The Sassanid Empire



Recently emerging from civil wars of its own, the Sassanid Empire is encroaching on the eastern reaches of the now-fractured Roman Empire. Based around the heart of the ancient Persian Empire, the Sassanids control massive cities of gold and ivory protected by legions of Immortals. They field vast hordes of cataphracts and skilled armored horsemen, as well as more exotic forces - elephants, camels, and even some rarer monsters from beyond the dunes, like manticores and rocs.

Shapur I, the battle-scarred and aging emperor of Sassanid Persia, has a long history of war against the Roman Empire. Known to his subjects as the Pheonix King, he was powerful enough to break entire legions and exact tribute from Emperors, but has suffered major setbacks in recent years against the breakaway empire of Palmyra. He holds a great enmity for Zenobia and her late husband, who were responsible for stymying Sassanid advances into Syria and Anatolia, and has been plotting her demise for many years. He is resplendent in battle atop Valerian, the Simurgh that has served the Royal family for generations. He has taken on a new name in this modern era, evoking the memory of a Roman Emperor