Bitter Crusade (book)

Bitter Crusade is a chronicle for Vampire: The Dark Ages that concludes the story arc that began in Constantinople by Night. The chronicle follows the Fourth Crusade (and the Cainites' Bitter Crusade with it) that travels from Venice to Constantinople, precipitating the decimation of the Cainites of the latter and heralding the end of the Long Night.

Summary
From the White Wolf catalog:


 * Warriors of Christ
 * Pope Innocent has called for a Fourth Crusade against the Saracen, and knights from across Europe gather to respond. Cainites and mortals alike taint the enterprise with their own ambitions. In Venice, Cainites gather to decide on the crusade's course, only to watch it spiral out of control and head toward Constantinople and its powerful masters. Blood calls to blood, and the flames of mortal hatred burn brightly.


 * Monsters of the Faith
 * Bitter Crusade is a chronicle detailing the Fourth Crusade, the latest Christian adventure toward the Holy Land. Over the course of three stories, set in Venice, Zara (on the Dalmatian coast) and Constantinople itself, it shows how mortal and immortal agendas conspire to turn a holy war into a mockery and set Christian against Christian. In the fires that end it all, the Long Night itself comes to an end.


 * Bitter Crusade includes:
 * A way to bring your Dark Ages game forward from 1197 to 1204;
 * Details on Venice and Constantinople, updating previous material;
 * The chance to put your players' coterie center stage for the transformation of the Dark Ages setting.

Characters

 * Assamites
 * Fatima al-Faqadi, The Eyes of Alamut
 * Ziyad al-Djahiz, The Blade
 * Baali
 * Mary the Black, Vengeance Made Flesh
 * Brujah
 * Natalya Svyatoslav, Byzantine Autokrator
 * Nerea of Spain
 * Caitiff
 * Stanislav, Prophet of Gehenna
 * Followers of Set
 * Aimery de Versey, The Hidden Viper
 * Gangrel
 * Baron Thomas Feroux
 * Anna Sgorina, Byzantine Envoy
 * Lasombra
 * Bishop Alfonzo of Venice
 * Guilelmo Aliprando, The Prince's Voice
 * Tommaso Brexiano, Amicus Noctis
 * Gabriella of Genoa, The Latin Dissenter
 * Lucita of Aragon
 * Narses, Prince of Venice and Archbishop of Nod
 * Peter the Humble, Dark Acolyte
 * Khadijah Saadeh, Ashirra Envoy
 * Malkavian
 * Gari, Mad Prince of Zara
 * Gregorius Dimities
 * Nosferatu
 * Malachite, Rock of Constantinople
 * Nicolo, Wretch of Venice
 * Toreador
 * Michael the Patriarch, Father of Constantinople
 * Tremere
 * Lempi Mannisenmaki
 * Tzimisce
 * Dominik, Fiendish Messenger
 * Gesu, Saint of the Divinity Within
 * Voivode Koban, Fiend Among Fiends
 * Symeon, His Brother's Keeper
 * Bodor Toth, Father of the Brood (alias Magib)
 * Erzebet Toth, The Lesser Child
 * Myca Vykos
 * Ventrue
 * Caius, Emperor of the Night
 * Lanzo von Sachsen
 * Others
 * Gauthier de Dampere, Hound of the Lord
 * Rodrigue de Navarre
 * Angyalka Pecely, Last Daughter of Toth
 * Viktor Supek, Constable of Zara
 * Devald Toth, Boyar
 * Kilian Toth, Usurper Slave