History of the Fifth Crusade – Lionheart

In 1336, a group of powerful dark wizards stole from the risen pharaohs of Egypt a magical tome containing the secrets of life and death. The Book of the Dead detailed the art of necromancy, the magic of the afterlife and death. After studying the book, these Necromancers bound dark spirits to dead bodies, creating a powerful army of mindless undead warriors.

Using legions of animated corpses and undead horrors, these Necromancers conquered Egypt and many of the surrounding African nations by 1336. As they continued to wage war, the bodies of fallen warriors increased and so did the armies of the undead. The Ottoman Empire and the Knights of Saladin gathered their forces to try to stop the Necromancers. For several years, the Ottoman Empire and the Knights of Saladin slowly lost ground to the advancing undead horde.

By early 1344, the Necromancers expanded their campaign of terror by sending their massive bone barges across the Mediterranean and attacking European nations directly. While the undead armies attacked human forces in Asia, Africa, and Europe, the Necromancers sent their most powerful undead creatures to find the hidden artifacts guarded by the Knights Templar and Knights of Saladin.

The Inquisition and the Knights Templar relentlessly hunted down and destroyed every last Necromancer to ensure that the black arts would never be practiced again. In 1389, the knights killed the last Necromancer, Lord Amonsil. Although the exiled pharaohs were innocent of the crimes perpetrated by the Necromancers, the Inquisition viewed them as abominations and dispatched them without mercy, allowing the Ottoman Empire to control northern Africa.