' bottom. Nergal tries to kill Altera, but Leonidas blocks his attack. Leonidas tells Ritsuka that they already hold what they need: the Sands of the Underworld. Using the weight of the sands, Ritsuka and Altera sink to the bottom of the Abyss while Leonidas holds off Nergal.
As Altera is overwhelmed by Ereshkigal at the bottom of the Abyss, Nergal mocks her and humans in general for being foolish enough to challenge Ereshkigal in the underworld. He also mocks Ritsuka for wanting to help Ereshkigal when she discarded her memories of them. But to his and Ereshkigal's surprise, Altera reveals she has the Queen of Kur's discarded memories. She tries to return them, but Nergal takes over Ereshkigal's body to kill Altera. Dumuzid arrives, however, and blocks Nergal's attack. He reveals he recovered and safeguarded Ereshkigal’s memories. Altera then returns Ereshkigal's memories to her. Angry that he reinforced her memories, Nergal asks Dumuzid if he has forgotten the humiliation he suffered at Ishtar and Ereshkigal's hands and the anger it roused. Dumuzid doesn't answer and escapes. With her memories restored, Ereshkigal ejects Nergal from her body and returns to her old self. Nergal asks Ereshkigal if she will cling to her Servant Spirit Origin and abandon Kur. He cannot allow such a thing, saying she will disappear and Kur will be reborn. Ereshkigal admits she will not abandon her form as a Servant, nor will she abandon her duties as Queen of Kur. She now realizes her mistake and that Nergal only wanted Kur for his own self-gratification. Altera and Ritsuka then help her banish Nergal.
Defeated, Nergal is surprised that Ereshkigal can wield his Authority so effectively and wonders why he ever gave it to her. Dumuzid returns and informs Nergal that he is nothing more than the malice born from the battle between the real Nergal and Ereshkigal and thus has no knowledge of its aftermath. He also reveals Nergal willingly gave his Authority to Ereshkigal following their battle as a friendly gesture of respect. Nergal's Malice refuses to believe it and disappears, believing he and Kur could have remained a part of humanity's mythology if Kur was ruled by fear and lamentation like himself.
==Abilities==
Nergal holds Authority over the Sun and War, and formerly also had Authority over Diseases and Plagues before giving them to Ereshkigal as part of their deal.
==References==
Category:Divine Spirits
Category:Babylonian historical and mythological figures
Category:Characters in Fate/Grand Order (Part 1.5)
Category:Introduced in 2017