# SCREENPLAY — The Nine Banners > **v7 = 95:30 FROZEN** · S1 whole-scene = 6:00 · DO-NOT-FLIP > Director authority · Editor ledger: RUNTIME_BUDGET.md > Creative source: `../PLAN/HOMM3/` scene files + SCRIPT.md **THE END · 95:30** --- ## ACT BOUNDARIES | Act | Window | Runtime | |-----|--------|--------:| | ACT I — The Fall | [00:00–26:30] | 26:30 | | ACT II — The Gathering | [26:30–74:30] | 48:00 | | ACT III — The War | [74:30–95:30] | 21:00 | --- # ACT I — THE FALL ## §01 [00:00–06:00] THE ASSASSINATION **INT. ERATHIA THRONE-HALL — NIGHT** Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_I_The_Fall/SCENE_01-assassination.md` + `SCENE_01_BATTLE.md` Victory feast winding down. King Gryphonheart raises his cup. Lord Haart slips away. Poison. Necromancers emerge — Sandro leads. The doomed guard's shield-wall is annihilated and reanimated in one gesture. > **GRYPHONHEART:** "To Erathia. May she outlast her king." > **CHRONICLER (V.O.):** "A king once believed the gods loved the just, and so he could not fall." **OUT:** bone-rattle percussion under → S02 --- ## §02 [06:00–12:30] THE RISING **INT. CRYPT — NIGHT** Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_I_The_Fall/SCENE_02-the-rising.md` Sandro's ritual. The Lich King rises. Garrison massacre — the dead take the field. > **SANDRO:** "Rise, Majesty. Your kingdom still needs you." > **LICH KING:** "…Erathia." **OUT:** hooves drop into → S03 --- ## §03 [12:30–18:30] THE QUEEN RETURNS **EXT. ERATHIA COAST — DAWN** Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_I_The_Fall/SCENE_03-queen-returns.md` Catherine lands into ruin. First skirmish — Bless/Destroy Undead. Grief made personal. > **CATHERINE:** "Then I'll dig it up with my own hands." **OUT:** **HARD CUT** → sunlit S04 (green→gold dissolve reserved for S12 only; 1-beat ritual-green/ember AUDIO pre-lap) --- ## §04 [18:30–26:30] THE MUSTER **EXT. FORTRESS GATES — DAY** Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II_The_Gathering/SCENE_04-the-muster.md` The host assembles. Catherine resolves to raise nine banners. > **CATHERINE:** "One banner cannot hold the dark. So we will raise nine." **OUT:** sea-horizon **match-dissolve** → S05 (warmth-drop = Act I→II gear-change) --- # ACT II — THE GATHERING ## §05 [26:30–34:30] A LEADERLESS LAND Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II_The_Gathering/SCENE_05-forest-kin-rampart.md` Rampart — Gelu and the Forest Kin. S05 GREEN-CEILING: toxic-green weakest/most-diffuse, rumor-not-source. > **GELU:** "…Then we bend. But we do not kneel." **OUT:** road-wipe → S06 --- ## §06 [34:30–43:00] THE ELVEN BARGAIN Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II_The_Gathering/SCENE_06-silver-cities-tower.md` Tower — Solmyr and the Silver Cities. > **SOLMYR:** "…That, it seems, you have come to teach us." **OUT:** amber→cyan **hard tonal-contrast cut** → S07 (zero green) --- ## §07 [43:00–52:00] TOWERS AND BARBARIANS Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II_The_Gathering/SCENE_07-swamp-wardens-fortress.md` Fortress — Tazar and the Swamp Wardens. Pair #4: RE-TIME THE GENIE. > **TAZAR:** "…Marsh'll follow you, Queen." **OUT:** firelight→ember-red smash → S08 --- ## §08 [52:00–60:30] WAR DRUMS Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II_The_Gathering/SCENE_08-war-drums-stronghold.md` Stronghold — Crag Hack and the war-drums. Cut↔light: Shots 5–6 RED-ONLY, zero Necropolis green. > **CRAG HACK:** "…that's a fight worth singing about!" **OUT:** hard-silence → S09 --- ## §09 [60:30–67:30] GATES OF FIRE Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II-B_The_Enemy_Grows/SCENE_09-gates-of-fire-inferno.md` Director