Dark Ages: AD 656 – The First Fitna
The year is AD 656, and the ancient world stands upon the edge of a new age.
Only a generation has passed since the armies of Arabia erupted from the desert, shattering the mighty Sassanian Empire and tearing from Roman hands the ancient provinces of Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Egypt. The world forged by Augustus, Constantine and Justinian lies forever changed, and every kingdom from Britannia to Persia now struggles to survive amidst the chaos of the Dark Ages.
Yet, the seemingly unstoppable rise of the Rashidun Caliphate has been brought to an abrupt halt.
The assassination of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan has plunged the Islamic world into its first great civil war—the First Fitna. Rival factions rally behind Ali ibn Abi Talib, while the powerful Umayyad governor Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan refuses to recognise the new Caliph. Across the Middle East, loyalties fracture as armies prepare to decide the future of Islam on the battlefield.
For the weary Eastern Roman Empire, this conflict offers a rare opportunity. Emperor Constans II commands an empire battered by decades of relentless war, yet not defeated. The Roman armies stand ready to reclaim what was lost while strengthening their frontiers against Avars, Slavs and Lombards. Whether the Empire can recover its former glory rests upon the skill of its commanders.
Far to the east, the once-mighty Persian Empire has vanished, leaving ambitious governors, local princes and rising dynasties to compete for power across Iran and Central Asia. In Western Europe, the Merovingian Franks continue to dominate Gaul, while the Visigoths, Lombards, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and countless tribal peoples fight to shape the future of medieval Europe.
Every frontier is contested. Every kingdom faces uncertainty.
Features
– Historically authentic AD 656 campaign start date.
– The Islamic world divided by the First Fitna between Ali and Mu’awiya.
– Historically researched faction leaders, family trees and generals.
– Redesigned campaign map reflecting the political landscape of the mid-seventh century.
– New faction traits inspired by the politics, culture and military traditions of each realm.
– Expanded and historically authentic unit rosters.
– Reworked diplomacy and strategic balance to reflect the shifting alliances of the period.
– Carefully researched campaign designed to immerse players in the transformation from Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages.
