The Crusaders brace themselves on the fields before Antioch, as an army of heathens decends upon them from the gates. A bloody battle ensues on the field, fought with determination by the robed fanatics and local peasantry used to shield the sturdier troops.
Soon enough the course of battle took to chasing the heathens back into the city, and slaughtering them in the streets as they fled to the city centre; the Order claims its first major victory in the Holy Land, and makes the First Crusade a success...
By exterminating the heathen populace of Antioch, and razing most of the city to the ground, Grandmaster Hugues discovers a holy relic...
Once the remaining population of Antioch learn to obey their new governers, Grandmaster Hugues and Councillor Gottfried split the remaining troops, and whilst Gottfried heads North-West to complete the Papacy's objective to capture Adana, Hugues takes his men East to capture Aleppo. Capturing these two forts will provide Antioch with a sound defensive triangle.
Good news arrives as the Sultan of the Seljuk, to the North has died:
Some days of siege pass, and although weary, Hugues men are first to fight as the gates of Aleppo are smashed open by the defenders who have come to meet the Crusaders out on the open field, no longer able to survive without supplies:
Hugues commands his men well, and it's not long before a clear path is cut to the centre of the Fort, and the battle is won:
Once settled in Aleppo, news arrives that Gottfried is preparing for battle, as the same situation presents itself in the North-West settlement of Adana:
Gottfried takes out the enemy with ease, sending the rebelious standard bearer galloping from the field for his life... Never a moment of doubt, the battle was won, the settlement taken, and the rewards from the Pope, reaped:
Grim news arrives! The heathens have captured Jerusalem! It will have to wait though; the Order is by no means strong enough yet to take on the Egyptions....
For his efforts, Hugues is presented with the Seal of the Order, and granted total power over the Order:
Not long after the ceremony has finished, Hugues has his eyes set further East, on the rebel town of Edessa... Supplies are running low, the coffers are drying up; the Order needs trade...
To ensure the safe preservation of the Order's borders, small wooden forts are constructed at chokepoints throughout the region and garrisoned with peasants; their purpose isn't to withstand an enemy army, but to slow one down and give the Order a chance to react appropriately:
More good news arrives as the Moorish Sultan dies:
It would not be wise to call a crusade on Jerusalem, as the Order then runs the risk of losing it to another faction; however, calling one upon Cairo, the Egyption capital will ensure the Egyption armies are other-wise engaged when the time comes to re-take Jerusalem - If anything, their armies will become significantly weakened... The Pope grants the Crusade, though the Order has no intention of joining it this time:
God's work can be done in other ways....
Resupplied and ready for battle, Gottfried takes a ship south and besieges the fortress of Acre to form a staging point for the reclaimation of Jerusalem... Meanwhile to the North-East, Hugues marches on Edessa:
With some supplies making their way to the armies, and trade picking up, if only slightly, thanks to further trade agreements in the West, things appear to be looking good for the Crusaders; but how will the crucial battle for Acre turn out? What will the Crusaders do next?
Stay turned for Chapter 3 to find out!
- Heskey