Since the historical setting and feel of Crusade! is less prevalent in media and games, this guide will hopefully give a few pointers on the world and vocabulary.
The Holy Land and The Levant are usually interchangeable terms that largely refer to the same area. That is, modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Syria, though the 'Levant' usually also encompasses the Nile Delta and Modern Turkey.
In the Crusade!, The Crusader Kingdoms cover the territory of the Holy Land with the immediate neighbours of Byzantium, Ayyubid, The Seljuks and Arabia.
The Fertile Crescent is usually used to refer to the lush and fertile (certainly a thousand years ago) lands of the Holy Land and the lands between the Euphrates and Tigris.
The most common form of government in the world of Crusade! is monarchy (or variations on the one-ruler theme). States are ruled by one man or woman with the help of advisors, confidantes and so on, and supported by a noble class. This is true in varying ways for all of the Crusade! factions:
Arabia has a varying collection of states and alliances, but usually there is a top dog autocrat to be found somewhere.
The Military and Monastic Orders have a Grand Master and ultimately the Pope at their head.
A major Crusade (the First), composed of Knights and Armies of the Western Kingdoms, resulted in war in the Holy Land and the foundation of the Crusader Kingdoms. This has been by far the biggest and most shocking conflict for the Holy Land and has caused the biggest political shift in the last few centuries.
Knowledge of the Crusades is relatively widespread, though not necessarily in great detail, or accuracy.
Brief descriptions of factions can be found on the Factions page.
The year is 1185 and midwinter approaches with a haste on it.
Just a few months ago Issac II called the Angelos was placed on the throne of Byzantium by popular uprising in his name. A scant week or so ago the news rippled through the holiest of lands that a new pope had ascended to that primacy and that this Bishop of Rome, Urban III, 172nd to sit upon the most gracious of thrones did call for those who had faith to act against Frederick I, the Barbarossa. It is said also that the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon have been granted new lands and founded a new temple in far London, so distant from the temple they claim to protect that some call them to task for the failings that many perceive. And Tamar of Georgia, the Virgin Queen, has blessed the Cave City of Vardzia, showing still that the bright light of our faith burns not only in the west but also in the east.
Soon shall Prester John lead his army from the south and drive the heathens from the borders of God's Land and the Kingdom of heaven shall be made real upon our own world at last.
The World of Crusade! is both vast and tiny. Though there are people from far-away England and mysterious Arabia, all come to the Holy Land, the Levant, the Fertile Crescent and the centre of all disputes.
We present you with a number of different sections dedicated to giving you a feel for the Crusade! world as a whole, as well as the particulars of the Holy Land and what one might expect. As everyone will be spending a lot of time there, it may be that they are already familiar with it, or maybe they have only heard tales of war and civilization.