Goldenbird

Crni Kraj

The monastery of Crni Kraj is the hideout of bearded bandits (“hajduk” in Croatian) who claim to be the last Templars of the Balkans.

When Falco visits them in the hope of gaining information, they force him to tend the sheep and send him off to the mountaintop to argue with a cantankerous old hermit, who showers far-away Ginestra with apocalyptic abuse.

The Templars stole a treasure from Byzantium during the Fourth Crusade, but they refuse to turn it over to the Vatican – they don’t trust the church that persecuted its own most faitful servants. However, the Templar trail is a red herring – the Dux has had the precious item all along, he is only missing the key – and only Falco knows where it is…