AD&D - HR7 - The Crusades - Campaign Sourcebook (2e)

There, the Christian leaders quarrel over a
target for the Crusade. Finally deciding on
Damascus, their combined army lays siege to
the city in July.The Damascene atabeg, Unur,
summons help from Nur al-din at Aleppo.
Trapped between the armies of Damascus
and Aleppo, the Franks reluctantly retreat,
but their slow withdrawal is harried by bow-
men, who inflict heavy casualties.The Second
Crusade ends in humiliation and defeat.
1149. In May, Unur of Damascus accepts a
two-year truce with Jerusalem.During June,
;&-I Raymond battles Nur al-din near Inab, and

,

the Prince of Antioch is slain in combat. In
August, Unur dies and is replacedby a weaker
emir named Mejuir.
1150. In March, N u r al-din marches on
Damascus. Mejuir sends to Jerusalemfor aid.
King Baldwin advances north and Nur al-din
withdraws. Baldwin hastily arranges a truce
with Mejuir. Count Joscelinis captured in
April by Turkish adventurers and handed
over to Nur al-din. With King Baldwin’s per-
mission, the Countess of Edessa sells her
remaining lands near Turbussel to the Byzan-
tine emperor, permanently dissolving the
northern county.
1151. Nur al-din captures Turbussel. Prin-
cess Constance of Antioch dallies over her
choice for a new husband.
1152. Assassins murder the Count of Tripol,
outside the gates of his city. In March, King
Baldwin forcibly deposes his regent mother,
Mellisende, and assumes control of the gov-
ernment.
1153. In January,Baldwin lays siege to
Ascalon, which surrenders by August. In the
spring, Constance of Antioch decides to
marry a handsome young upstart, Reynald of
Ch%tillon.
1154. After a propaganda campaign
against Mejuir of Damascus, N u r al-Din
quickly advances on the demoralized city
and captures it after only a one-week siege.
In May, the reigning vizier in Egypt falls in a
quick coup. The chaotic Fatimid court is rife

with intrigue that effectively paralyzes the during April. Nur al-din sends his best gen-
government. eral, Shirkuh, to assist the ex-vizier. Once
1156. In March, Reynald assembles a fleet reinstated, the vizier promptly expels Shirkuh
in Antioch and invades Cyprus, brutally dev- from Cairo in May. The Turkish general cap-
astating the Byzantine island and angering tures Bilbeis, and Shawar auicklv bribes King
Emperor Manuel. During early autumn, Amalric to help dislodgekm. Amalric arriv;
scittrieosnGgf earthauakes devastate the Muslim at Bilbeis in August.
nor&rn Syria.
1157.In the spring, violent aftershocks During the king’s absen
shake the Orontes river valley, destroying strikes at h e north,:apturing both the Prince
both Muslim and Christian fortifications. of Antioch and the Count of Tripoli in battle.
The Count of Thiery arrives from Europe Amalric lifts the siege, hastens north, and
with a small army. In the winter, Baldwin, negotiates the release of Prince Bohemund
Thiery, and the precocious Reynald march on
the earthquake-damagedcity of Shaizar. 1165-66.N u r al-din attacks strongho
1158.Shaizar capitulates in February. In along the Lebanese frontier. In the south, his
September, Baldwin marries Princess Theo- general Shirkuh raids Outrejourdain.
dora of Constantinople and allies with
Emperor Manuel against both Nur al-din and 1167.In January,Shirkuh and his nephew
the rebellious Reynald. By winter, the Salah ad-din (Saladin) depart Damascus to
emperor arrives outside Antioch. Frightened, invade Egypt. The Franks assemble an army
Reynald averts disaster by contritely submit- to intercept the Syrian forces and are wel-
ting to Manuel. comed by vizier Shawar near Cairo. After a
1159.In April, Emperor Manuel occupies month of maneuvers, the Syrian army defeats
Antioch. Nur al-dinquickly sendsthe emperor the Franco-Egyptian coalition in March.
a hoard of tribute, requesting a truce. After When Amalric and Shawar retreat to Cairo,
signing the treaty, Manuel departs for home, Shirkuh captures Alexandria. By June,Amal-
arriving in September. ric and Shawar lay siege to Alexandria, forc-
1160.Baldwin raids the lands near Damas- ing Shirkuh and Saladin to surrender the city.
cus. In November, Reynald is captured dur- The Syrians return to Damascus in July.
ing a raid and jailed with Joscelin,the lord of_
former Edessa. Reynald remains in prison for Meanwhile, back in Palestine, Nur al-din
the next 16years. raids Tripoli during the summer. After
1161.Emperor Manuelbreaks off an engage- arranging a truce with Shawar, Amalric has-
ment with Lady Melisende of Tripoli. En- tens home in August to organize the king-
raged, the count assembles a fleet and raids dom’s battered defenses. By the end of the
the Byzantineisland of Cyprus. month, Amalric marries Maria Comnena, the
1162King Baldwin IIl grows ill and dies in emperor’s grand-niece.
February. The kingship passes to Baldwin’s
brother, Amalric. 1168.Amalric negotiates an alliance with
1163.When A.malric leaves to attack Egypt, the emperor to conquer Egypt, but troubling
Nur al-din strikes at Tripoli. The Christian news from Cairo forces the king to strike in
forces reassemble and defeat N u r al-din’s October without Byzantine assistance. Amal-
army at Kerak. ric first feints at Homs to distract Nur al-din,
1164.Shawar, a deposed vizier of Egypt, then quickly turns and in November strikes
invites Nur al-din to reinstate him in Cairo at Bilbeis, catching the truce-abiding Egyp-
tiansby surprise. Frankish atrocitiespromptly
unite Egypt against the Crusaders, inspiring
Shawar to stall for time and call on Nur al-din
for help in December. General Shirkuh and
Sala g

i Outremer 51

the Frankish invasion.
1169. Faced with Egyptianand Syrianoppo-

sition, Amalric retreats in January.Shirkuh
promptly arranges Shawar’s downfall and
becomes the vizier of Egypt, but the former
general dies in March after a binge of overeat-
ing. The Fatimid Caliph choosesSaladin as his
uncle’s successor.

In Julythe promised Byzantine fleet arrives
in Palestine and Amalric reorganizes his
army for a fresh assault on Egypt by October.
The coalition marches on Damietta,where the
campaign bogs down in a protracted siege. In
December, inclement weather and supply
shortages force the Frankish-Byzantinecoali-
tion to abandon their assault.On the open sea
an unexpected storm capsizes much of the
Byzantine fleet.

1170. A massive earthquake strikes North-
ern Syria in June,devastating both Christian
I and Muslim cities. In December, Saladin
attacks southern Palestine and then quickly
retreats back to Egypt.

1171. During March, Amalric visits Con-
stantinople to cement his Imperial alliance,
returning by June.In Egypt, the last Fatimid
Caliph perishes and mullahs pray for the
Caliph of Baghdad as their spiritual leader.
Nur al-din invades Antioch and Tripoli,
demolishing two castles.

1173. Amalric raids in the north and Nur al-
din attacks southern Palestine. Distrust and
resentment grow between Saladin and Nur
al-din. In Jerusalem,the Grand Master of the
Assassins forms an alliance with Amalric
against Nur al-din.

1174. Nur al-din and Amalric both die this
year from disease. Raymond of Tripoli is
appointed as regent of Jerusalem,while Sal-
adin lays siege to Aleppo and claims Nur al-
din’s legacy. The Caliph of Baghdad quickly
appoints Saladin king of Egypt and Syria.

1175. Saladinmakes a truce with the Franks
so he can subjugateAleppo.

1176. Breaking the truce, Raymond invades
Syria but is driven back by Saladin’s

52 Chapter Five

E

approach. The sultan returns to Egypt to con- invades Palestine from Damascus,and unsuc-
solidate his rule. In September, the Turks cessfullv lavs siege to Revnald’s immemable
massacre the Imperial Army at Myrio- cessfully in autumn. FactioGal politics plague
cephalum, decisively crippling the Cru- the court at Jerusalem.
saders’ most powerful ally. A t Jerusalem,
PrincessSibylla marriesWilliam Long-Sword, 1185.Dying from infections caused by lep-
a French noble. Reynald of Chitillon is freed rosy, King Baldwin IV prepares his will and
from prison and resumes lordship of Kerak turns over the government to Raymond of
and Montreal. Tripoli. The king dies in March and Raymond
negotiates a four-year truce with Saladin.
1177.Young Baldwin turns 16 and, though
plagued by leprosy, assumes rulership of the 1186.The eight-year-old King Baldwin V
kingdom. Sibylla’s new husband dies from dies at Acre from disease. Princess Sibylla’s
malaria, but not before fathering an heir to faction stages a coup at Jerusalemand pro-
the kingdom, the future Baldwin V. Saladin claims her Queen. Raymond refuses to pay
attacks Jerusalemin November. The Franks homage to Sibylla’s immature husband, King
rapidly reorganize and surprise Saladin’s Guy, and the kingdom becomes deeply
army near Ramleh, routing the invasion. divided by factional resentment. By the end
of the year, Reynald of Chiitillon once again
1178.Saladin organizes his kingdoms and breaks the truce with Saladin, capturing a rich
stages minor raids on Palestine. The Franks caravan traveling from Cairo.
rebuild fortifications in the south.
1187.Following Reynald’s latest debacle,
1179.Saladin defeats the Franks at Jacob’s the northern princes of Tripoli and Antioch
Ford, capturing many noble prisoners. arrange separate treaties with Saladin. Ray-
mond of Tripoli secretly allows Saladin’s
1180. After a winter famine, Baldwin army safe passage through his lands to raid
arranges a two-year truce with Saladin in Palestine. By April, Raymond reconciles his
May. Against the king’s wishes, Princess differences with King Guy. In June, Guy
Sibylla marries a boyish young knight named assembles the forces of Palestine and con-
Guy of Ibelyn. Jntrigue between two political fronts Saladin. During July,Saladin smashes
factions divides and distracts the Franks at the Christian army at the Horns of Hattin,
Jerusalem.In September, Emperor Manuel capturing Reynald of Chitillon and King
dies at Constantinople, and the Crusaders Guy. Saladin personally slays Reynald, but
lose their most powerful ally. The empire is holds Guy for ransom.
plunged into turmoil.
Most of Palestine promptly capitulates to
1181.Reynald of Chstillon breaks the truce Saladin. Jerusalemsurrenders in October, but
with Saladin by attacking a rich caravan Tyre repels Saladin’s attacks during Novem-
bound for Mecca. Saladin proclaims jihad ber, after the surprise arrival of Conrad of
against the kingdom. Montferrand from the west. Conrad holds
Tyre until the Third Crusade arrives in 1192.
1182.Saladin invades Palestine in July,but
is turned back at Belvoir. During August, Sal-
adin strikes at Beirut, but retreats after Bald-
win has assembled his army. In autumn,
Reynald assembles a fleet and raids along the
Red Sea, threatening Mecca. Saladin and the
Muslim world are appalled.

1183. Saladin captures Aleppo in Juneafter
a three-week siege, consolidating his empire
against the Franks. In September, Saladin

utremer 53

Chapter

I Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural

ner of trifles, and seems born to d. For the rare
be hanged at the crossroads.” NPCs, wizard spells are subject to the same
limitations as priests.
-Bohemund of Taranto, after the discovery Paladins, rangers, and bards are stripped
of the Holy Lance at Antioch, 1098 of all spellcasting abilities.
Magical items are limited to holy relics.
During the Crusades, miracles, magical rites, Legenday
and holy relics played an important part in Priests can cast 1st-7thlevel spells, subject
daily life. Everyone-not just the rich, the to the somatic, material component, and
powerful, or the pious-could be touched by extended casting time restrictions. Necro-
the supernatural. At the siege of Antioch, for mantic spells are restricted (referee’s dis-
instance, the revelations of a disreputable cretion). Curing (but not healing) spells
commoner, Peter Bartholomew, drew popular have reduced effectiveness. Quest spells
acclaim and helped save the Crusaders from are treated as miracles (see below).
the Turks. Of course, Peter had his detractors Wizard PCs are limited to three kits, the
(as we see from the skeptical introductory Sorcerer and Sha’ir (for Muslims) and the
quote), but most Franksbelieved his stories of Hakima (for Christians)-see Chapter 3.
nocturnal visitations from the ”blessed” Saint NPC wizards are uncommon in this setting
Andrew. This chapter tells how to incorporate (as opposed to rare in the historical cam-
magic and the supernatural into an entertain- paign). Somatic, material components, and
ing Crusades campaign. extended casting-time restrictions are still
in effect. Spell durations are still increased
In general, the availability of magic is by an order of magnitude.
determined by the DMs choice of campaign. Paladins and rangers can cast spells us
In a historical campaign, spellcasting and the spheres allowed in the Player’s Hund-
magical items are greatly limited; these restric- book, subject to the same restrictions as
tions are loosened somewhat for a legendary priests. Bards can cast spells, subject to the
campaign and abandoned almost altogether same restrictions as wizards, except that
for a fantasy campaign. they can only learn spells from the charm
and illusion schools, selected from
Historical lists in this chapter.
Magical items include holy relics
Priests are allowed in thissetting, but 1st-5th items appropriatefor the era.
Fantasy
level spells are subject to the following modi- Priest and wizard spells now require
fications: 1)Somaticand material component standard casting times, but they still need
options for all spells are in fulleffect; 2) Cast-
ing times are increasedby one order of mag- somatic and material components. The DM
nitude-1 becomes1round; 1roundbecomes
1turn, etc; 3) Spell durations are also in- may waive the lists of appropriate spells in
creased by an order of magnitude; 4) Spell this chapter.
selectionis limited to an appropriatespell list. The DM can allow wizard kits (or even
psionicists) as appropriate.
More powerful (6th-7th level spells) are
treated as miracles (see below); necroman-
tic spells are somewhat restricted; curing
and healing spells are reduced in effective-

Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural 55

EW

Miracles and priestly quest spells are sub- Table 8: Miraculous Request Modifiers
ject to the standard rules.
Bards can learn any wizard spells from the Condition Modifier
appropriate spells list in this chapter, except Priest requesting 6th-7th +2%per PC
those spells belonging to the invocation
and necromantic schools. level spell (historical level, -1%per
Introduce whatever magical items or relics setting) spell level
are felt to be appropriate. Priest requesting Quest +1%per PC
spell (legendary setting) level
Miracles Supplicant good-aligned +5%
Throughout the history of the Crusades, Supplicant benefited from -5% per
similar miracle during occurrence
the Frankswem often savedby eventsdeemed lifetime
miraculous at the time. The belief in mira-
cles-the direct intervention of God or divine In a Crusades campaign, a miracle can take
agents (usually saints or angels)-is central to many forms, from the grandiose to the hum-
the C~J~&IIIfaith. ble. Save dramatic miracles (earthquakes,
falling stars, solar eclipses) for truly impor-
During the Crusades, Christian fervor tant events that affect the safety of the entire
reached a desperate, fanatical pitch. Literally Kingdom of Jerusalem.On a more modest
surrounded by their enemies, the Christians scale, a knight praying for guidance before a
felt vulnerable and despaired of ever suc- seemingly hopeless battle might receive a
ceeding in their divinely inspired enter- dream, wherein the spirit of a dead comrade
prise-the defense of the Holy Sepulchre in counselshim about a hidden, secret weakness
Jerusalem.In this extreme situation unusual of the enemy. On waking, the knight may
dreams, dramatic portents, and even waking take advantage of the knowledge to either
visions gave hope and relief to the Christians. win the day or (at least) buy enough time for
These miracles can play an important part in his companions to safely withdraw. If he does
any Crusades campaign. not act on the basis of the knowledge, the bat-
tle proceeds normally.
In the campaign, any character can pray
for a miracle. These prayers are rarely Generally speaking, a miracle should pro-
answered in a direct manner that pleases the vide the PCs with a tiny, easily overlooked
supplicant, but they are still answered, even opportunity that helps them extricate them-
if the answer is "No." The base chance for selves from their current danger. It should
divine intervention is 1%(a roll of 00 on never hand them easy victory on a silver plat-
d100), subject to the modifiers from Table 8. ter. In addition, some kinds of divine inter-
Feel free to devise additional penalties and vention may require noble, heroic sacrifice on
bonuses for the campaign. Ultimately, the the part of a player character.
decision to allow divine intervention is the
DMs; use it sparingly, if at all, so the players Muslims also believe in miracles, but
Islam takes a much more practical view of
never rely on a &us ex machina to save them divine intervention. According to this view,
Allah basically helps those who help them-
from every predicament. selves. Prayer and faith, by themselves, are
not necessarily enough to secure a miracle-
Muslims must make it happen through their
own actions. Muslims will fight in a hope-
less battle and if they succeed, they praise

