The Holy Grail

[RithTheAwakener]

"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. It's a fictional work, and has been gaining in popularity since it's release. The main character, a Harvard (or Yale, I forget which - definitely Ivy League) professor of symbology teams up with the cryptographer granddaughter of a slain musuem curator/secret society grandmaster. They run across Paris and England trying to unlock the secret of the Grail before Opus Dei can catch them. There are quite a few puzzles interwoven in the plot, which you can probably adapt to your group (as most of them are based of Da Vinci's works).

Oh my god. I cannot express in words how much I liked this book. I HIGHLY suggest you read this for Holy Grail history.

 

[s/LaSH]

6.) The grail is 'safe' in fedgov hands alongside the ark of the covenant, various reincarnated messaihs, the remaining legitimate emperors of Rome and Byzantium, gasless motors, and the perpetual motion machine.

7.) Until the PCs show up... ...Hurrah!

The idea that the quest for the Grail leads to something much bigger and freakier in The Archives is suddenly appealing to me...

("Oh my God, they cloned Jesus from samples of the Shroud of Turin and brainwashed him into being a government agent!" Nah, I'd just deus ex machina (sic) him into a normal human with no divinity who doesn't know he's based on a more famous template - it makes an interesting revelation for an NPC they've been working with or against, though.)

Cloned angel armies sound good, though.

 

[Wolf72]

Oh my god. I cannot express in words how much I liked this book. I HIGHLY suggest you read this for Holy Grail history.

agreed! ... if you like conspiracy theories get this book, it's a great read so far (not done yet) ...

my girlfriend and I have been switching off every couple of chapters (I need to catch up now, had to finish Dune: Messiah and Children of Dune first though ... what? I had monday off, plenty of time to read and forget to eat)

 

[Taelorn76]

I also have to say that The Da Vinci Code would be good source of info. Plus it is a fantastic read I could not but that book down

 

[Alcareru]

Ok, this may be a bit of a hijack, but I would kinda recommend Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. While it doesnt deal with the Holy Grail per se, it delves into the historical mythology and conspiracy theories of groups like the Knights Templars, Rosicrucians, and other occult like groups, all of which would make good bad guys and enemies.

The theories, history (both real and faux) and things weaved in this book would serve any campaign based on such a occult/relgious item like the Grail well IMHO.

At the very least you can cull neat historical info.

 

[Nightfall]

A.A Atenteso's series on Arthur and "Kingdom of the Grail" are great reads. Plus cover Arthur and the Grail in great detail.