| “ | Watch your back, knight! Watch your back. | ” |
| — The Caliph, destroying enemy buildings |
The Caliph is one of the AI opponents that appears in Stronghold Crusader, Extreme and Stronghold Crusader 2.
Character
The Caliph is a mysterious and tyrannic ruler. In the first game, the Caliph is very secretive, as he doesn't show his face. However in Stronghold Crusader 2, his face is uncovered and he is revealed to be a middle aged man with sharp features. In both games, he wears a black-purple kheffiyeh. He is shown to wield a silver dagger, which is thought to be a janbiyah, (although unknown) with a gold hilt.
The Caliph is a cruel and vindictive man, who always brings misery, both to his people, allies and his enemies. He does not hesitate to burn enemies along with his allies' property, so long as he is safe. He's also cruel to his people, to the extent that he always uses gallows and other negative things to scare them, even burning his own castle if the enemies have advanced close to his keep. In Stronghold Crusader 2, he employs cruel slave drivers to whip his slaves.
He is a short-tempered man who usually speaks with harsh intonations, and cruel sarcasm. Rarely he is in a better mood and speaks in a calmer tone, this usually being if he has just killed another lord or senses that he is close to winning the game.
He tends to refer the player as "infidel". As an ally, he is a very uncooperative person, who doesn't want to be ordered to attack, or give help. He will only accept the order only if he has a very large army. He also rarely agrees to send goods to his allies.
Castles and Strategies
In Stronghold Crusader
The Caliph is a notable user of fire, as well as he harasses and attacks frequently, while he mostly relies on negative Fear Factor and ale consumption to run his industry.
His castles have a distinct rectangular layout with plenty of Lookout Towers along crenellated walls. He stations Arabian bowmen, fire throwers and oil engineers in the towers, as well as he deploys numerous fire ballistae around the perimeter. The close proximity of walls also have hidden pitch ditches, which can be ignited any time by defenders.
The Caliph is famous for his slave harassment early on and he continues to pressure later in the game. In larger attacks, the Caliph brings a handful of Arabian swordsmen, horse archers and Arabian bowmen. Moreover, he constructs several fire ballistae to skewer enemy units.
For more details, read here: The Caliph/Strategies (SHC)
In Stronghold Crusader 2
In Stronghold Crusader 2, the Caliph has a slighly different economy, producing the much more efficient bread for food instead of apples while still using ale to increase his tax rates.
He uses similar castles as well, using his trademark castle layout with the addition of tower haybale launchers, which add a boost to his defense against armored units. He places buildings outside his walls however, vulnerable to his own pitch ditches.
The Caliph loves to attack and to harass with greater frequency than any other lord. He often sends groups of slaves and slave drivers to set buildings alight, sometimes with a small group of horse archers to take off a couple of defenders. His siege camp attacks consist of Arabian swordsmen, Arabian bowmen and some slaves, backed up by fire ballistae and mantlets (later catapults).
Dealing with the Caliph
For tips on how to beat the Caliph, see: The Caliph/Counter-strategies (SHC)
Castles
Quotes
For The Caliph's quotes, see:
Trivia
- In the sound files of Stronghold 2 there is a new darker voice for The Caliph that makes it possible that the Caliph was planned to appear in Stronghold 2.
- Unlike other AI lords, a live actor is employed to represent Caliph rather than a pre-rendered animation in Stronghold Crusader.
Media
| Stronghold Crusader / Stronghold Crusader Extreme Characters | |
|---|---|
| Stronghold Crusader | The Rat • The Snake • The Pig • The Wolf • The Sultan• The Caliph • Saladin • Richard The Lionheart |
| Stronghold Crusader Extreme | Emperor Frederick • King Phillip • The Sheriff • The Abbot • The Marshal • The Wazir • The Emir • The Nizar |
| Stronghold Crusader 2 | The Rat • The Wolf • Saladin • The Caliph • Richard The Lionheart • The Shah • The Slave King • The Sultana |
| DLC | The Princess • The Pig • The Templar • The Duke • The Emperor • The Hermit • The Jackal • The Khan |