56 Chaptersix

and acknowledge God for the victory. They hindrances to priest kits). In a legendary set-
never count on divine intervention to carry ting, they may only be granted Quest Spells
the day. If it happens, it happens (such is the (as miracles, of course) after their society has
unfathomable will of Allah), and they rejoice been effectively mobilized in a jihad against
accordingly. Otherwise, they make do as the invading Franks (c. 1150).
best they can. Refer to ”Calling Upon Fate,”
in the AL-QADIMArabian Adventures rulebook Granted powers. All Christian and Mus-
(page 82), for more guidelines on divine lim priests have authority over undead and
interventior beings of extraplanar origin. Thus, priests
can turn not only undead, but also fiends,
Priest Spells and Granted Powers genies, even summoned elementals. For pur-
This section offers considerable detail on poses of turning, extraplanar creatures are
treated as undead of equal hit dice, regard-
priestly powers and spells, because the Cru- less of the being’s alignment. Thus a 10 HD
sades were predominantly a religious enter- efreeti can be turned as a ghost. Note that
prise. In the campaign, the Roman Catholic this ability works on the gen, familiars, and
priesthood is one of the most powerful insti- spiritual allies of witches and sha’ir.
tutions in the Holy Land, rivalling the author-
ity of the secular aristocracy.The priesthood’s Priest spells. Even in a historical campaign,
rites and ceremonies are spoken or sung in Latin priests retain their ability to cast certain
Latin, a dead language unknown to the vast magical spells of 5th level or lower. In a his-
majority of Franks (and undoubtedly torical or legendary setting, these magical
assumed to be magical). An element of abilities are subject to some stringent restric-
priestly faith in magic and the supernatural is tions, however. First, the optional somatic
appropriate, given the mention of miracles and material component rules are in full
and answered prayers in the Bible, so priests effect, and casting times are increased by an
can have accessto clerical magic even in a his- order of magnitude (spells having casting
torical setting. times expressed only in numeralsnow require
that many rounds, rounds become turns,
Greek Orthodox priests resemble their turns become hours). In a fantasy setting,
Western counterparts, except that they have casting times return to normal, but material
no access to spells that physically harm and somatic components are still required for
another individual or spells directly related to most spells.
warfare. Thus, Greek Orthodox priests are for-
bidden to learn spells from the War and Com- In addition, the most powerful rites and
bat spheres, in addition to those forbidden ceremonies-6th-7th level spells and Quest
below. Greek Orthodox priests are strongly spells-are restricted to divine intervention,
pacifistic and may refuse to bestow their except in a legendary or fantasy setting.
spells on fighters in combat or those leading a Priests can still learn them in a historical cam-
protracted, violent activity. Needless to say, paign, but these miraculous prayers are not
they are not terribly popular among the war- always answered. If the priest’s prayers are
like Franks. not favorably answered, subsequent suppli-
cations avail the priest nothing.
Muslim mullahs and religious leaders,
though not part of an established hierarchy, To compensate for these handicaps, extend
still have access to most of the same spheres the duration of each spell by an order of mag-
as their Christian counterparts, except War nitude in a historic or legendary setting. For
(see the AL-QADIMrulebook for other specific instance, spells that normally last rounds,
now last turns; turns become hours, and
hours become days. Of course, in a fantasy

Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural 57

setting, remove this advantage once casting as cure diseuse, cure blindness, or cure deafness)
times return to normal. have only one chance in a victim’s lifetime to
affect a given affliction.
Necromantic spells. The Resurrection lies
at the foundation of Christian faith, and it is Furthermore, the victim must make a sav-
perhaps the religion’s most sacred miracle. In ing throw vs. poison to be cured. If the save
a Crusades campaign, the only way to bring fails, this spell can never remove the affliction
back the dead is by obtaining a 14th-level unless it is cast by a more powerful priest
priest to cast resurrection (the lower-level mise than the first. Even if the spell fails, however,
the disease goes into remission for a length of
dead spell is not on the approved spell list). In time the DM decides, depending on the sever-
ity of the condition. Penalties on the saving
a historical campaign, this powerful spell is throw may be imposed for particularly viru-
granted only as a miracle. This reinforces the lent afflictions or conditions in an advanced
notion that a resurrection is an incredibly rare stage. Advanced leprosy,for instance, though
event in the Christian tradition, granted only not virulent, might impose a -4 penalty on
when the recipient has a major religious quest the save. In this way, Jerusalemcan still be
to perform. At the DMs discretion, other 7th- ruled by its Leper King, Baldwin IV, even in
level necromanticspells might stillbe granted, the presence of spellcasting priests.
but only under miraculous conditions, even
in a legendary campaign. For instance, a wounded knight asks a 5th-
level priest to cure his malaria. The cleric
For instance, the Patriarch of Jerusalem(a casts cure diseuse, but the knight fails his sav-
15th-levelpriest) attempts to resurrect the ing throw vs. poison. Though the disease is
king, who has fallen in battle while defending not cured, it goes into remission for a few
the Holy Sepulchre from the Saracens. The days, permitting the warrior to fight in an
Patriarch learns and practices the rites of the upcoming battle. Afterwards, when the mal-
spell (effectively ”memorizing” it) and casts it ady returns, the knight asks for the local
on the body. Consult Table 1.The chance that Patriarch-a 10th-levelpriest and more pow-
the spell will be granted is 1%(base)-7% erful than the first-to recast the spell. This
(spell level)+30% (caster level)+5% (caster time, the knight makes his save, and the dis-
alignment)=29%. If the spell succeeds, it is ease slowly goes into remission but does not
considered a miracle. Otherwise, it is time to return. If the knight had failed this save and a
prepare the funeral rites. No further resurrec- more powerful priest were not available, then
tion attempts ever succeed. he would have to suffer the natural ravages of
the illness.
Curing spells. In a historical or legendary
setting,the biggest limitation on priest spells Healing spells. In a historical setting, heal-
is their reduced ability to heal and cure ing spells only restore ld4 hit points worth of
wounds and afflictions. (Disease in the cam- damage-not ld8. Thus, cure light wounds
paign may be easily simulated by having a restores only ld4 points, cure serious wounds
character in disease-causing conditions make restores 2d4, and cure critical wounds heals 3d4
a Constitution check; failure means the victim points of damage. The more powerful heul
is struck by the nonmagical equivalent of a spell is unaffected by this restriction, because
cause diseuse spell, debilitating or fatal.) as a 6th-level spell it is treated as a miracle in
a historical setting, requiring divine interven-
In the Middle Ages, disease and poorly tion to succeed. These restrictions are lifted in
treated wounds led to countless deaths in legendary and fantasy campaigns.
war, and the Crusades were no exception.
Over half the kings of Outremer died quite Quest spells. only a few of these rites from
young from health-related causes. To pre-
serve this historical balance, cure spells (such

L --

""I...-

V,

Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural 59

the Tome of Magic rulebook are suitable for a sol's searing orb.
Crusades campaign:fear, contagion, health War: Caltrops, tanglefoot, illusory artillery,
blessing, interdiction, revelation, robe of healing,
sphere of security, and warband quest. They are gravity variation, illusoy fortification, shadow
not available in a historical campaign, and engines.
they are miracles in a legendary setting. In a
fantasy setting, they are granted according to Weather:Fairiefire, control temperature 10'
the stipulations set forth in Tome of Magic. radius, weather stasis, rainbow.

Table 9: Unavailable Priest Spells Wizardry
Scholarly magic is based on arcane knowl-
Not all spells in the Player's Handbook and
the Tome of Magic are suitable for a Crusades edge. With the proper incantation and the
right material components, the sorcerer un-
campaign. All reversed spells, such as cause locks their sympathetic magical power to
achieve some tangible result. N o one is born
fear or cause light wounds, are unavailable. with this knowledge. Like any scientific skill,
Animal, Astral, Chaos, Guardian, Num- it requires years of disciplined study and
experimentation. At the time of the Crusades,
bers, Plant, Thought, Time, Travelers, Wards: wizards of this type were exceedingly rare in
All spells. the Western world, which was only begin-
ning to emerge from the Dark Ages. In the
Charm:Mystic transfer, imbue with spell abil- world of Islam, however, scholars, scientists,
ity, meld. and mathematicians had been expanding the
theories of the Ancient Greeks for centuries.
Combat:Magical stone, shillelagh.
Creation:Animate object, blade barrier, heroes' As a result, the vast majority of scholar-
feast, wall of thorns, changestafl, chariot of sus- mages in a Crusades campaign are Muslim.
tarre. In a historic or legendary setting, these schol-
Divination: Analyze balance, extradimen- arly mages should belong to the Sorcerer kit.
sional location, reflecting pool, commune with
nature, consequence, magicfont, thoughtwave. Ina fantasy campaign, the DM may decide to

Elemental:Log of everburning, dust devi1,fire allow other kits and specializations from the
Player's Handbook. Elementalists from the
trap,flame blade, heat metal, meld into stone, Tome of Magic are perfectly acceptable in such
pyrotechnics, cloud of purification, elementalfor- a setting. Wild magic, however, should not be
biddance, spike stones, transmute rock to mud, allowed, except perhaps in the context of a
wall offire, conjurefire elemental,fire seeds, ani- "backlash," the result of a failed spell (see
mate rock, conjure earth elemental, fire storm, below).
transmute metal to wood.
The DM may make an exception to this rule
Healing: Fortzfy. for a character with a Western (Christian)
Law: Calm chaos, rigid thinking, compulsive background, especially in a fantasy cam-
order, impeding permission, legal thoughts. paign. In such a rare case, the PC wizard must
Necromantic:Animate dead,feign death, raise have gained some training from a Muslim
Bead, breath of lfe, mind tracker,reincarnate. mentor at some point during his career. This
Protection: Barkskin, line of protection, anti- is not entirely unrealistic. Such a cross-cul-
plant shell, repel insects, anti-animal shell. tural exchange could have happened on the
Summoning:Animal summoning I to 111, call island of Sicily. Originally conquered by the
woodland beings, aerial servant, animate object, forces of Islam during the 9th century, Sicily
conjure animals, word of recall, conjure earth ele- was reconquered by the Normans in the
mental, spirit of power, creeping doom, succor.
Sun:Blessed warmth, rainbow, the great circle,

decades before the First Crusade.Because the pletely different from standard sorcery. It
Normans had the good sense to retain the requires no memorization of spells and no
Muslim institutions (including the universi- elaborate rules for spell casting. However, the
ties), Sicily quickly became the center for art does require extensive contact with the
Western scholars to learn the secrets of Arabic invisible spirit world, which provides the
scholarship. hakima (witch) with all her magical powers.
onInthteheaccacmur-paatieg- npr,osnchuonlcairalytimona-goifc de A hakima is basically a western form of sha’ir,
magical detailed in the AL-QADIMArabian A
phrases, accentuated by proper ceremonial rulebook.
gestures, and often powered by an important
material component. Table 10: Unavailable Wizard Spell L
The scholar mage must record the formulae
for all his spells in a special spellbook called a In addition to all Wild magic, the following
grimoire. The wizard memorizes his spells wizard spells from the Player’s Handbook,
from the selection available in his grimoire, Tome of Magic, and AL-QADIMArabian Adven-
but unlike the standard rules, unless the book tures are inappropriate for a historic or leg-
is open before him during casting, the wizard endary Crusades setting:
must make an Intelligence check to cast his
spell. If the wizard fails the Intelligence 1st level:find familiar, fire burst, Murdock’s
check, he fumbles the incantation; the spell featheryflyer, Nystul’s magic aura, Tenser’s
fails and is lost from memory. At the DM’s floating disk.
discretion, some negative side effect may also
occur if the spellcasting is botched (use the 2nd level: Maximilian’s earthen grasp, Melf’s
Wild Magic table in Tome of Magic). This kind acid arrow, Leomund’s trap, stinking cloud,
of “backlash” is rare, however, especially if Tasha’s uncontrollable hideous laughter, web.
the wizard always casts spells with the guid-
ance of his spellbook. 3rd level: Alamir ’sfundamental breakdown,aug-
Under this ”historical” magic system, it is mentation (I to 11),far reaching (I to III),jire-
impossible to directly read a spell from a ball, Lorloveim’s creeping shadow, Maximilian’s
spellbook if it has not been already memo- stony grasp, Merfs minute meteors, minor mal-
rized. Think of memorizing a spell in this ison, monster summoning (I to VIII), squaring
fashion as preparing for a recitation.Without the circle, watey double.
the text in front of him, it is possible the caster
might skip a word and ruin the effect. So long 4th level: dilation (I to 11), divination enhance-
as the text is in front of the caster, such mis- ment, Evard’s black tentacles, greater malison,
takes are easily averted. As with priest spells, ice storm, Leomund’s secure shelter, minor spell
the necessity for careful, meticulous precision turning, Mordenkainen’s celerity, Otiluke‘s
requires the extended casting times for a his- resilient sphere, Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancv
toric or legendary campaign. To compensate wall of ice.
for this drawback, spell durations are
extended by an order of magnitude, similar to 5th level: Bigby’s interposing hand, cloudkill,
priest spells. In a fantasy setting, casting cone of cold, conjure elemental, demi-shadow
times and spell durationsare normal; the wiz- monsters, KhazidS procurement, Leomund’s
ard never needs to check if he cast his spell lamentable belaborment, Leomund’s secret
successfully. chest, lower resistance, mind fog, Morden-
Witchcraft. This form of magic is com- kainen’s faithful hound, safeguarding, Von
Gasik’s refusal, wall offorce, wall of iron.

