Die-Hards

The Die-Hards are fans of Forever Knight who wish to participate in Forever Knight Wars, but do not or will not choose a character- or relationship-based affiliation to play with. They are generally considered to be one of the original six factions that took part in War One, though they did not actually take the name "Die-Hard" until War Two. 
Forever Knight fans are well aware of the irony of having a faction for people who do not join factions.
The Die-Hards consider themselves to be neutral in war; and, although this does not preclude attack, their headquarters is provided with impregnable defences. It can be used as a refuge by members of other factions seeking a temporary retreat from war activities. The neutrality of the faction was laid out in its constitution, which, at the beginning of War Two, they distributed to all and sundry in the form of a hundred-page "leaflet". 
At the height of FK fandom, when wars involved large numbers of players, people were required to join a faction in order to take part. Apart from acting as a faction in their own right, therefore, the Die-Hards also provide a nominal affiliation for people who really prefer to remain unaffiliated. In addition, they provide an umbrella for members of small factions that are unable to field a sufficient number of players for a quorum.
==Faction Symbol==
When Susan M. Garrett and Calliope Monsoon created affiliation pins for fans attending Dead of Winter Con in January 1995, their designs included a pin for the Die-Hards. To symbolize the non-affliation affiliation, they simply used the logo for the television series itself.
==Early Faction Headquarters==
In War One, the retroactively-identified Die-Hards had simply been unaffiliated players. However, by War Two, they had thoroughly organized themselves and wrote a coherent story arc. Among other things, this required them to provide their faction with a headquarters in Toronto, where the war was set. Since they had no affiliation with any of the characters in the series, they had to invent an HQ for themselves.
For this, they used the deceptively dilapidated St. George Residence as their fictional headquarters. This was located near the University of Toronto. As Die-Hard HQ, it was turned into a heavily defended sanctuary, with aerial defences against flying vampires. The HQ was designated neutral territory for anyone wishing to retreat temporarily from the War. 
==New HQ and Prop Museum==
In War Seven, a new faction headquarters made its debut. This was the location of the (real-world) former film studios on Garamond Court that had been used to produce the Forever Knight series. As the war was held shortly after the series concluded, filming had ended in reality as well as in the Toronto of the Wars. The studio was (fictionally) purchased just after the cancellation of the show "with the intent of setting up a Forever Knight museum and memorial"According to War post "The Die-Hards Arrive" (archived). but was turned into the faction's headquarters when War Seven began. 
The site was taken over intact, including the security gate (at that time with an armed guard named George). 
 
All Die-Hards have identification key-cards, which unlock the various buildings and rooms. Furthermore, at least at first, all members were known by sight to the guards. 
With the studios themselves repurposed as a headquarters, the Forever Knight Props Museum was set up next door. It ostensibly contains most, though not all, of the props that were used in the series. (It should be noted that, since Wars take place in the Toronto of Forever Knight, the characters are "real". This means that the "actual" objects remain in the possession of the characters. Only the props are in the museum.)
In War 13, the museum was elaborated with a large library:
 
==Feliks Twist==
Financing the headquarters (and the later museum) is no problem, since (according to "The Die-Hards Arrive") the faction has a most able financial advisor in Feliks Twist, a guest character who appeared in the episode "Blood Money". 
The Die-Hard connection with Feliks has continued up to the present.
==Faction Icon==
In 2012, Greer Watson created a series of icons to represent the various factions. For the Die-Hards' icon she repurposed a symbol that she had previously used on her own website, where (as a Die-Hard herself) she had put her posts in War 13.
This symbol composits the United Nations logo (a pale blue globe, with white olive branches on either side) with the logo for the Forever Knight television series. The latter—the original Die-Hard symbol—replaces the stylized map of the world in the UN logo. The design references the traditional neutrality of the Die-Hards.
==References==