Originally David Garcia Martinez from Lalin’s Curse, a Webcomic by Isaky on Webtoons. Used with her consent._____________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Daniel Palaiologos
Title(s): That Kid!, The Atoner.
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Alignment: Red Faction
Rank: Junior Enforcer
Purpose for the Holy Grail War: Along with stopping his Grandfather, Daniel's wish is to replenish all of Humanity's resources except for Fossil Fuels, as well as mass regrowth of forests and coral reefs, along with the removal of excess Co2 and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This is not because Daniel is an eco-geek or a fanatic about the environment, but rather to prevent Humanity from destroying itself through resource conflicts and climate change and taking Magus-kind down along with it, ending all Magi's search for The Root permanently.
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Command Seal: Three Pairs of Phoenix Wings
Personality: Idealistic to the point of naivete, determined to the point of arrogance, and only now reluctantly admitting ignorance of his circumstances, Daniel is someone who regrets past gullibility and seeks to learn from it even though his idealism and arrogance prevent him from learning as quickly as he should. This regret makes him want to atone for his actions against the Clock Tower, no matter how ultimately minor, by serving them loyally but not as blindly as he had served his grandfather, who had caused the troubles of the family in the first place. But despite seeking The Root like the rest of the Clock Tower's Magi, Daniel has a larger-than-normal love for Humanity as a concept and a desire to give it one last gift before he or his descendants reached The Root. This gift would either be a Wish on the Holy Grail which benefits billions of people or his own efforts to get rid of threats to Humanity if they rear their ugly heads...
Bio: A long time ago, there was the Palaiologos Family, overlords of Modern Athens, Salonika, and Sparta's magical communities. They were Independent Magi who resented any form of oversight, including the Magus Association's, and though powerful for a while, their arrogance and lack of alliances with the wider network of Magi led their vassal families to slowly peel off and join the Clock Tower and even Atlas Academy, slowly chipping away at their strength. The lowest point was when the seventh child of the family, Deuel Palaiologos, left their ranks and married Maria Adamos, an ordinary woman and a scientist to boot, and chose to live a humble life as a restaurant owner, free from the burdens of Magus politics and seeking The Root.
Daniel was born from that marriage, and for a while, he was left alone to be raised in love by his parents, going to school, making friends, and reading books of all kinds, which he understood and absorbed from a young age. A genius, smart enough that it counted as a curse, especially when coupled with a natural talent for Magecraft, which his father reluctantly taught him. This, however, was noticed by his grandfather's spies, who were still watching Deuel and his family. And it became worse when all of a sudden, all of Deuel's siblings, Daniel's uncles and aunts, died in mysterious circumstances, and so did their children, Daniel's cousins.
This left Deuel, Maria, and Daniel as the only way for House Palaiologos to continue, and Anastasios Palaiologos, Daniel's grandfather and the Head of House, came directly for Daniel with a large detail of bodyguards - Deuel and Maria were damaged goods and so he wanted Daniel as his heir. Because of the threat of force, there was no choice but to let Daniel be taken away 'for training'. Daniel was ten then.
The training was hard and unforgiving, and to keep Daniel motivated, Anastasios began fudging the truth, saying that the Palaiologos Family was surrounded on all sides by enemies such as the Clock Tower and the rest of the Magus' Association and that Daniel was being trained to be a hero who will eventually bring them down. Being an impressionable kid, Daniel believed his grandfather and willingly threw himself harder into his studies, which included diplomacy, etiquette, and the use of firearms and swords.
Four years later, Anastasios gave Daniel the family Magic Crest, and to all appearances, died of natural causes. Daniel was now Family Head at fifteen, inheritor of a large fortune in the mundane world but with declining respect and deference from other Magi and Spellcasters alike. And after meeting once again with his parents and childhood friends, Daniel began dutifully working to fulfill his Grandfather's will, which was to gather the misfits and outcasts of Magus society together into a 'Resistance' to fight the Clock Tower.
The first sign things were wrong was when Daniel saw that these misfits and outcasts were no saints, and a few were actually scumbags who
deserved to be cast out, being the child-sacrificing louts who worshipped cosmic horrors and embodiments of metaphysical tyranny which he thought the Clock Tower was. The second sign was that when Daniel became too vocal with this sentiment, one of these 'oppressed misfits' instead reported him to the Clock Tower, who promptly sent people to arrest Daniel and nip his conspiracy in the bud. Despite being a 'prodigy' with more experience than a kid should have, he was still a teenager and was thus easily lured out and captured.
For a brief moment, Daniel considered blowing himself up rather than being subjected to the enemy's alleged cruel tortures, which included removal of one's magic circuits
entirely. Then he was knocked flat by a punch to the stomach before he can do so, and woke up in a surprisingly comfortable cell. After
that, he found out that not only had his Grandfather fed him lies, but that said Grandfather was still alive - He had created a unique form of Magecraft, based on Life and Necromancy Magics, which allowed him to add other people's lifespans to his own, tricking death itself into thinking he was supposed to still be alive. This magic was best-cast in a Bounded Field, and the
real reason Daniel's uncles, aunts, and cousins died was because Anastasios had tricked them into a place with such a Field and transferred their lifespans to himself.
And yes, there was a recording of Anastasios gloating about his plans, as well as other pieces of supporting evidence showing that his endgame was to use Daniel to found an organization to fight the Clock Tower and the rest of the Mages' Association, manipulating said organization to acquire power and knowledge for himself.
After taking a while to absorb the information, Daniel allowed the Clock Tower to exact a fine from him of his Family's most powerful Mystic Codes, as well as give him an official reprimand. He would eventually join the Clock Tower itself, for despite its amorality, it was a net benefit for Humanity. And when news arrived that his Grandfather had re-emerged, in Sparta of all places, he vowed to
hunt down the old man...
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Magic Circuit Switch: (Optional)
Number of Magic Circuits: D
Quality of Magic Circuits: A
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Elemental Affinity: Average One
Magecraft: Heroic Iconography Magecraft - The Palaiologos Family's signature Magecraft, dating from Greece and Rome and adapted to the Christian and Secular Eras, Heroic Iconography Magecraft uses Jewelry shaped into a form resonant in the collective subconscious (stars, planets, swords and rings) as a catalyst for a Ritual of Transformation (nowadays as simple as lifting up one's badge into the air and letting it catch the light of the sun, moon, and stars), combined with self-hypnosis to push one's physical and mental capabilities to the limit...
Crest: 1000 years old.
Mystic Codes: Jewel Star Badge and Uniform - A badge of electrum (a naturally-occurring alloy of gold and silver) and diamond which when held aloft, transforms Daniel's current clothing into a miniature version of
this uniform, which acts as lightweight armor with decent resistance to physical and magical force (think the Chaldea Uniform from FGO).
Electrum and Emerald Ring - A ring of electrum with an emerald set in its front, this ring carries basic Reinforcement and Healing Spells which allow for Olympic-level feats and basic regeneration (also based on the Chaldea Uniform from FGO).
Orbis - A crystal orb which contains several smaller jewels which represent a Heliocentric Solar System instead of the usual Geocentric cosmology followed by most Magi. This allows Daniel to see brief glimpses into the past, present, and future, as well as act as a Mana Compass which glows bright red when he meets with a danger too powerful to handle.
Telos - A modified Azoth dagger which can extend into a crystalline longsword which conducts Daniel's Elemental spells.