6th level Bigby’s forceful hand, Bloodstone’s spec-
tral steed, chain lightning, demi-shadow magic,
Forest’s fiery constrictor, Lorloveim’s shadowy

Magic, Monsters,and the Supernatural

transformiion, Otil tales portray Merlin as simply a standard
men shadow, Tenser’s transfomazon. magician, but according to Malory’s Mort
7th level: Bigby’s grasping hand, Bloodstone‘s d’Authur (15th century), Merlin was a prophet
frightful joining, delayed blast fireball, force- endowed with strange psychic powers (prob-
cage, Drawmij’s instant summons, intensilCy ably a psionic clairvoyant in game terms). In
summoning, limited wish, Malec-KethS frame a fantasy campaign, the DM can let regular
fist, Mordenkainen’s magnifirmt mansion, PCs develop into wild talents, according to
Mordmkainen’s sword. the rules outlined in the Complete Psionics
8th level: Abi-Dalzim’s horrid wilting, Bigby’s . ., .-- 5 ,
clenched fist, Gunther’s kaleidoscopic strike, Handbook (CPH). > ,I”
incendiay cloud, Otiluke’s telekinetic sphere, I
Otto’s irresistible dance, Serten’s spell immu-
nity, unleash monolith. Table 11:Forbidden Psionic Powers
9th level: astral spell, Bigby’s crushing hand, glo-
rious transmutation, meteor swarm, Mor- The following psionic powers from the
denkainen’s disjunction, wish. CPH are inappropriate for either psionicists
or wild talents in the campaign:
Sorcery or Psionics?
Clairsentience: feel light, feel sound, hear
Psionics provides an alternative to stan- light, radial navigation, see sound.
dard magic to create an entertaining, fantasy
Crusades setting. Several noted fantasy Psychokinesis: create object, animate
authors have already explored the concept of shadow, control flames, control light, control
mixing psionics, a medieval world, and a sound, control wind, control sound.
powerful Church. The ”Deryni” novel series
by Katherine Kurtz (see the bibliography in Psychometabolism: death field, life drain-
the Appendix) describes a psychically ing, aging, biofeedback, body weaponry, cha-
advanced race intimately intertwined with a meleon power, chemical stimulation.
devoutly religious culture similar to Western
Europe. A bit closer to the topic at hand, two PsvchoDortation: mobability travel, sum-
works by JudithTarr (Alamut and the Sword
and the Cross) describe another psionically MeGpsiGnics: appraise, psychic clone L-
endowed race taking part in the Crusades rospection.
and daily life, politics, and warfare in Out- Folklore and Monsters
remer. These works show that with a little
finesse, psionics can work in a fantasy Cru- When the Franks arrived in the Middle
sades setting. Keep in mind that these psychic East, they brought with them their ideas
powers have no place in a historical or leg- about magic and the supernatural, and of
endary setting. course their own folklore as well. The litera-
ture and fairy tales of the medieval Frankish
To preserve game balance (and keep the aristocracy (the only people besides priests
number of spellcasters or psionicists to a bare who bothered to write anything down during
minimum), allow either wizards or psioni- that era) show a preoccupation with the Car-
cists in the fantasy campaign-never both. olingian and Arthurian legends and chansons
For instance, the legendary Merlin-the de geste (songs of epic deeds). These fairly
advisor to king Arthur-can be interpreted monotonous and repetitive tales usually
as either a wizard or a psionicist, depending revolve around some knight, a quest of some

62 Chaptersix

sort, and a wicked archnemesis (usually a ...
witch or an old, tyrannical king).
legend, a dragon used to live in the
One major quest assigned to knights in tains of Lebanon, south of Beirut, d
ese tales was the fabled "Quest for the Holy 8th century. The dragon's poisonou
Grail"-the search for the legendary cup used to seep down the rolling hill
(sometimes depicted as a chalice) used dur- night, killing many villagers who li
ingithe Last Supper. According to legend, the valleys by the sea. One day the villagers
Grail was imbued with magical healing and begged a Byzantine knight named George to
restorative powers and could only be discov- destroy this creature, and the warrior rode up
ered by a questing knight with a pure heart. into the hills and speared the beast as it lay
Many Arthurian romances revolved around sleeping in its cavernous lair. George was
the search for a holy relic. later canonized by the Greek Orthodox
In these stories the knight vanquished church and venerated as a saint.
hordes of monsters (mostly giants, trolls, and
dragons), outwitted cunning fairies, and res- Clearly, dragons such as these are not
cued at least one fair maiden from unjust world-ravaging firestorms, like Tolkien's
imprisonment by the conclusion. If gamers Smaug and the dragons of the MONSTROUS
are interested in the classical elements of Car- MANUALaccessory. Arabian dragons, some-
olingian folklore, see HR3 Charlemagne's Pal- times called vishaps (see MCAQ), are much
adins. Except as a guide to social values and weaker, more cowardly, and more devious
the general expectations of the Franks, West- than the Western fire-breather. In game terms,
ern European folklore plays only a minor role the reptile from the legend of St. George was
in a Crusades campaign. The Holy Land was probably a weaker cousin of the gre
part of the Arab world, and its inhabitants
embraced an entirely different cultural tradi-
tion from the Franks, who were only a tiny
minority in a foreign land. In the context of
the Crusades, these Western themes take on
an entirely different flavor when they are con-
trasted-and ultimately combined-with ele-
ments of Arabian folklore. One of the most

alluring aspects o f a Crusades campaign is

the opportunity to fuse Western and Eastern
cultures in the unique society of Outremer.

Perhaps the best guide to Arabian folklore
lies in the enchanting tales of The Arabian
Nights. Use these stories as a guide in deter-
mining the kinds of fantastic monsters appro-

priate for a legendary or fantasy campaign.In

general, most of the creaturesdiscussed in the

MONSTROCUOSMPENDIUMAL-QADIMAppendix

(MCAQ) can be used as-is only in a fantasy
campaign. For a legendary campaign, modify
some monsters considerably, as follows:

Dragons. Surprisingly, dragons do have a
connection with the Holy Land. According to

. Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural 63

dragon, or perhaps a cross between a green MCAQ, the werelion and werehyena are
dragon and a vishap. As in any campaign, appropriate lycanthropes for an Arabian set-
they should be very, very rare. ting. Shape-changers can be found both in the
wilderness and cleverly hidden in human
Giants, ogres, ogre magi, trolls. In Arabian society.
folklore, these monsters live in the deep
wilderness far from any human habitation, Disguise and shapechanging are central
but they are far more intelligentand amenable themes in Arabian tales, where kings mas-
to conversation than the standard variety querade as beggars and horrible monsters
from the MONSTROUMSANUAtLome. They look like helpless old ladies. Because one can
may certainly kill and devour a lone traveler, never be sure of a stranger's identity, most
but if the visitor approaches the giants (or Arabs treat their guests with unrivaled hospi-
their kin) with humility and respect, the mon- tality. One should not speak badly of the sul-
sters may offer help. According to legend, the tan in the presence of strangers and should
price for such monstrous assistance varies. A show old women a measure of respect.
giant might accept a monetary bribe, but
more likely it requires the human's tempo- The silat is a more traditional shapeshifter
rary servitude in exchange for its service. from Arabian lore. Many stories revolve
Many giants and ogres have powerful magi- around these old women with strange and
cal abilities, similar to ogre magi. terrible powers; adapt the hag from the
MONSTROMUSANUAtLome for this purpose if
Lycanthropes, shape-shifters, and other the MCAQ is not available. In one tale, a little
disguises. Standard lycanthropes have no girl wanders from her house and falls into a
place in the campaign. If gamers have the deep hole somewhere in her back yard. There
she discovers a disgusting, wrinkled old lady.
I Because she was brought up correctly,the girl
treats the old lady 'with respect, brushes her
I .. hair, and cleans up the hole. As the girl pre-
pares to leave, the old woman gives her a
,.?A.. .:_.. . ..... . . :. . beautiful piece of gold jewelry as a present
for her kindness.When the girl reaches home,
, .. she shows the jewelry to her spoiled sister,
who is immediately jealous. The avaricious
. ..:..:<: . . sister learns of the hole in the back yard and
rudely confronts the old woman, demanding
a similar piece of jewelry for the privilege of
living on her family's land. The old lady
silently complies, giving the jealous girl a
golden ring, but as the sister climbs out of the
hole, her treasure disappears and her head is
transformed into that of a donkey. Needless
to say, no family members ever bother the
hole-dwelling crone again.

es. These elemental spirits are a classi-
ure, almost a trademark, of the magi-
es in the Arabian Nights. They can be
to serve humanity, such as in the pop-
le of Aladdin and his lamp, or they can

64 Chapter Six

be e enemies of u ners of the wilderness;servinga lengthy term
such as the fearsomejinn of the story ”The
Fisherman and the Genie.” The genies of the as punishment for some past misdeeds.
AD&D game and the AL-QADIMcampaign
reflect this ambivalent dual relationshipwith Which view of genies is appropriate?Do
humanity. In a fantasy Crusades campaign,
jinn may be either good or evil. both good and evil genies exist on Earth, or

Historically, Muslim religious leaders and do only the malicious ones remain? That is
scholars have taken an extremely negative
view of the jinn, which they viewed as mali- for the DM to decide in a Crusadescampaign.
cious spirits of the wilderness. Devout Mus-
lims placed genies in the same category as In a legendarycampaign, genies should be as
demons. These scholars believed that all
genies were devoted to (at worst) physically rare as dragons; in fantasy, they can be as
harming and (at best) deceiving mortals by
distracting honest men and women from ser- numerous as one wishes.
vice to the merciful Allah. If the jinn were
truly good, these scholarsargued, their spirits Regardless of their role in the Crusades
would soar up to Paradise and serve the
Almighty, not remain on Earth, dealing with campaign, however, genies remain on the
mortals.
blacklist of both Islam and Christianity. All
A closereadingof theArabian Nights upholds
this rather pessimistic view of jinn. Bound or jinn (regardless of their alignment) can be
enslaved genies are always magically coerced
into serving humanity. They do not do this of commanded and turned by Muslim holy men
their own accord. Indeed, the first reaction of a
freedjinn (in “The Tale of the Fisherman and and Christian priests, who have authority
the Genie”)is to attempt to murder the unfor-
tunatefool who released him. over all spirits, undead, and extra-planar

In yet another tale (”TheMerchant and the creatures. According to both religions, will-
Genie”), when a merchant stops to drink at a
pool, the genie imprisoned there attempts to ingly consortingwith a genie is considered a
kill him. By swift thinking, the merchant per-
grievous sin.
himself for death and returns to the oasis, the
genie reconsiders his earlier decision and Of course, this official censure from the
allows the mortal to go free. For performing a
good act of his own free will, an ancient curse established religions only forces the sha’irs
placed on the genie is lifted and the jinn goes
free, presumably soaringup to Heaven to join and the ownersof enslaved geniesto be much
the rest of his brethren.
more discreet about their supernatural allies.
It would seem, from these tales, that the
only genies remaining in the world were evil In a legendary campaign, genies are either
or recalcitrant, either bound into magical
always invisible or polyrnorphed into human

shape. They never assume their natural form,

except in the barren tracts of wilderness

where there are no witnesses (except, per-

haps, the spirit’s latest victims).
Undead. Banshees and vampires are the

only forms of standard undead inappropriate

to a Crusades campaign. From the MCAQ,

the great ghul is a good example of an Ara-

bian undead. These monsters rn n

corpses, but they still appreci e

respect just like anyone else. Great ghuls, like

silats and giants, may spare a humble mortal

(read ”potential victim”)who approaches

them with a proper greeting or speaks with

due reverence.
Angels and evil spirits. In the medieval

world, most people strongly believed that

divine and diabolical agents mingled invisi-

bly with human society.Good spirits, angels,

and saints were responsible for divine inspi-

ration and often miraculous salvation. For By definition, therefore, the majority of
instance, during the siege of Antioch, many medieval magical items are set with gems
Crusaders saw angels in the sky, protecting and inscribed with magical runes, either
them from the hail of Saracen arrows. Unex- Latin or Arabic, depending on the origin. This
plained good fortune was often attributed to includes most rings, amulets,brooches,pearls,
the work of angels. periapts, scarabs, talismans, etc. In addition,
many magical items gained their mystical
Just as the agents of God moved freely in powers through holy relics (see the following
the world, the destructive forces of evil also section). For instance, a ring of sustenance
directly influenced society. Any form of bad might be set with a ceramic jar fragment from
luck, for instance, might be attributed to a the Biblical wedding feast in Cana, where
curse laid by invisible evil spirits. Disease and water was turned into wine. Use this tech-
insanity were caused by demonic forces, nique to dress up otherwise ordinary magical

In the campaign, the DM can handle these items from the DMG.
supernatural forces in two ways. First, adapt
extraplanar creatures from the PLAN ESCAPE'^ Although miscellaneous magical items
campaign to serve as "angels" and "evil spir- should be exceedingly rare, enchanted weap-
its" for the campaign. While on Earth, these ons and armor are more common in a Cru-
beings usually remain invisible. Their pres- sades campaign, especially among the Franks.
ence is undetectable except by priests or the According to some stories, Richard the Lion-
rare wizard. heart stopped in Italy along the way to the
Holy Land, where he was presented with
The DM may also decide to treat these enti- Excalibur, the legendary sword of King
ties as unfathomable spiritual forces: essen- Arthur. Saladin was said to fight with a scim-
tially a plot device. Mortal weapons-even itar of incredible sharpness, forged from
magical ones-have absolutely no effect on Damascene steel, which could slice through
these angels and spirits. One would sooner weightless gauze and silk pillows laid across
expect a sword to affect the rain or harm an its razor edge.
earthquake. In this view, angels and spirits
never defend or attack mortals directly. Invis- To determine magical items in the cam-
ible angels might save a floundering ship by paign, use the following Table 12,not Table 88
quelling the terrible winds, and disguised
spirits Might inspire people to commit crime, from the DMG.The DM can adapt most mag-
but ultimate salvation and destruction in the ical items from the D M G for a Crusades cam-
campaign should fall to the mortals that
inhabit it. paign. In a historical or legendary setting,
however, some of these items lack the flavor
Magical Items of the period. Hence Table 13, below. These
Given the rampant superstitiousbeliefs in are general guidelines-feel free to modify
Table 13 to suit the mood and flavor of a par-
monsters and spirits, magical items-espe- ticular setting (especially fantasy).
cially protective ones-were popular during
the Middle Ages. Gems and crystals, in par- As in any campaign, strictly control all
ticular, were believed to have magical and magical items. This strategy greatly heightens
medicinal properties. By carving runes into their value and importance in the campaign.
these gems, setting them into jewelry or even
weaponry, artisans could create magical
items.

Table 12:Magical Items for the Crusades

Roll Category

01-05 Potions and Oils Bags & Bottles: Bag of tricks, portable hole.
06-07 Rings Candles & Ointments: Dusts (all), incense of

09-10 Staves obsession, ioun stones, Nolzhur’s marvelous
11-12 Misc. Magic:Jewels& Jewelry pigments, smoke powder, sovereign glue, stone
Misc. Magic:Cloaks & Robes of controlling earth elementals.
13-18 Misc. M a p : Boots & Gloves Household Items: Braziers (all), mattock of the
19-20 titans, maul of the titans, mirror of opposition,
21-22 Misc. Magic: Girdles & Helms Murlynd’s spoon, saw of mighty cutting, spade
23-24 Misc. Magic:Bags & Bottles of colossal excavation.
Misc. Magic: Candles, etc. Musical Instruments: Chimes (all), horn of
25-28 MischMagic: Household Items bubbles, horn of the tritons, lyre of building,
29-30 Misc. Magic: Musical Inst. pipes of pain.
31-32 Armor and Shields Armor and Shields: Only armor types avail-
33-60 Weapons able to the Crusades campaign can be
61-97 Holy Relics found. Thus, there is no magical plate mail,
98-00 field plate, etc.
Weapons: Nets (all),tridents (all),sword of the
Table 13:UnavailableMagical items planes.

