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Nexus Point introduces the concept of “Time War” which was first made possible in
Meridian. In this second volume, the project team discovers, largely by chance, that unseen adversaries in the future are now using the technology of the Arch to influence historical events.
The interval between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades is a fertile battleground. It was at that time
that a new Sultan, Saladin, was able to forge a union between Egypt, Syria, the Turks and Persian elements, and present a united front against the Crusaders who had occupied Palestine in the “Kingdom of Jerusalem”
for 90 years.
The Battle of Hattin became the critical meeting place on the Meridian but, as Paul Dorland’s
theory holds, there were other Prime Movers and Levers on that event.(NOTE: This is the battle featured in the movie “Kingdom of Heaven,” though this book pre-dated the movie by
about a year and a half.) Most notably was the person of one Reginald of Kerak, a figure the Arabs came to call “Arnat” the Wolf of Kerak. Reginald seemed to have a single minded malice for the Muslims and was the cause of much contention and strife during this period. Nexus Point will explore some of this history as the team members slowly realize that someone has been trying to alter the outcome of this critical battle of the “Horns of Hattin” that ended the long Christian occupation in the Holy lands.
Paul is rescued by a strange group of Arabic figures operating from a remote castle. While he
does not know it immediately, this group is none other than the notorious Ismaili “Assassins” who terrorized both Christian and Arab leaders alike. The Assassins recruited and trained a small corps of fighters they
called the “Fedayeen”-- a name we became all too familiar with in the recent war in Iraq. These “Men of Destiny” had a strange and interesting belief--their training would pass through levels and eventually they
would have some interaction with a figure the lore literally calls “The Master of Time.”
Upon discovering that in the research, I knew I had a perfect group for the Islamic operatives
in my Time War. Indeed, many of our modern day terrorist groups bear an uncanny resemblance to the Assassins of the 12th century, who used subterfuge, irregular warfare, assassination and threats to effect their
political agenda
Paul and the other research team members come to believe that the Assassins are being used,
perhaps even guided, by time travelers from the future. Yet they also learn of another group that seems to be opposing them--called only “the Order” by various characters in the story. Just who the Order is, and
what they are about will be the subject of the next volume, “Touchstone.” In the meantime the project team struggles with one key problem: If you are going to change history, how do you preserve a record of the
timeline as a reference point? The haunting Ismaili invocation that “nothing is written” is true when time travel is possible. Indeed, History, it seems, is bunk.
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