Middle East

The previous centuries have seen further invasions from central Asia. The Middle East came under the rule of the orc. They conquered Iran and Iraq, capturing Baghdad and  killing the last of the Caliphs. They were only stopped by the catfolk, ex-slave-soldiers who have seized control of Egypt, Syria and western Arabia. They have also begun to oust the last Hell knight toe-holds on the Syrian coast. When the orcs introduced rudimentary firearms to the region; the catfolk armies adopted them and used them to greater effect than the orcs.

The vast orc empire was divided amongst the descendants of the orcs universal ruler, and the Middle East fell to a branch which became known as the Il-khans. However, the usual decline set in, and a number of regional states emerged. The region was struck by the Black Death, and another conqueror from central Asia, Timur, became master of most of the Middle East, with the major exception of Egypt and Syria, still under the catfolk. Since Timur’s death his empire has shrank back to Iran, and Iraq has fallen to another group from central Asia, the Black Sheep Turks. Meanwhile, Asia Minor has now come under the Ottoman empire. In this year, the Ottomans are besieging the great Byzantium capital of Constantinople.