Potions and Oils: Animal control, climbing, Holy Relics

diminution, dragon control, ESP,gaseous form, A holy relic can be a potent magical item in
its own right. In the campaign,holy relics can
giant control, human control, levitation, oil of be physical remains, personal possessions,
acid resistance, oil of disenchantment, oil of ele- and sanctified objects of a saint, apostle, or
mental invulnerability, oil of etherealness,plant prominent religious figure. The physical
control, rainbow hues, treasurefinding, undead remains might include bits of bone, hair, or
control.
Rings: Blinking, chameleon power, elemental
command, feather falling, human influence,
mammal control, mind shielding, ram, shooting

stars, telekinesis, wizardry, x-ray vision.
Rods: Absorption, beguiling, cancellation, resur-

rection, rulership.
Staves: Command, magi, power, woodlands.
Misc. Magic: Jewels& Jewelry:Amulet of the

planes, necklace of missiles, pearl of power,
scarab vs. golems, talisman of the sphere, talis-
man of Zagy.
Cloaks & Robes: Cloak of arachnida, cloak of
displacement, cloak of elvenkind, cloak of the
bat, cloak of the manta ray, robe of eyes, robe of
scintillating colors, robe of stars.
Boots & Gloves:Boots of elvenkind, boots of lev-

.Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural 67

drops of blood, preserved in a crystal vial; for into a cooperative activity.
personal possessions, consider the threads of Unless the DM is running a full-tilt fantasy
an apostle’s robes, the veil of a female saint,
or even a simple belt or common sandals.Use campaign, the staging of magic using a holy
imagination when devising holy relics for the relic calls for a subtle approach. Avoid light-
campaign. Consider why this relic is holy or ning, levitation, eclipses, and similar flashy
inherently magical, who once owned it, and effects. Instead, aim for a sense of solemn
what its powers are. serenity, pristine virtue, and confrontation
with the sacred. The relic’s effects should
As a general rule, most relics should invoke spring from the user’s unshakable faith, an
one or more clerical spells, available l/day island of calm in what is probably a turbulent
(1st-3rd level spells), l/week (4th-5th level crisis.
spells), or l/month (6th-7th level spells). Note
that in a fantasy setting, these clerical powers A relic’s effects in historical or legendary
are in no way restricted by the Forbidden campaigns should allow for alternative, mun-
Spellslist.Tailor the powers of the relic accord- dane explanations, although drastic coinci-
ing to its individual history and background. dence is certainly permissible. When the
These powers are not activated automatically. relic’s blessing is invoked, the opposing army
The user must chant aloud a special prayer or calls off the siege and retreats, but for a mun-
ceremony peculiar to the relic, requiring 1 dane cause: to put down a coup back home.
round per level of the relic’s desired power. Or the characters’ armies take comfort in the
This prayer is almost never inscribed on the presence of the relic and fight with greater
relic itself. (How could it be, in the case of a heroism, perhaps through the relic’s blessing
thread from a saint’s garment?) This ”activat- or because of a straightforward morale boost.
ing” prayer must be researched in a major Maybe the finger bone of Saint Denis really
library equipped with the appropriate reli- did cause the earthquake that shattered the
gious texts. Alternatively, some priest spells, enemy’s fortifications-but it might have
been a stroke of luck instead.
such as divination or commune, might give
Obviously the invocation of a holy relic
clues to the wording of this prayer. should be reserved for the adventure’s cli-
In addition, the invoker of the relic’s bless- max, or for some pivotal circumstance. Stage
the relic‘s discovery, activation, and disposi-
ing must be of the religion that holds the relic tion as amazing, dramatic events. The charac-
holy. Once activated, the blessing or magical ters should never regard it as a mere routine
effect can affect anyone, regardless of their magical item.
religion or ethnicity.

If the relic activates a 6th-7th level clerical
spell in a historical campaign, or a Quest spell
in a legendary campaign, the relic’s power
depends on the miraculous intervention of a
divine power. The needs of the story should
motivate the success of this prayer. But if the
D M has no preference whether the divine
power intervenes, use Table 8, with the cast-
er’s level equal to the most powerful individ-
ual invoking the power of the artifact. The
DM may allow the combined levels of all pre-
sent believers to improve the caster’s effective
level, thus making the invocation of a relic

68 Chapter Six

”You must sufer many things in the name of Adhemar, the Archbishop of Le Puy, to
Christ, wretchedness, poverty, nakedness, perse- arrange the crusade in 1096.The faithful from
cution, need, sickness, hung-er, thirst, and other all classes of society converged in southern
France, sewing two strips of red cloth over
things of this kind.” their outer garments to proclaim their hon-
ored status as pilgrims. The crusadersbelieved
-Pope Urban 11,1095 that they were taking up the cross and follow-
ing Christ, as had been called for in the New
ropel a i F M Urban I1 launchea the rirst Crusade Testament. Bishop Adhemar was joined by
during the summer of 1095.Five months ear- barons, knights, priests and commoners. Only
lier, an envoy of the Emperor Alexius I had monks were forbidden to participate. All
arrived in Rome to plead for assistance other elements of medieval society were wel-
against the Turks, who were threatening the come to join the expedition and help free the
Byzantine Empire. Urban 11, who had been Holy Land from the Muslims.
courting a more open relationship with the
Eastern Church for the past 10 years, soon Meanwhile, a popular preacher named
called for a Crusade to liberate both Constan- Peter the Hermit was inspired by Urban’s
tinople and the Holy City of Jerusalemfrom message and carried it to his native land of
the ”pagan” Muslims. Germany, unbeknownst to the Pope. Peter
With his first sermon to an assembly of preached the crusade across the country and
bishops in southern France, Urban I1started a quickly amassed his own ”People’s Expedi-
crusading movement that would span nearly tion” at Cologne. Without any of the careful
seven centuries of history. In this chapter, we preparations characteristic of the Frankish
examine the goals, highlights, and major crusade, the People’s Expedition, sometimes
accomplishments of the early Crusades to called the Peasants’ Crusade, crossed Eastern
Palestine. Europe during the summer of 1096 and
arrived at Constantinople in August. Their
The First Crusade: 1095-1 101 journey was far from peaceful, as their inade-
Pope Urban I1 started the Crusade with quate planning forced them to rob and pillage
the countryside for food and water, even after
two clear objectives. First, the forces of West- they entered the Byzantine Empire. Along the
way they vented their hostility to Jews
ern Christendom would liberate Eastern through murder and atrocities.
Christians by driving the Turks out of the
Byzantine Empire. After that, the Crusade Once the People’s Crusade arrived at Coi
would open a safe pilgrimage route through stantinople, they continued to disrupt the
the Middle East and recapture the Holy City Imperial peace, burning Greek Orthodox
of Jerusalem.During 1095, the Pope toured churches and looting rich suburbs. Despite
his native kingdom of the Franks, preaching these crimes, Emperor Alexius welcomed
the Crusade. Born into a French noble family Peter to his palace with all the honor of a vis-
around 1035, Urban well understood the iting dignitary and gave provisions to the
mindset of the clergy, aristocracy, and com- crusaders. The emperor warned Peter of
mon people in his home country. The Turkish tactics and urged him to wait for the
response to Urban’s call was enormous, far Frankish expedition, but the Crusaders were
greater than he had originally intended or impatient and slowly began moving toward
even wanted. the Turkish frontier. After crossing the
Bosporus in October, the careless crusaders
Urban envisioned a tightly organized were ambushed by Kilij Arslan. The Turkish
Frankish expedition, under the strict control
of the church. To this end, the Pope appointed

Tales of the Crusaders 69

Legend 15. Al-aqsa Mosque (base of the Templars)
16. Hospital of Saint John (base of the Hospitallers
1.Gate of Flowers 17. Royal Palace
2. Gate of the Column of Saint Stephen 18. Cattle market
3. Postern (rear gate) of Saint Lazarus 19. Public baths
4. Tancred’s Tower 20. Grain market
5. Jaffa Gate 21. Money exchange
6. Tower of David 22. Fowl market
7. Sion Gate 23. Palace of the Patriarch
8. Gate of Siloam 24. Church of Saint Mary of the Germans
9. Gate of Jehoshaphat 25. Church of Saint James
10. Golden Gate 26. Church of the Holy Sepulcher
11.Gate of Paradise 27. Church of Saint Mary of the Latins
12. Gate of Grief 28. Tomb of the Virgin
13. Beautiful Gates 29. Garden of Gethsemane
14. Dome of the Rock (see hLdp1,page 12)

70 ChapterSeven

sultan swept down out of the hills, easily Turkish trap in October, the impatient sultan
annihilating the surprised and terrified cru- mistook it for the Crusaders’ entire army and
saders. Saved by a Byzantine detachment, attacked, promptly surrounding the smaller
Peter and a small fraction of his followers force. The Turks were so intent on their prey
returned to Constantinople alive. that they did not notice the approach of the
main Crusader army from Nicea until too
The Western leaders that made up a second late. The Turks were soundly defeated inbat-
wave of the First Crusade were much more tle, and the sultan was forced to flee into the
practical than the careless pilgrims of Peter’s hills. Less than a month after their departure
expedition. The princes gathered their forces; from Constantinople, the Franks had visited
raised taxes to purchase arms, horses, and two successive defeats on the ”pagan” Turks.
supplies for the long journey; and arranged
for the government of their estates during the The Crusader’s hardships were only begin-
extended absence. In southern France, Adhe- ning, however. With most of his army
mar was joined by Count Raymond of destroyed, Kilij Arslan could not afford
Toulouse; they made the journey to Constan- another direct confrontation with the Franks.
tinople together. In western France, Duke He could predict their route across Anatolia,
Godfrey of Lorraine assembled his brothers, however, and harried every mile of their
Eustace and Baldwin, his loyal knights, and advance using guerrilla tactics. He stripped
set off for the east with a well-equipped army. the land and poisoned the wells in the Cru-
Finally, an infamous Norman knight, Bohe- saders’ path, cut off their supply lines from
mund of Taranto, joined the crusade with his Constantinople, and watched them crawl
small private army in April 1096. across the forbidding Anatolian countryside
in the oppressive heat of summer. Pilgrims,
Though much better armed than the Peo- horses, and knights soon began dying from
ple’s Crusade, these Frankish expeditions the heat, starvation, disease, and thirst.
proved equally unruly during their separate
journeys to Constantinople. After the Byzan- The tribulations of Anatolia converted the
tine navy conveyed them across the Bosporus Crusade into a fanatical, mobile monastery.
in early 1097, the Crusaders marched on the Had not God allowed the Devil to test Job’s
Turkish capital of Nicea. At the time, Kilij faith, by visiting his faithful servant with hor-
Arslan was occupied in wars with his neigh- rible afflictions?Throughout their misery in
bors, but after his easy victory over the first Anatolia, the Crusaders began to feel that
wave of disorganized Crusaders, the Turkish God was preparing them, like Job,for a sacred
emir was not terribly concerned by reports of mission by forging them into a special instru-
the second expedition. Kilij Arslan’s overcon- ment of His will. During Turkish skirmishes,
fidence and lengthy delay proved to be costly the Franks began to see visions of angelic
mistakes. Nicea promptly surrendered in warriors. They identified these visions as
June.Fearing the Franks’ dreaded reputation, holy saints like St. George, hovering protec-
the city rulers turned the keys over to tively in front of their army and defending
Emperor Alexius, not the Crusaders. Despite them from the Turks. In dreams the Franks
the Frank’s fury at not being allowed to loot encountered the peaceful spirits of their slain
and pillage the city, Nicea represented their comrades, giving them comfort and urging
first sigruficant victory. them to persevere. The fanatical Crusaders
were convinced that they had been chosen to
Kilij Arslan was understandably furious at complete the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher
this setback, and he planned an ambush in in Jerusalem.
the Crusaders’ path, in the valley of Dory-
laeum: When the vanguard approached the When the Crusadersbroke through Anato-

TnlesoftheCrusaders 71

lia and arrived outside the walls of Antioch in Outside Antioch, the Crusaders’ siege
the fall of 1097, their numbers had been deci- dragged on, despite low morale, desertions,
mated and their leaders impoverished. Adhe- and rumors of Kerbogha’s advancing army.
mar convinced the princes to invest the Fortunately for the Crusaders, the cautious
legendary Biblical city through the winter, Kerbogha paused to besiege Baldwin at
and the Crusaders soon sprawled around the Edessa, delaying his arrival at Antioch by
five miles of Roman walls. After months out- several weeks. During that time, Bohemund
side Antioch, the Crusaders suffered even of Taranto arranged for a traitor in Antioch to
more from famine and disease. Soon the admit him and some fellow knights into the
number of horses in the Christiancamp dwin- city. Before long, the adventurers opened the
dled to less than 20, depriving the knighted gates of the city and the Crusaders promptly
class of their hereditary status. captured Antioch. By June2,1098, all Turks in
the city had either fled or had been slaugh-
While his countrymen approached Anti- tered along with the ruthless Yaghi-Siyan.
och, Baldwin, one of Duke Godfrey’s adven-
turous brothers, separated from the main As Kerbogha’s army disengaged from its
army with a small contingent of knights, profitless siege in Edessa and set off again
intending to found a small principality along toward Antioch, the Crusaders’ morale sunk
the Orontes River. He soon befriended the to a new low. The besieged city had exhausted
Armenians, Christianmountain folk of south- stores when the Franks captured it, and the
ern Anatolia with no love for the Turks. As vast majority of knights still had no horses.
Baldwin traveled through the countryside in
1097, the small Turkish garrisonsin the region On June5, the atabeg’s huge and magnifi-
either fled or were soundly defeated by his cent army arrived outside Antioch. The
well-armed knights. In February of 1098, he supernatural quickly intervened on the Cru-
was adopted by King Thoros, an heirless saders’ behalf. Barely a week after the capture
Armenian monarch, during a strange, ancient of Antioch, one of the common pilgrims, a
ceremony in which Baldwin and Thoros rather disreputable fellow named Peter
rubbed their hairy chests together under the Bartholomew, approached Count Raymond
same woolen shirt. When Thoros died suspi- and Bishop Adhemar with news of visions he
ciously in March, only a few weeks after the had received from St. Andrew. In his dreams,
adoption, Baldwin claimed the city of Edessa the impatient saint had ordered Peter to
and the surrounding lands as his personal search for the Holy Lance. This spear, which
domain. Because Thoros had been unpopular had pierced Jesus’ side as he was crucified,
for his subservienceto the Turks, the Armeni- now lay buried in the Church of St. Peter in
ans welcomed Baldwin as their new leader. Antioch. It would let the Crusaders defeat all
their Muslim enemies in Palestine.
Back at Antioch, the Turkish sultan of the
city, Yaghi-Siyan, was desperately trying to Adhemar was skeptical of Peter, a lascivi-
induce his former enemies, in the neighbor- ous rogue and a known scoundrel. Count
ing cities of Mosul, Damascus, and Aleppo, to Raymond, however, accepted Peter’s account
rescue him from the Crusaders. The Antioch- and prepared for the excavations.Meanwhile,
ene ruler had betrayed the Emir Ridwan of another crusader-a young priest named
Aleppo in the previous year, so the nefarious Stephen of Valence-had another vision, in
Yaghi-Siyan could not count on help from his which Christ appeared to him directly and
nearest neighbor. After substantial monetary said that the Crusaders had lost their holy
inducements, the atabeg Kerbogha of Mosul purpose and become distracted by debauch-
started assembling his iknies in-the spring. ery and fornication. If the Franks would
amend their ways, Christ promised to send

them help in five days. Bishop Adhemar entire Muslim army soon fled in full rout
accepted this vision as genuine and con- back to Mosul. The Christians saw their stun-
vinced the princes of the Crusade to swear ning victory as a miracle, yet another sign of
that they would not abandon Antioch. Hear- God’s holy favor for his Chosen.
ing news of their princes’ resolve, morale
improved considerably among the Crusaders, As the victorious Franks began planning
who were by now vigorously defending the their final approach and capture of Jerusalem,
city against the repeated assaults of Ker- the ultimate goal of the Crusade, it became
bogha’s forces. clear that at least three of their leaders would
not join them. Baldwin of Edessa had a new
A few days passed, and excavation began domain to protect on the eastern frontier, and
in the Church of St. Peter. At first the workers Bohemund had proclaimed himself the Prince
discovered nothing, and Count Raymond of Antioch. Adhemar, the spiritual leader of
went away in disappointment. Suddenly the Crusade thus far, would not accompany
Peter Bartholomew leaped into the massive the Franks to Jerusalemeither. The Bishop of
pit and soon discovered a rusty piece of iron, Le Puy died on August 1after an epidemic of
which he proclaimed a fragment of the Holy typhoid swept through Antioch.
Lance. Though some workers were skeptical,
a reputable noble at the scene swore that he In early 1099the remaining Franks, led by
had gripped the sacred relic while it was still Count Raymond and Duke Godfrey, marched
partially buried in the ground. down the coast to Jerusalem.By now all of
Palestine had heard terrible tales of the
When they learned of the Holy Lance’s dis- ”invincib1e” Crusaders from Muslim
covery, the Crusaders were ecstatic.As Count refugees. They learned with horror of an
Raymond fell ill, leadership of military affairs incident at Ma’arra, where the ferocious Cru-
passed to Bohemund, and he prepared to saders were said to have committed acts oi
attack Kerbogha. Not only was St. Andrew (in cannibalism after slaying the town’s inhabi-
Peter’s visions) urging the Crusaders to attack, tants. Without exception, the Turkish and
Egyptian rulers of cities along the Mediter-
but the Turkish utabeg was experiencing seri- ranean coast sent friendly envoys to the Cru-
saders,bearing lucrative tribute of provisions
ous difficulties keeping his army together. and horses, in hopes the Franks would pass
Considerable friction between the Turkish them by. The Crusaderswere intent on reach-
leaders and Arab soldiers had only been wors- ing Jerusalem,and so they accepted the gen-
ened by Kerbogha’s fruitless assaulton Edessa erous gifts of the Muslims, ignoring the
at the start of his campaign. There were soon coastal cities for the time being.
mass desertions in the atubeg’s army.
By early June,the Crusaders assembled
After a night of fasting and prayer, the outside the massive walls of the Holy City
Franks prepared to battle the Turks on June the final goal of their epic journey. At the
28. Bishop Adhemar celebratedmass at dawn, time, Jerusalemwas under the command of a
and a procession of white-clad priests led the Egyptian governor named Iftikhar, who was
Christian army out of Antioch onto the battle- not so easily cowed by the Franks’ terrible
field, triumphantly brandishing the Holy reputation. As the Crusaders made no secret
Lance. When the Franks charged into battle, of their ultimate destination, he had ample
they believed they saw angelic warrior-saints time to prepare for the siege. Iftikhar had
appear before them, turning aside the hail of expelled all the Christians from the city, poi-
Turkish arrows and leading them fearlessly soned all the wells outside Jerusalem,and
into combat. Kerbogha’s demoralized army, sent envoys to Cairo for reinforcements.
unprepared to face this kind of unwavering
religious fanaticism, quickly broke, and the

