Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

deathbyrobots

I was soooo happy when I got Uncharted 3 for $30 on Black Friday. I saved myself $30 on a new game which had just come out, you see. Plus, this game promised me an adventure in the Arabian desert to boot.

We headed to a medieval castle in France, which pointed to a Crusader castle in Syria reminiscent of one of my bucket list destinations -  Krak des Chevaliers, the stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller. A couple of ordinary puzzles later and we're off to the Rub' Al Khali - literally the 'empty quarter' of the Saudi Arabian peninsula. (NOT on my bucket list. I saw the edge of that desert when I lived in the UAE. Close enough for me, thank you very much.)

Sand, sand, more shifting sand, and, oh yeah, the forgotten city of Ubar/Iram of the Pillars/Lawrence of Arabia's Atlantis of the Sands. (Lots of names for this place, apparently.) Since interesting mythologies and creature creations usually come with every Uncharted, I was excited to see what they would do with the djinn.

The big reveal?

It was a brass jar, supposedly with a djinn in it, sealed away centuries before by King Solomon himself. A brass jar? Aren't we going to OPEN it? Nope. Not this time. No curse of somebody or other to mutate the Spaniards (Uncharted One), or blue dudes that inhaled too much resin (Uncharted Two).

This time, Drake merely hallucinates an attack by a few enemies who have been turned into fiery guys - and then Sully wakes him up. I was especially disappointed because, as you know, anything to do with djinn is of interest to me.

So I'm off to play the new Assassin's Creed. It's set in Istanbul, remember? I hope it's not as disappointing.

#amcrusading

Image via WikipediaFYI: There's a contest near the bottom of this post! Enter to win a signed copy of Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

Some of you may have noticed there's a new badge on my sidebar. I'm part of The Rachael Harrie Writers' Platform Building Crusade. Yup! I'm a crusader! Kind of fitting for me, don't you think? With me writing about crusader states and all?

Don't know what a crusader state is? Ooo..lovely idea for a post just popped in! (I'm not as talented as the Monty Python crew, but I'll give it a go.)

Crusader States:
An unofficial guide to your pilgrimage

Your travels will take you along the Mediterranean coast, through many crusader states to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Crusader states are supported by the Pope and his peeps for your safety. You will pass dangerously close to the Assassins (between Antioch and Tripoli), so please stick to the designated road and try not to get sick along the way. Crusader castles are not made for fairy princesses. They are drafty, stone fortresses designed to keep out the locals enemies. And the knights are pretty busy with that, so even though they're called the Hospitallers, odds aren't in your favor.
Let's visit one, shall we?

Here we have Yilankale, in the lovely Principality of Armenia.

Why's it ni named for a snake?
Oh, there's some local tale about a ni pagan serpent queen...Shahmeran or something... Don't worry, we've got it ni under control. Anyway, they killed her in ni Tarsus a while back. What ni did you say? You heard that her daughters are ni pissed? Yes...well...you might want to stay away from the ni vipers in your complementary ni  fruit basket. Ni.

Sorry, couldn't resist a kinigit opportunity. :)

AND for those of you who suffered through my insanity today...I have a nice surprise! Beth Revis was at my WNBA (Women's National Book Association) meeting this week and I have a signed copy of Across the Universe to GIVE AWAY!

Rules:

1. You must be a follower.
2. In a comment below, name another interesting castle in Turkey - doesn't have to be from the crusades - can be in ruins. Try not to use one someone else used. I've written about several and there are a few clues right on this page.

I'll announce the winner next Wednesday! Good luck!

And for those who want to appreciate Ni again:



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Wednesday Knights



one Lucky guy via Flickr

Dan Brown brought the Knights Templar front and center with his DaVinci Code, but there were other orders along with the Templars as well.  The Knights Hospitaller for instance. Haven't heard of them?  Me neither, but I bet you've heard of the Knights of Malta...Surprise, it's the same bunch of guys.  (Sometimes they're called the Knights of St John, or Knights of Rhodes, btw).

All up and down the Turkish coast, you'll find crusader castles the Hospitallers controlled. The knights were a brotherhood created to care for the pilgrims (in hospitals) and protect the pilgrimage route (with castles). Their most important castle is the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria.

So if you're planning to create a neo-Byzantine djinn society (please don't, I already have) you're going to need some 12th century knights (pronounced Ki-ni-gits by Monty Python fans, like myself.)

Now the Maltese cross is a topic for another discussion...

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PS!!!! Just want to say THANK YOU to all of my followers! Serendipity hit 100 yesterday and Friday will be the 100th post. So as a special treat, I have author/freelance editor Tracy Marchini coming by for a Q&A on Writing. Amazing stuff on her resume: Curtis Brown and Taconic Press...and the "Wonderbar" Nathan Bransford has her on his Book Blogs sidebar. She's currently represented by Caren Johnson Estensen.  Worth checking out, I promise!

Krak des Chevaliers

Image via WikipediaTurkey is an awesome place to live if you think castles are cool. The Knights Hospitaller (more on them later) and other crusaders sprinkled the Mediterranean coast with them in various shapes and sizes. There are so many that after a while, you think you've seen enough and they even fade to the background.  Don't make the same mistake I did - drag yourself into every one you come across! I missed some interesting things. (Granted, I was very tired and climbing around ruins is exhausting. I opted for the beach.)

For this week's field trip, we'll go farther along the pilgrimage route into Syria, near the border of Lebanon. There's no chance of missing the main base of the Knights Hospitaller, Krak des Chevaliers, there. The fortress is one of the most important preserved military castles in the world. 

Never heard of it, right? Me neither, until I started researching. (It was my wallpaper for a while because just looking at the impressive structure inspires me.) The castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and if it weren't for the location, I think it would be mobbed with tourists.

Krak des Chevaliers is the largest crusader castle in the Holy Land.  When the original inner castle was given to the Knights Hospitaller in 1142, they expanded it into a concentric castle.  The outer walls are at least 10 feet thick, even up to 100 feet thick at the base of the south side.  Numerous guard towers are as wide as 30 feet.

The Knights also built a gothic-style inner ward, along with stables for 1,000 horses and quarters for 2,000 soldiers.  Not only is the fortress strong, there is storage dug into the cliff underneath it.  That strategic planning meant the castle could withstand seige for up to 5 years. It was never taken by force, only through trickery and finally, because of the decline of the Knights' importance.

Other castles were built to emulate the style of Krak des Chevaliers, but none as large or effective.

Impenetrable castle + Crusader knights = Chapter 11!


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Watch this video clip for an idea of the scale.