xxxxxYathrib is a dusty world with scant resources that lies on no appreciable trade route - and yet in 2723 it was the site of the most important event in history, the Prophet's revelation of the Holy Flame. In an instant, Yathrib became the spark that would save mankind.
xxxxxYathrib is a small, dense planet around the size of Mars but with a gravity closer to that of Holy Terra. Its continents are mostly scattered around the equator, with one arctic continent and an antarctic archipelago. Unusual among terrestrial planets, Yathrib has a small, rocky ring just inside the orbit of its only moon, called the Shepherd Moon for the way it guards the holy planet's ring. The Shepherd Moon long was a hiding-place for Sathraists, though they have been largely driven off it; instead, the airless rock is now contested between the Known Worlds and the Kurgans. Within the last year, Imperial forces have gotten the upper hand, and now Shepherd Base serves as a roadstead for starships waiting for their window to land on Yathrib.
xxxxxThe Crusader State is a feudal state based in Akko with the Guardian of the Holy City as its formal head. His direct vassals are the assembled counts of Yathrib, who in turn have barons and baronets sworn to them. The Crusader State also directly controls a number of castles which serve as rallying points to defend Akko and crusader lands.