Tales of the Crusaders 73

When the Crusaders arrived, they threw lasting Christian states in Palestine-the
themselves against the walls of the city but County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch,
were quickly repulsed.For a month the Franks and the Kingdom of Jerusalem-and recap-
suffered under the brutal summer sun while tured the Holy City from the "pagans." How
they erected siege machinery for a more seri- ever, the slaughter of innocents in Jerusalem
ous assault. Confident that a Cairene army would forever cloud negotiations among tho
was coming to his rescue, Iftikhar waited Franks, Muslims, and Jews.
patiently behind the city walls. However, the
Egyptian forces arrived much too late to save The Crusaders had also driven back the
Jerusalem.On the night of July 13, the Cru- Turks who threatened Constantinople, but
saders dragged their siege towers up to the this victory was short-lived. In 1101, Kilij
walls and forced their way into the city. Arslan finally avenged his earlier humiliating
Throughout the night and the entire following defeat at Dorylaeum by surprising and anni-
day, the Crusaders massacred every Muslim hilating a third wave of Crusaders. Once
and Jewishinhabitant who could not flee, again the Turks closed overland routes to
including women and children. The tri- Palestine through Anatolia. Despite this
umphant leaders of the Crusade chose God- major setback, the Crusaders would remain
frey of Lorraine as the new King of Jerusalem. in Palestine for nearly 200 years.

From the perspective of both the Pope and As for the folk hero of the Holy Lance,
the Franks, the First Crusade was a major suc- Peter Bartholomew, he was soon discredited
cess. The Crusaders had established three and accused of being a charlatan. He died of
severe burns after trying to uphold his sincer-

ity in a trial by fire. The Holy Lance was car- promising the Crusaders redemption from
ried by pilgrims back to Constantinople, all sins and temporary suspension of their
where it disappeared.The Byzantines already earthly debts.
had a Holy Lance, discovered centuriesbefore
and authenticatedby their clergy. Although the king was eager to take up th
Cross, his barons showed little enthusias
The Second Crusade: 1145-48 King Louis asked a young abbot of legendary
eloquence, Bernard of Clairvaux, to help con-
At the time of the First Crusade, the Mus- vince his reluctant vassals. As a preacher,
lim world was fragmented and disorganized. Bernard (later Saint Bernard) had been gifted
En 1127, the Seljuq sultan of Baghdad ap
pointed the ruthless but competent Muslim with almost unbelievable charisma. During
atabeg Zengi to the regency of Mosul and March 1146, the king assembled his vassals at
Aleppo. The general spent the first few years V616zay; news that the incomparable Saint
of his tenure consolidatinghis rule in Syria, Bernard would preach there drew a huge
but thereafter Zengi proved a formidable crowd of curious spectators from across
nemesis to the fledgling County of Edessa. France. At the end of Bernard’s sermon, thc
assembly erupted in a religious furor, calling
As early as 1132, Zengi and his chief lieu- forstrips of material so they could sew crosses
tenant, Sawar, began a campaign of raiding on their garments and take up the Cross. The
and conquest in the northern Crusader states. king’s formerly aloof barons now eagerly
Three years later, Zengi and Sawar had either pledged themselves to the Crusade.
captured or reduced all of Edessa’s frontier
defenses. The pair now embarked on sepa- For the rest of the year, Saint Bernard
rate, bolder raids, deeper into Frankish terri- spread news of the Crusade, traveling tc
tory. Because of internal political squabbles western France, Flanders, and finally reac
and limited manpower, the Franks proved ing Germany, where he eventually convince
unable to stop Zengi’s campaign of destruc- the reluctant King Conrad and his enti
tion and conquest. In a decisive blow to the court to take up the Crusade as well. Conra
Crusader states, Zengi captured the northern spent the spring gatherinp his vassals an
city of Edessa at the end of 1144. their armies.

Bad news travels quickly. Within a month Even though the Turks had closed the land
of the defeat, the Queen-Regent Melisende of routes to Palestine since 1101, both kings pre-
Jerusalem had dispatched an embassy to ferred to travel by land rather than risk a sea
Rome, who asked the Pope for a new Cru- voyage. The leading naval power at the time,
sade. Forty years earlier, a crusading furor the perfidious Roger of Sicily, was so disrep-
had spread through Europe after the capture utable that the Pope did not even bother to
of Jerusalem, but the disastrous fate of the invite him on the Crusade. It is doubtful that
third wave of Crusaders in 1101had consid- even Roger’s navy could have accommo-
erably dampened the West’s enthusiasm. dated all the French and German Crusaders,
Although pilgrims still arrived at the Holy 50,000 soldiers,knights, and pilgrims.
Land in droves, only a few small military
expeditions regularly embarked to Palestine. The massive German and French contin-
It took the debacle at Edessa to shock the gents departed for Constantinople in early
West into a new frenzy. In December of 1145, 1147, arrivingabout a month apart during the
the Pope urged King Louis of France to lead fall. Konrad’s German soldiers were rowdy
a new Crusade to save eastern Christendom,
and bellicose, much like the first Crusaders,
and quickly antagonized the Byzantines by
disregarding Emperor Manuel’s authorized
routes through his domain. They raided the

Tales of the Crusaders 7

countrysideand attacked Imperial police. The world, renowned not only for beauty but also
Germans even antagonized the French when keen wit, perceptive wisdom, and patronage
Louis’s army arrived, denying them supplies. of the arts. A small entourage of troubadours,
Disgusted and enraged by the Crusader’s poets, and philosophers followed her every-
behavior, Manuel secretly accepted a truce where, even on the Crusade. She helped
with the Turks, promising not to aid the Cru- inspire the ideal of courtly love and gallantry
saders once they crossed into Anatolia. From that would later become the romantic stan-
the outset the French, Germans, and Byzan- dard of European knighthood.
tines resented and distrusted each other. This
would prove disastrous for the Crusade. Eleanor was certainly much more intelli-
gent than her dour, pious husband, Louis,
The French and German contingents were and she found the entire Crusade a dreadful
conveyed separately across the Bosporus in experience. During her younger days in
autumn 1147.Konrad’s spirited army, ignoring Aquitaine, she was rumored to have been
the suggested routes of Emperor Manuel, quite intimate with her dashing uncle, and
stormed ahead of the French in October and from the outset of her arrival at Antioch, the
quickly blundered into a Turkish trap near sympathy between Eleanor and Raymond
Dorylaeum.Konrad’sproud forceswere wiped was evident to all. People soon began to sug-
out; the German king barely managed to sal- gest that the Queen was spending perhaps
vage a tenth of his army and escape to Nicea, too much time alone with the handsome
where the Frankisharmy massedin November. Prince of Antioch. Louis grew jealous.

During‘the next four painful months, the When the French monarchs arrived at Anti-
combined French and German army strug- och, Raymond’s Principality was fighting a
gled across the mountainous Anatolian coast- defensive war against the Saracens. After the
line, plagued by winter storms and constantly start of the Crusade, the atabeg Zengi was
harassed by the Turks. Faced with mounting murdered by a frightened eunuch and his
Turkish resistance, the Crusade’s leaders realms divided among his three sons. The
began to assemble a fleet when they reached most dangerous of these, from the perspec-
Atallia so they could make the rest of the tive of the Crusaders, was the cunning and
journey by sea. As soon as there were enough pious warrior Nur al-din, who displayed all
boats to acwmmodate the family and body- his father’s military genius but none of his
guard of each king, the royalty promptly ruthless brutality. Though he had only the
sailed to Palestine, abandoning the bulk of resources of Aleppo at his disposal for the
their armies to complete the remainder of time being, Nur al-din called for a jihad
the difficult journey without their leader- against the Franks, a holy war to expel the
ship. Conrad landed at Acre in April and Crusading foreigners. The faithful of Islam
traveled to Jerusalemwithout further inci- flocked to his banner in Aleppo. By the end of
dent, where he was welcomed by Queen- 1147, N u r al-din had claimed all the lands
Regent Melisende, her son King Baldwin, and strongholds east of the Orontes river.
and their intrigue-ridden court.
Raymond was understandably concerned
King Louis’s trip to Jerusalemwent far less about N u r al-din’s agenda. Despite Ray-
peacefully. When they arrived at Antioch in mond’s sensible arguments, Louis refused to
March 1148, they were received by Prince help his cousin in a campaign against Nur al-
Raymond, who was not only Louis’s cousin, din. Eleanor tried to convince Louis of the
but also the uncle of his beautiful queen, wisdom in Raymond’s strategy, but this only
Eleanor of Aquitaine. Lady Eleanor was one inflamed the king’s jealousy. Louis stub-
of the most celebrated figures of the medieval bornly insisted on completing his pilgrimage

to Jerusalembefore embarking on any cam- Crusaders would be torn to pieces if they
paign against the Saracens. remained. At last realizing his dilemma, Bald-
win ordered a withdrawal back to Palestine-
After all the ordeals of the Crusade, Eleanor but Unur would not let the Crusaders leave
finally reached the limit of her endurance. On so easily. He dispatched a company of horse-
the day before Louis departed for Jerusalem, bowmen to harry their retreat. As the hail of
Eleanor announced that she would not accom- arrows fell, picking off stragglers and alarm-
pany her husband south, but rather would ing horses, some of the Crusaders panicked,
remain in Antioch with her uncle. Further- turning the retreat into a rout.
more, Eleanor revealed that she would seek a
divorce as soon as she returned to France. Disgusted by the entire fiasco, Conrad
Completely humiliated, the king kidnapped departed by ship for Europe within a month
his rebellious wife that evening and carried of the defeat. Louis remained a while longer
her with him to Jerusalem.Appalled by his in Palestine, as he had little to look forward to
cousin’s behavior, Raymond refused to lend after his return except a divorce from his
any support to Louis’s ill-fated Crusade. estranged wife. He dallied in Outremer for a
few months, making pilgrimages to holy
Once all the Crusaders had assembled in places before he too returned home. His mar-
Jerusalem,they quarreled for a month over riage to Eleanor of Aquitaine was annulled in
the target for their campaign. They finally 1152, and two months later she married Henry
decided to attack Damascus. Though undeni- Plantagenet, later King Henry 11.
ably a rich prize, Damascus was also the only
city that had proved willing in the past to ally Just as the First Crusade was a stunning
success, the Second was a humiliating disas-
with the Franks.The Damasceneatabeg, Unur, ter. After a year of careful preparations and
many months of hardship crossing the hostile
was shocked to learn of the Crusaders’ wilderness of Anatolia, the Second Crusade
advance on his city. He reluctantly dispatched arrived in Palestine to fight a fruitless mili-
an embassy to Nur al-din at Aleppo, request- tary campaign that lasted only four days.
ing his aid against the Franks.Nur al-din was Despite their lofty intentions, the leaders of
pleased to comply, having expected the Cru- Christendomproved incapable of working
saders to retaliate against him for his father’s together, and their divisiveness let the Sara-
capture of Edessa. cens triumph. Saint Bernard, confused by the
failure of this noble enterprise, would later
The young King Baldwin assembled his find it far easier to blame the Byzantines for
forces and marched with Louis and Conrad to the Western defeat than see the true cause of
Damascus. After they surrounded the city the debacle. Needless to say, this epic failure
and captured the outlying areas, the leaders dampened crusading fever for many years to
began to argue bitterly over how they would come. It would take the fall of Jerusalem,40
divide Damascus. During the delay caused years later, to draw Crusaders back.
by this bickering, Unur managed to recapture
the lost territory and drive back the Cru- The Third Crusade: 1187-92
saders. Meanwhile, Baldwin heard reports Political intrigue continued to plague Out-
that N u r al-din was rapidly approaching
from the north with a vastly superior force. remer during the decades after the doomed
Louis and Conrad urged Baldwin to stand Second Crusade, while the forces of Islam
and fight the Muslims, but the local leaders, united under the leadership of Nur al-din. By
familiar with Saracen tactics, recognized their his death in 1174,he had established an empire
own perilous position.

N o w caught between Nur al-din’s larger
army and Unur’s forces from Damascus, the

Tales of the Crusaders 77

,

78 Chapter Seven

that included Mosul, Aleppo, Damascus, and might, the Frankish leaders continued their
Cairo-a tight ring enclosing the Crusader divisive intrigues. In 1187Saladin lured their
States and threatening their existence. After small army into battle beneath a double-spire
Nur al-din’s death, the humble governor of mountain called the Horns of Hattin, near the
Cairo, Salah ad-din, known to the Crusaders shores of Lake Tiberias. The Franks had
as Saladin, slowly gathered the reins of his marched all day to the lake under the brutal
former master’s empire. Julysun, expecting to find water once they
arrived. Instead, they found Saladin’s rested
Saladin is perhaps the best-known and and much larger army waiting for them.
most-glamorous figure of the Crusades. Like Rather than withdrawing, as some prudent
Nur al-din, he inspired fanatical loyalty in his Franks suggested, the more fanatical, reli-
followers by strictly adhering to the Skaria, gious leaders insisted on fighting to extermi-
the holy laws of Islam, in both personal and nate their hated enemy. As the Crusaders
public life. Unlike his former master, Saladin approached, Saladin set fire to the dry grassy
retained his humility, modesty, and compas- plain, and the smoke rolled down to choke
sion after his meteoric rise to power. the already thirst-maddened infantry. The
Franks fought bravely, but they were vastly
For instance, a young mamluk once entered outnumbered, weakened by thirst, exhausted
Saladin’s tent and asked him to sign a mes- by the sun, burned by fire, and blinded by
sage. Though Saladin was exhausted and smoke. Their army was almost annihilated.
asked the slave to return later, the mamluk Saladincaptured the King of Jerusalem,along
thrust the paper in his face, insisting that his with Christendom’s most sacred relic, the
master sign. When Saladin protested that he True Cross.
didn’t have an inkwell, the slave, growing
impatient with the single most powerful The Battle of Hattin broke the back of the
leader of Islam, pointed out the bottle behind fragile Kingdom of Jerusalem.The Franks
him. Saladin turned around and exclaimed, had drained their garrisons to field the army,
”By God, you’re right.” Fetching the ink him- and after the battle the kingdom was defense-
self, he promptly signed the message. less. By the end of the year, all of Outremer
except for Antioch, Tripoli, and Tyre had
Countless anecdoteslike this, chronicled by quickly capitulated to Saladin. Unlike the
his friends and advisors, portray Saladin as a Crusaders, who massacred the inhabitants of
modest, compassionate, honorable, and gen- Jerusalemafter their victory, the sultan was
erous man. News of tragedy or suffering compassionate and magnanimous. H e
often moved Saladin to tears, and he always allowedthe Franks to purchase their freedom
strictly honored his word to both Muslim and for a small tribute of 10 dinars per man, 5 per
Christian alike. He never broke a truce with woman, and 1 per child; he ransomed
the Franks, though the Crusaders routinely Jerusalem’spoor for a much smaller lump
betrayed their oaths as circumstances war- payment. (It appears that, for unknown rea-
ranted. Saladin was incredibly generous with sons, several thousand poor went unre-
his wealth, to the frustration of his treasurers. deemed and were probably sold as slaves,
Saladin’s advisers maintained a secret trea- along with many foot soldiers.) Saladin’s
sury so they could pay for armies and main- treasurers were mortified to see the Patriarch
tain the state government even after one of of Jerusalemdepart with a small caravan of
their lord’s particularly generous moods. Sal- treasure, stripped from his villa and the
adin was never motivated by greed or lust for cathedral. The rich priest paid 10 dinars for
power. He devoted his whole life to fighting his release just like everyone else. Saladin
for Islam and driving the Franks from Syria.

