The year 1096. The Pope has called for a Crusade to free Jerusalem, and
half the warriors of Europe have responded. Among them is the Norman,
Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium, whose help is required if
progress is to be possible. In company with his warrior nephew, Tancred
of Lecce, Bohemund must once more cross the Adriatic to the lands of the
Byzantine Empire.
His first task, pushing back the Infidel Turks, calls for an uneasy
alliance with old enemy Emperor Alexius. But can the Crusaders trust the
wily Emperor, and is he really on their side? With old tensions and
grudges arising, and the violent crusades of the People's Pilgrimage
bringing destruction upon middle Europe, the strength of this reluctant
truce, and the de Hauteville dynasty itself, is truly put to the test.