Gaqut

The Battle of Al Mansurah

Brother Marcos referred to the Chronicles of the Holy Crusades, finding that in The Seventh Crusade, the Egyptian city of Al Mansurah had been attacked by Guillaume de Sonnac, Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Having only cursory information about the battle and no references to supernatural forces at play, Brother Marcos was at a loss. He knew that the information he sought, if it existed, would surely be found in the Vatican.

Brother Marcos and his deacons were able to secure train passage to the Vatican, bringing Lucca along with her only personal possession; the doll given to her by her deceased mother. While Lucca did have a few minor disturbances on their trip, the holy men were able to keep the demon at bay.

Upon his arrival, I guided Brother Marcos to the Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum where a full account of Guillaume de Sonnac, with regards to the Battle of Al Mansurah, could be found. What follows is the passage of highest interest, written by the Templar knight, himself. It is dated March 20th, 1251.

Having been shown our way across the Nile by the Bedouin man, I pressed our forces into the city. Our men were weary, and the main Frankish army had not yet arrived, yet I could feel the righteousness of The Lord upon us. To our dismay, the men of Al Mansurah proved to be prepared. Their retreat was a lure to bring us into their trap.

Our forces were surrounded, like an island in the sea. Earl Longespee was gutted by a pikeman, no less than thirty paces from me. I saw his entrails spill out as a pile of worms. Feeling Satan's powers were at play, I called the retreat.

Soldiers died by the hundreds. My own men cursed me as they died. "We are worm food!" was their cry as they fell at the hands of Al Mansurah forces. There then came a great darkness in the sky. The stench of rotted death filled the air. The spirits of our heathen enemy grew bold, and they laughed as they slaughtered, speaking curses in their foreign tongue. Freshly slain bodies were seen to erupt into piles of worms. I swear, in God's name, that the gates of hell were cast open that day.

When I turned to check our rear, an arrow deflected from another knight's shield, landing in my eye. I pulled the arrow out, seeing my eye skewered upon it. My vision narrowed. I could feel the cold of death passing over my body. When I looked up, I saw a form which I can scarcely describe.

It was a massive creature, formed entirely out of worms. It towered over the fighting men, consuming them as it passed over their fallen bodies.

I prayed for my soul and called out for God's aid. I asked what sort of creature stood before me. The creature replied to me directly, speaking its unholy name, and declared that I was its next meal. I knew immediately that this could be nothing less than a demon of the highest order, sent to collect the souls and bodies of the men who fell with a curse against God on their lips. The demon advanced towards me, and I fled.

I cannot recount to you how I managed to fight my way through the enemy forces. The remaining battle was nothing less than a desperate retreat from the demon at our heels. When I stumbled into the camp of the main Frankish army, I found that only two other knights had made it out of the battle alive. We had all seen the same demon and had all heard its name: Gaqut.