Faced with Saladin‘s increasing military

Tales of the Crusaders 79

even dispatched a squad of cavalry to escort kings declared a truce in early 1188and swore
the priest’s treasure to Tripoli, so it would be to take up the Cross, their protracted prepara-
safe from bandits on the road. Saladinopened tions and mutual distrust delayed their depar-
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to Christ- ture for months.
ian pilgrims within a week of his victory.
In contrast to the quarreling French and
Saladin’s mercy and generosity soon came English kings, the Holy Roman Emperor,
back to haunt him. Streams of Frankish Frederick I Barbarossa, took up the Cross in
refugees converged on Tyre, swelling the March. Barbarossa, nicknamed for his bushy
ranks of defenders in the impregnable strong- red beard, was a legend in his own time. In
hold. It had taken Count Raymond nearly his youth, he had unified the lands of Ger-
2,000 days to capture the city after the First many and northern Italy into a massive realm,
Crusade. Fortunately for the Franks, they proclaiming himself Holy Roman Emperor in
were blessed by the unexpected arrival of a 1153.By the time of the Crusade, he was over
noble and charismatic pilgrim, Conrad of 70 years old, but that in no way diminished
Montferrat. He helped organize the city his vigor and determination. Contemporary
defenses by the time Saladin arrived outside chroniclers of the Crusade were astounded by
its walls in November. Saladin called off the the size of Frederick’s army, a huge national
siege of Tyre to consolidate his victory in the force for the Middle Ages: between 100,000
rest of Palestine, and in the interim, supplies, and 150,000 knights and soldiers.
arms, and reinforcements streamed into the
city by sea. When he departed Germany in May 1189,
Frederick took the difficult overland route to
After the devastating loss of Jerusalem,the the Holy Land, despite the dangers of the
Archbishop of Tyre sent emissaries to Pope Turks and the forbidding Anatolian country-
Gregory VI11in Rome, begging for a new Cru- side. Though Barbarossa’s forces clashed with
sade. The desperate defenders of Tyre would Byzantine authorities and suffered losses to
wait four long years for the response. In the the Turks while crossing Anatolia, the tremen-
interim, Saladin released the former King of dous army had almost reached Antioch when
Jerusalem,Guy of Lusignan, who promptly the Holy Roman Emperor suddenly died in
sought out a priest to release him from his June 1190 while crossing a river in Cicilia.
oath to Saladin, that he would depart Out- Perhaps he drowned in the strong current, or
remer forever. Guy met immediate resistance the cold water might have given the aging
from Conrad in Tyre, who was not impressed emperor a heart attack. Whatever the reason
by the only surviving leader to blame for the for Frederick’s death, after his followers
loss of Jerusalem.Despite Conrad’s disdain, dragged his body from the river, the largest
Guy found supporters and left Tyre in 1189to army in Europe began to dissolve, right on
reconquer his kingdom. He got as far as the the threshold of the Holy Land. Frederick’s
city of Acre, where his forces quickly bogged charisma alone had held his army together,
down in a siege. Supported by Pisan, Danish, and with him gone, his distraught princes,
and Frisian fleets, Guy managed to thwart barons, and knights dispersed with their pri-
Saladin’sattempts to dislodge him. vate armies and unbelievably began the long
march home. Though ”Frederick’s Crusade”
After learning of the disaster at Hattin, never reached the Holy Land, the threat of his
Pope Gregory dispatched letters to all the imminent arrival kept Saladin from commit-
churches of Western Christendom by the end ting all his forces to the siege of Acre, which
of 1187.At the time King Henry I1 of England dragged on through the rest of the year.

anaand King; Philip Augustus of France were Meanwhile, back in Europe, the turmoil at

engaged%I a loig bitter war. Though the

the courts of France and England continued. of furious rage, he was equally capable of both
Henry I1 died in 1189 and his son, Richard I uncommon kindness and savage brutality.
“Lionheart” ascended to the throne of the Richardwas sometimesreckless and often irre-
Plantagenet empire, which included not only sponsible. For example, after leaving Sicily for
England, but almost half of France as well. the Holy Land, Richard chose to delay his
Understandably, Philip Augustus of France arrival for months by conquering Cyprus, an
was Richard’s sworn enemy, and not until island of farms and monasteries with little
late in 1190 did the two leaders depart simul- strategic significance. (In retrospect,however,
taneously for the Holy Land by sea. After Cyprus did provide the Crusaders with a
wintering in Sicily, they arrived apart at the much-needed supply base-perhaps Richard
ongoing siege of Acre in 1191. knew what he was doing after all.)

Like Saladin, Richard Lionheart has become By the time Richard arrived at the siege of
a legendary, romanticized figure of the Cru- Acre, Philip of France had already erected
sade. We have already met his mother, Eleanor massive siege machinery and was preparing
of Aquitaine. Richard was as dashingly hand- a final assault on the city. King Philip could
some as his mother was beautiful, a charis- not match Richard’s personal charisma.
matic leader, skilled dancer, musician, and Though fervently religious, he was a cold and
singer. A powerful and renowned fighter, in calculating man, a careful planner and a
many ways he epitomized the flower of Chris- shrewd manipulator. Already in frail health,
tian knighthood and chivalry. But Richard’s Philip quickly succumbed to the diseases that
personality also had a much darker, cruel side. plagued many new arrivals to Palestine. He
Prone to wild mood swings and suddenbursts was bedridden for most of his sojourn in the

Tales of the Crusaders 81

Holy Land and allowed Richard to direct Richard lent his reluctant support to Conrad.
most of the Crusade. As soon as an agreement was settled, King
Philip returned to France in August after only
Despite his best efforts to lure the Cru- four months in the Holy Land.
saders away from Acre into a pitched battle,
Saladin failed to break the siege, though he Dismayed by Philip’s lack of resolve.
harried their fortified encampments and cut Richard remained determined to conque~
off their overland supply routes from Tyre. Jerusalem.After Philip’s departure, he strucl!
Because the Crusaders maintained a tight south along the coast, heading for Jaffa. Sal
naval blockade around Acre and were well- adin followed Richard’s advance along a par
supplied from the sea, they could hold their allel course, probing his flanks and lagging
position despite Saladin’s harrying. rear with lightning-swift cavalry attacks. Tht
main body of the sultan’s army interceptedthe
With the siege at a virtual stalemate, the Crusaders at Arsuf, near Caesarea, in the firs+
Christian and Muslim camps, separated by a pitched battle of the Third Crusade. However
short distance outside the besieged city, Saladin’s infantry panicked at the awesomt
became increasing familiar with each other.
Knights and soldiers on both sides estab- charge of Christiancavalry and fled the field ir
lished friendships, threw parties, and some-
times engaged in contests or tournaments. complete disarray. But though Richard’s force:
Ever since his arrival, Richard was eager to clearly triumphed at Arsuf, the victory was bj
meet with the honored Saladin, who had no means decisive.Saladin regrouped his scat-
become something of a celebrity even back in tered forces, which had fled from battle with
Europe. Though the romances may state oth- surprisingly light casualties, while Richard
erwise, the Sultan politely refused and would captured Jaffa (an easily reinforced supply
never meet Richard face to face, though he base along the coast). This would be the last
sometimesentertained other Christian guests. concrete success of the Third Crusade.

In July1191,the Crusaders finally forced For the next six months, Richard attempted
Acre to surrender.Saladin wept when the city to march on Jerusalem,but was repeatedly
fell, and the honorable sultan soon had thwarted by Saladin’s maneuvers. Though
another occasion to weep. Having captured Saladin and Richard were at a stalemate, Sal-
over 2,5500 Muslim prisoners in Acre, Richard adin had the luxury of time, whereas Richard
did not have the provisions to feed them all, did not. Richard began fierce negotiations
nor the guards to keep them under surveil- with Saladin, but he was in no position tc
lance. When faced with a similar situation at bargain, and the sultan knew it. Back i n
Jerusalem,the generous Saladin had simply France, Philip was already plotting with
let his prisoners go free, but Richard marched Richard’s brother, Prince John,to dismantle
the prisoners outside the city and had them the Lionheart’s domains. In Palestine, the
slaughtered to the last woman and child. Crusaders could only receive reinforcements
from across the wide sea, whereas Saladin
Having captured Acre, Philip and Richard could call upon the resources of Mosul,
began to argue. Racked by disease, Philip des- Aleppo, Damascus, and Cairo, each wealthy
perately wanted to return home. Before he left, capital within easy march of Jerusalem.Even
however, Philip wanted to make sure that his if Richard managed to capture the Holy City
cousin, Conrad of Montferrat, was appointed Saladin argued, the Franks could never hope
the theoretical King of Jerusalemafter his to hold it for long after Richard and his Cru-
heroic salvation of Tyre. Of course, Richard saders returned home to England. As the
supported the other contender to the throne, months passed, news of political develop-
Guy of Lusignan. After a month of bickering, ments in England worsened. Richard became

82 Chapterseven

desperate to leave and reluctantly signed a Later Crusades
five-year truce with Saladin in September The Third Crusade was me last SuccessIui
1192.Gracious as ever, the sultan allowed the
Crusadersto complete their pilgrimage to the expedition to the Holy Land. The many sub-
Holy Sepulcher (unarmed, of course), but the sequent Crusades were elaborate fiascos
demoralized Richard refused to go. noted almost entirely for their religious intol-
erance, visceral greed, and senseless destruc-
Before Richard departed the Holy Land in tion. The leaders of the Fourth Crusade, for
October, he was obliged to settle the succes- instance, collaborated with the Venetians to
sion of the “Throne of Jerusalem.” Though sack and destroy Constantinople in 1204, to
Conrad of Montferrat was the preferred can- the horror of Pope Innocent and the Eastern
didate, he was murdered under mysterious Orthodox Church. The Fifth Crusade of 1218
circumstances (perhaps by Assassins), forcing ended in disaster when the crusaders bun-
Richard to choose a wily old knight in his ser- gled an invasion of Egypt. The popes of the
vice, Henry of Champagne, for the post. As 13thand 14thcenturies, who summoned the
for King Guy of Jerusalem,Richard sold him later Crusades, could no longer control their
the island of Cyprus to keep him from mud- own creations.
dying the political waters in Palestine.
From the secular viewpoint of many later
The legendary figures of the Third Crusade European rulers, crusading in Palestine was
did not thrive long after it ended. An old man simply not profitable. These kings and popes
manipulated the established crusading appa-
in his sixties, Saladin quickly deteriorated and ratus to stamp out heretics and pagans closer
to home. The Albigensian Crusade of 1208,
died peacefully at his home in Damascus, six for example, was not directed against the
months after Richard’s departure from Pales- Muslims of Syria, but against a pacifistic off-
tine in March 1193.Richard, too, did not enjoy shoot of Christianity in southern France. Few
much success after the Crusade. While travel- of these later Crusades had much lasting
ing across Europe in disguise, he was recog- impact on daily life in the tiny, distant King-
nized, captured, and held for ransom by the dom of Acre.
Duke of Austria, whom Richard had insulted
outside the siege of Aae. Back in England, the When Western knights wanted to fight
against the Saracens, they often traveled to
reigning PrinceJohnhad little incentive to ran- Spain, where the Aragonian kings had strug-
som his brother too quickly, so Richard re- gled against their Moorish overlords since the
9th century. The Church did not distinguish
mained in prison for over a year. (From this between Western and Eastern frontiers dur-
time comethe Englishtales of Robin Hood and ing its war against Islam. In his writings and
his Merry Men, fighting Prince John’srule sermons, Pope Urban I1 considered fighting
while waiting for King Richard’s return.) at either the Spanish or Palestinian fronts
equally meritorious.The reconquest of Spain,
The death of Saladin and the imprison- an unrelenting campaign which lasted until
ment of Richard close the last heroic and the late 15thcentury, undeniably diverted
glamorous chapter of the Crusading period. Western support from Outremer. The forces
After the Third Crusade, the Franks retained of Christendom may have won their war
control of a narrow strip of coastline, stretch- against Islam in the Reconquista, but at the
ing from Antioch in the north to Jaffain the price of the ChristianStates in Palestine.
south. Though far from a spectacular suc-
cess, the Third Crusade established the
Kingdom of Acre and secured an albeit
minor Frankish presence in the Holy Land
for another century.

Tales of the Crusaders 83

I-

”It is easy to understand to what anger we were give players the actual history first (briefly!),
aroused to punish such villainy. Supported by then tell them how the game adjusts history.
”Your forces have captured Antioch. The his-
divine aid, we engaged this enemy in battle and torical Crusaders would have slaughtered
gained a quick victory.” everyone in the city, but your king has ran-
somed the citizens to Saladin for a fair sum.
-King Richard Lionheart, 1191 Now that you’re inside the walls-” And so
on with the adventure. These historical foot-
This chapter (for the Dungeon Master only!) notes work best between episodes of the
gives advise on running a Crusades cam- adventure, rather than in the midst when
paign, then outlines an introductory cam- they might interrupt the flow of the action.
paign, suitable for starting adventurers. The
chapter concludes with adventure hooks that Deleting atrocities is obviously a good idea,
can be dropped into the campaign as rumors but the campaign’s combination of history
or expand into full-length scenarios. Specific and the historic ideal creates interesting lesser
game statistics in each section are left for the conflicts. Genuinely heroic PC Crusaders,
DM to devise, based on the strengths of the drawn to the Holy Land to fight evil ”pagans,”
particular player characters. soon learn that the Saracensare neither pagan
nor devilish. With their entire moral justifica-
C-pnipgring tion for a holy war gone, what then? The
This sourcebook has not glossed over the heroes’ companions and superiors may nur-
ture the unreasoning hatred typical of the
injustices and petty hatreds that often domi- time. The heroes must decide by their actions
nated the Crusades, but a campaign should whether to obey the orders of commandersor
approach the era differently. Like a historical the dictates of conscience.
novel, a historical campaign emphasizes
selected aspects of its era to create a dramatic Clumsy or ill-advised actions may turn the
atmosphere-in this case, one of idealistic heroes’ peers against them, so that the PCs
become renegades in an alien land. However,
heroism and high adventure. Where the Cru- skillful play can lead to exciting opportuni-
ties. The player charactersmight sidestep the
saders showed intolerance or greed, player fundamental conflicts of Outremer and
characters instead behave virtuously and instead do good works that help both sides:
with compassion, following the knightly capturing bandits or pirates, fighting the
ideal that emerged from the Crusading era. fanatical Assassins, or delicately reigning in
the passions of fellow Crusaders and thereby
Studying history is always valuable and preventing calamities.
often fascinating. Sometimes, though, the
aims of history and of entertainment are Many adventures derive not from conflict
fundamentally different. A historical novel with the Saracens but simply from the meet-
may take careful liberties with details if ing of two diverse cultures. The following
these inaccuracies help its story, and it can minicampaign gives a good example.
downplay contemporary bigotries and other
matters that would offend modern readers. A Count’s Ransom
Likewise, the Crusades campaign should This minicampaign takes place in historical
respect the setting. But when obsolete medi-
eval attitudes (bigotry, xenophobia, casual or legendary Outremer and works best with a
cruelty) would keep players from fully well-balanced party of Christian adventurers.
enjoying the game, replace those attitudes Though the plot revolves around the capture
with more modern beliefs.

