Saturday sounds fine to me for starting, if everyone else is OK with that.
St.Patrick: Sorry to hear that! Sure you don't want Golden Era Arco, with brand-new full bronze armor and weapons? Or Niefel Jotunheim, with new armor and weapons for the Niefels and better-morale militia? Abysia, with a unit finally able to blood-hunt effectively, fire mages with higher precision, better salamanders and holy units that don't fall asleep after 4 turns? Ermor, with improved soulless and Shadow Vestals?
Well, it's up to you
Feel free to start another game if you really want one of those 4 nations.
Rabelais: There's still plenty of room in this game, just check the first post and grab a nation! And as for cyclopses... they make great tramplers with luck, mistform, mirror image, ethereality, regen, and a horror helmet. Even when they're blind