package: `scenes/09-DIR-SCN-009-DIRECT.md` (2026-07-19) Inferno — Xeron steps through the fire-gate. Third power, allied to neither living nor Dead. Spy-glow = INTRUSION rung ≤ S05 ceiling (AFTER Shot-4 SNAP only). > **XERON (S09-L01):** "Two feasts, laid out and fighting over the tablecloth. How generous. I'll take both." > **CHRONICLER (S09-L02 V.O.):** guest/hearth · hungers grow · not crown · ash (SCRIPT Sc.9 exact) **IN:** quiet holds from S08 hard-silence · speech-free until L01 **OUT:** sting-to-black → S10 · L02 clean before sting **Silent:** fire barrage · Armageddon · SNAP · aftermath (no invented combat speech) **BINDING:** `scenes/09-DE-SCN-009-CONFIRM.md` (DE formal IDs L01–L02) --- ## §10 [67:30–74:30] UNDERWORLD BARGAIN Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II-B_The_Enemy_Grows/SCENE_10-underworld-bargain-dungeon.md` Director BINDING: `scenes/10-DE-SCN-010-CONFIRM.md` (2026-07-19) Dungeon — Alamar and Sandro's bargain. Shot-3 ember flare = TEASE-THAT-LOSES (silent). > **ALAMAR (S10-L01):** "My dragons are the finest in the world, necromancer. What does your master offer for them?" > **SANDRO (S10-L02):** "A share of everything that lives. Soon — a share of everything that *doesn't*." > **ALAMAR (S10-L03):** "Then we are agreed. I sell to the winning side." > **SANDRO (S10-L04):** "Wise. Only remember, warlock — the winning side never has need of the man who sold it." > **CHRONICLER (S10-L05 V.O.):** sells to every hand · later than the coin (SCRIPT Sc.10 exact) **IN:** fade-up from S09 · speech-free until L01 **OUT:** **HARD CUT** to war drums → S11 · L05 clean · zero dissolve **Silent:** Shot-3 ember TEASE-THAT-LOSES · fade-up / HARD CUT holds --- ## §11 [74:30–86:30] ELEMENTAL AWAKENING Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_II-B_The_Enemy_Grows/SCENE_11-elemental-awakening-conflux.md` + Sc.11A fold Director package: `scenes/11-DIR-SCN-011-DIRECT.md` (2026-07-19) Conflux — Ignissa and the elemental nexus. Council-of-war ensemble folded in. **12:00 🔒 PROTECTED.** > **CATHERINE (S11-L01):** "Elemental! Fight with us — help us end them!" > **IGNISSA (S11-L02–L03):** fight *between* · fire that eats all fires · gift unearned > **CHRONICLER (S11-L04 V.O.):** balance is not peace (SCRIPT Sc.11 exact) > **Council (S11-L05–L11):** Crag · Gelu · Tazar · Solmyr · Catherine five hands / Sun's Tear · Ignissa which fire (SCRIPT Sc.11A exact) **IN:** HARD CUT war drums from S10 · speech-free until L01 **OUT:** breach/core-arrival → S12 **Silent:** drums establish · Phoenix dive · three-greens peak · breach holds --- # ACT III — THE WAR ## §12 [86:30–95:30] THE CLASH Source: `PLAN/HOMM3/ACT_III_The_War/SCENE_12-the-clash.md` + `SCENE_13-father-and-daughter.md` Director BINDING: `scenes/12-DE-SCN-012-CONFIRM.md` (2026-07-19) · DE formal **S12-L01–L09** Dawn charge · mass raise · father/daughter fold. Green-SHATTER (Shot 2) ≠ green→gold DISSOLVE (Shot 5) — **ONE dissolve**. Land on clean S04 dawn. > **CAPTAIN (S12-L01):** own dead > **CATHERINE (S12-L02):** reason to rest · LIGHT THE FIELD > **CHRONICLER (S12-L03 V.O.):** steel/kneels · nine banners · father's face > **CATHERINE (S12-L04):** "…Father." > **LICH KING (S12-L05):** Run while still me > **CATHERINE (S12-L06):** free you > **GRYPHONHEART (S12-L07):** Outlast me > **CHRONICLER (S12-L08–L09 V.O.):** free not win · land keeps (SCRIPT Sc.13 exact) **IN:** breach from S11 · speech-free until L01 **OUT:** **THE END · 95:30** · L09 clean · candle out **BINDING:** DE formal L01–L09 (not draft 10-ID split)