When the DM does this, it may be useful to

Adventuringldens 85

of Count Baldwin in 1104, the DM can easily cloud around the festivities. Eventually she
arrange the capture of another prominent notices one of the PCs (a male warrior-
prince during a border raid at any time dur- preferably a Frankish knight or monastic
ing the 12thcentury. warrior) and arranges for a messenger to
bring the PC and his friends to an audience in
Introduction: News of the midsummer her tent.
jousting tournament at Antioch has drawn
knights, adventurers, and entertainers from Lady Morphia was an Armenian princess
all across northern Outremer to witness a before her marriage to Count Baldwin. Her
spectacle of military achievements, feasting, face is dark and exotic, quite different from
and general merriment. The Franks love a the frail, pallid features of a Frankish lady.
good party, and no one knows how to throw a When the PCs arrive, she greets them in
better celebration than Prince Bohemund. delightfully accented French (she also speaks
Arabic and her native Armenian). From the
The joust should appeal to all kinds of char- outset, she attempts to discern the PCs’ politi-
acters. Obviously fighters enjoy the tests of cal loyalties. Are they sworn to the service of
martial expertise, but rogues also find min- Antioch? Jerusalem?another minor Christian
gling with the gold-laden throngs highly lord?
profitable. The clergy, of course, is at hand to
bless the combatants, care for the wounded, The countess eventually discussesher hus-
and arbitrate disputes. The fighting, feasting, band’s capture. The situation in Edessa is
and general merriment will last almost a dire. Most of the count’s powerful vassals
week. Despite the carnival atmosphere, how- were either captured or slain during the bat-
ever, not everyone is entirely in a festive tle. The remaining knights in her service can-
mood. not be spared from the defense of the county.
Morphia makes it clear from the outset that
A few months ago, the Franks suffered a neither she nor the Prince of Antioch has the
serious defeat along the eastern frontier near financial resources to secure the count’s
Harran. The Saracens captured Count Bald- release. The situation is not hopeless, how-
win and almost wiped out the forces of ever. The countess has influential allies who
Edessa. Prince Bohemund’s forces, however, might help. But she needs resourceful and
emerged from the battle virtually intact, and trustworthy assistants to act as messengers
even though the Prince later managed to and help assemble her husband’s compli-
defeat the Saracens and save Edessa from the cated ransom.
pagans, the count remains in an unknown
prison. Worse yet, the Prince seems unwilling Morphia cannot promise the PCs immedi-
to help ransom the count, for the arrogant ate pay for their service. Provided they swear
Saracen lord has demanded an exorbitant fealty to her, however, Morphia promises to
price for Baldwin’s release-50,000 dinars, 50 award them important fiefs in the County of
suits of Frankish mail, a dozen Cairene stal- Edessa once her husband is released. She
lions, and a trio of albino goshawks. Unfortu- stresses that by assisting her cause, the party
nately, both the Prince and the count’s wife will complete an invaluable service for all the
are completely broke. The flashy tournament Christian States of Outremer.
conceals their true financial condition.
The countess is a sha’ir, sorceress, or
Setup: While entertaining the PCs at the hakima of considerablepower (at least 7th
joust, drop hints and rumors about the level). She is quite knowledgeableabout the
Prince’s previous campaign and the capture history, science, and languages of the region.
of the count. The Countess Morphia, wearing As the party slowly gathers the parts of her
black silk robes and veils, lingers like a dark husband’s ransom, she might serve as a men-

86 * Chapter Eight

tor, tutoring the PCs on local history, Arabic, ordering them to turn over their extra armor
perhapseven magic. She might also provide a to the PCs. However, the party must travel to
few minor magical items in exchangefor their each castle, present the letter, and collect the
service. For the rest of the adventure, the armor. Through adroit role-playing, coercion,
countess retires to Edessa, where she awaits and perhaps a little bribery, the party can
news of the party’s success and manages the assemblethis pile of armor without much dif-
realms in her husbands absence. ficulty.Again, the PCs must deliver the armor
safely to the countess in Edessa.
The adventure: The plot is relatively
straightforward. The PCs must help Morphia A dozen Cairene stallions: Knowledge of Ara-
assemble the four parts of her husband’s ran-
som: 50,000 dinars, 50 suits of mail, a dozen bic helps the party enormouslyhere. The gold
Cairene stallions, and three albino hawks. and the armor were easy compared with this
The countess offers suggestions for each of task. If the party had enough money, they
these. could simply pay an Arab merchant in Acre
to import the horses from Cairo. The countess
50,000 dinars: Only the King of Jerusalem cannot afford to pay this price. She has an
currently can raise that much gold. As the alternate plan.

count’s lord, he is obliged by his oath of fealty A few years ago, Count Baldwin saved a
to help secure the count’s release. First, Mor- Saracen merchant’s caravan from Aleppan
phia wants the PCs to act as messengers raiders. This merchant, named Mu’izzi, lived
between her and the king. This is not a trivial in Cairo and managed a business between his
task, for the road to Jerusalemis both long native city and Mosul. Though Mu’izzi hand-
and poorly patrolled. Long journeys in each somely rewarded the count, the merchant
stage of the adventure provide ample oppor- made it clear that he still felt a debt of grati-
tunity for entertaining encounterswith ban- tude to the Frankish lord. Morphia asks the
dits, Saracenraiders, or even a monster. party to go to Cairo and request Mu’izzi’s
help in obtaining the stallions.
Finding the king is not easy, for (of course)
he is not in Jerusalemwhen the PCs arrive. Travel to Cairo provides many opportuni-
King Baldwin is a vigorous warrior, devoted ties for adventure, especially because Egypt is
to expanding and stabilizing his realm. He is currently at war with the Kingdom of
shrewd, ruthless, and constantly at war with Jerusalem.Disguised as merchants, however,
his Saracenneighbors. The PCs have to track the party can travel by ship fairly easily from
him down in the field to deliver their mes- Acre to Cairo. Morphia gives the party a letter
sage, witnessing and possibly assisting his of introduction to an Arab ship captain in
conquests. Provided the PCs can safely
deliver Morphia’s letter, the king announces Acre and to Mu’izzi in Cairo. The trip may be
his intention to help raise the money for the
count’s release. Collecting the gold will not be complicated by Sicilian corsairs or even sea
easy, the king says. He promises to have most monsters.
of it gathered in Jerusalem within a few
months, but transporting this much wealth Once the characters arrive in Cairo, cus-
safely back to Edessa poses a problem. toms officials diligently search them and
require a modest tax. Although Christians
Fipy suits of Frankish mail: This task moves are allowed in the city, they are forbidden to
bear arms; so long as they remain in Cairo,
much more smoothly. The king graciously they may not wear armor or carry any
donates all the spare mail in his royal weapon larger than a dagger. Guided by the
armories for the count’s ransom. He writes a ship captain, the party winds its way
letter to the bailiffs of each royal stronghold, through crowded, narrow streets past
mosques and bazaars, to Mu’izzi’s home.

Adventurlngldeas 87

After the PCs explain the count’s dilemma,
the merchant promises to obtain the stallions
and put them on the ship. In the meantime,
the party can explore the fantastic city and
the nearby pyramids.

A trio of albino goshawks: To obtain these rare
birds, the party must learn about falconry, a
favorite sport and diversion of Arab nobles.
Many Frankish lords, including the Prince of
Antioch and the King of Jerusalem,enjoy this
sport as well. These expensive birds of prey
are trained and cared for by expert hirelings
known as falconers.One of Morphia’s cousins,
named Nikael, is a falconer’s apprentice in
the mountainsnorth of Antioch. The countess
directs the party to Nikael to learn more about
albino goshawks.

The falconer’s apprentice has heard of
these rare birds, but they only live in the
deserted Anatolian highlands. Out of respect
for his cousin (and in hope for a position at
her court once he finishes his apprenticeship),
Nikael leads the party north across the dan-
gerous Turkish frontier to find these rare
birds. Once the characters leave the Turk-
dominated valleys of Anatolia, they must
travel through an inhospitable mountain
wilderness, threatened by lions, wolves, and

possibly dangerous spirits such as jinn.
Plot twists: The adventures in this cam-

paign are fairly straightforward, but the DM
can complicate matterswith a few plot twists.
Here are a few suggestions:

Prince Bohemund of Antioch is desperate
for cash.The latest defeat at Harran and the
recent joust have emptied his treasury.
When he learns the PCs are escorting the
50,000 dinar ransom from Jerusalem,he
orders his capable and ruthless nephew,
Tancred, to stage an ambush. Disguised as
Saracen raiders, Tancred and his large
patrol lie in wait.
Mu’izzi of Cairo is a secret operative of the
Assassins. He happily helps ransom the
count, because the Assassins hope to estab-
lish a new stronghold in the area. After the

rescue Count Baldwin. Unfortunately,none This adventure is driven by rumors,
of Edessa’s knights can be spared-unless spread across Outremer by Saladin’s clever
the PCs decide to join this foolhardy ven- network of spies and propaganda artists,
ture. Morphia advises against this, espe- and the scenario provides an opportunity to
cially because she does not believe the lead the party on a wild goose chase across
story of Joscelin’smiraculous escape. Who the Holy Land. As they travel from city to
released Joscelinand for what purpose? city, the PCs hear new and increasingly out-
Concluding the campaign:Once the party landish rumors about the scimitar. Make up
has amassed the ransom in Edessa, Morphia as many amusing stories as desired. The
gathers her remaining knights to escort the Saracens have devised the entire propa-
trove to the appointed meeting place. After ganda campaign to make the sultan (and his
inspecting the treasure (perhaps frowning at magical weapon) seem larger than life, there-
the damaged condition of some suits of mail), by demoralizing the Christians of Outremer.
the Saracen lord releases Count Baldwin. Fol- The party should also hear the good legends
lowing the tender reunion with his wife, the of Saladin’s generosity, honor, and compas-
count rewards each PC with an important fief sion (see Chapter 7 for more background
in his domain (vacated by knights who died information on the sultan).
at the Battle of Harran). Provided they serve
him well, when the count becomes King of Eventually, if the heroes persevere, rumors
Jerusalemin eight years, he no doubt pro- lead them to Damascus, the western capitol of
motes his most loyal vassals to important Saladin’s empire. The scimitar remains, as it
roles in the service of Outremer. Of course, always has, in Saladin’s palace. Because the
the future Queen Morphia continues her gen- party no doubt has learned by now about Sal-
erous patronage of the PCs.

Adventure Hooks
Saladin’s Scimitar. Everyone knows that

tempered steel from Damascus, mottled with
a characteristic smoky pattern, makes the best
swords in the world. Saladin’s legendary

scimitar of sharpness, for instance, was forged

in Damascus. That blade has now disap-
peared. Some whisper that it was stolen by
the Assassins, others think that a political
rival from Baghdad sponsored the theft.
There is always the possibility that the chari-
table sultan simply gave it away to an admir-
ing visitor. Regardless of the reason, the
sword has supposedly changed owners, and
Saladin does not seem to care.

Members of the Frankish nobility, includ-
ing the king, place a great value on magical
and legendary weapons. These patrons all
want to locate and obtain this weapon, re-
gardless of cost.

Adventuringldeas * 89

adin’s custom of meeting foreigners, they The Leper Knights. The Knights of Si
might be tempted to arrange an audience Lazarus are a small monastic brotherhood
with the sultan. modeled after the Hospitallers, charged with
tending a few leper colonies in the mountains
Saladin is a busy man, shielded in his south of Antioch. The Lazarites are some-
palace behind an impressive bureaucracy of times known as the Unclean, or Leper
mamluks and advisors while he plans his Knights, for it is rumored that only warriors
next military campaign against the Franks. stricken with the plague may join their broth-
The party must first convince Saladin’s minis- erhood. Initially, they defend the colony from
ters (some of whom speak French) to admit the bandits and monsters that inhabit the
them for an audience.Should the viziers learn wilderness. As their affliction gradually
that their own propaganda has brought the worsens, the Lazarites are cared for by their
K s to this spot, they immediately arrange for fellow knights.
an interview with Saladin, After all, the Sul-
In a land of infestation and disease, victims
tan will be interested to learn about the effec- of leprosy are frighteningly common, even
among the Frankish aristocracy. Sadly, a
tiveness of his own spy and propaganda young Frankish noble named Bernold has
network. fallen victim to this disease in Jerusalem.All
attempts to cure the boy have failed, and the
After stripping them of all weapons, family has decided to send Bernold to the
guards escort the heroes through the palace, Lazarites far to the north. The family first
past countless riches and treasures carefully asked for volunteers to escort the boy to the
arranged to impress visitors. However, Salad- leper colony, but so far none have accepted.
in’s diwan (public audience room) is more Bernold’s parents are now offering a hand-
spartan. Dressed in a simple white robe, the some reward (1,000 dinars) to any group who
sultan waits for the PCs. He is a short, thin completes this charitable deed.
man, but he has a warm, welcoming smile.
He only speaks Arabic; an interpreter is avail- Bernold, a pimply young lad of 16, has not
able, if necessary. yet realized the nature of his illness. Still in its
early stages, the leprosy has merely numbed
Saladin is interested in (and amused by) the tips of his fingers and toes. Besides these
the tales of the party’s travels in search of his symptoms (which will gradually worsen with
scimitar. By the end of the interview, he time until all his extremities have gone
appears quite pleased. “Your sources of infor- numb), there are no outward signs that the
mation are no doubt mistaken,” Saladin says, boy is a leper. Bernold’s parents have hidden
pointing to a sheathed scimitar lying beside the truth about the disease-partly to shield
him, “as Khlamsin has never left my side the child’s feelings, partly because of their
since I began the jihad.” The scimitar, he own weakness, and partly to avert a scandal
insists, is not for sale at any price. among the elite social circles in Jerusalem.

So that his guests do not leave Damascus As a result, the boy has become a spoiled
empty-handed, Saladin gives them each a brat. Ever since he became sick, his parents
blade of Damascene steel (treat these as en- have fawned over him and given the boy any-
chanted +1 weapons). The party may remain thing he wanted. Now that they are sending
in the palace as Saladin’s guests for up to him away, he has become quite enraged.
three days. The Sultan invites them to return Bernold has no desire to go to the monastery
to Damascus in a few months, when he can -he has everything he wants at home in
pump them for more information about polit- Jerusalem!The youth is not stupid, however.
ical and military developments in Outremer.
Gradually, the party might even become Sal-
adin’s spies!

