Fountains of Bright Crimson
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In the year 1099 the First Crusaders came to the gates of the holy city of Jerusalem. They were surprised by the lack of resistance with which they had been met¸ but as they entered the city they were seized by a strange and furious madness. In their rage they began to slaughter the townspeople. For weeks the streets ran red¸ and their bloodlust did not stop until every man¸ woman¸ and child who lived within the city had been cut down. That much is true. It is a recorded event of history and - as the authors of this book say - the historical butchers who committed these savage deeds needed no mystical fiends to drive them to this... They brought their own monsters with them. But in the world of Vampire: The Dark Age these events took an ominous turn: As Jerusalem clotted on its own blood¸ crimson streams ran down into the secret caverns beneath the city... and its scent reached even the ancient burial place of Malkav. The Antediluvian stirred in his sleep¸ and reached out with his mind - driving the Crusaders to ever more bloody deeds¸ but also corrupting the minds of the Cainites who had come with them. As the Weeks of Blood (as they were known) came to an end¸ not a single vampire who had accompanied the Crusaders remained in the ancient city... they had vanished without a trace. Now it is a hundred years later¸ in the year 1197... and mad Cainites screaming of blood have emerged from the catacombs¸ while the fountains of Jerusalem run crimson. Malkav stirs in his sleep once more¸ and the city of Jerusalem hangs in the balance.