[b][i]Anastasios Palaiologos and Lucius Tiberius/Saber of Purple (Purple Faction)[/i][/b] As he stood on the balcony of his Neo-Gothic manor house in [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taygetus]Mount Taygetus[/url], a Neo-Gothic manor house with towers and a high concrete wall meant to emulate the castles of old, Anastasios Palaiologos prepared his defenses. Now that he and Lucius had demonstrated their strength against [i]both[/i] the Clock Tower and Yggdmillenia, no-name Magi with lack of talent or good sense had signed up to be part of the new world order Anastasios had promised them, an order where those without a connection to the Supernatural [i]knew their place[/i]. Same for the creatures of darkness which both the Clock Tower and the Holy Church hunted - Dead Apostles and at least one Dead Apostle Ancestor. Of course, he wasn't blind. The Yggdmillenia Family, whom he had personally betrayed, was calling for his head, the Clock Tower, and the rest of the Magus' Association likewise. Blind fools - Too afraid of the so-called Counter Force to consider radical solutions to the loss of Mystery and the beauty and wonder it represented. Would they rather have the ancient cultures of the world be wiped out by a consumerist mega-culture with no judgment or end goal beyond the comfort of complacent 'masses'? Not that the obsolete moral framework of compassion and love and 'humanity' didn't have any use - It had allowed him to manipulate his grandson long enough for the latter to distract the Clock Tower from his own plans for a Greater Grail War. Now the clock was ticking to doomsday, and he couldn't be happier... [b][i]Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia and Vlad III/Lancer of Black (Black Faction)[/i][/b] Darnic hated to admit it, but Anastasios Palaiologos' treachery had put all of Yggdmillenia on the back foot, forcing them to change the Catalysts for Servant Summoning, uproot themselves from their home territory of Trifas Castle, and go further into debt trying to transport themselves to the outskirts of [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patras]Patras, Grece[/url], a crowded city whose thousands of civilians needed regular mental interference not to notice anything. However, not all was lost, for several former dependents of the Palaiogos Family who despised Anastasios' madness and his grandson's weakness had aligned themselves with Yggdmillenia, providing them with a mansion and workshop as well as resources to build a [i]new[/i] Homunculi army. Footsteps can be heard heading in his direction - It was Vlad Dracul, Lancer of Black, his would-be trump card in the war. Where once he would have been summoned as a King, now 'Dracula' was a warrior and bodyguard whose position was to be beside him, warding off all threats. Either way, it was time for himself to sit down on the throne provided by the Plethon Family, their hosts, and give a speech. "Scions of Yggdmillenia..." Darnic trailed off as he started his speech before the assembled Masters and Servants. "We find ourselves on the backfoot, faced with superior forces on both sides, and uprooted from our home due to treachery within - Anastasios Palaiologos must pay for this! But there is hope, not only in our own strength of will and body but also in this immutable fact - Our enemies hate each other more than they do us!" "Right now, Anastasios and his gaggle of traitors plan the doom of Humanity, including those who wish for the nobility of Magecraft, and that opens up an opportunity for us. I predict that the Clock Tower will abase itself before us and ask for a truce, and it is then that we will pretend to accept it, just as they pretend to keep it!" [b][i]Daniel Palaiologos and Iskander/Rider of Red (Red Faction)[/i][/b] Daniel Palaiologos did not like being humiliated, over and over again. First by falling for his Grandfather’s lies, then by having to pay a fine to the Clock Tower. Granted, the latter was an organization he had wound up joining anyway and much to his surprise, had enough decent folks within it in order to warrant siding with. But the point was that losing all of the Peloponnese to his Grandfather and his so-called ‘Philosopher Kings’ was the latest indignity he was suffering in this entire twisted business. At least he had enjoyed a year or so under Lord El-Melloi II's personal tutelage, that was a surprising twist in the drama which his life had become. He and Lovise, his fellow Master of Red, had become friends there, too, which was another good outcome of this mess. Nevertheless, this entire business [i]stung[/i]. The Red Team had been gathered near the ruins of the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexamilion_wall]Hexamillion Wall[/url] - Daniel may have been a former enemy of the Clock Tower, but he knew the area and thus had a claim to leadership of the Team. So he chose to 'politely request' that the Red Team were to meet up to form strategy here first, a strategy which amounted to him clearing his throat and saying bluntly, "If you guys are wondering why the Mages' Association chose a place with so few luxuries, well, Shielder has a Personal Skill which can improve any pre-set defenses into a magical fortress that can break entire armies like water. And what is this wall but a pre-existing defense with a [i]personal[/i] link to Shielder's past life? This and the Leyline will mean that we have the best defense of all three Teams." A pause for breath, before the boy continued, "Now, for other business: The Philosopher Kings have an extraordinarily powerful Dead Apostle on their side. We need a truce with Yggdmillenia as a result as they hate Dead Apostles too. Will you guys agree, or disagree? If you agree, say yes. If you disagree, say no. Then we can all get to know each other, send our armies against the Philsopher Kings at once, or just split up according to our personal strategies for winning the war." Iskander was beside the boy, hopefully lending his presence and charisma passively to his Master's suggestions and making the other Red Masters and Servants more receptive to them...