PO Chapter Eight

He plays along with his parents and the PCs Baghdad, the ruined cities of Babylon and
until he sees the opportunity to escape. With Nineveh have been abandoned to the wind
a small pouch of gold, he hopes to reach Acre,
and from there, sail to Sicily. He dreams of and the mercurialjinn. Amid the maze of bro-
becoming a corsair and living a life of adven-
ture as a pirate. ken walls and tumbled pillars, dark pits and
hidden stairwells descend to the temples of
One night, after the party has left Jerusalem Baal and other gods best left forgotten. Count-
with Bernold, he sneaks off into the darkness, less other crumbling ruins litter the wilder-
but quickly runs into a small band of Saracen ness landscape near Outremer.
adventurers on a light raid. The troupe con-
sists of a dozen Turkish cavalry and a trained Along the road from Acre to Damascus,
mamluk named Salim, all led by a cunning near the Christian-Muslim frontier, lies a
sorcerer named Al-Afdal. The wizard imme- ruined stronghold built a century ago by the
diately realizes Bernold’s social standing and Byzantines. The Damascenes once razed the
charms the boy into obedience. The Saracens castle, so that now only featureless piles of
prepare to ride back to Damascus, where rubble remain. It is rumored, however, that
they will hold Bernold for ransom (or sell the Saracens never discovered the castle’s
him at the slave markets if their demands are treasury. Somewhere, hidden in the ruins and
not met). guarded by angry ghosts, lies over 100,000
dirhams in silver coins. A few small expedi-
If the heroes do not recover Bernold and tions have left Jerusalemto search the castle
ruins, but none have returned. Are angry
get him safely to the Lazarite monastery, their spirits to blame, or merely the large gang of
bandits who secretly search for the treasure?
reputation in Jerusalemis seriously damaged.
Bernold’s parents are prominent members of Star-Crossed Lovers. In the Christian city
the aristocracy and seek to avenge the family of Tyre, Humphrey of Auvergne and Tamr
honor at the earliest opportunity! bin Astok met by chance at a well. The noble
young bard was watering his horse; she was
(A technical note: Leprosy, now known as drawing water for her family. Their eyes met,
Hansen’s disease, is the least contagious of all and they fell in love. Their respective families,
infectious diseases. Contrary to belief both of Frankish Christian and Shi’ite Muslim
during the Crusades and today, leprosy is not backgrounds, abhor each other. Soon after
fatal and does not in itself disfigure its vic- Humphrey asked for Tamr’s hand in mar-
tims. Rather, it deadens sensations of pain, so riage, the girl’s family carried her away to a
that victims often leave injuries untreated; the secret location in the city, and now they plan
wounds become infected and then gan- to transport her to Damascus.
grenous, leading to the awful disfigurement
seen in advanced cases. Of course, no one in The heroes meet Humphrey on the street as
the Middle Ages knew this distinction, and he is being bodily ejected from the Astok’s
every society regarded lepers with terror and house. The handsome young gallant begs
loathing.) them for help in locating his true love. H e
offers the PCs money, he promises to com-
Ruins of the Ancients. The Holy Land nes- pose odes in their honor, he appeals to their
tles among the wreckage of ancient civiliza- Christian charity, and if all else fails he threat-
tions. In Egypt the crumbling pyramids and ens to risk his life by trying to rescue Tamr
antique monuments still wait for explorers. alone. Humphrey is so endearingly passion-
Priceless treasures remain hidden beneath the ate that the heroes should feel a foretaste of
forbidding desert sands, guarded by mummi- the romantic chivalric ideal that emerged
fied guardians and unmoving statues. Near later in the Middle Ages, wherein pure love

Adventuring Ideas 91

--

between knight and lady drew bystanders to together in Outremer or surrounding Islamic
help them overcome obstacles to a just union. lands. The heroes can send them with another
caravan north to tolerant Constantinople, or
If they help Humphrey, the characters can by ship southwest to free-thinking Alexan-
locate Tamr‘s hideaway and arrange a lovers’ dria, Egypt. The nobleman and his bride
rendezvous through trickery or stealth. might instead take up a humble anonymous
Humphrey and Tamr have only brief, chaste existence in an obscure village outside Tyre,
momentstogetherbefore their families discover or the sympathetic caravan leader could hire
the scheme,but thisshorttime serves to demon- them as guard and cook on this and subse-
strate their love to even cynical PCs. Perhaps a quent caravans.
priest PC can marry the two on the spot!
Ultimately, the characters may incur the
But marriage or not, the families separate wrath of two dangerous noble houses. The
the lovers. Both families using increasing heroes may have to make a further Faustian
force to dissuade those who seek to unite bargain with the Assassins to prevent the
Humphrey and Tamr. Her father is a leading Auvergnes and Astoks from pursuing revenge
local merchant, a shareholder in many rich against them. However, the Auvergne patri-
caravans that bring frankincense from Arabia arch and the Astok father might instead pur-
and dried fruit and gemstones from Ethiopia. sue vendettas against one another, ignoring
He sends Tamr’s burly brothers to teach the PCs. In an unlikely happy ending the two
Humphrey (and the PCs?) not to ”violate the families (with the PCs’ help) realize they can
purity” of a good Muslim woman. Mean- use one another’s help and form a restrained
while, he ships Tamr off as an unwilling pas- alliance: the Astoks providing luxuries to
senger on the next caravan to Damascus, Tyre’s nobility, and the Auvergnes serving as
where the Astoks have family. the Astoks’ caravan guards in bandit-ridden
lands.
On the Frankish side, Humphrey’s uncle,
Theophilus, is a leading Templar knight. The An Angel’s Riddle. In the heart of the Syr-
thought of his nephew marrying a Saracen dis- ian desert, a small shrine stands near a ver-
dant oasis, dedicated to Saint Peter, the first
gusts him.With permission from Humphrey’s Apostle. Over the years, many devout pil-
father, the Templar and some lesser knights try grims and knights have sought this secluded
shrine. Countless searchers perished during
to abduct the lad and hold him in a nearby the long, treacherous journey, but a few sur-
castle until this fiascoblows over. vived the ordeal. These fortunates claim they
were guided to the calm shrine by a beautiful
Ina rigorous historical account this unfor- maiden named Catherine, a radiant angel of
incomparable grace and poise. At the shrine,
tunate love would lead to tragedy. But in a the pilgrims saw the Sacred Slippers of
role-playing game the heroes can help the Galilee, worn by Saint Peter when he walked
young lovers escape society’s strictures. on water at Christ’s bidding. The angelic
Humphrey’s loyal servant can give the PCs guardian promised to give the Sacred Slip-
the bard’s desperate plea for help (perhaps pers to any pious Christianwho could answer
expressed in verse), and they can rescue him her riddle and perform a secret quest. How-
from Theophilus’s castle. Then, with angry ever, those who have tried to solve the angel’s
knights minutes behind, the PCs and riddle and undertaken her mysterious task
Humphrey reach Tam’s home and discover have never been seen again!
from her loving sister that Tamr has already
left with the caravan. There follows an excit-
ing chase through the desert, a stealthy or
quick raid on the caravan, and extrication of
the overjoyed Tamr.

Then what? The lovers have no future

92 ChapterHght

Glossary harnmam (Arabic):the public bath, an impor-

alim (Arabic): a learned man, usually in the tant institution in Arabian society.
Islamic sciences, law, or religion. hajj (Arabic):the obligatory Islamic ”pilgrim-

amir (Arabic):“one who commands,” usually age” to the holy city of Mecca, one of the
an important military leader, commander, Pillars of Islam. After the hajj, a Muslim
or general; in Turkish, emir. receives the title hajji.
hijra (Arabic):the ”flight” or “emigration”of the
Anatolia: Asia Minor, the Asian region of Prophet Muhammad to Medina in 622 A.D.,
what is now Turkey. the start of the Muslim calendar. Also Hegira.
Hospitaller: a monastic knight belonging to the
Assassin (from Arabic hashishim, meaning
“users of hashish): a fanatical militant sect military Order of SaintJohn, which was first
of Shi’ite terrorists during the Crusades. founded as a hospital in Jerusalem and later
See ”Shiah.“ mobilized in the defense of the Holy Land.
imam (Arabic): a ”leader” of the Muslim
afabeg (Turkish): ”prince-father,” originally an
community, or any Muslim who leads the
adoptive regent who ruled in the name of a prayers in a mosque.
young prince; later it applied to dynasties indulgence: an absolution of sins given by the
of governors.
bezant (Greek): a Byzantine gold piece, a stan- Pope, which assured that the recipientwould
dard Western currency at the time of the not have to suffer temporal punishment in
Crusades.
Caliph (Arabic):the”deputy” and ”successor” Purgatory, but would go straight to Heaven
of the Prophet Muhammad; originally the
spiritual and political leader of the Islamic after death. The Pope granted indulgencesto
world recognized by the Sunni branch of all those who went on the Crusades.
Islam. During the Crusades, the Caliph invest: to surround and besiege a fortified
was an impotent figurehead, dominated by
a Turkish sultan. site, blocking all communications and sup-
chanson d e geste (French, ”song of heroic
deeds”): a genre of French romantic poems ply lines.
popular in the Middle Ages, celebrating Islam (Arabic): ”Submission” to the will of

heroic or historical figures. The best known God. The religion founded by Muhammad;
see Chapter 2.
example is the Song of Roland. jihad (Arabic):originally, the Islamic “strug-
Crusades (English, from French croix,
gle” for achievement in the name of God.
”cross”):the wars fought by Western Chris- By extension, the word later came to mean
a holy war against enemies of Islam.
tendom to recapture the Holy Land from jinni (Arabic): a genie or malignant spirit.
the Muslims. Plural jinn.
dinar (from Greek denarion): an Arabic gold khamsin (Arabic):a hot wind from the desert.
piece. Ka’aba (Arabic): the most sacred shrine of
dirham (from Greek drakme):an Arabic silver
piece. Islam, located at the heart of the Great
diwan (Arabic): the chamber or tent where a Mosque in Mecca.
ruler holds court or receives counsel. mamluk (Arabic): a warrior slave who serves
emir: see amir.
fida‘i (Arabic,pluralfedayeen):“one who sacri- the state to earn his freedom. This institu-
fices himself” for a cause, a freedom fighter. tional slavery prevailed in the Islamic
Franj, Faranj, Ifranj, Ifraniat, etc. (Arabic):vari- world during the Crusades, giving rise to
ous words used to describe the Franks, and the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt during the
later any fair-skinned Westerners. 13th century.
mosque: an Islamic place of worship.
muezzin (from Arabic rnu’adhdhin):a man who
calls Muslims to prayer five times daily,usu-

ally from the minaret of a mosque.

Aclventudngldeas 93

mullah (Arabic): a preacher of Islam. Prophet Muhammad. A Shi’ite spurned the
Muhammad: A.D. 570?-632.Founder of Islam. authority of the Caliph in Baghdad.
Sufi (Arabic): a mystic, religious order of
Regarded by Muslims as the last and great- Islam, founded in the 8th century.
est of the line of Prophets including Moses, suq (Arabic): the indoor bazaar or market-
Abraham, and Jesus. place of a city or town.
Muhammadan: Western synonym (until the Sunna (Arabic): “the way” of the Prophet
19thcentury) for a Muslim, a term repudi- Muhammad, including all his speech and
ated by Muslims because they do not wor- actions. A Sunni adheres to these tenets.
ship the Prophet Muhammad. See also The term also refers to the majority branch
”Saracen.” of Islam at the time of the Crusades. Sunnis
Outremer (French): the land ”beyond the revered the Caliph in Baghdad as the suc-
sea,” i.e., the Christian States of Jerusalem, cessor of Muhammad, as opposed to the
Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa. minority Shi’ites, who supported the Fati-
mid Caliph of Egypt.
qadi (Arabic): a judge who enforces the Sharia. Templar: a monastic knight belonging to the
Quran (also Koran, Arabic): the holy book of military Order of the Temple, founded to
protect pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem.
Islam, which Muslims believe was dictated vizier (from Arabic wazir, “minister”): origi-
nally the chief advisors of the Fatimid
by God to the Prophet Muhammad. Caliph in Egypt, the viziers eventually
administered the government under the
ra’is (Arabic): any temporary public official or theoretical authority of the figurehead
Caliph. Once Saladin conquered Egypt and
elected leader in a town or village. abolished the Caliphate, the vizier became
reduce: to capture a fortified site and neutral- the ultimate power in the country.

ize the enemy forces within. Annotated Bibliography
Ramadan (Arabic): an Islamic holy season Ibn Ahmad, Muhammad, called Ibn Jubair

lasting one lunar month, during which (1145-1217); Broadhurst, R.J.C. (translator);
Muslims ritually fast from sunrise to sun- The Travels o f I b n Jubair,Camelot Press,
set. Because it follows a lunar calendar, the London, 1952.A compelling account of a
beginning of Ramadan shifts annually. Moorish pilgrim who traveled through the
Rum (Arabic, “Rome”): the Byzantine Empire, Holy Land during the Crusades.
once the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Armstrong, Karen.Holy War:The Crusdes and
It later applied to regions of Anatolia con- Their Impact on Today’s World,Doubleday,
quered by the Turks from the Byzantines. New York, 1988. A look at the concept of
Saracen (from Greek Sarakenoi and Latin Sara- holy war and the Crusades for Christianity,
ccnus, “people who dwell in tents”): first Islam, and Judaism.
used to describe the Bedouin nomads who
inhabited the Arabian Peninsula. By the Burgess, Glyn (trans.). The Luis of Marie de
time of the Crusades, this Western term France, Penguin Books, Hammondsworth,
was extended to include all Muslims,
whether Turks, Kurds, Arabs, or Egyptians. 1986. One of the first examples of Frankish
Seljuqs (Turkish): several Turkish dynasties romances at the time of the Crusades.
that ruled central and western Asia from Burgess, Glyn (trans.). The Song of Roland,
the 11thto 13thcenturies. Penguin Books, Hammondsworth, 1990.
S h r i a (Arabic): the Holy Law of Islam, which The classic chanson de geste (song of heroic
codifies the conduct of Muslims in every- deeds), written just after the First Crusade.
day life.
sharif (Arabic): a noble, descended from the
family of the Prophet Muhammad.
Shiah (Arabic): a minority branch of Islam at
the time of the Crusades,which revered the
Caliph of Egypt as the successor of the

94 Appendix

Forey, Alan. The Military Orders from the yet thorough look at the entire Crusading
Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Centuries, movement, including the Crusades to East-
University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1992. ern Europe, the Balkans, Southern France,
An investigation of Military Orders in Spain, and (of course) Palestine.
Europe and Palestine, including organiza- Runciman, Steven.A History of the Crusades (3
tion, tactics, and regulations. vols.), Cambridge University Press, Cam-
bridge, 1951-53.After 40 years, this mam-
Hallam, Elizabeth (editor). Chronicles of the moth, 1,400-pagecompendium remains the
Crusades, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, New scholarlybenchmark study of the Crusades
York, 1989.Anthology of primary historical to Palestine. In accessible prose Runciman
sources, including letters, speeches, and focuses in detail on key personalities and
other contemporary texts. daily events in Outremer and the Byzan-
tine Empire from a Western perspective.
Kieckhefer, Richard. Magic in the Middle Ages, Smail, R.C. Crusading Warfare (2097-1193),
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
1989.An interesting and often humorous look 1956.A close look at the strategy, warfare,
at the concept of magic in medieval Europe. and castles of the Franks, Turks, and Arabs
during the Crusades.
Lesourd, Paul and Ramiz, Jean Marie. On the
Path of the Crusaders, Masada Press, Israel, Other Sources

1969. For those who like coffee-table books Music can be an important inspiration in
with lots of pictures. both writing and gaming. The record label Lon-
don offers ”The Music of the Crusades,” played
Oldenbourg, Zoe; Carter, Anne (translator). with period instruments and sung in their orig-
The Crusades, Pantheon Books, 1966. This inal (medieval)French, German, or Latin. The
hefty volume summarizes medieval soci- libretto provides a modern translation, so the
ety, economics, politics, and religion before DM can get a good idea of the thoughts and
feelings of the time. It makes excellent back-
discussing the Crusades. ground music while gaming, as well.
Maalouf, Amin; Rothschild, Jon (translator).
Most monastic Gregorian Chants of the
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, Schocken medieval period also survive to this day. For
Books, New York, 1984.One of my favorites, modern adaptations of medieval music (excel-
this fairly short (300 pp.) work gathers fas- lent for gaming), check out Dead Can Dance
cinating, chilling, and often humorous and Enigma.
Arab sources to look at the Crusades from
the Muslim perspective. The author recommends the romances of
Murray, Margaret. The God of the Witches, Sir Walter Scott, including The Talisman and
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1931. An Ivanhoe. These historical novels are set during
interestinglook at how the ChristianChurch the Crusades. For more contemporary fantasy
confused pagan worship with witchcraft set during the waning years of the Kingdom
during the Middle Ages. of Jerusalem, see Alamut and The Sword and
Nicole, David, and Angus McBride. Saladin the Cross by Judith Tarr. Although not directly
and the Saracens, Osprey Publishing, Lon- related to the Crusades, the ”Deryni” series
don, 1986. This is most useful for its de- by KatherineKurtz (Deryni Rising, High Deryni,
tailed pictures and diagrams of period Deryni Checkmate, and others, published by
armor and weaponry used by the Turks, Del Rey Books) creatively mingles medieval
Arabs, and Egyptians at the time of the society, a powerful church, and a compelling
Crusades. The text itself is dense and con- vision of magic.
fusing unless the reader already has a
background in the history.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Crusades: A Short
History, Yale University Press, New Haven,
1987. As the title promises, this is a brief

Annotated Bibliography 95

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