Basilio shakes his head, "You will never unite the Lasombra, and certainly not in a bid to hold a single city in transylvannia. My own motives for taking it were... less than ideal. You'd be better off seeking help from Michael, if the good Patriarch even deigns to hear your voice, by pledging yourself to him. Jurgen is also a good bet; perhaps one well pursued in future ventures. In a decade or two I could arrange an invitation for you; I expect him to launch an invasion of Transylvania before the century is out."
It almost boggles Anton's mind to hear his sire speak in such long terms - it takes him as second to realize just how young he is compared to these ancient beings, for whom time must mean little indeed.
It was often said among the undead that the best laid schemes took centuries to hatch - but when they did, they struck almost infaillibly. Entire cities taken in a single night, their holders killed by their own servants, destroyed by enemies forgotten ages ago, only for them to be destroyed in turn by their own long-forgotten rivals.
It is a dangerous game to play, scheming among the long dead.
"Magnus is a very old monster, no rival to Boukephos but powerful enough that he might compare to one of his childer. Even he bends the knee to Michael, however. His sire, Ectoris, was leader of Constantinople before Michael, controlling the city through the cults of Aphrodite some thousand years ago.
When Michael, the Dracon and Antonius arrived in the entourage of Emperor Constantine the Great, Ectoris engaged in an ill-advised attempt to hold Byzantium against them. He mobilized his pawns and even made threats against the person of the emperor himself.
Magnus saw the writing on the wall and betrayed Ectoris and the rest of his consanguineous siblings. He staked them all before they rose for the evening and destroyed all save Ectoris, whom he presented to the Triumvirate along with his his professions of loyalty and his promise that he would help to evangelize the city. He was elevated to a Scion family under the purview of Michael. Do not expect loyalty to the clan from one such as him, and never for him to turn against Michael, though perhaps for him to give you Michael's ear. He also happens to have quite a bit of influence with the orthodox church.
For that matter, Gabrielle and Alfonse are both bishops. You won't find many of our kind without ties to the church."
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Topic: The Knight's Foul Deed - Anton (Read 273139 times)